chapter 15
“How’d it go?” The late-morning sun shimmered off the water and the scent of salt and sunscreen hung in the air as Sloane
bent the brim of her beach hat to shield her face in case Lilly happened to look up from where she and Julian were wading
in the surf about fifty yards away. She didn’t want Charlotte’s half sister to know she was talking about her or her situation.
Charlotte had just arrived by taxi at Spiaggia Grande, the world-famous beach in Positano. She was also wearing a wide-brimmed
hat, as well as a black knitted cover-up over her white swimsuit. After dropping her bag on the large towels Sloane, Julian
and Lilly had spread out when they claimed their spot two hours earlier, she’d suggested they go get a drink. So Sloane had
gotten up to join her, and they were now walking to the closest bar, which was among a cluster of shops and cafés at the edge
of the beach.
“My meeting with Luca was fine,” Charlotte replied. “I like him a lot. He’s actually a pretty decent guy, but he couldn’t
tell me much.”
Disappointed for her friend, Sloane frowned. “Why not?”
“Because Sabrina wasn’t with him very long.
She didn’t talk a great deal about the past, either.
And even though he speaks good English, there’s still a bit of a language barrier, not to mention a culture barrier.
He’s never been to the States and has a romantic view of Americans, something he must’ve picked up from the movies. ”
“Not only from the movies.” Sloane gestured at the crowded beach, shops and restaurants. “Lord knows he sees enough Americans
around here.”
“You think most of these people are from the US?”
“Judging by the English I’ve heard, I do. And since he owns a rental shop for Vespas, he’d interact with a lot of tourists.
What does he know about Lilly’s father?”
“Nothing. Not even his name. But Luca’s willing to stay in touch, so I can speak to him again once I’ve been able to wrap
my head around everything I’ve learned so far. Maybe he knows more than he realizes and I just didn’t ask the right questions.”
“I think it’s good that we’ll be here for a while.”
“So do I.”
They’d reached the bar, so Sloane ordered three limoncello spritzes and a limonata for Lilly.
“He’s bringing Sabrina’s belongings to the villa tomorrow—including her phone—so that might tell me more,” Charlotte said
as they waited.
Sloane thought of everything her own phone could reveal about her and had to agree. “That should tell you a lot—if you can get into it. Isn’t it password protected like everybody else’s these days?”
“He knows the password. He’s already been through it, trying to find someone to take Lilly.”
“If he resorted to hiring an attorney, he must not have come up with anyone.”
“True. Still, I want to go through it myself. Read words that actually came from her, see her pictures and check her contacts.”
“Of course you do,” Sloane said. “That could reveal so much about who she was, what she thought of and dreamed about, maybe
even why her life took the path it did.”
“I hope so.”
The bartender brought their drinks. “Grazie,” they both murmured and paid before taking one in each hand.
“Have you heard from your parents since you got here?” Sloane asked as they passed through a handful of artists who were busy
painting colorful scenes of the beautiful town around them.
Charlotte stopped to gaze at a partially finished canvas depicting the villas stacked up on the hillside above them—the scene
that was always in the most famous photographs of Positano. “They both texted me to make sure I arrived safely.”
Since they weren’t moving, Sloane took a sip of her drink. “I bet they’re wondering where this will lead.”
Charlotte gave the artist a smile to compliment his work, and he nodded in return as they moved on. “It’s definitely been
a shock—for all of us.”
“They must be curious about Lilly.”
“They are. I should call them later today—when it’s a decent time in LA—and let them meet her via FaceTime. Or at least send
a picture. But I don’t want to overwhelm Lilly. I believe we should take everything very slowly. And to be honest, I’m not
overly excited about speaking to my parents right now.”
Sloane quit walking again. “Why?” she asked in alarm. “You’re not going to let this come between you, are you?”
Charlotte turned back, since Sloane had stopped. “I just need some time. I know they’re worried and want blow-by-blow information,
but including them feels strange. This is so hard for me that I just want to deal with it myself—at least until I can come
to terms with it.”
“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” Sloane said. “I’m sorry.”
“It helps to have you here,” she responded. “I’m so glad Ben didn’t mind you coming. I wish I’d married someone more like him,” she added with a chuckle.
Sloane felt the heavy weight of the guilt she now hauled everywhere. What was she going to do about her husband? How would
she know whether to stay with him or build a life without him? She had no idea which path would make her—and him—the happiest.
