Page 19

‘No, no.’ For the first time since stepping outside her cottage, Holly moved with a concerted effort, darting towards the brand-new Vespa and wrapping her arms around the handlebars. The metal was cold and yet inviting. And the smell… How was it possible a machine could smell so good?

‘So I take it you like it?’ Evan said.

Suddenly realising she still hadn’t actually said anything properly since seeing the Vespa, Holly pulled herself away and looked at him.

‘You bought me a Vespa? You actually bought me a Vespa?’ She kept a questioning tone in her voice. After all, it still seemed unbelievable. Yet Evan’s lips twisted into a smile.

‘You know, the way you’re saying that makes it sound like it’s a problem. It’s not a problem, is it?’ His eyes glinted with his smirk, and Holly shook her head.

‘It’s not a problem, it’s… it’s insane.’ She looked back towards the vehicle, her stomach suddenly cramping with laughter. She couldn’t stop.

‘You can’t do this. You can’t buy me a Vespa.’

‘I very much can,’ Evan said, sweeping in and wrapping his arms around her so that he was leaning into her ear as he spoke. ‘The only question I want to know is, do you want it?’

Holly gazed at the vehicle. The only other time she had been on one was in the south of France. Evan had taken her down the winding roads and undulating hills as they made their way to a vineyard. And she had driven on her own too.

Just looking at the vehicle parked there on her driveway brought about that sense of freedom she had felt as the wind blew through her hair, the world at her fingertips. Evan had mentioned at the time how Holly should get one when she got back to England, given how much she had enjoyed it. But she’d told him outright that it wouldn’t be possible. She didn’t have the money to throw around and buy something so clearly self-indulgent as this.

‘I… I love it,’ she said, her throat finally loosening enough that she could speak.

‘Good, because the tank’s full and as we don’t have Hope, it seems like the perfect time to go for a spin. So why don’t you show me what these cute Cotswold villages are all about?’

17

It was entirely different, driving through the Cotswolds compared to being in the south of France. To start with, Holly had to weave past the various parked cars on her lane to get to the main road. Then there was the added factor that she was driving at night. For those first few minutes, Holly gripped the handlebars so tightly, her knuckles were a stark white. However, as they turned off the Fosseway and onto the quiet, country roads, where her headlights gleamed brightly out in front of her, her muscles began to relax.

Back in France, Evan had referred to her as a natural on bikes, which she’d dismissed, assuming it was nothing but foolish flattery. But now, as she took one corner then the next, laughing to herself as rabbits loitered precariously on the edge of the road, and owls swooped low in the fields, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps he was right. She and this little Vespa were going to have so much fun. She only wished that Hope was big enough to bring along, too. Maybe when she was bigger, she could look into little sidecars. Perhaps that would be a way she and Hope could travel together when she was in her teens. The thought snapped Holly back to reality. It wasn’t as if she had themoney to buy a sidecar, or anything else. She wasn’t even sure she was going to have enough money to put petrol in both this and the car some weeks. Still, she was going to make this full tank last as long as possible. But then, could she really keep it? The excitement gave way to a feeling of uncertainty.

Above them, the first stars of the night were appearing in the sky, as Holly drew up to a small village green. She flicked on her indicators and slowed to a stop. Then she pulled off her helmet and held it in her arm, before turning to speak.

‘So?’ Evan’s smile was probably as wide as her own. ‘What do you think?’

‘This is amazing. But there’s no way I can accept.’

‘Why not? Besides, you have to. The minute you drove it, its resale value went down by like 20 per cent. At least. You’re stuck with it now.’

He was playing with her, Holly knew it, but she didn’t have the heart to laugh back. It wasn’t a laughing matter.

‘Evan, you know how I feel about you. And I know that you’re serious about me. But like I said in France, you and I are from different worlds. If we’re going to make this work?—’

‘Wearegoing to make this work.’

‘I know we can.’ Holly chose her words carefully, trying not to offend. ‘Evan, the way we are going to make this work is by meeting halfway. I’m not expecting you to give up your lifestyle that you’ve worked hard for. That’s not what I’m saying. But you can’t go spending over a hundred pounds on bunnies because you couldn’t decide which one to get. That’s a week’s worth of shopping for Hope and me. And I like flowers. Actually, I love them, but I don’t need a bunch so massive, I have to split it in two and give half away to my friend because they won’t fit on my dining table.’

‘So that’s why the bouquet looked so small,’ Evan said, before adding a smirk. ‘I’d better not send that letter of complaint after all.’

He was trying to lighten the mood and Holly appreciated it. Though the unease hadn’t lessened by much, she managed to reply with a small smile.

‘Look, do you want to keep it?’ Evan said firmly, offering no room for her to misconstrue the question.

‘Yes, of course I want to keep it. But it’s?—’

‘Good, that’s settled.’

She took his hand.

‘This is too big, Evan. This is too generous.’