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‘Ticket.’ The man who spoke to her was dressed in a sharp black suit, and had it not been for the small silver badge fastened to his lapel, Holly would have assumed he was a passenger, not an employee. But his sharp glower said it all. ‘Madam, can I see your ticket, please?’
‘Actually, I’m just looking for someone.’ Holly fixed her best smile, trying to mimic the woman on the counter.
‘You cannot go through here without a ticket.’
‘I don’t need to go through. I don’t want to go through. I just need to ask you something. Have you been working here all day?’
The man’s eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown as he looked at her.
‘Since seven a.m.’
‘Perfect.’ She let out a deep sigh of relief. ‘I’m looking for a man. My boyfriend, sort of. I just wanted to know if he’s been here.’
Opening her phone, she flicked through her photos to the selfie they had taken together on the Vespa up by the vineyard. She hadn’t noticed at the time how the sun had splintered on the horizon behind them, or how Evan was looking at her, but studying it more closely, she could see what a perfect photo it was. The type she could imagine having framed and put up next to all the ones of her and Hope.
‘Do you know if he came through here today?’ She held up the photo to the guard. ‘I need to know if he got on a flight.’ The guard had barely looked at the image before he shook his head.
‘I do not recognise him,’ he said, turning away.
‘Please, can you have a proper look? He’s very tall. Six-foot four. Taller than most people. I’m sure you would remember if you saw him.’
The man ran his tongue over his bottom lip, which Holly hoped meant he was about to have another look. But instead, his eyes slid past her and the photograph. Holly twisted around to see the previous woman from the counter walking towards her, with two security guards by her side.
* * *
Holly had never been thrown out of anywhere before. At least, not in a very long time. There had been one incident with Caroline when they were seventeen and had tried to get into a pub in Bath and she had nearly died of embarrassment then. But it was nothing compared to this moment.
Escorted. That was the word that was best to use. Forcefully escorted.
The woman from the check-in counter looked on with smug satisfaction as the two oversized guards stood either side of Holly and led her back towards the exit.
She stepped out into the warm air and lifted her head to the sky. What the hell had she been thinking? And what the hell was she going to do now? She picked up her phone and for a split second, considered trying Evan again. But he had ignored her previous calls. She doubted this time would be any different. Sweat was already beading on the back of her neck and she hadn’t had a single glass of water all day. A dull throb from the previous night’s wine continued to pulse behind her temples. The way she was going, it would be heatstroke and a hospital bill if she wasn’t careful. As much as it pained her to do so, she knew there was only one option. Giles.
No sooner had she formed the thought, than a car beeped loudly.
Holly spun around and saw the taxi. It wasn’t waiting in the taxi rank like the others were and its light was switched off, indicating it wasn’t taking any passengers, but as she stood there looking at it, the window wound down. A round face with aviator sunglasses appeared from the driver’s seat.
‘I thought I would wait for you,’ he called.
53
Holly didn’t speak as she climbed into the back of the car.
‘I’m not paying for this trip. This makes us even. Got it?’
The driver looked at her in the rear-view mirror though he didn’t agree to Holly’s terms. He didn’t argue either.
What did it matter now anyway? She had far bigger things to deal with. Like what the hell she was going to do. Once again, it would be down to Giles to save the day. Assuming he was still at the marina. God, how could such a romantic – admittedly naïve and un-thought-out, but romantic – idea turn into such an unmitigated disaster? And Hope. Crap, how had she thought leaving Hope for an extra night would be the right thing to do? She wouldn’t blame Hope if she hated her after this. It must have been the drink, she decided. The only explanation for her absolutely ridiculous behaviour was the fact that she had still been drunk when she’d decided to run off on this scheme. At least that would help explain why she was feeling so bloody tired.
As she stared at her phone, a series of messages buzzed through from the girls.
Just boarding
Hope you got him
Can’t wait to hear everything
She turned off her phone and rested her head against the window, watching the scenery pass by outside. A whole heap of emotions took hold as she closed her eyes, and she allowed herself a moment of wallowing. Stray tears ran down her cheeks, one after another. Stray tears that lulled her into a well-needed sleep.
