Chapter 19
‘I can’t understand it. Angelo said he’d call me and fix a time and place to meet up. He promised.’ Up on the top deck, Kayla’s hands trembled as she reached for her glass and almost knocked over an empty one that had been left next to it.
It had been obvious from the start that something like this would happen, but Hattie still felt desperately sorry for her. Poor Kayla had been ghosted on her last night here. Angelo had shown his true colours and she was devastated.
‘It’s so unfair,’ Hattie said. ‘Men are the pits.’ Kayla’s shoulders were hunched in despair and Hattie wished there was something – anything – she could do to make her feel better. All she knew was that she definitely wasn’t allowed to say ‘I could have told you this would happen.’
‘I know most men are the pits. But I was so sure Angelo was different.’ Miserably Kayla rubbed her hand down her face, smearing crimson lipstick across her chin. ‘He said he loved me and I believed him. Oh hell, and now look who’s here, coming over to make fun of me. Make him go away.’
There he was, appearing at the top of the staircase and heading in their direction, a silver and magenta mask pushed to the top of his head. Jumping up, Hattie hurried across to head him off at the pass.
‘Hattie, I—’
‘No, Guy, it’s not a good time.’ Firmly she shook her head. ‘Please leave me alone.’
‘But—’
‘How many times have I told you? I’m not interested and I’m not going to change my mind, so do me a favour and give us some space, we just need to be—’
‘Hats, will you let me speak?’ He raised his arms in exasperation. ‘I’m not here to beg you for sex! I came up looking for Kayla because there’s some guy down on the dock asking for her.’
Hattie’s mouth dropped open. ‘What? Who is it?’ Surely not . . .
At that moment, they heard a male voice calling out, ‘Kay-laaa!’
Kayla’s head jerked up and swivelled like a meerkat’s. Leaping to her feet, she gasped, ‘Oh my God,’ then bellowed, ‘Angelo?’ into the warm night air and hurtled across the deck.
‘KAYLAAA!’
Hattie caught up with her as she reached the rails on the other side and gave a sob of joy and relief. Her voice breaking with emotion, she howled, ‘ANGELO-O-O.’
And there he was, gazing up from the paved area beside the gangway, as good-looking as in the photos Kayla had proudly shown off. He was clutching a massive bunch of white flowers in one hand and supporting himself with a crutch on the other side, while his left leg was encased in a surgical boot.
‘Ti amo, Kayla! I am so sorry, but I was in the ’ospital and my phone, eet died in the Canal Grande so I could not make a call to you, but now I am here!’
Together Kayla and Hattie raced down the staircase, into the reception area and off the ship. Tears streamed down Kayla’s face as she threw herself into Angelo’s outstretched arms, scattering white rose petals like confetti and almost knocking him off his feet.
‘I was so worried! I thought you were dead! Then I thought you were alive but you didn’t want to see me again, which was even worse.’ She was covering his face with frantic kisses. ‘What happened? Tell me everything!’
‘A tourist, he pass out and fall into the canal.’ Angelo’s accent was strong, but his English was good.
‘An old man. I dive in, and a motorboat came to ’elp too, but my leg got squashed between the boat and the side of the canal.
It was trapped, but I manage to push the old man up out of the water and the wife was shouting and crying.
Then bouf, the bone in my leg went crack.
The man was rescue by the carabinieri and we were both taken to the ’ospital.
And my phone was still in my pocket but ’e is dead.
Anyway, I am ’ere now.’ Tenderly he stroked Kayla’s cheek.
‘And so are you. I am so sorry I am late. I thought I would never see you again.’
‘Me too. I’m so happy you’re here. You have no idea.’ Kayla saw the crimson lipstick marks transferred from her mouth to his face, and lovingly wiped them away with her thumbs.
‘I buy you flowers.’ He proffered the now battered bunch of white roses, then dug into his pocket for his wallet and took out a neatly folded wedge of sodden banknotes.
‘And ’ere is all the money you lended me.
I give it to you now so I do not forget.
Sorry they are wet from the canal. My beautiful Kayla, I love you so much. ’
‘I love you more.’
Guy had come down from the top deck too. Standing beside Hattie as they both watched Kayla and Angelo holding each other, he murmured, ‘Sounds like he really means it.’
‘Seems like he really does.’ Hattie had noticed the tremor of deep emotion in Angelo’s voice as he spoke to Kayla, as if she were the only woman in the world for him. She’d been wrong about him all along.
An arm slid around her waist, the hand coming to rest on her hip. Leaning in, Guy whispered into her ear, ‘That could be us, you know.’
Honestly, any excuse. Maybe all those years ago she’d been a bit of a pushover, but that wasn’t going to happen again. Slowly and deliberately, she removed his wandering hand. ‘You don’t give up, do you? It’s never going to be us.’