Chapter 20
It had been easy for Lola to turn down Valentino, but it wasn’t easy to drag herself out of the well of worry she’d fallen back into.
She woke early and couldn’t get back to sleep.
An uneasiness nibbled away. Jarek was on Sardinia.
What else would he do? She wished Polly was here sharing the room so she wouldn’t be alone.
Or that they were back in Bosa and Rhys was lying next to her.
She was worried about that too. Her thoughts kept straddling the line of friendship and the possibility of more.
Not that they needed to define their relationship, but she was longing to feel comfortable around him again.
They still hadn’t talked about their kiss and since their conversation before yesterday’s gathering, Lola hadn’t seen much of him at all.
Rhys wasn’t at breakfast, but not many people were, likely taking the opportunity to have a lie-in after a busy few days.
Lola found a shady spot beneath a pine tree on the villa’s beach and read for the rest of the morning, only joining Sarah and Deni for lunch.
Lola had messaged Mirabel earlier that morning to check in on her after she and Fabs had left unusually early the night before. She’d thought it strange to not have heard anything back, but hadn’t been concerned until she got an unexpected call from Fabs when she was on her way to her room.
‘Hey there,’ she said, ‘everything all right?’
‘Not really, no. Is Mirabel with you?’
‘No. Why?’
Silence, apart from the birdsong floating in through the open bedroom doors.
‘What’s happened, Fabs?’
‘A huge fucking argument, that’s what, which I’m trying to resolve with little luck so far.’
‘With Mirabel?’
‘No, between my mamma and hers. Again.’ He sighed. ‘Mirabel left half an hour ago and I can’t get hold of her. At least she’s not answering to me. I thought you might have more luck.’
‘I can try calling her now.’
‘Thank you. I assume she’s gone off somewhere to get away from everyone, but she was really upset. I’m worried. Hell, everyone’s out-of-their-minds upset.’
Fabs suggested the places she might have escaped to and by the time they said goodbye, Lola’s chest was even tighter with worry. First the shock of Jarek, now concern for her friend.
Perching on the end of her bed, Lola phoned Mirabel. She focused on the vibrant pink of the flowers decorating the wall outside her room as it rang and rang and went to answerphone. At the beep, Lola left a message.
‘Hey there, Fabs said you’ve gone off somewhere and aren’t answering his calls. I understand if you need some space, but I just want to make sure you’re okay, so let me know, yeah? And if you need a friend or a shoulder to cry on, please ask. I’m here for you, always.’
She ended the call and gazed across the lawn to the turquoise sea, which was bright against the dark trunks of the trees.
It was possible for problems to be eased by beautiful surroundings, candlelit dinners and fancy parties, but only temporarily.
Those deeply embedded worries could never be outrun unless they were dealt with one way or another.
That meant reporting Jarek and taking his threat seriously; for Mirabel it would be finding a balance of what she wanted alongside two sets of parents who felt rather differently about things.
Honest, open conversations were needed, that was key to everything, but Lola understood that her friend needed space and time to think.
Lola’s phone pinged. The tightness in her chest shifted a little at Mirabel’s name.
I’m okay thanks, it all got a bit too much. I’m in a taxi going to Cala li Cossi and could do with your company, but only you right now please. Xx
Lola thumbed a reply to say she’d be on her way, phoned Fabs back to let him know and went in search of Rhys, finding him on his own in the living room with his head buried in a book.
‘Hey, I need your help.’ She sat down next to him and relayed the conversation she’d had with Fabs. ‘I know where she’s going and Fabs left his car here last night, so said I could use it, but I don’t drive, so I was hoping you could.’
‘Of course.’ Rhys put down his book. ‘So we’re on a rescue mission.’
‘Something like that.’
* * *
Once she’d packed a bag with refreshments and they were on their way to the beach Mirabel had fled to, Lola tried to focus on the horizon to combat her travel sickness.
Her head swirled with thoughts and so much was left unspoken between her and Rhys.
Mirabel’s crisis had taken the focus away from Lola’s own and she was relieved to have a distraction.
Keeping her head still while she focused on the road, she steadily breathed through the nausea.
The hot patch of sun on her arm was tempered by the breeze funnelling through the open window.
Rhys was a quiet, comforting presence as he concentrated on driving across the forested interior of the island.
