Melissa Hill - The Summer Villa

‘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.

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 church or hospital near their home.

She’d done her utmost to maintain her way of life for as long as she could, but eventually the chemotherapy and radiation treatment took its toll, her red hair turned light and thin, and eventually began to disappear.

It was then that Miriam had been forced to admit to herself that life wasn’t going to be the same. The whole family had to. Eventually, she let Colette, her eldest, shave her head and handed over the responsibility for the house and business to a girl in her mid-twenties. It was a brave move for them both – until then Colette had spent most her life in books, and was suddenly forced out into the real world.

The adjustment had been uncomfortable and had taken quite a bit of time, but at least her father was there to help her through it.

Until that changed, too.

A few months after Miriam was diagnosed, Emmett began to falter. He spent more and more time away from home, unable to watch his wife deteriorate. Everyone could see it, but no one ever thought he’d just up and leave. Less than a year after his wife’s diagnosis and well into her treatment, he moved out.

And by the time another year had gone by, he’d initiated official separation proceedings.

Now, Miriam shooed her daughter away gently and smiled.

‘Didn’t you hear what the doctor said today?’ she insisted as she continued stirring the contents of the pot she was standing over.

‘Mum,’ Colette challenged, but her mother ignored her entirely.

‘Set your stuff down. How was your walk?’ she asked as she carried on about her business while Colette stood there, dumbfounded as always at her mother’s determination.

When Emmett left, Miriam had wished her former husband well and then refocused her energy on the rest of her family. Colette’s younger sister, Noelle, was about to leave for university and had almost deferred her entry, but Miriam wouldn’t hear of it.

By then, Colette had completed her own time at University of Essex. She missed her sister and she missed college life and her old friends.

Instead, she’d stepped into the kind of responsibility she’d never imagined, especially after her father relinquished his share in the bakery, leaving the running of the business entirely up to her.

Miriam had arranged someone to take over the bookkeeping and day-to-day administration, while Colette baked and worked on recipes with her mother’s guidance, keeping things going when her mother no longer had the strength to stay involved.

Yesterday Miriam wouldn’t have dared challenge her about housework, but today was different. Earlier, incredible news had been delivered by the oncologist. Her cancer was in remission.

Colette could hardly believe it. After four long years of relentless treatment, her mother had finally overcome the disease.

Even though they both could see Miriam looked much better than she had in years, Colette felt running the household was still her responsibility and one she took pride in.