Chapter 36
After brunch, Fabs and Mirabel said their goodbyes.
Lola thought she’d never stop crying after waving her best friend off.
They would talk properly and she’d catch Mirabel up on everything that she’d already shared with Deni, Sarah and Polly once Mirabel got back from her honeymoon, but it wouldn’t be the same video-calling instead of gossiping over a glass of wine at a bar after work.
It was late afternoon by the time they returned to Villa Capparis.
Everyone was subdued and there was a definite air of melancholy, with their time on Sardinia about to come to an end.
The flights the next day were staggered, with Lola, Deni, Mark, Polly, Sarah, Jenny and her husband flying to Heathrow and Barnaby, Rhys, Gareth, Freddie and Zoe to Bristol.
Tonight was their last together. Not only did Lola feel partied out, but she was emotionally exhausted from the events of the last few days.
‘I’ve never known such a miserable fucking bunch!’
Of course it would be Gareth who would try to instigate some much-needed enthusiasm when everyone was feeling decidedly hungover and sombre.
‘It’s our last evening here.’ He swept his arm around as they trooped into the main living area. ‘Let’s have some fun!’
Chef Carlo appeared in the doorway, greeting them with a breezy smile and a nod.
‘Fabrizio say you may be sad.’ He gestured towards the garden. ‘So if you come with me.’
He pushed open the doors to the terrace and they were greeted by the sight of the table set for dinner with cream plates and brushed gold cutlery laid out on a muted floral tablecloth with vases of blue and dusky-pink hydrangeas interspersed between bottles of oil and vinegar.
The enticing smell of grilling meat drifted from somewhere in the garden.
Gareth dropped his overnight bag in the living room and strolled outside. ‘Now we’re talking!’
‘Boy am I going to miss you.’ Deni shook Chef Carlo’s hand and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. ‘Thank you for looking after us so well. Grazie .’
‘You are welcome. Now enjoy.’
After taking their bags to their rooms and freshening up, their earlier frowns were banished as they settled around the table. They were no longer in those tight-knit friendship groups that they’d started out with nine days ago.
Chef Carlo and his team outdid themselves with a final meal of barbecued pancetta and pork chops with roasted aubergine, slices of courgette and home-cooked chips.
The friends laughed, chatted, drank and ate together until the sun disappeared and the candles and lanterns were lit.
With the earlier melancholy banished by good food and good company, contentment wound through the laughter and conversation.
When the sky had darkened to pitch-black, the stars shone and the moon cast twinkling silver on the sea beyond the trees, a hush went round the table as Freddie stood up. A knot of tension tightened in Lola’s chest as he raised his glass. She caught Rhys’s eye and he shrugged.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re all thinking, am I going to misread the mood and make another badly timed announcement.
’ He glanced at Zoe, whose cheeks had flushed a deeper pink than the hydrangea flowers.
‘But no, it’s just a toast to Fabs and Mirabel, who are obviously not here, but they brought us all together for what has turned out to be a wonderfully memorable week or two.
So I wanted us to toast them – to Fabs and Mirabel and to friends old and new. ’
Everyone raised a glass. ‘To Fabs and Mirabel and friends old and new,’ echoed around the table as glasses clinked.
Barnaby stood, holding his own glass aloft as he clamped a hand on Freddie’s shoulder. ‘Hey, I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say we are incredibly happy about your engagement news. You do understand that, right?’
‘Here, here.’ Rhys stood and glanced between Freddie and Zoe.
A lump formed in Lola’s throat at Rhys’s generosity. His ability to forgive even if he wouldn’t forget was touching. Going by Zoe’s teary-eyed expression, she was equally moved.
‘To Freddie and Zoe!’ Barnaby said with laughter. ‘And Chef Carlo and everyone here who’s looked after us so well.’
‘It’s going to be hell going back to my flat with no cook, no fresh sweet-smelling towels,’ Gareth grumbled. ‘Might have to get myself a cleaner.’
‘Doesn’t your mum still do your washing?’ Freddie jibed next to him.
Lola joined in with the laughter and teasing as Barnaby, Freddie and Rhys sat down and conversations started up again.
All those worries she’d arrived in Sardinia with and her anxiety over meeting new people had disappeared, even with the challenges thrown at her.
Clutching her wine, she leaned back in her chair and surveyed her friends.
Laughter and chatter bounced around the table, enveloping her in contentment; she didn’t want to break the moment and she certainly didn’t want to head home and face reality.
She glanced along the table and her heart skipped as she met Rhys’s gaze.
The smile he gave her made her ache with longing for this evening to continue forever, although with just her and Rhys so they could see where the night would take them.
Still holding his gaze, she raised her glass in her own silent toast: To Lola and Rhys .
* * *
Lola looked stunning tonight. The soft candlelight accentuated her tan, catching her high cheekbones, and her eyes sparkled as she laughed, a joyous sound that sent warm tingles through Rhys.
For a last evening it was perfect. The only way it could have been any better was if Fabs and Mirabel were with them, or if it wasn’t their last night at all.
Time with Lola was slipping away and he didn’t want to let go of this happiness.
He wasn’t the only one feeling it, he was sure, but he was fearful that he’d be the one who lost the most when they left Sardinia.
The minutes were ticking by; the night would be drawing to a close all too soon.
Forgiving Freddie and Zoe was the right thing to do, which was why he’d seconded Barnaby’s toast. There was no point in holding a grudge, when actually, in a roundabout way, they’d done him a favour.
That hurt and disappointment caused by Zoe had been erased by Lola, but the actions of his friends this week had forced his feelings out into the open and he’d had to deal with them.
During their time on Sardinia, he’d had sharp words with Zoe but also tender ones.
Their last conversation overlooking the wedding dance floor had eased the ache in his heart, while a softer, caring side to Zoe had emerged that she usually hid well.
She was happy with Freddie and she wanted him to be happy too.
Whether that was with Lola or not, only time would tell.