Sure, you get to stay with your friends tonight, but what about me? I think. Now I sound as bitter as Alfonso.
“Well, I’ll take pictures of the dinner for you and you can pretend that you ate it,” I tell him.
“Amber, please. This is not my fault.”
“No, of course not,” I say. “I’ve got to go, your brother and sister are starving. See you tomorrow.” And then I hang up the phone.
Alfonso is frowning at me. “He isn’t coming?”
I sigh and shake my head. “No.”
Annabella comes into the kitchen. “Where is Derio?”
“Not coming,” Alfonso says loudly. “He doesn’t care about us anymore.”
I fold my arms. “You guys, that just isn’t true. He loves you.”
“But you’re upset,” Alfonso says. “So why can we not be upset?”
“You’re right,” I tell them. “Be upset. But he still loves you.”
“And he still loves you, yes?” he asks.
“Yes,” I mumble. I pick up my phone and decide to text Shay.
Hey, sorry I never showed up at the bar the other night. Derio is gone all the time and I have the kids. Do you want to come over after your shift? I can save some dinner for you.
I wait and take the chicken out of the oven. It does smell and look divine, the skin a gorgeous crispy brown, the olives plump and juicy. I take a picture of it with my phone to show Derio later and get a reply text from Shay.
Not working tonight. They hired someone else to replace me. I can come over now? I’ll bring the wine.
I tell her to hurry her ass over. The house she was renting with Danny is on one of the streets near Marina Grande so it shouldn’t take her long. Even so, the three of us can’t hold off eating any longer. We dig into the food and it’s just as amazing as it looks.
This is what you’re missing, I text to Derio, along with the picture I took.
But there is no response from him.
Luckily, Shay shows up with two bottles of wine—which means she means business—just as we’re done eating and helps me do the dishes and put everything away. Annabella and Alfonso are fascinated by the pretty girl but eventually tire of us talking and go up to their rooms for the night.
It’s too dark and foggy out to relax on the patio so we stay in the kitchen to drink and talk. Shay does most of the talking at first. She’s brokenhearted over Danny and has no idea what to do with herself.
“But you have to go somewhere,” I tell her. “You can’t stay here.”
She frowns at me, her pink lips pouting. “Why not?”
“Would you want to stay on Capri if it reminded you of the last place you were in love? I don’t know, I think I’d feel so . . . trapped. If we break up, I’m definitely not sticking around this rock. I love it and all but . . . it’s not home without him.”
She appraises me through her long lashes. “Are you breaking up?”
“No,” I quickly say, taking a gulp of my wine. “Not at all. I’m just saying.”
She sighs. “Yeah. You’re right, though. I won’t be staying here for long. But if I go back home there’s a tiny chance I won’t be allowed in Europe for a while so I might as well stay here while I can.”
“What are you going to do?”
She shrugs and looks at her nails, which are painted bright coral. Actually, she’s wearing a fair amount of makeup, which is a change because when I first met her she wasn’t wearing much at all. I guess she’s trying to make herself feel pretty after losing Danny. I know I always lost revenge weight after a relationship went wrong.
“I was thinking I would go up to Scandinavia. Finland, Sweden, Norway.” She gets this faraway look in her eyes. “I had an ex-boyfriend in high school I was madly in love with. He was from Norway. I’ve been interested in the country ever since.”
I raise my brow. “Hunting down your ex-boyfriend in Norway sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not saying I would hunt him down. I don’t even know where he lives, if he lives there at all. But it’s a beautiful country, and maybe I’ll meet a sexy Viking. They can’t all be assholes who cheat on you.” She spits out that last part and then her face crumbles.
“Oh, Shay,” I whisper. “Did Danny cheat on you?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter.” She blinks, looking up at the ceiling, and waves her fingers at her eyes. It seems to keep her tears at bay. “I’m not staying here.”
I raise my glass. “Well, it will be a shame to see you go.”
She gives me a grateful smile and clinks her glass against mine. “I know. I wish we’d gotten to know each other better.”