meant to be together. Barty, I’m not as okay.’ He shrugged. ‘But at least Granny and Grandpa still love me.’
Suddenly she was curious. ‘What are they like?’
‘The literal best. Grandpa Michael is the person I love most on this earth. He’s not just my grandfather, he’s my friend and, yeah, probably father figure too, all of that. Like, he’s interested in me. And non-judgey. He doesn’t try to solve my stuff, but just spilling it out to him takes the badness away. When I told him about the break-up with Sammie, he said, “You’ll be better by the time you’re married.” Exactly what he used to say when I was a kid and I’d fallen off a wall or something.’
‘He sounds great.’
‘Ellen’s cool too. She’s … soft. Like a granny should be. When I was about eight, I got the chicken pox. Mum couldn’t take time off work, so I was sent down to them. It was like time-travel. I stayed in Dad’s old room, the TV only had two channels and the food was, you know, bread and potatoes and apple tart. We read lots of books – Granny said they used to be Dad’s.’
‘Everyone should have grandparents like them. You’d want to meet Nana McDermott.’
‘Scary?’
‘I can’t even.’
‘Yeah, but Granny Ellen could be tough too. Granny and Grandpa won’t talk to Mum or Johnny. Izzy and Keeva won’t either. Because of’, he gave a dismissive wave, ‘“long ago and far away” stuff. When Saoirse and me used to go down there, as kids, there had to be a – What do you call it in diplomatic terms? An intermediary?’
‘A “neutral party”?’
‘Someone like Keeva’s husband, or Mrs Tempest the neighbour. Mum would bring us to Granny and Grandpa’s door but Mrs Tempest would let us in. That way Mum and the Kinsellas never came face to face.’
‘That sounds … awful.’
‘Nah. We got used to it.’
It was eleven o’clock when they got back to the villa.
Liam’s face was like thunder. ‘Where have you been until now?’
‘Florence, dude,’ Ferdia said.
‘Doing what?’
‘Looking at art.’
‘Until now?’
‘We went for food.’
‘Where?’
‘What does it matter? This isn’t cool, man.’
Jessie rushed in. ‘Bunnies! You’re back! How was Palazzo dell’Arte Vivente?’
‘Is that the name of the restaurant?’ Nell asked. ‘It was utterly amazing.’
‘Wait, what?’ Liam demanded. ‘You were at the Palazzo dell’Arte Vivente?’
‘But, Jessie,’ Nell said, ‘let me give you the money for the dinner.’
‘The Palazzo dell’Arte Vivente?’ Liam repeated. ‘How did you get a table?’
‘There isn’t anything to pay back,’ Jessie said. ‘The chef is my friend. Well, maybe friend is overstating it but –’
‘Oh, Jessie! Well, I’ll pay you back somehow.’
‘No.’ Jessie grasped her wrist. ‘I owe you big-time. For …’ she mouthed ‘… sorting out Ferdia and me.’
‘Have I got this right?’ Liam raised his voice. Jessie, Nell and Ferdia finally paid him some attention. ‘You,’ he nodded at Nell, ‘and … him had a free dinner in Palazzo dell’Arte Vivente?’
In the silence that followed, Nell asked, in a small voice, ‘Is that a good thing? A bad thing?’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake!’
SEVENTY-FIVE
Liam seemed in better form in the morning. ‘You had a good day yesterday?’
‘I loved it. I know it’s not your thing but it made me so happy. I think I’ll go back and see –’
‘… I didn’t have a great day.’ His tone was pointed.
Oh. His cycle. ‘What happened?’
‘My back. Could be a pulled muscle. Could be something worse.’
‘Should you see a doctor?’
‘Ah, no.’ He waved away her concern.
Well, he couldn’t be that bad, so. ‘I’m going back to Florence, to the Da Vinci museum, probably tomorrow,’ she said. ‘It’s some of his inventions – they’ve been constructed from his drawings.’
‘I read about that place. Sounds okay. I think I’ll come with you.’
‘You don’t have to. Ferdia says he’ll drive me.’
‘I’ll drive you.’
‘But Ferdia wants to go.’
‘And so do I.’
They couldn’t both go. Not together.
She found Ferdia by the pool. ‘Ferd?’
He glanced up. ‘Y’okay?’
‘Liam wants to go to the Da Vinci museum.’
‘Oh. Right. I’ll give it a miss, then.’
She was grateful he wasn’t being a brat about it. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Nah! All grand. It’s good he wants to go.’
‘Yep.’
‘Maybe he thinks Mum will sort him out with his dinner at the Arte Palazzo place.’
‘Ha-ha, maybe he does.’ She smiled, then stopped abruptly.
As she walked back to the house, her phone rang. It was Perla. Perla knew she was in Italy, so this was sort of weird.
‘Nell. I apologize for calling you on your vacation. Are you having a wonderful time?’