Page 33 of It's All Sun and Games

‘I just create the dishes,’ he says humbly.

‘I would love to try your cooking sometime then,’ Rick says enthusiastically.

‘Oh, absolutely,’ I chime in, seizing the opportunity to remind Rick of my connection to Andrea, because that’s what all of this is for, even if it’s all part of the charade and never going to happen.

The waiter arrives with the first course – delicious-looking platters piled high with an array of cold meats, different cheeses, olives, and more.

‘Now then, what are these?’ Rick asks, eyeing a bowl of small, knotted breadstick-looking things with interest.

‘Taralli,’ Andrea responds. He lifts one to his nose and inhales. ‘These are with fennel. Try one, they’re delicious.’

Andrea effortlessly pops one into his mouth, and who knew it was possible to make eating look so cool?

‘So, come on then, we’re all dying to know, how did the two of you meet?’ Liz asks us. ‘Like, how did that happen?’

Generously, she could mean that it seems unbelievable that we met because I’m from England and Andrea is from Italy but, knowing Liz, she probably does mean to cause offence.

‘We met when we were kids,’ Andrea begins. ‘In a way.’

I raise a curious eyebrow in his direction. Oh, so we’re telling the truth, eh? I suppose that’s a good idea. Too many lies will be too hard to keep up with.

‘We were pen pals when we were at school,’ I join in. ‘We didn’t meet up properly until we were adults, though, and, well, the rest is history.’

‘It was love at first sight,’ Andrea adds, his eyes softening as he gazes at me – oh, that’s good. ‘I knew right away that she was the woman I wanted to marry.’

As I scan the table, I notice a real rollercoaster of reactions, and it’s hard to tell who is the most annoyed, Liz or James. Rick is, of course, captivated.

‘Wow, that’s like a fairy tale,’ Cait practically sighs.

‘I can’t believe you’ve never mentioned it,’ Julie chimes in – not that she means anything by it.

‘Yeah, neither can I,’ Liz adds, her tone suspicious – she definitely means something by it.

‘Oh, wait, is this why you said you were some kind of Italy expert?’ Cait asks.

Oh my gosh, this one has been handed to me on a platter.

‘Yes,’ I say keenly.

‘I assume this is a long-distance relationship?’ Liz checks.

‘Yep,’ I reply. ‘Always has been.’

‘But we make it work,’ Andrea adds. ‘We’ve always been good at that.’

‘Well, that’s great. Come on, let’s dig in,’ Rick suggests cheerfully. ‘Our mains will be here soon – I’m excited to find out what it is.’

‘I’m sure you’ll like it,’ Andrea assures him. ‘It’s a local dish. If they’ve made the sauce correctly, it will have taken hours.’

‘Good things come to those who wait,’ Julie remarks.

‘Like Robin and Andrea, finally getting together, after all that time,’ Rick adds, raising his glass. ‘In fact, a toast, to their engagement – now that we know about it. To Robin and Andrea.’

‘To Robin and Andrea,’ everyone echoes, some more reluctantly than others.

As I take a sip of my drink, I can’t resist smiling smugly to myself. This may not have been the Andrea I was expecting, but it turns out to be just the Andrea I need.

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