Page 34 of The Wedding Proposal

‘Mama and Nonnu.’

‘Your mother and grandmother?’ Elle hazarded.

‘Nonnu, he is the father of my mother.’

‘Oh, your grandfather. Fantastic.’ Elle’s dress blew in the wind and she tucked it around her legs. ‘I used to love my grandfather. My nonnu. Do you have brothers and sisters?’

Carmelo shook his head, and drank the rest of his ginger ale in one long draught.

Seized with a sudden ambition to see the solemn little boy smile a bit more, Lucas swigged his down, too. Then let out a giant burp.

Carmelo burst into giggles that rose like birdsong on the hot afternoon air.

Lucas belched again. ‘Pardon me.’

With a grin that showed a wonky front tooth, Carmelo let out a burp of his own, then two more, laughing so much between gas emissions that he could barely manage his ‘Pardon mes’.

‘Amazing how well burps and men go together,’ Elle observed, drily. But her eyes laughed.

Lucas winked at Carmelo and the little boy burst into giggles again, trying, unsuccessfully, to squeeze out a new burp. Instead, he was seized by a hiccup so loud that it made him give an ‘Oh!’ of surprise. Which made him giggle harder than ever. Giggles and hiccups began to alternate, his shoulders shaking.

Lucas found himself wondering when the little boy had last laughed like a little boy ought to. He’d looked so solemn, spying on Elle from behind the twisted brown-grey trunk of the pine tree.

It was Elle who was watching Carmelo, now. Although she was smiling, her expression struck Lucas as odd, as if she were fighting a hidden pain.

‘Looks like somebody’s having fun.’ The voice came from the quayside, the speaker a woman with thick auburn hair and a wide grin.

Lucas jumped up, feeling somehow caught out. ‘Kayleigh! I thought you were going to text me when you arrived.’

Kayleigh stepped easily across the gangplank. ‘Why bother the satellite when I only had a few hundred yards to walk?’ She looked at Lucas and flung her arms wide expectantly.

Lucas pulled her into a huge hug, glad to see her, but acutely aware of Elle, and that they were all trapped together in a small space.

As if picking up on his reticence, Kayleigh released him and turned to Elle and Carmelo. ‘Good to meet you. I’m Kayleigh Dunn.’

Scrambling up, Elle flushed. ‘I’m E-Elle and this is Carmelo.’ Then she glanced at her watch. ‘Sorry to run off the moment you turn up, Kayleigh. I need to go to work.’

‘I understand,’ Kayleigh replied easily.

Elle began collecting the empty glasses. ‘Maybe I’ll see you on Monday, Carmelo?’

The little boy got to his feet with an air of resignation.

Lucas held up his palm for a high five. ‘Great to meet you, Carmelo. Good burps.’

He at least got a smile as Carmelo high fived him back.

‘Do you need me to see you across the road?’ Elle asked him.

Carmelo shook his head and, evidently accepting the inevitable, crossed the gangplank without a wobble and wandered along in the direction of the bridge, glancing back a couple of times.

With a bright smile, Elle turned away. ‘Excuse me, I have to go, too.’ She whisked through the doors and out of sight.

‘Sorry I broke up the party — but hello.’ Kayleigh gave Lucas another hard hug.

Lucas was apologetic. ‘Carmelo was a bit of an uninvited guest but Elle obviously wanted to give him a few minutes of her time.’

‘Cool lady,’ nodded Kayleigh, approvingly.

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