AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I have to confess something to you though, Teddy,’ she began earnestly. ‘I have been working with Ciaoissimo. They paid us a fortune to overhaul them and I was assigned to be the one to turn them into what they should be.’
‘Oh… right,’ said Teddy, pondering, brow creased, but he did not let go of her hands because his heart trusted her.
‘So that’s exactly what I’ve done. My findings are filtering through to those who need to see them as we speak.’
Teddy’s sky-blue eyes met with her lovely golden-brown ones and he saw the light dancing in them.
‘Oh Teddy, what a nest of vipers. And I have all the evidence of it in glorious technicolour: admission of sabotage and smear campaigns, and some fabulous dodgy and insider dealing, not to mention enough dirt to line the whole of Yorkshire’s chimneys. I’ll tell you everything in due course, but I can assure you of two things – Councillor Stirling is finished. And Ciaoissimo will not be opening up next door.’
‘I don’t care how late it is, I’m having a celebratory glass of wine,’ called Marielle, tripping to the cupboard for glasses.
‘So you’ll be sticking around for a while then… to fill me in with the whole story?’ asked Teddy.
‘Until tomorrow, at least.’
She smiled and his own smile widened. It felt welded to his lips.
‘You lost your job, I presume?’ he asked.
‘As one door closed, a much nicer one opened,’ she replied. She’d enjoy working with Phil and Dave. She’d enjoy living by the sea and hearing the seagulls every day, birds that carried so many happy memories on their wings.
‘How am I going to thank you?’ he wondered aloud.
Sabrina resisted the urge to say she could think of a few ways.
‘I think you all thanked me in advance,’ she said instead.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he said. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, how much he wanted her, how much he thought about her, how happy he felt just being near her; but there would be plenty of time for that, because now she was back, he wouldn’t be letting her go again. Not ever.
Epilogue
The following summer
‘Do you remember when I said to you that I wish you were having a baby at the same time as me so we could meet up for lunch and other stuff and I told you to go and find someone and get up the duff?’
‘I do,’ Sabrina laughed and nudged the woman at her side affectionately as they strolled. ‘You can’t say that I didn’t listen. Oh, it’s so good to see you again.’
Itwasgood to see her, too. Sheridan and baby Alexander. And her soon-to-be-born second son, giving her more sciatica fun.
‘I need to sit,’ said Sheridan. ‘Quick, let’s nab that bench.’
They sat down on it and Sheridan applied the brake to the pram. Alexander was fast asleep, knocked out by the warm sea air.
‘You look happy, Sabrina Bonetti,’ said Sheridan, giving her friend the once-over. ‘I wondered if I’d get used to your new name, but it was easy. And you look happier than Polly Potter ever did. Although if you had married Chris yourname would have been Polly Barrett, which would have been comedy gold.’
Sabrina hooted with laughter. A lucky escape then, in more ways than one.
‘I am happy,’ she said. She’d had fun arranging her own wedding, picking her own dress – ivory and fitted – and they’d had a pizza and pasta reception in the restaurant. Flick had been her bridesmaid – in sage, not beige – and George had been Teddy’s best man. Sheridan and Dmitri had been there and Will had come up from Bournemouth for it. He was living his best life down there and forever grateful she’d helped him find the confidence to take the leap of faith.
‘This is bliss. I might have to come here a bit more often,’ said Sheridan, tilting her head back and letting the sun warm her face.
‘You’re welcome any time.’
Sabrina looked across the road at Teddy’s and the tables on the pavement full of people eating, drinking. Inside the restaurant the hatch had been widened so that diners could see the internal workings of the kitchen and the big, handsome chef putting his all into every dish he made and the Greek pizza chef flinging circles of dough into the air like a seasoned circus performer. Occasionally they’d bicker loudly that each was in the other’s way and George would tell the chef that it wasn’t his idea to have his pizza oven moved and he preferred it in the back where he didn’t have to see his stupid Italian face so much. And so often the reviews on Tripadvisor would read that this double-act should be on a stage.
The ‘Ready Teddy Go’ takeaway service had been a huge success. They’d had to take on more staff to cope with demand: one from Rome and two from Athens. All three of them suitably loud.
George and Marielle had been a solid item since he’d escorted her to the theatre to seeMy Big Fat Greek Wedding, with a meal afterwards – Greek, of course. He said that he wanted to take her somewhere decent to eat for once.
