Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
JOEY
Joey envied Vanessa.
That was the truth. She envied the way Vanessa had such a strong connection to her family, the way she allowed herself to show it so easily.
That was something Joey knew she would never have.
She was at the bar already. Dani was late, but she normally was.
There was a charming predictability to it.
Joey sipped her soda water and thought about the conversation about the recipe book again.
She’d replayed it in her head so many times.
This book meant something to Vanessa. It was clearly a connection to her past.
“You look deep in thought,” said Dani in Spanish.
“Not really,” lied Joey.
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain English woman, would it?” Dani sat down and raised her eyebrows at her friend.
Joey rolled her eyes. “No.” Then she paused. “Well yes, but not in the way you think.”
“Oh, I believe you,” said Dani, furrowing her brow in mock seriousness.
“God, you’re annoying. Have I ever told you that?” said Joey with a half-smile.
“All the time. It’s why you like me.” A waiter came to take Dani’s order. “Pedro’s going to be here in a bit – is that ok?”
“Of course,” said Joey. “He’s a nice guy.”
Dani’s smile was wide. “He is.”
“I’m so glad you’ve found someone,” said Joey. “You and Pedro are lucky to have each other.”
“We are,” Dani agreed. “And what about you?”
“Not this again,” sighed Joey. “I’m good as I am.”
Dani held her hands up, signalling that she was backing off the topic. But deep down, Joey wondered for the first time in a long while what being with someone else might be like. She tried to ignore the vision of Vanessa blowing an errant strand of hair from her face while she was baking.
They continued to chat about what was going on at the bakery and at the language school where Dani worked. Joey studiously ignored Dani’s description of how enthusiastic and committed Vanessa had been in her Spanish lessons. She just nodded and moved the conversation on.
“Senoritas!” exclaimed Pedro, arriving with his arms wide and his smile even wider. He matched Dani perfectly – sociable and positive and always ready with a friendly grin. Joey nodded at him, just as she realised he wasn’t alone. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve brought my new friend with me.”
Joey’s eyes went wide.
“I think you’ll find Vanessa is my new friend. I introduced her to Pedro at my party,” said Dani with a mischievous smile aimed directly at Joey.
Meanwhile, Joey was aware that her body was struggling to decide between excitement and horror. Her heartbeat had doubled and she could feel heat moving up her face.
“Well, if I’m anyone’s friend,” said Vanessa, taking a seat on Joey’s right, “I think I was Joey’s friend first. She has been so warm and welcoming.”
Dani and Pedro laughed, and Joey rolled her eyes. She couldn’t say anything, because it felt like the entire right side of her body was on fire and she didn’t want to give herself away. She shot a pointed look at Dani, who mouthed “I didn’t know!” when Pedro and Vanessa looked away.
Joey wasn’t sure she believed her. But she also wasn’t sure she was angry about the situation. No, she decided. She wasn’t angry. But she was definitely uncomfortable. She could feel a drop of sweat dribbling down her back despite the fans on full blast in the bar.
A waiter came over and Vanessa ordered smoothly in Spanish. Joey raised her eyebrows.
“Dani’s right, you have been working hard.”
Vanessa gave a triumphant smile. “Thank you. I still have so much to learn, but I wanted to be less of an embarrassing British tourist.” She eyed Joey.
Joey laughed. She’d thought of Vanessa that way at the start. How she thought of her now was a more complicated thing to parse, although she couldn’t help following the line of Vanessa’s low cut top, which was beginning to give her an idea.
“Did you manage to get the shopping, Pedro?” asked Dani.
“Yeah, I got ours and Uncle Sergio’s, too.” Pedro took a sip from the red wine that had just been delivered for him.
“How’s he doing?” asked Joey.
“Not great,” said Dani. “He’s really not well, so either me or Pedro go and visit him every day.” She looked over at Vanessa. “Sergio is in his seventies, and he hasn’t been in good health for the past few years. These last few months he’s really been struggling.”
Vanessa’s brows furrowed in sympathy. “Oh, I’m sorry. That must be hard. It must be nice for him to have you and Pedro looking after him.”
Joey was reminded of why she liked Dani so much when Dani just smiled and took another sip of her drink.
“If you need help with anything, or need a day off, let me know,” said Joey. She often made this offer, but Dani hadn’t taken her up on it yet. She hoped she would.
“How’s the beautiful Carmen?” asked Pedro.
“She’s missing you,” said Joey. “Every time she sees you, after you’ve gone she spends at least three days talking about how handsome you are and how beautiful a couple you and Dani make.” She rolled her eyes again.
Dani grinned. “She is right, of course. He is very handsome.”
“And ridiculously busy for the next few weeks,” he said. “I’m off to Madrid for work and won’t be around for a while.”
Joey put her hand to her heart. “How will you cope, Dani?”
“Calm down, idiot, I’ll be fine,” said Dani. “But I may take you up on that help if Uncle Sergio gets any worse.”
“Do let me know, too,” said Vanessa. “I know I’m pretty new to the gang, but I’m sure I could be helpful in some way.”
“Old or new, you’re definitely part of the gang,” said Dani, resting her hand on Vanessa’s. “Isn’t she, Joey?”
For a moment, Joey felt like a rabbit in headlights. She nodded and took a gulp of her drink. Vanessa seemed to have successfully inveigled her way into Joey’s life very quickly, and she wasn’t sure she trusted something that had happened so fast.
And besides, Dani had only just acknowledged she might need Joey’s help. Why would she want the help of someone she barely knew?