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“What’s on your mind?” Sebastian asks. He sits back, watching me.
“I was just thinking, this is like a whole different world,” I confide. “I already feel like London is a different lifetime.”
“Good,” Sebastian says. “You deserve a real holiday.”
The subtext is lingering just beneath the surface.Because of everything he put me through.But I push it back and take a sip of wine instead.
It’s too beautiful, and the food is too good, to ruin with that bitter truth.
“So, Maria made it seem like you don’t bring guests here…” I say, changing the subject. I give him a curious look. “Seems like the perfect party house to me. There’s not a woman alive who wouldn’t swoon over this view.”
Sebastian smiles at me. “And are you? Swooning?”
“Well, this bread is making me weak at the knees, that’s for sure,” I tease back.
He laughs, and suddenly pulls me into his lap. I squeal, as he buries a kiss against my neck. “Can we make a deal?” he asks, resting his chin on my shoulder. “Can we pretend like the outside world doesn’t exist? It’s just us for the weekend,” he adds. “You and me, right here.”
I turn to look at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice—and the expression of hope I see in his eyes.
Something twists behind my ribcage. Something that feels an awful lot like happiness.
“You read my mind,” I tell him quietly, kissing him on the cheek. “Just you and me. It’s a deal.”
After our lunch,we take a water taxi across the lake to Cernobbio, a small town with classic Italian architecture and a historic town square. It’s busy with tourists strolling the winding, cobbled streets, and we have fun just exploring, taking in the street vendors and gorgeous views. Sebastian holds my hand, and it’s easy to pretend we’re just like the other couples and honeymooning newlyweds posing for photos by the shore.
“What do you say to some gelato?” he suggests, nodding to a little store with a line out the door. “This place is a local legend.”
“Obviously. I’m shocked it took you this long,” I laugh. “Isn’t it like a local law, you have to eat it three times a day?”
“You’re right, we should catch up, immediately,” Sebastian grins.
Then his phone sounds, in his pocket. He pauses.
“Ignore it,” I urge, “Didn’t you say the real world doesn’t exist?”
“I know, but…” Sebastian pulls it out, and checks the screen. His smile drops. “I have to take this. Are you OK amusing yourself for a couple of hours?”
“Sure,” I reply, trying to ignore my disappointment. “I’m happy just walking around.”
“I think we can do better than that,” Sebastian says, giving me a smirk—and his black Amex card. “See you at Harry’s Bar, on the harbor, at four?”
“See you then,” I agree. “I’ll be the one with all the shopping bags.”
He chuckles, dropping a kiss on my forehead before strolling away, already with his focused expression on as he pulls out his phone.
I wonder what’s so important that it’s interrupting our weekend. I hope it’s nothing I need to know; even if Sebastian has to get back to reality briefly, I want to maintain the illusion that I have absolutely no cares in the world.
Something tells me, I won’t get the chance again.
So, I dedicate myself to the vacation vibe: I buy myself a delicious cone of hazelnut gelato and stroll the waterfront until I see a pretty bag in a boutique window. Then I set about giving the black Amex a workout for the rest of the afternoon, on clothing, shoes, and all that fine Italian craftsmanship. I’m just emerging from yet another boutique, when my own phone buzzes with a text.
Relax with Stonebridge Spa this weekend. We have new treatments: Call to book now.
It’s from Charlie—and she’s using the same code as before about the spa. Smart. If Sebastian glances at my phone, he’d have no idea she contacted me.
‘New treatments’… that must mean she has information for me. And ‘book now’ means she wants to arrange to meet.
I pause. I should find a quiet spot and call her right away, but instead, I tuck my phone away. I feel guilty for not responding immediately, especially since I have so much at stake, but Ididpromise to forget about the outside world for a while.
