Chapter 6
6
BEN
Ben lay in one of the double beds staring up at the ceiling of his hotel room.
He’d drunk the glass of red wine Aurora had left, taken Coco for a quick walk and switched off the light ready to sleep.
But his mind was whirring, thinking about all the things that had happened today.
About how he’d lied to Rose about the charger, already warned Marco about what she was planning to do.
He knew he’d done the right thing – protected his friend from the humiliation and pain of a wedding being cancelled.
But he didn’t feel good about it.
Coco shuffled on the bed beside his feet.
He’d tried to move her onto the floor multiple times, but the dog kept hopping back onto the mattress and snuggling in.
In the end he’d given up – the shih tzu was stubborn and he had to get some sleep.
The car hire company had told him they planned to send someone out early to fix the tyre.
Which meant he’d have to wake, dress and walk back to where they’d left the car to make sure someone was there.
He heard a soft knock on the door leading to the bathroom and waited for beat in case he’d imagined it.
The knock came again, and Ben got up and pulled on the jeans he’d dropped on the ground before unlocking it.
‘Sorry.’ Rose looked embarrassed when he swung it open.
The bathroom was large and the stark light from the overhead bulbs lit up the white T-shirt he’d loaned her.
It swamped her and made him wonder what was underneath.
Ben swallowed and met Rose’s eyes just as he heard an odd noise.
It could have been someone moaning, but surely a human couldn’t sound like that?
‘What’s that?’ He looked around the bathroom.
Did the hotel have rats?
It might explain why the receptionist hadn’t wanted to rent them these rooms at first. Maybe she’d made up the story about the previous booking but had taken pity on them?
Rose glanced at the door which connected to her bedroom.
‘Aurora,’ she whispered, blanching.
‘She’s been at it since we went to bed.
She’s either snoring, talking or shouting and she hasn’t stopped.
’ She let out a long breath as the clairvoyant yelled something in Italian.
‘I thought I’d be able to sleep through it, but?—’
‘Aldo, you need to stop doing that, dolcezza ,’ Aurora bellowed, her words audible this time.
‘I know we’re married, caro …
’
‘It wouldn’t be so bad if she was only shouting in Italian, but for some reason she keeps switching to English, probably because she’s been talking to me all day,’ she grumbled.
‘I see,’ Ben said as Rose let out a forlorn sigh.
‘You want to come in?’ He took a step back, unsure if she’d agree, even less sure if he wanted her to.
He could smell strawberries and wondered if it was her shampoo.
‘It’s just Coco and me.
No ghosts or wild parties I’m afraid.
’
‘I’m disappointed, seems I might have got you all wrong.
’ Rose gave him a half smile as her eyes skimmed the room.
He hadn’t turned on a light, but there was enough coming from the bathroom to illuminate the two double beds and bedside table that separated them.
There was also a small wardrobe and a dresser covered with cream doilies.
‘Oh,’ Rose said, striding to pick one up and switching on a lamp.
‘My grandmother used to have loads of these.’ She held it up to the light.
‘Mum used to put them around our house until Dad threatened to burn them.’ The look of enchantment on Rose’s face evaporated as she recounted the memory, and Ben got a glimpse of an emotion he couldn’t quite read.
He took a step towards her, before he caught himself and stopped, gulping down his need to soothe.
He wasn’t looking to bond with this woman.
‘Do you still have the doilies?’ he asked instead, injecting his voice with a teasing tone, trying to lighten the mood.
‘I’ve got a few in my loft,’ she said, looking sad.
‘Mum took them with her when they divorced, but her third husband hated them and tried to throw them away. I managed to rescue a few when she agreed to dump them for him.’ She frowned.
‘She tends to be very pliable when she’s in her honeymoon phase.
’
‘Is she still with him?’ Ben asked.
‘No.’ Rose sounded amused.
‘She’s on husband number six.
At least she’s about to marry him.
’ She looked perturbed.
‘You don’t like him?
’ he asked.
Rose sighed.
‘We haven’t met. Mum enjoys a whirlwind romance, so there’s not usually time to meet the daughter before the confetti gets thrown.
’ She paused. ‘I’m sure he’s perfectly nice – and probably wrong for her.
