Page 2 of Italy and Forever

Ginny was grateful for the extra minutes to recover from the reminder of what she needed to accomplish tonight at the Admiral.

‘I can’t believe you’re making me do it,’ she complained. ‘You’ve known him so much longer than me.’

‘Which is why he would immediately appeal to my conscience and say no,’ Kira finished for her. ‘You’re the best chance we have of getting him on board. I wish you’d found someone else for this job. He photographs rocks and goats and eagles – and climbers – not weddings.’

‘He doesn’t take me seriously. That’s also clear,’ Ginny added.

‘What? Why not?’ Toni was protective of everyone, a trait Ginny usually admired. ‘Does he even remember your name?’

Ginny huffed in indignation. It was telling that she’d rather think Rhys disliked her than imagine he barely knew she existed. Pride comes before a fall…

‘I can’t do this tonight. I’ve just had my climbing lesson with Kira. My abs hurt.’

‘I’m so proud you have abs now,’ was all Kira said in reply.

‘Ginny, you should have asked him a week ago, when he got home, or by email or something. At this rate, I’m going to be taking the pictures, or you will.’ Toni sounded almost as anxious as Ginny.

Kira patted the table with her open palm. ‘You’ve got to man up, Weller. Ask Rhys to take photos of Sophie and Andreas’s wedding and take a few months off dating while you’re at it. You can do this.’

‘As pep talks go, that one’s not up there with the best,’ Ginny teased. ‘But you’re right – on both counts. No matter what I truly want – because who the fuck knows that? – I will spend the next two months completely focused on creating the wedding of Sophie’s dreams, and totally banned from dating apps, dating events, double-dating, carbon dating and all other forms of dating. I will be gloriously single – even if I happen to meet the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. He’ll just have to wait for me.’

‘Uh, Ginny, you’re not supposed to be thinking about meeting the person you’re going to spend your life with,’ Kira pointed out.

‘Damn it!’ Ginny crossed her arms with a grumble. ‘I’ll get better at this with time. At least I’d already confirmed to Sophie that I don’t have a plus-one coming to the wedding,’ she added grimly.

‘You’re the queen of silver linings,’ Toni commented drily.

‘A photographer for the wedding would be preferable to silver linings right now.’ Ginny buried her face in her hands. ‘Rhys is my only option.’

‘You’ll work it out,’ Toni encouraged her. ‘I’m not sure Rhys appreciates the importance of weddings anyway.’ She turned to Kira. ‘When was the last time he had a girlfriend?’

‘Ha,’ was Kira’s immediate reply. ‘Do you mean an actual girlfriend, or the women he occasionally sees casually, before taking off on another photography assignment? It’s a brilliant strategy for keeping things light, leaving the country.’

‘Oh, is that the others arriving?’ Toni interrupted.

Peering up like a meerkat, Ginny swallowed the alarm that shot up her throat as Andreas and the other regular mountain guide from Great Heart, Laurie Anderson, ambled in through the double doors of the pub, hands in pockets. All these outdoor types walked as though they didn’t know what to do with their hands when they weren’t climbing something.

Andreas was technically Italian, but he was from the northern autonomous region where German was an official language and the Alps dominated the landscape. He was gruff and Ginny had yet to detect a sense of humour, but Sophie loved him and he obviously adored her in return, so his earnest frowns didn’t get to her quite as much as they used to. Laurie was a British mountain guide, a bit of a joker. Ginny wasn’t sure if he was single or not, but⁠—

That clearly didn’t matter. Laurie had never floated her boat anyway – which also didn’t matter, since she’d just promised herself she’d remain single for at least the next two months.

Rhys wasn’t with them, so Ginny’s anxiety deflated like a bouncy castle at the end of a party. Greeting the two guides woodenly, she was glad she wasn’t the one to ask, ‘Where’s Rhys?’ Kira took care of that for her.

‘He said he’ll join us after his shift,’ Laurie answered. He made to slide into the booth next to Ginny, but she leaped awkwardly to her feet before he could, brandishing her wine glass.

‘I need another of these. Does anyone want anything?’

Armed with drink orders, she made her way to the bar in a haze of agitation. She should have got the hypnotherapist to trick her out of her anxiety about talking to Rhys. That would have been more useful than the dubious insight she did get.

The barman was crouched at the fridge behind the bar, his back turned, so Ginny leaned her elbows on the counter and waited politely.

‘What can I getcha?’ the barman called over his shoulder. He appeared to be cleaning up a spill.

‘Oh, um, no rush. Just another glass of sauv blanc and two pints of lager.’

He acknowledged her with a wave of his hand.

‘And maybe a shot of something stronger,’ Ginny muttered.