Chapter 40
Venice
Jamie was working on his laptop in the Bar Dandolo on the ground floor of the hotel when he heard the sound of stilettos making their way into the bar behind him.
Since he could tell the footsteps didn’t belong to Fen, he finished replying to the Q the Venetians who’d lived here all their lives tended to know each other.
Spotting Jamie, Fen began making her way over, weaving between the towering marble columns and the seating. She was wearing new cream espadrilles, and her flippy daffodil-yellow cotton dress swirled above her knees, showing off her tanned bare legs.
God, how he loved those legs.
Following the line of his gaze, one of her hands still resting on his arm, Bridget was proprietorial. ‘Who’s this, someone after a selfie? Honestly, it must drive you mad being pestered all the time by strangers.’
The solution came to Jamie in a flash. He waved at Fen and broke into a smile. ‘She isn’t a stranger,’ he told Bridget. ‘She’s my girlfriend.’
Making her approach, Fen wondered who the tall brunette in the slinky white trouser suit might be.
Someone Jamie knew, obviously. She was strikingly attractive, quite intense-looking, and appeared not overenthusiastic at the prospect of having her time with him interrupted.
Fen hesitated; perhaps she’d be better off excusing herself and leaving them to it.
She could always head back upstairs to her room.
Except Jamie seemed keen for her to join them, so maybe this was another of Angelo’s many friends for her to meet. She made her way over.
‘Here she is,’ Jamie announced. ‘I was about to send a search party up to our room! Sweetheart, this is Bridget Harding, an old friend from Bath. We haven’t seen each other for ages. Bridget, this is Fen.’
Sweetheart? Our room? If only.
But since there was clearly a reason for it, Fen smiled brightly and said, ‘Oh right. Hello! How nice to meet you!’ She stuck out her hand and Bridget shook it as if it had been pulled out of a kitchen bin.
‘Hi. I didn’t know Jamie had been seeing someone.’
‘We’ve been flying under the radar, keeping it to ourselves.’ He gave Fen a conspiratorial smile and slid his arm around her. ‘Haven’t we, sweetheart?’
Zap went Fen’s heart as he gave her waist an affectionate squeeze. It was the most delicious physical sensation since that time in Amsterdam when she’d thought their legs were entwined, until discovering the person she’d been in bed with was Tonia.
But this – this! – was really happening and it felt better than winning the EuroMillions. Well, if she ever actually won the EuroMillions she might change her mind about that, but right now it definitely felt as if it would feel better.
And if Jamie had his reasons for doing what he was doing, who was she to refuse to play along with it?
‘Just for now.’ Fen nodded in happy agreement, leaning her head against his shoulder like one half of a newly-in-love couple. ‘It’s been fun. Kind of like our secret. When we came to Venice, we didn’t expect to bump into anyone we knew.’
‘Not that it matters,’ said Jamie. ‘We’re enjoying being together, the two of us, that’s all.’
‘I suppose it makes a change from your last relationship,’ Bridget conceded. ‘I spent most of last year in Canada, so I was a bit out of the loop, but I did see a fair amount of stuff online about you and Sadie Ingalls.’ Her eyebrows lifted. ‘So what happened there? We were all longing to know!’
It was an impertinent question, but Fen was too intrigued to mind; she’d wondered about it herself.
The next moment, the hand that had been around her waist slowly slid up her spine, causing her to take a quick intake of breath and feel all the little hairs rising to attention as his warm fingers stroked the sensitive nape of her neck.
If he only knew what he was doing . . .
‘Nothing terrible happened,’ said Jamie. ‘Sadie was great.’ He shrugged. ‘She just wasn’t Fen.’
‘Right,’ said Bridget. ‘Lucky Fen.’ Her phone began to ring in her tiny Chanel clutch bag and she pulled it out with a sigh. ‘And unlucky me. Looks like Effie’s woken up. I’d better go. I’ll see you around.’
When she’d left the bar, Jamie gave Fen a crooked smile. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘No problem.’ With Bridget’s departure he’d dropped his hand and now the back of her neck felt bereft.
‘It came out of nowhere, seemed like the best way to put her off. When Bridget wants something, she goes for it.’
‘And she wants you,’ said Fen. Because that much had been obvious.
‘She’s pretty full-on. If I’d said we were just friends, she’d have been making a play for me.
It’s happened before. Her father was one of the directors on the board of the rugby club.
When it comes to never giving up, Bridget takes after him.
I thought if I told her we were a couple, she’d hopefully leave us alone. ’
Fen nodded; she was all in favour of that plan. ‘Makes sense.’
‘Sorry I couldn’t give you any warning.’
‘That’s OK.’ It was actually quite tricky, trying to sound casual and relaxed when the back of your neck was pining for more attention.
‘You did brilliantly, by the way. Well done.’
‘You should have seen me in my primary school nativity play. I was even more spectacular in that.’
‘Were you Mary?’
‘The turkey, actually.’
His mouth began to twitch. ‘Interesting.’
‘I was a natural.’ She gave her arms a little flap to demonstrate just how brilliant she’d been, and did a turkey squawk that came out louder than planned, causing heads to turn around the bar. Whoops, lowering the tone in the Danieli.
But Jamie was laughing, and when he looked at her in the way he was looking at her now, it was nice to have another reason to account for the rush of colour to her cheeks.
‘So if we bump into her around the hotel, we’re going to have to do it again, make it look realistic.’ He paused. ‘I mean, if that’s OK with you?’
Fen shrugged. ‘It’s fine. Has to look believable, doesn’t it?’
Oh dear, poor me, however will I cope?