I expect the marriage won’t last. It’s a pattern I’ve grown used to.
But I’ll be there to pick up the pieces until the next man comes along.
’ She winced.
How would it feel to be constantly caught up in other people’s relationships?
Worse, to be a shoulder to cry on one day, and dismissed the next?
And why didn’t Rose just walk away?
‘Aldo, stop tickling me!’ Aurora exclaimed, and Rose widened her eyes and quickly went to shut the door to the bathroom, instantly muffling the shouts.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Ben decided not to ask for more details.
The more he knew about this woman, the more he seemed to like her and he really didn’t want that.
Distance was the only way to handle his attraction.
Although that was going to be difficult if they were sharing a room…
‘Actually, I’m sorry.
’ Rose suddenly shook her head.
‘I know this is an imposition.’ Her eyes shifted to his unmade bed before they shot back to him.
‘I tried to sleep in the bathroom, but…’ She glanced at the bed on the other side of the room which hadn’t been touched, her expression filled with longing.
‘You’re welcome to stay in here with me.
’ Ben shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, suddenly realising he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
Had Rose noticed? He swallowed before nodding at Coco.
‘At least we’ll have a chaperone.
’ His voice was rough.
‘I’m not sure I can rely on the Demon to save me – or you for that matter.
’ She winced. ‘Besides, that’s not a problem.
I’m not your type and you’re definitely not mine.
’
Rose’s eyes skimmed his chest, and Ben could have sworn they lingered, making him wonder if she was telling the truth.
He wanted to ask why he wasn’t her type.
Why she thought she wasn’t his, but knew that would be a terrible idea.
Surely it would be easier to keep his attraction in check now he knew they were on the same page.
He felt a prickling sensation under his skin, and turned abruptly so he could tug out a fresh T-shirt from his bag before pulling it on.
At this rate nothing would be clean when they got to Marco.
He winced – what if one of his friend’s relatives offered to share their wardrobe with him?
Rose cleared her throat when he turned back, perhaps realising she’d been staring.
Ben wrapped his arms around himself as she began to pace.
The air in the room had grown hotter since they’d shut the door, despite the fan spinning above their heads.
Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel heavy and why was he finding it so much more difficult to breathe?
This is exactly what he’d spent the last two years trying to avoid.
Keep things light, don’t let anyone get the upper hand was his mantra.
So, why was his body ignoring all that excellent advice?
Rose pushed her hair from her shoulders as she turned around.
It was mussed from when she’d been lying down, but the just-got-out-of-bed vibe looked surprisingly good on her – and was having the oddest effect on his ability to listen to his misgivings and do the right thing.
‘You can take that bed,’ he said gruffly, pointing to the other double.
‘Thanks.’ Rose sounded breathless.
She hopped in and lay on her back, then pulled the covers over herself, tugging them up to her nose, her fingertips gripping the edge of the sheet tightly.
Ben went to switch off the lamp and quickly shrugged off his jeans before climbing into his own.
Then he lay staring at the ceiling – how was he supposed to get any sleep now?
After a few moments, he heard a muffled shout.
‘I’m now realising why the Marinos always put Aunt A on the top floor of the villa, far, far away from everyone else,’ he muttered.
Rose snorted out a laugh and Ben found himself chuckling too before they both lapsed into an awkward silence.
‘Do you think my suitcases will turn up?’ Rose asked suddenly.
Ben winced. ‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted.
‘I lost my luggage on the way to Italy three and a half years ago and it never arrived. I had to claim everything on insurance.’
He frowned.
He’d packed an engagement ring ready for a proposal that he’d been planning for months, and he’d had to claim for that too.
Now he wished he’d seen the fact that it went AWOL as an omen and called the whole thing off.
Instead, Marco had insisted on taking him to a jeweller in the village where he’d found the perfect replacement.
Ben shook his head. He could have saved himself a lot of heartache if he hadn’t bothered.
Rose sighed.
‘I’m sure Luna will be able to lend you something.
Failing that I’ve got at least one more clean T-shirt.
’
‘Luna is tiny, the only thing I could borrow would be her socks,’ Rose grumbled.
