The Summer Villa. Melissa Hill

Enjoy La Dolce Vita!

       Kim Weston and The Sweet Life family cordially invite you to join us for the launch celebration of Villa Dolce Vita Wellness and Cultural Retreat on the glorious Amalfi Coast.

      A smile spread wide across Colette’s face as she skimmed over the invite, pushing her cheeks almost up as far as the lower rim of her reading glasses.

      The timing of this almost made up for the disappointment of earlier. As if her old friend had somehow known she needed a boost.

      Still smiling, she glanced back at the envelope and saw that there was something else inside. Two aeroplane tickets to Naples and a weekend reservation at a five-star Sorrento hotel, as well as a handwritten note.

       Can’t wait for you guys to see what I’ve done with the place!

       Perfect excuse for a long overdue reunion?

       K xx

      Her heart well and truly lifted, Colette walked back into the living room and held the invite out for her husband to read.

      It had been a few years since Kim had announced her intentions to buy and restore the old villa, and the process had been less than easy.

      From their (admittedly far too infrequent) phone catch-ups, she knew Kim had encountered obstacle after obstacle, from the Italian authorities to some of the locals, almost from the moment she let her grand plans be known.

      However, as always, she hadn’t wavered in her intentions, and now the invite was proof of her success.

      ‘Isn’t it wonderful? She really did it. I can’t wait to see how it looks now,’ Colette prattled excitedly, as she waited for her husband’s reaction. ‘And Kim, too, of course. And I wonder if Annie will come? Oh, I hope so. I haven’t seen her in so long.’

      Colette and Kim had always made a conscious effort to stay in touch after their time in Italy, Annie less so. But the trio’s was the kind of friendship that bucked time and place, and Colette knew that once they were together again, the preceding years would simply melt away and it would be as if they were never apart.

      ‘Seriously?’ Ed replied flatly. He looked up at her. ‘This is only a month away. I know you were looking forward to going back to Italy again, and it’s great Kim seems to have finally got it all up and running, but do we really have time for this just now? You have that new project coming up, for starters.’

      Colette looked at him, puzzled. ‘We’d make time, of course,’ she answered. ‘I don’t understand … We knew for ages that Kim’s launch would likely be happening this summer. Why would I want to miss a trip like this?’

      ‘It’s just with everything we have going on, isn’t the timing a bit off for a last-minute jaunt to Italy? And it’s not as though you two are that close anymore.’

      ‘What? Of course the timing’s not off,’ she replied, confused by his reaction. She’d thought Ed would be as excited as she was to return to the Amalfi Coast, where, in truth, their own love story began. And perhaps while there, the location might just work its magic again? And yes, while their lives had diverged considerably since their time in Italy, Colette considered Kim and Annie friends for life.

      ‘OK. I’ll see about making the necessary reservations,’ Ed answered. His mood still seemed off, though, and Colette was completely baffled by it.

      ‘No need. Kim’s already arranged everything,’ she announced as she handed the envelope to him. ‘We fly out a couple of days before the party and stay in Sorrento over the weekend. All we have to do is show up. It’s really quite generous of her, actually.’

      Ed inspected the tickets carefully. ‘Well, that timing definitely doesn’t work for me,’ he declared. ‘The IPO is that very week. I need to be here.’

      Disappointment filled her lungs as Colette inhaled deeply. She levelled her gaze at her husband. How could he do this? He knew how important this was to her – and indeed to Kim.

      ‘Ed, an old friend I care for and respect has offered to fly us both out to Italy for the grand launch of her latest business venture, and to reunite with old friends. Not only that, it happens to be the place where you and I met and fell in love. How could you possibly refuse? I don’t usually say anything when it comes to your work but this time I have to dig my heels in.’

      ‘But we can always go again afterwards, when it’s not so busy …’

      She put her hand on her hips. ‘Kim’s put a huge amount of work into renovating a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. I really want to see how it looks now, and I so want the opportunity to catch up with her and Annie, too. She’s pulled out all the stops, flying us over and putting us up in one of the nicest hotels in the area, and you’re just going to refuse?’

      ‘I’m not refusing – I just don’t think we can sacrifice so much time to it, that’s all,’ Ed replied, getting to his feet. He reached out to take her by the arm and sighed. ‘Yes, of course I know how much this means to you and I want to be there, too. It’s just work is so hectic at the moment, darling.’ He kissed her forehead lightly.

      ‘I know work is difficult; that’s another reason why I think we need this trip. This isn’t just for Kim’s sake, Ed, it’s for ours, too. We’ve hardly spent any time together lately.’ She stepped towards him and he pulled her close. ‘I miss you.’

      Colette didn’t often let her insecurities show. She didn’t like being a burden on others, especially her husband, who she knew needed her to be strong. How could she put her concerns on him when he had so many of his own?

      ‘I’m sorry,’ he apologised again. ‘I promise, after things settle with this IPO thing, I will make a conscientious effort to devote more time for us.’ He turned back to the invite. ‘Why don’t we just fly over there on the day of the launch, instead of before? I’m sure Kim wouldn’t mind; the important thing is we’re there at all, isn’t it?’

      Colette nodded. ‘OK, sounds fair. But I meant what I said, Ed. This is important – an opportunity to spend time together in a more relaxing way.’

      And with luck, she added silently, maybe the necessary break we need in order to conceive.

      ‘That’s settled then, but first things first, OK? Once the IPO is over, everything will change, my love, I promise.’

      She didn’t doubt his words and knew he had nothing but the best intentions. The problem was that things never got easier or settled when it came to his work. He just couldn’t help himself. Being the best was both a blessing and a curse. He didn’t know how to lose or to slow down.

      She supposed it was why he was so successful, though. Ed always got what he wanted.

      He always had to win.

Chapter 7

       Then

      ‘Mum, what are you doing?’ Colette asked, coming in the back door of her family’s small terraced home in Brighton.

      ‘What does it look like?’ Miriam Turner replied in a voice raspy from chemotherapy.

      It had been four years since her mum’s diagnosis, though for Colette, it had felt like a lifetime.

      She could only watch helplessly as cancer ravaged her mother’s body, reducing her from a somewhat plump, pink-cheeked woman into the pale wraith she was now. Still, by some grace, Miriam maintained her smile despite it all.

      ‘You’re cooking? Why? Let me do it.’ Colette rushed to take over.

      Before her illness, Miriam had worked tirelessly at the bakery she set up in the town with her husband, Emmett, and occupied what little free time she had volunteering at the