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‘Maybe we should all go together if you're back in time? I can’t remember what time your flight gets in?’
‘We leave just after midday. I’m not sure when we land.’
‘Well, you can let us know.’
Holly took another mouthful of wine. It wasn’t as nice as the ones from the vineyard, but it was far from terrible. Maybe, if Evan had time in the morning, he could take her to the supermarket so she could stock up on some bottles as gifts for her mum and Ben, or better still, head back to the vineyard and grab some of those. Then again, they were probably out of her price range. And who was to say that Evan would even want to take her?
‘So, what do you think? Holly? Earth to Holly?’
‘Sorry, what did you say?’
Ben stared at her.
‘I’m sorry. We should let you go. It’s your last evening. Enjoy yourself. We can tell you about the bird centre when we see you tomorrow, can’t we? Now say goodbye to Mummy, Hope. Give her a big wave.’
Ben lifted Hope’s hand, waving it goodbye, and Holly had just raised hers to wave back in response when the screen turned black.
‘Okay, bye then,’ she said to the air, and picked up her glass, only to find it was already empty. That’s what happened when you poured yourself a tiny measure.
‘I guess I’ll just have to get a taxi back,’ she said to herself, as she picked up the carafe and this time filled the glass to the top.
43
A bottle of wine normally felt like a lot of wine. Itwasa lot of wine. Ben had told her countless times how many units of alcohol were in one. But she hadn’t had a full bottle, or even the full carafe’s worth, so maybe French wine was stronger. Or maybe it was the heat, but as Holly poured the final remnants into her glass, it was hard to ignore the way the water was swaying in front of her. She squinted at the boats, wondering if perhaps a storm was coming in and that was the reason they were rocking from side to side so much.
She was still staring at the boats when the waiter appeared.
‘Un autre?’ Holly didn’t understand what he was saying, though he looked concerned. And he had a kind face. The type of face that made her want to pour everything out to him. And she had a lot to pour out.
‘My life is a mess,’ Holly replied. He tilted his head to the side, which Holly assumed meant he wanted her to continue. ‘This holiday was meant to be a chance to switch off, you know? Forget about real life for a bit. And I did. I really did. I mean, I met Evan, and he has been perfect at helping me forget about real life, because let’s be honest, he doesn’t live in the real world.’
‘Excuse-moi?’ The waiter was staring directly at her, his big, wide eyes imploring her to keep going.
‘So why would he be here? What kind of trick of the universe is it to put Giles Caverty in my path this week? He’s been everywhere. Everywhere I’ve turned. And it’s not like I think about him all the time or anything. It’s not like I have time to think about him. Maybe a bit. When I’m on my own. Or when I go food shopping. I do think about him when I’m shopping. Or when I get pizza. I guess that’s quite a bit, isn’t it?’
‘Un autre carafe du vin?’
‘Awesomevin? Yes, yes, you’re right. It was lovely wine. So do you think it is? Do you think it’s fate?’
The waiter smiled politely and nodded, although rather than replying, he turned around and headed back into the restaurant.
‘That’s okay! We can chat when you get back!’ Holly called after him, although much to her disappointment, he didn’t return. Instead, a middle-aged woman with a surly face appeared and dropped a carafe of wine on the table in front of her.
‘Oh, I don’t think I ordered that?’
The woman walked away, and after a brief consideration, Holly decided the polite thing to do was to have another glass. She topped up her drink to a reasonable level, then kept going until it was so full, she had to lean down and take a slurp from the top of the rim. The couple at the table next to her turned and scowled, but rather than apologising, as Holly would have done under normal circumstances, she simply took an even longer slurp than before, then lifted the glass up and took a proper full mouthful.
‘Holly?’
With the wine glass still up to her mouth, Holly swivelled her head, sloshing drink over the tablecloth.
‘Giles?’
She scanned around him, looking for any sign of the long-legged woman who had been with him, only to find he was on his own and looking straight at her. If he had looked gorgeous on the boat, this was something else. It was as if the moonlight had transformed him into a Greek god. His hair shimmered, while the corner of his untucked shirt wafted gently like a sail in a breeze. He moved towards her, his eyes narrowed.
‘Are you here with someone? Evan?’
‘No.’ She took another mouthful of wine, trying to moisten her drying throat. ‘No, it’s just me.’