The bed creaked and he guessed she’d turned to face him.
The breath lodged in his throat.
‘I’m sure Aurora has plenty more dresses for you to borrow,’ he said, and grinned.
‘That’s what I’m worried about.
It’s very generous of her, but the style, all those colours and glitter, it isn’t quite my thing…
’
‘Perhaps you could work together at the wedding. You can give advice on love and she can predict if it’ll work out.
’ He was joking, but Rose didn’t laugh.
‘Sorry…’
‘Not everyone believes in what I do,’ she said quietly.
He frowned. ‘I didn’t say I didn’t believe in it.
’ He sighed, suddenly wanting to make amends.
He hadn’t been trying to insult her; he’d just wanted to make her laugh.
‘If I’d hired you two years ago, you might have saved me from making a big mistake.
’
Ben shut his eyes, reliving the moment when he’d been standing at the end of the makeshift aisle the Marinos had set up in their garden.
Waiting for his fiancée, Sophia, to join him.
She’d been late and he’d been so nervous, but excited too.
Marco’s father, Leonardo, had given him a high five trying to get him to smile and Marco had started to look concerned.
Ben let out a long breath, feeling a wave of grief wash through him.
He hadn’t thought about that moment for a long while and didn’t particularly want to think about it tonight.
Especially not now he was back in Italy and about to attend a wedding in the same place.
He didn’t want to relive those feelings – he was over them and on a new and better path.
‘What happened?’ Rose asked carefully.
Ben pulled a face. He hadn’t meant to share.
He didn’t give pieces of himself away anymore.
It made it easier to stay intact.
But he’d started this conversation, and he knew Rose was too tenacious to let it go.
She proved that a few moments later when she cleared her throat.
‘I was jilted, at the altar,’ he said bluntly, keeping his voice clear of emotion.
‘I’m sorry.’ She sounded like she meant it, and Ben wanted to bat the words away.
He wasn’t looking for sympathy.
He didn’t need it. He’d got over what had happened and changed.
He wasn’t looking for a happy ever after anymore.
At least not for himself.
‘That’s okay. She did me a favour.
’ He grinned into the darkness, injecting his voice with enough levity to prove he was telling the truth.
‘We had a big party afterwards, no one was standing by the end.’
He’d made sure of it.
He’d laughed and joked his way through the whole event – proving to himself and everyone else that he didn’t care.
Fake it till you make it had proved an effective blueprint to dealing with a shattered heart.
One he’d continued to use until all that fakery had morphed into truth.
‘The food was amazing and the cake was better. I sent my ex a slice, it was the least I could do.’
She’d responded with a pretty note in her best handwriting, apologising.
Telling him she wasn’t ready, that she’d realised she didn’t want to marry him.
That she’d been infatuated, because of his looks.
Shame she’d only found her voice a few minutes after the wedding march had started playing.
Something seemed to wedge itself in Ben’s throat and he cleared it away with a cough, moving his leg in case it woke Coco and she wanted to go out.
He’d welcome a walk around now.
Didn’t want to stay in the room with the truth spinning between them like a plate about to come crashing down.
He was about to get up when Rose spoke.
‘My parents got married after meeting on holiday thirty-two years ago.’ She paused, perhaps in an attempt to stop her voice from wobbling.
‘It was a mistake, but by the time they got back from the honeymoon, my mother was pregnant with me and they decided to stick it out for a while. For my sake. They stayed together for thirteen miserable years and they’ve both remarried more times than I care to remember.
None of those relationships have worked out either.
’ She sounded bitter.
‘I’m truly sorry about what happened to you.
Your ex should have told you earlier – I can only imagine how much that hurt, but…
’ She sighed. ‘Do you ever wonder if she did you a favour?’
‘Every day,’ Ben replied.
‘I got to keep the presents, so I won’t need a new toaster until after I retire.
’
Rose didn’t laugh, but Ben could almost hear her mind whirring and wondered if her next question was going to hurt.
‘So your mother is marrying again?’ he said, before she could ask him anything.
Rose fell silent. ‘Yes.’ Her voice was matter of fact.