Fortunately, Julian and Lilly had spotted them and were coming to get their drinks, because it saved Sloane from having to
form a reply.
“Everything go okay with Luca?” Julian asked Charlotte. His voice was light—for Lilly’s sake, no doubt—but Sloane knew her
brother better than anyone and could tell he would probe deeper later on.
“Great,” Charlotte said. “He’s going to bring Sabrina’s belongings to the villa tomorrow.”
“He’s bringing them to us?” Julian said.
Charlotte nodded as if it was the most natural place in the world for them to go. Then she dipped her head to get Lilly’s
attention. “You can go through the boxes and have whatever you want. And the rest . . . Well, we’ll decide what to do with
the rest later. We’ll just keep it safe for the time being.”
“Okay.” Lilly sounded relieved, at least to Sloane’s ear, but at the reminder of her mother, her gaze fell to her toes again,
which were buried in the unusual black pebbles of Spiaggia Grande.
“I hope the limonata soda was a good choice for you,” Charlotte said. “I was going by what you ordered last night.”
Lilly nodded. “I like it.”
“We should get lunch in a bit,” Julian suggested. “What’s good?”
“Are you asking me?” Lilly touched her chest since he was looking at her.
“Of course I’m asking you,” he replied. “You’re the expert around here.”
This elicited a small grin. Julian could win over almost anyone and had certainly been working his magic on Charlotte’s half
sister.
“There’s a deli up there.” Lilly pointed toward the busy shopping district, which had a labyrinth of lanes, stairs and stores,
most with apartments or flats on top that had bougainvillea spilling from the verandas and climbing the banisters. “My mom
took me once when we came here. It has a spaghetti pie that’s pretty good.”
“What’s spaghetti pie?” Sloane asked.
“It’s like—” Lilly made a face as she tried to think of a way to explain it “—gobs of noodles packed into a pie dish that
has bits of ham and cheese mixed in. You can pick it up and eat it with your hand like a piece of pizza.”
Sloane couldn’t picture it. “The spaghetti doesn’t fall apart?”
“Nope,” Lilly replied. “It’s thick and dry, so it sticks together.”
“Sounds interesting,” Charlotte said. “I’d like to try it. But let’s take a few minutes to enjoy our drinks first.”
As Lilly and Charlotte walked over to sit down with Julian, Sloane hung back to snap a selfie over by the artists with Positano
in the background, which she sent to Ben.
Positano is magnificent—every bit as beautiful as people say.
It was six thirty in the morning in California, so she didn’t expect an immediate response, and she didn’t receive one. She hoped he was finally getting some sleep. But she took a quick video for him, too.
Pretty crowded today. That’s probably to be expected during tourist season, especially because the beach is only about a quarter
of a mile long. But it’s easy to see why everyone wants to come here. The striped umbrellas, the intense blue of the water
and the pink, white, yellow and blue houses nestled into the cliffs are all so special. Hope you have a great day!
Putting her phone back in the pocket of her cover-up, she started to follow Charlotte and Lilly over to the towels.
Julian looked up at her approach. “Why the smile?”
“I just made a video for Ben,” she replied.
“I bet you miss him,” Charlotte said, overhearing.
“I do,” she said and realized how very much she meant it.
Ben woke up to the picture and video Sloane had sent him.
God, she was beautiful, he thought as he studied her face. He still loved her, wished life didn’t have to be so hard—that
there weren’t differences of opinion and conflicting desires that could tear two people apart who were otherwise perfect for
each other. Should he give up on his dream of becoming a father?
He was tempted to try. For her. But he didn’t think he could do it. He was stuck between losing the woman he loved and fulfilling
a role he’d looked forward to since he was a kid himself.
They’d been so happy in the beginning. What he wouldn’t do to get some of that magic back . . .
Thanks for what you sent. You’re stunning. As always.
He heard from her as soon as he got out of the shower.
You’re such a good man. I would never want to hurt you. I hope you know that.
Her response made him love her even more. He’d needed to hear something like that. But her words were bittersweet, because
she was hurting him, and he was probably hurting her, even though neither one of them meant to do it.
Julian relaxed in a deck chair while Charlotte, Sloane and Lilly sat in the hot tub nearby. He wasn’t in the mood to get in
with them. He preferred to embrace the cool night air coming from the sea and stare up at the stars blinking in the sky while
listening to the three of them talk. He paid special attention whenever Charlotte had something to say. He’d always believed