Page 97 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘I’m not buying it.’

‘Oh.’

‘What’s up?’

‘It’s nothing.’

Josh is onto me?it’s in the tilt of his head and the intensity of his gaze. ‘I … it just hit me all of the sudden that we’re coming to the end of the trip.’

His shoulders drop. ‘Oh, right, of course.’ He sighs. ‘Yeah, that’s always rough.’ He’s quiet for a sec?perhaps thinking about all the times we travelled together then had to say goodbye. Our relationship wasn’t long-distance for very long?less than a year?but it was still hard to be apart. ‘Hey …’ His fingers brush my neck as his thumb strokes my cheek?both sensations send shivers down my spine. ‘Let’s not think about that now, okay? This is a celebration.’

I nod at him. He’s right?now’s not the time to dwell on goodbyes. There is only tonight and this beautiful celebration. ‘Come on,’ he says grabbing my hand, ‘before your dad eats all the risotto.’

‘I love you, sister,’ says Cat, slinging her arm around my shoulder.

‘I love you too.’ I scrutinise the bride as she bops in time to the music?yep, definitely approaching tipsy. ‘Hey, have you eaten anything?’ I ask.

She shrugs. ‘I had a crostini.’

‘Gee, a whole crostini? C’mon. We’re getting you some food.’ I take her hand and walk her over to the buffet where Siobhan is loading up a plate.

‘Hello, lovelies,’ says our gorgeous Irish friend. ‘Cat, you have thrown a truly specular wedding. Just beautiful.’

‘Ohhh, thank you, Siobhan,’ she replies?as though she was the one who planned everything. She starts eyeing the buffet and I let it slide.

‘I so wish Keely could have come,’ Siobhan continues. ‘I desperately want you two to meet her. When are you coming back our way, Sarah?’

‘Oh, uh … probably next year some time.’

‘Well, you must promise to come to Dublin and you can absolutely stay with me?ooh! By then, you might be staying with us.’ She waggles her eyebrows.

‘We’d love that, Siobhan.’ I feel a little guilty. Josh and I met Siobhan in Hawaii a couple of years back and she’d invited us then to come visit but, even though we’ve been to the UK a couple of times, we’ve never crossed the Irish Sea. And I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland too. Maybe we will get there next time we’re in the northern hemisphere.

‘What are you having?’ Cat peers curiously at Siobhan’s plate.

‘Well, I confess I’ve already tried some of everything but this is my favourite?the aubergine.’

‘Oh, yum!’ Cat takes a plate and serves herself a generous spoonful of roasted eggplant in a red sauce. Yikes. Maybe a buffet was a bad idea. Maybe anything with a sauce was a bad idea. It smells good though and I serve up some for myself while keeping a watchful eye on the slight tilt of Cat’s plate. I will cry if she spills anything on that exquisite dress.

‘We’ve been rubbish about visiting too,’ says Cat through a mouthful. ‘Sorry, Siobhan. Ireland’s definitely on the list though.’

‘Oh, not to worry. It’s life, isn’t it? It gets in the way of good intentions. I mean how many times have I said I’d love to pop over to London for a weekend …’ She shrugs.

‘You’re always welcome.’

‘But I’ll have to be quick.’

‘What’s that?’ Cat stops eating and places her fork on her plate. ‘Quick?’

‘Because you’re moving to Paris,’ says Siobhan. Uh-oh.

Cat puts her plate down and delicately wipes at the corners of her mouth with a napkin before laying it on her plate. I watch every movement unsure of what I can?or should?say to reroute this conversation. Cat looks up at Siobhan and even I can’t read her expression?guilt, shame, fury?

‘Uh … actually, we’re still deciding about that?where we’re going to live.’

‘Oh. But I thought … it’s just that I was talking to Jean-Luc’s sister earlier and she said you were moving to Paris.’

There’s a moment in which Cat is perfectly still, a myriad of thoughts playing out across her face and I am torn between staying by her side and marching right over to Cécile and bitch slapping her after all.