Page 59 of All Mine (The All Mine #1)

Isabella

When Isabella arrived, The Lit Lounge was temporarily quiet: the calligraphy club had already been and gone, the lunchtime knit and natter group not yet arrived.

Rosie and Wren were behind the counter, Wren sipping a coffee, Rosie reading a book, taking a well-earned ten-minute break.

Barney lay on the counter, belly up, purring.

As Isabella walked in, Amber caught the door behind her and linked her arm.

Wren put two cups under the coffee machine and by the time they pulled up stools at the central reading bar, an espresso was in front of Isabella and a cappuccino was in front of Amber.

‘Don’t go holding back on the good stuff, sister,’ Amber said as Wren shook the powdered chocolate on top. ‘This is what I live for.’

Isabella saw Amber was wearing the Tutto Mio blue shirt and knew she would have come from the restaurant for a break. She’d been working so hard.

‘How’s the food poisoning?’ Amber asked. ‘Feeling better?’

Wren and Rosie looked over. Isabella opened her mouth to smile, or say that she felt fine, but nothing came out. Just a sudden and overwhelming fear she was going to cry.

‘Are you still feeling ill?’ Wren asked.

‘You do look pale,’ Rosie added, putting the back of her hand to Isabella’s forehead.

Isabella slumped and put her head in her hands.

‘Something tells me this isn’t food poisoning.’ Rosie pulled her stool closer and put her hand to Isabella’s head, stroking her hair. Isabella wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and go to sleep. To forget everything.

‘I got Etienne’d,’ she said, sitting back up, ‘without even getting properly Etienne’d.’

She saw the sympathy on her friends’ faces, the way they reached out to her, the arms around her shoulders.

‘You haven’t had sex?’ Rosie asked and Isabella shook her head. The sex, or lack of it, wasn’t even the thing that she was missing.

‘You fell for him?’ Wren asked.

Isabella nodded, tears spilling from her eyes.

She brushed them away, frustrated. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry after last night.

But seeing him this morning in the park had been a step too far.

She hadn’t been expecting it, and the sight of him knocked the air out of her lungs like a slap on the back.

She’d hardly dared look at him, scared to see the coldness on his face again as she had yesterday.

But when she had finally looked at him this morning, he looked.

. . sad, resigned. And that made it worse, and more confusing, and now she was crying. Again.

Nobody said I told you so . Nobody said she had been warned. Everybody just piled on to hug her and hold on.

Finally, she wiped her eyes, blew her nose and slurped her espresso down in one gulp.

‘Honestly, that man,’ Wren said.

‘Lucky we’re not attracted to them,’ agreed Rosie.

Isabella laughed and it hiccupped over all the tears she’d cried.

‘I honestly thought there was something there,’ Isabella said. ‘How wrong could I be?’

‘It’s his loss, honey,’ said Amber. ‘You remember that.’

Isabella forced a smile and wished it felt like that.

‘On to happier things,’ Wren encouraged. ‘The launch.’

‘And Gabi coming,’ Rosie added.

‘And meatballs to make. . .’

Isabella checked her watch and blew her nose again. The women were right. It was time to get her show on the road. Hopefully she wouldn’t be seeing Etienne Martin again in a very long time.

Mia Famiglia WhatsApp group

Mamma : Everything okay, darling?

Isabella : All fine, Mamma. Just busy.

Mamma : Just thought you’d been a bit quiet.

Isabella : One of those weeks. Don’t worry.

Mamma : You’re not too disappointed we won’t make opening day?

Isabella : No, Mamma. It’s not that.

Mamma : Okay. Only checking. You know we love you.

Isabella : I love you too, Mamma.