Chapter 37
37
A delivery barge piled high with crates of fruit was heading for a landing spot. The day was already warm, La Serenissima basking under a blue sky. But Natalie suspected it was nerves rather than heat that were responsible for the dampness spreading under her arms, the trickle of sweat down her chest. She hurried along the fondamenta , dodging a dachshund on an extendable lead.
Her meeting place came into view. Cate, already perched on a white, metal chair, raised her hand. Natalie let out a breath; she slowed her pace a little.
‘Hi, Cate!’ She walked up to the table.
‘Hi, I got you a cappuccino and a pistachio croissant; it’s so early, I guessed you hadn’t had breakfast.’
‘Thanks, you’re right.’ Natalie sat down, her back to the canal. ‘Where’s Phil? What did you tell him?’
‘Not much. He’s quite happy for me to disappear for an hour. He’s discovered the palazzo’s home gym. He’s working on his quads and his abs or something – don’t ask me what!’ Cate laughed.
‘You’re not a gym bunny nowadays?’ Natalie gingerly lifted her dangerously full cappuccino to her lips.
Cate stretched her well-toned arms over her head. ‘No, just Pilates… but you haven’t met me to talk about workouts, have you? What is it? Your message sounded a bit cloak and dagger. It’s something to do with Mum, isn’t it?’
‘How…?’
‘You went to Burano with Eraldo yesterday; what else could it be? Don’t tell me you went back to the house?’
‘No, of course not. You can’t imagine how tempting it was, but it wouldn’t have made any difference.’
‘Why, what have you found out? For goodness’ sake, Nat, spit it out.’
Natalie brushed some sugar off the aluminium tabletop, reached into her bag and smoothed out the scrap of brown paper.
‘You kept it? Why?’
‘Just in case… but look: that’s not a one at the end of that number, it’s a seven, and that’s a five, not a three.’
‘Maybe, but it still looks like a one and a three to me. Is that all?’ Cate sighed. She picked up her coffee. ‘Wait a moment… you’re smiling. You know something, don’t you?’
‘I didn’t meet your mum but I found out she’s still living on Burano, the same little square we went to but a different number house. And… you have a sister, a half-sister who works at the Lace Museum. I met her when?—’
‘A sister! You met my sister?’ Cate interrupted. She stared at Nat, lips slightly parted as though waiting for more words to come, her expression unreadable.
Natalie took a bite of her croissant, tasteless in her dry mouth. She felt so vulnerable under Cate’s searching gaze. Was Cate angry with her? Had she handled this delicate matter all wrong, ruined their friendship again for the final undoable time? She wished Eraldo was with them; she longed to reach out and squeeze his comforting hand.
‘Oh, Nat,’ Cate croaked at last. She gave a big sniff. ‘That’s wonderful. What’s my sister’s name? Does she want to meet me? Please say she does… And my mum, does she know? Does she want to see me?’
Natalie swallowed the lump of pastry. ‘Your sister’s twenty-eight, she’s called Belinda. She’s so excited about meeting you. Your mum, she doesn’t know you’re here yet. She’s away visiting friends. Belinda wants to tell her face to face when she gets back home this morning.’
Cate leant across the table. ‘And if she wants to see me…’
‘We’ll clear a time tomorrow. I’ll talk to Lucia and we’ll work it out.’
‘I don’t know how I’ll get through the filming today. I’m so excited and nervous.’
‘Well, you’ll have to start by getting changed; your sleeve’s dragging in that saucer of coffee.’
‘Ugh.’ Cate examined her arm. ‘I’ll put a dress on, but not my favourite one. I’ll save that for tomorrow. Do you really think she’ll want to see me? Am I finally going to meet my mum?’
‘Of course you are. I’m certain she’ll want to see you.’ Natalie crossed her fingers under the table. She would have crossed her toes if she’d been that dextrous. ‘I’m so glad you’ve got this chance. Get that breakfast down you then you can get back to the palazzo and tell Phil all about it.’
Cate’s face clouded. ‘No, I can’t do that yet. You’ll need to find an excuse to separate us. Take Phil off to see some amazing old artworks or something.’
‘But why?’
‘This Belinda you met, she might think her mum wants to meet me. But what if deep down, she doesn’t? Or what if she does meet me and I’m not what she expects? What if she rejects me again?’
‘Oh, Cate, she won’t.’
‘She left me. Left me when I was a little baby and she never came back. Dad kept us apart but maybe she thinks it was me who didn’t want to see her. Please, I don’t want Phil to know, not until I’m sure I’ve really got Mum back in my life.’
‘Okay, if you’re sure that’s what you want. We’ll find some sort of furniture workshop or something like that to take him to. He’ll be so interested in watching old Venetian artisans at work, he won’t give a moment’s thought to where you are.’
‘Thanks, I really appreciate that. I’d better get back and change before Lucia arrives to collect us. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this cookery class she’s arranged. I’m so jumpy, I’ll probably cut off my thumb whilst I’m chopping an onion.’
‘Please don’t! I don’t want any more disasters!’
Cate’s face changed. ‘There’s something I need to warn you about.’
Natalie put down the last piece of croissant she’d just picked up. ‘What?’
‘It’s Phil. He’s being a bit weird about this whole cookery-lesson thing.’
‘It’s only making a risotto. And if he’s a little bit rubbish, it will just endear him to the viewers.’
‘I know, but he gets in a bit of a flap when he has to do something that’s outside his comfort zone. He’s used to running his company, being successful… I suppose he’s not very good at not being good at things.’
‘Thanks for warning me. I’m sure he’ll be fine once he’s in the kitchen. Now get that coffee down you and we can go.’
‘Okay.’ Cate downed her remaining cappuccino in one. ‘I’ll see you later then. And thanks again about Mum. I really can’t believe it.’
‘I’ll meet you at the restaurant.’ Natalie gave Cate a kiss on the cheek before setting off in the opposite direction.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Lucia: everything was in place; nothing was left to chance. Today was going to be a good day. Cate worried too much. There was no way a successful businessman like Phil was going to have a meltdown over a simple bit of cooking.