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Maybe juices wouldn’t be that bad, Holly conceded. After all, they could have a nice early night, make the most of the comfy beds, perhaps put a film on for the three of them. And there was still the spa and pool. Although she would have to make sure she didn’t spend too much time swimming. Swimming always made her hungry, and on a weekend like this, that would be less than ideal.

‘So, why don’t we all get changed and head downstairs? We can have a dip before dinner. I can’t wait for you to see the pool,’ Sienna said. ‘I know you guys are just going to love it.’

Holly was about to reply when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

‘Sure, sounds good,’ she said hastily, retrieving it. She assumed it would be Ben or Jamie or someone checking in on her, but instead, it was from Giles, and rather than a text message, he was ringing her.

‘Everything okay?’ Sienna said.

Holly went to respond, only to hesitate.

‘Yes, I just… I’m just gonna head outside to take this.’

‘No problem.’

The moment Holly was out of the door, she began running down the corridor. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to be as far away from Sienna as possible before she picked up the phone, but she did.

32

‘Hey, what’s going on? Why are you ringing me? Is everything okay?’ Holly carried on walking as she spoke.

‘Wow, that’s a lot of panic. Most people just answer the phone with “hello”.’

Holly gritted her teeth. Of course, Giles wasn’t going to respond sensibly.

‘Hello. Now, why are you ringing me? Is everything okay?’

‘Everything is great on this end; I just wanted to check on you guys. Have you got there yet? Sienna was so excited about the place.’

‘Well, it’s certainly unique.’

A pause followed. Normally, she could read Giles’s pauses down the telephone line just as well as she could read them on his face, but she was having difficulty. Probably because she didn’t know why he’d rung her.

‘I still don’t know why you’re ringing?’ she said. ‘I thought Sienna was keeping you updated on our progress? You know, with the selfies and stuff.’ Thinking of the photo Sienna took on the train jolted Holly’s memory of the ring. She wanted to talk to Giles about it, at some point, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Particularly as he was struggling to make any sense.

‘She is…’ he says. ‘No, it’s fine, I just?—’

‘You just what?’ Holly said. ‘Spit it out, will you?’

‘Okay, I just wanted to ask you to be nice.’

‘What? Are you kidding? Be nice? What’s that supposed to mean? I am nice!’

‘I know you’re nice; you are a lovely, wonderful person. I just need you to be nice to Sienna because?—’

‘Because she’s the type of person who would make you trade the perfectly beautiful and thoughtful engagement ring you had bought her for something bigger and more expensive because she needed it to make a statement?’

So much for not saying anything.

‘Ahh, yeah, so she told you about that.’

‘No, she didn’t. I spotted it wasn’t the same and asked her about it.’

‘It’s her prerogative, you know. It is her ring. The last thing I’d want is for her to be unhappy. And by the way, this is why I was ringing to ask you to be nice. Because I knew you’d judge her for that.’

‘Who says I’m judging her?’

‘You’re judging, Holly. I can tell you are.’