‘Actually, both of my parents are planning their next wedding – on the same day, as it happens.’ He thought he heard her gulp in the darkness and recalled the broken pieces of the conversation that he’d overheard in the car.
‘I’m supposed to choose.
It’s like a game they play.
Who gets to have Rose today?
I don’t know why, but they enjoy hurting each other.
’
And in the process, they hurt Rose.
‘What are you going to do?’ Ben asked.
‘I’ve no idea.’ She sounded unhappy.
‘You could miss them both?’ he suggested, wondering why a woman like Rose would allow herself to be manipulated.
‘If I go, I’ll be able to give at least one of them some advice, see if this time their marriage might be different.
’ She sighed. ‘If I don’t try, what does that say about me?
’
That you’ve learned some things aren’t your responsibility , Ben thought.
‘Is that why you’re so against Marco and Luna marrying?
’ he asked.
Rose sighed.
‘I don’t want to see anyone make the same mistakes.
It leads to a constant cycle of unhappiness that’s difficult to break.
It’s better to get it right from the start.
Why choose to be with someone who might not be right for you?
I like to think of it as putting down the right foundations.
You do that when you build a house?—’
‘That’s true,’ Ben murmured, thinking about his plans at work, how a building always needed the right roots.
‘Bricks shouldn’t move once you cement them in; unfortunately, people change and grow.
’ Or they hid things from you and moved the goalposts so you didn’t know where you stood.
‘If the foundations are right, they can change together.’ Rose sighed again and the sound merged with the fan, joining with another shout from Aurora, creating a chorus of anguish that Ben didn’t know how to feel about.
Then his mobile beeped, alerting him that the battery was going flat.
He’d meant to charge it earlier, but he’d got distracted by the wine, Coco and then Rose’s visit.
‘Sorry that’s my phone,’ he said, patting the ground in the dark, searching for his charger which was already attached to the plug adapter and ready to use.
‘What are you going to do? You’ll need your mobile tomorrow,’ Rose asked, sounding worried as he found what he needed and plugged it into a socket that he’d spotted by the bed earlier.
‘It’s fine, all sorted.
’ He lay back and heard Rose let out a sudden splutter of air.
‘I don’t believe it!
’ She clicked on the lamp and Ben shielded his eyes from the light as he sat up and turned to face her.
Rose was sitting up in bed staring at him, her eyes wide and burning with anger.
‘What is it?’ he asked as Coco woke too and began to growl.
Rose threw back her covers offering him a tantalising glimpse of bare leg before tramping around the bed and pointing to his charger.
‘You had one here all along.’ She folded her arms. ‘Why would you…’ She trailed off as her face transformed from confused to annoyed.
‘You didn’t want me to talk to Luna.
That whole story you spun about Italy being romantic.
’ Her jaw dropped and she shook her head, looking upset.
‘I—’ Ben blew out a breath, scratching a hand over his forehead.
‘It was just a white lie – all for a good cause.’ He winced, suddenly embarrassed – why did allocating an untruth a colour make it less of a betrayal?
‘I just thought it would be better if we waited until we were all together. I didn’t want you persuading Luna to postpone the wedding without Marco being there,’ he explained, trying to sound reasonable.
She glared at him, her eyes sparking pure fury.
‘Yet it’s okay for you to speak to Marco?
’ she asked, her voice icy.
‘It’s not me who’s trying to cancel the wedding,’ he blurted, caught off guard and regretting the counter as soon as he said it.
Ben knew he’d said the wrong thing when Rose reared back and gave him a look of disgust.
‘And yet you seem so determined that it goes ahead,’ she shot back.
‘Why does it matter to you so much? Is there something about Marco you’re not telling me?
’ The pitch of her voice had changed, grown fretful.
Aurora punctuated her words with another loud shout and Rose let out an angry hiss, before marching to the bathroom door and pulling it wide.
‘I think I’ll take my chances with the ghosts.
It beats sharing a bedroom with a snake.
’ she said before turning back to him and narrowing her eyes.
‘Looks can be deceiving. I’m not sure why I forgot that.
’ Then she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Ben stared at it for a moment wondering how trying to do the right thing for his friend had put him so firmly in the wrong – and more importantly, how he was ever going to get Rose to trust him again.