Page 55 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘Fine.’ Jae sits back, obviously miffed.

‘Sorry, Jaelee,’ says Lou. ‘It’s just that since the divorce, I haven’t even seen Jackson’s family?and his parents are still close with mine. It’s just … I needed to have a clean break, I guess.’

‘Well, yeah …’ Jae says, her tone softening, ‘that makes sense. I mean, your divorce … well, it was rough, Lou.’

‘Absolutely. It makes perfect sense that you wanted a clean break,’ I say. Lou nods as she chews on her straw.

‘I think it all depends on the people and the circumstances,’ says Sarah. ‘And I’m sorry, Jaelee, you’re right. If you and Fiona get along, then that’s great. It must make it easier for Alistair.’

Jaelee nods. ‘Well, yeah, I hope so. And I mean, I have an ex and he’s married now and I’ve seen them a couple of times socially. That’s been okay.’ She’s referring to Paco, who when I first met her, she had called ‘the love of my life’. ‘I think it comes down to being secure in your own relationship?knowing that you’re with the right person?and not worrying too much about what everyone else is doing.’

‘Is that how you feel about my situation?’ I ask. ‘That I shouldn’t be worried about Vanessa?’

‘But you’re not really worried, right? You trust Jean-Luc.’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Then your situation is different?it’s not about the ex, it’s about how his family perceives the ex. And they’re not being fair to you. I mean, Alistair and I aren’t even married and I’m considered part of the family. Christie, his mom?she and I are close. And same with his dad, Stuart. They say I’m like another daughter.’

Tears prick my eyes and I gulp. I know she’s only trying to make me feel better, acknowledging that my feelings are justified, but it just makes me feel it more acutely?how much I’m missing out on. ‘Hey,’ says Jae, ‘fuck, Cat, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.’

I shake my head. ‘I know you didn’t. It’s all right, and you know … everything you’re saying, it’s true. It’s just, whenever I think about how much Jean-Luc is part of my family?and Josh?it breaks my heart a little that I’ll never have that.’

‘You have us,’ says Lou, reaching over to take my hand. ‘We can be your surrogate in-laws.’ I smile at her weakly.

‘Thank you, Lou.’

‘Oh, totally,’ says, Jae. ‘My mom already loves you from afar. She’s always asking about you.’

‘Really?’ I grin. Jaelee’s mum, Christina?Tina Tan?seems like hard work.

‘Oh, yeah. She thinks you’re a good influence on me.’

I laugh. ‘Me? That’s hilarious.’

‘I’m pretty sure my mum thinks you’re a bad influence on me,’ says Lou.

I point a thumb in Lou’s direction. ‘See?’ I ask Jae. ‘Wait.’ I turn and face Lou. ‘Why does she think that?’

‘Because you are a bad influence, Cat,’ teases Sarah. ‘You look like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth but …’

‘Oi!’ I say to Sarah. ‘No, seriously, does she really think that?’ I ask Lou again.

‘Umm, yeah … and you, Jaelee. I think that she thinks that if I hadn’t have met you on our trip, then I would still be married to Jackson.’ She grimaces at us.

‘Bollocks, you would not,’ I say.

‘Well, I know that, of course. I guess she just wants someone to blame for the divorce.’

‘She can blame your ex-husband,’ hisses Jae. ‘That would make more sense.’ It would, Jae’s right, and I know she’s only ticked off because she has a soft spot for Lou. We all do. She’s the best person I know and she doesn’t deserve guilt trips from her mother for getting out of a bad marriage. I thought our mother was the Queen of Guilt Trips. Ha!

‘Oh, I feel wonderful.’ Uncanny timing, Mum, I think.

‘Yeah? You have a good massage, Mum?’ asks Sarah.

Mum arranges a towel on a sun lounger on the other side of Sarah. ‘Oh absolutely. I can highly recommend Roberto’s services.’ His services? I swivel my head in both directions?yup, everyone else caught that too.

‘Are you doing that on purpose now, Mrs Parsons?’ asks Jaelee.