Chapter 16 #2
Would she get that lucky? With all the luck she’d had so far, she didn’t know if that was possible.
But what she did know was that she was loving her life and the future she was building for herself.
When she pictured the book barge, her as old as Signor Balbo, she just didn’t see children or grandchildren with her and was slowly coming to terms with the fact that, though it was still kind of frowned upon by some people, a family just wasn’t what she wanted for herself, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Wrapped in her fluffy bathrobe, with her hair tied in a towel, she grabbed a glass of wine and settled on the sofa as her phone rang.
‘Hey, you!’ Daisy called as her face appeared on the screen. ‘Ooo! You look cosy!’
‘I am.’
‘Where are you?’ Elsa asked peering around, her face coming into view.
‘My new apartment!’
‘What?! When did this happen? Tell us everything.’
Beth gave them a tour and enjoyed their oohs and ahs as they saw the beams and the view from her bedroom window.
‘Won’t you get guys on gondolas looking in?’ Daisy asked and Beth giggled.
‘No, this isn’t one of the main gondola routes.’
‘Good. They might see you wandering around naked.’
‘I do not wander around naked!’
‘You did in your first ever flat. That one back in Fulham.’
‘That was once, and I never did it again after you let yourself in with the spare key to borrow milk not realising I was home.’
‘I learned my lesson the hard way.’
‘Now,’ Beth said. ‘Tell me what’s happening with you two. I want to hear all the pregnancy news.’
Daisy and Elsa launched into lots of technical details about the process and all the additional scans and checks Daisy was due to have. She moaned about morning sickness and then admonished herself for not being grateful for it, given how lucky they were.
Beth laughed as she said, ‘Daisy, you don’t have to enjoy vomming every morning—’
‘And evening. It’s pretty much all day, actually.’
‘Then you have every right to be grumpy about it. And don’t let Elsa tell you otherwise.’
‘Hey!’ Elsa giggled, knowing her friend was teasing. ‘I’m buying her ginger biscuits and making her ginger tea and everything.’
‘Good, I’m glad to hear it.’
‘So—’ Daisy sipped her mug of tea and grimaced. Beth presumed it was the ginger tea they’d just been talking about. ‘Tell us all about the book barge.’
Beth began excitedly telling them about the progress she’d made with Cesca and the artists she’d spoken to with Marco.
‘Marco, hey?’ Elsa teased. ‘Is he handsome?’
‘Very. But all Italian men are handsome.’
‘Umm, no they’re not.’
‘They are. I promise,’ Beth replied trying to deflect.
‘Why are you blushing?’ Elsa asked and then gasped. ‘Oh my God, do you fancy him?’
‘What?’ Beth pulled the collar of her dressing gown tighter. ‘No. Of course not. This is a business relationship.’
‘You do!’ Daisy declared, shoving Elsa out of the way. ‘I can see it in your face. You do, don’t you?’
‘I – no!’
‘You do so!’
‘Maybe a little bit. But only because he’s a handsome Italian man. And anyway, he said we’re just friends.’
‘When did he say that?’
Beth took them through the other evening.
‘I think he wants you to be more than friends,’ Daisy said.
‘Daisy, he literally said he didn’t. You’re such a romantic, you’d think that anyway.’
‘I mean, I do think you’re gorgeous enough that all men should be trying to grab hold of you and snog your face off every two minutes. You’re a fox. But that’s not why I’m saying it. You just look different when you talk about him. There’s something in your eye.’
‘Glaucoma.’
‘Shut up!’ She giggled.
Beth hadn’t felt much of a fox in a long time.
Maybe she’d make an effort with the masquerade ball and stop living in boring trousers and jumpers.
She thanked her friend for the confidence boost and explained about the times Marco had blown hot and cold, but also how he’d helped secure her this amazing apartment and kissed her cheek last night after helping her move in.
‘It sounds like he likes you.’
‘I’m also having dinner with his family!’
‘What?’ they both screamed.
‘Calm down, before you do yourself a mischief. He hasn’t invited me; his sister has. Their mum heard about me from her and invited me along. It’s an Italian thing.’
‘Umm,’ Elsa began. ‘I know Italians are known for being friendly and welcoming and you’ve certainly found that in Venice, but they wouldn’t invite you if they didn’t want to.’
‘I don’t know whether to go or not.’
‘Why not?’
‘It’ll be weird. Marco likes to keep his personal and professional lives separate.
He told me so. So I need to keep everything business.
’ Elsa snorted. ‘And Cesca’s my friend and was before I even met Marco so there’s, like, all these weird different relationships: some business, some not.
It’s going to be … difficult to navigate.
’ She hadn’t mentioned the secret she was keeping or how it was driving her crazy.
‘It’s simple really, Beth,’ Elsa said. ‘Marco has the hots for you at least a bit, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself, but he’s not sure what to do because you’re working together.’
‘Do you think?’ Beth asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen, eager for her friends’ reaction. They both nodded emphatically.
‘Why else would he have helped find you a place to live, helped you move in and then stayed for dinner! I love you, Bethy,’ Elsa said. ‘But you can be so blinkered sometimes.’
Daisy shot Elsa a warning look and softened her friend’s words. ‘You’ve always been focused on the next plan, but I think Elsa’s right. And maybe his aloofness is him trying to navigate his own feelings and not knowing what to do.’
‘Maybe,’ she replied, still unconvinced, but unable to shake their words.
If only she could tell them what he’d also said on their morning row, but that would mean admitting her own difficulties and she wanted them to know how happy for them she was.
She turned the topic back to the baby and when she should plan coming to visit.
‘There’s actually something we wanted to ask you,’ Daisy said nervously. Beth took a breath, unsure what was coming. ‘Will you be godmother, please?’
‘What? Me?’ Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and started falling down her cheeks. ‘Are you guys serious?’
‘Absolutely!’
Even Elsa was wiping her eyes and sniffing.
‘I’d love to! Thank you! Thank you so much!’
A swell of love and gratitude filled her chest, warming her from the inside.
And another part of her feelings seemed to slot into place, the messy emotions becoming clearer.
While she didn’t want children of her own, she would relish the opportunity to be there for her best friends’ children, to help them when they needed her and guide them when she could.
This felt more natural to her than the idea of being a mum. It felt right.
‘I can’t believe you’ve asked me!’
‘Of course we’ve asked you! You’re our best friend and we can’t think of anyone better to help guide our little one.’
‘Thank you. I’m truly, truly honoured. When he or she’s sixteen, they can come and stay with me here in Venice.’ The line went quiet, and Beth scowled. ‘What is it?’
‘You really see yourself being there forever?’
Beth considered for a moment. Though the words had simply slipped out, she’d meant them with all her heart. ‘Yes. Yes I do.’
Her friends grinned back at her. ‘Then you better fix up a spare room,’ Daisy said.
‘Or at least buy a sofa bed!’ Elsa added.
Once the book barge was fully up and running and hopefully turning a profit, she’d do exactly that.