After they’d navigated a couple of hairpin bends with panoramic views of sun-dappled forest, Lola felt the need to talk rather than dwell on her torturous thoughts. ‘Did you get a sense that things had got this stressful between the parents?’
‘Not really, but then Fabs is a pretty chilled guy. He’s definitely been a mediator between his mamma and Mirabel’s parents. If Mirabel was stuck in the middle feeling the pressure, it’s no wonder she snapped.’ He glanced at her. ‘Is this usual behaviour for her?’
‘Things have stressed her out before, certainly at work, but she’s never run away from problems. I’m guessing everything got too much and she took off to decompress.’
‘Is it wise us going to find her then?’
‘She’s told me where she is and wants my company. I’m not sure she wants to be alone, just away from everyone who’s causing her stress.’
Rhys raised an eyebrow. ‘Fabs included?’
‘For the time being, yes.’ Lola shrugged and her head swirled. She gulped down a wave of nausea, rested back and closed her eyes.
‘You okay?’
‘I’ll be glad when we get there.’ Lola breathed out long and slow. ‘Mirabel likes her space, but she’s also someone who needs to talk things through. I think this may be a cry for help. She probably felt more comfortable escaping the situation rather than trying to navigate her way through it.’
‘So you’re going to help get her back on track?’
‘Hopefully.’
That was the plan. What else could she do? With the wedding just two days away, supporting her friend was the most important thing, even if it meant putting aside her own concerns for the time being.
After parking in a car park to the west of Costa Paradiso, Lola and Rhys set off along the dirt-sand path that was punctuated by stone steps.
Hugging a rocky outcrop to the left, it allowed sweeping views across grey boulders to the sea, which looked enticingly blue and cool in the afternoon sun.
Mirabel had pinged her location on the far side of the beach, so that was where they were headed.
‘She took a taxi to somewhere an hour and twenty minutes away,’ Rhys said as they climbed narrow stone steps beneath overhanging rocks. Once through, the way opened up, with the sandy track meandering between small trees that clung to the hillside. ‘She really did want to get away.’
The path wasn’t quite wide enough for them to walk side by side, so Lola led. It was the sort of day that she wanted to capture; the heat was gentle, the sea air fresh and sweet and she felt a hell of a lot better than she had done throughout the journey.
They walked on for another couple of minutes in silence before Rhys said, ‘I do wonder if having parents who care enough to be so invested in your wedding that they come to blows is a good thing.’
Lola glanced back at him. ‘You’re saying your parents don’t about you?’
‘Not exactly.’
Only their footsteps scuffing the compacted dirt path sounded for a moment; a sharp call of a gull wheeling overhead broke the silence.
‘I’m being unfair,’ Rhys finally said. ‘My parents do care about us all, it’s just my brothers and their families take up all their time and energy and very little is left for me.’
‘Is that because you try not to bother them or because you’re the son who doesn’t demand their attention?’
Rhys grunted. ‘A bit of both.’
They continued on, both quiet again. The path steadily climbed between forest-green bushes, which were broken up by cream-toned rocks.
‘Maybe I don’t make the effort,’ Rhys piped up. ‘Actually, I know I don’t. Sometimes it’s hard seeing my brothers with their families…’ He trailed off.
‘Because it’s what you want, right? A partner to share things with. Perhaps children one day?’ Lola said the words carefully because she could sense his conflict and had heard the sorrow in his voice. She wondered if he was thinking of Zoe and the future he’d imagined with her.
They rounded a corner and suddenly the beach was visible. Lola halted, open-mouthed. A thick swathe of sand was sandwiched between the emerald-green sea, and a dark-blue river cut behind the beach and through the gap in the towering pink-trachyte rocks, its multicoloured crags peppered with bushes.
‘I’ve never been here,’ Rhys said as they continued along the path that wound down to the beach. ‘Although I’m not surprised as it’s a rather romantic spot. Perhaps Fabs saved it for Mirabel.’
There were a few people dotted about on the oyster-pale sand, mostly couples or family groups. Lola shaded her eyes and squinted, searching the beach for Mirabel.
‘I think I can see her.’ On the far side, a woman was sitting on her own, her red dress bright against the sand. ‘I should go and talk to her on my own.’
Rhys nodded and moved off the path, settling himself on a rock next to where the river narrowed to a stream and flowed out to sea. ‘I’ll be here if you need me.’