Page 84 of It's All Sun and Games

Sophie’s jaw drops in disbelief.

‘I’m going to give you our room key,’ Rick says keenly, turning to Andrea with a bizarre level of seriousness. ‘I want you and Robin to go there and prank us.’

I look to Sophie, surprised to see how into it she appears to be too.

‘Do your worst,’ she insists. ‘I want this to be a real, authentic Italian wedding.’

I can’t believe my eyes or my ears. They are seriously all in on this.

‘James,’ Rick calls out, catching sight of him walking by.

James, who is cradling a whisky, saunters over.

‘What’s up?’ he asks, not quite his usual self.

‘Andrea was just telling us how, at Italian weddings, they prank the bride and groom,’ Rick explains. ‘I’ve asked Andrea and Robin to prank us. Maybe you can help them.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ James replies, nodding. ‘Actually, Robin, can I borrow you for a moment?’

‘Sure,’ I reply, suddenly anxious about what he’s going to say.

Well, at this point, what can he say? All I want now is for things not to be awkward.

Andrea gives me a quick kiss on the cheek – as if to give me his blessing and his reassurance – before I follow James across the hotel restaurant.

This should be interesting.

We only need to walk for a few seconds to find a quiet spot, away from prying ears and the noise of the dancefloor.

‘Is everything okay?’ I ask James, sensing a tension in the air.

‘You two are back on then?’ James checks, obviously referring to Andrea.

‘We were never really off,’ I reply, trying to make sure that I’m not giving off anything close to a mixed message – not any more.

‘And me and you…’ His voice trails off, leaving the sentence hanging in the air.

‘There is no me and you, James,’ I tell him firmly. ‘I know things have been… well, kind of weird, but I love Andrea. And you don’t want me.’

‘I do,’ he insists, but I can hear the uncertainty in his voice.

‘No, you don’t,’ I correct him. ‘Not really. You only wanted me because you thought you couldn’t have me, or because you liked the idea of sleeping with another man’s fiancée. When you thought Andrea and I had broken up, and that I was potentially all yours, you panicked.’

James takes a moment to process my words. He knows I’m right, it’s written all over his face.

‘You’re not the bad girl I thought you were, are you?’ he eventually says.

‘And you’re not the bad boy you think you are either,’ I point out. ‘You just haven’t met the right girl yet.’

‘Well, we’ll see about that,’ he replies with a smirk, offering me his hand to shake. ‘No hard feelings with the pitch. The best pitch won.’

‘I’m not sure Liz agrees with you,’ I reply with a wry smile. ‘She’s been shooting me daggers all day.’

‘You know Liz,’ he says with a casual shrug. ‘She’ll be fine.’

‘Yeah, let’s hope so,’ I say, feeling relieved to have cleared the air between us.

‘I’m happy for you,’ he tells me sincerely. ‘You and Andrea. Really, I am. He seems like a top bloke.’

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