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‘You’d better ring Sienna. Tell her you’re going to be late. Ben’s staying with Hope so it’s not a problem for me. But I’m sure she’ll want to know where you are.’

As he shook his head, Giles let out a long groan that turned into a bitter chuckle.

‘You know I bet she’ll be happy about this. I suggested we use this car to take her to the wedding, or at least leave in it, but she dismissed that idea straight away. Apparently, she’d already got a theme in mind and this didn’t fit with it.’

‘Really?’ Holly said. ‘It’s perfect.’

He shrugged. ‘Her wedding, her choice.’

She could hear it in his voice. The defeatedness. Like he didn’t have a say in his own future any more, and she needed to tell him he was wrong. He did have a choice. It was standing right there in front of him. But she couldn’t say it Not now. Now he had enough on his mind.

59

While Giles took out his phone to call Sienna, Holly walked back into the building, where the doorman immediately directed her towards the smoking room; obviously, Evelyn had told them which people to look out for.

It was the type of room Holly could imagine loving most in winter. The grey stone walls were decorated with vibrant, modern paintings, while a large fireplace was currently unlit, but piled high with logs, ready for when the weather turned. Most of the space was filled with comfy-looking armchairs and sofas, around half of which were currently occupied. Though, rather than taking a seat, Holly headed over to the bar where a young barman was polishing glasses. For a second, she thought about choosing something sensible, like a lemonade or an orange juice, but even when they got the car done, she wasn’t going to be the one driving it, and right now, after the day she’d had, she felt like she needed something stronger.

‘Large glass of white wine,’ she said.

‘Sure, any preference? We’ve got a fantastic English supplier. They do some incredible whites.’

Holly didn’t doubt the local wines were probably three times the price of the imported ones, but then again, Evelyn had already said that everything would be on the house.

‘That’s perfect,’ she said, ‘thank you.’

A minute later, a chilled glass of white was placed on the bar in front of her, and she took a long sip, only for a flood of memories to hit her. She had been wine-tasting once before, at a vineyard in France with Evan. It was the first time she’d ever been on a moped, the first time she’d ever been to a vineyard, the first time she’d considered that maybe Evan could be more than just a friend of Fin’s.

After that, she had fallen pretty hard for him, although she’d tried her hardest not to. And there had been sensible reasons not to fall in love with him.

There had been the distance between where they lived, the fact that she had a daughter, and in terms of socio-economic status, they were a million miles apart. There had also been Giles too. She had thought he was out of her life, but then he had appeared on a boat and professed to still love her. But she had chosen Evan. That had been the right choice. For years and years, she had known that had been the right choice. And given the chance again, she wouldn’t do it differently. But when she thought back on that moment, thought back to the words he’d said…

‘Well, Sienna’s fine with it.’ Giles walked into the bar and sat down next to her. ‘Diet Coke, please,’ he said, before turning back to Holly. ‘She’s out and isn’t going to be back tonight, so it doesn’t matter to her. To be honest, she seemed to find the whole thing quite amusing. She liked the idea of golf buggies most of all.’

‘I’m sure someone at home will be able to fix it properly,’ Holly replied, knowing that what Giles needed right now was a little optimism. ‘Is it going to take a lot to make it drivable?’

Giles shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. The wing mirror has to be fixed and I want someone to give it a once-over first. It wouldn’t be a responsible thing to drive unless someone’s checked it.’

‘Giles, always the responsible one.’

‘Hey, you know I’m always responsible when it comes to my cars.’

‘You’re right,’ Holly said. ‘You are. Remember that time you helped Mum and I out of a ditch?’

‘Hard to forget, really,’ he said. ‘You were a damsel in distress.’

‘I was not a damsel in distress. Not at all. My mother was a damsel in distress. I was the sidekick.’

‘Keep telling yourself that,’ Giles said, a slightly slanted grin forming on his lips. Her stomach flipped at the sight of it. It was just good to see that grin again. ‘So, already on the hard stuff?’ Giles said, nodding to the glass of wine.

‘Well, I thought if I had a couple, I might fall asleep on the drive back, and then you wouldn’t have to talk to me.’

‘That sounds perfect,’ he said with a grin. ‘I think I might need a sip, though.’ He reached out his hand and Holly pushed the glass towards him. A moment later, he took a small mouthful.

‘That’s a good wine,’ he said.

‘I know.’ She drew in a deep breath. They had said a lot of things today. Some of them hurtful, some of them a little thoughtless. But there were things she still needed to say and given how his day had already taken a sudden plummet, it felt like there was no time like the present. When she took the glass back, she took a long draw from it and put it back down. ‘Giles, there’s something I want to talk to you about?—’

‘Oh good, you found the bar.’