Page 62 of An Italian Wedding Adventure

Picking up her tablet to distract herself, she flicked through a few more pictures, looking for the shots of the reception venue, when she swiped to a photo she hadn’t been expecting: she and Andreas on Monte Castello di Gaino, holding hands, Sophie stifling a laugh after that spine-tingling moment where her brain had tricked her into thinking it could be real.

‘What’sthat?’ Ginny blurted out, staring at the screen.

Sophie mashed the button to turn off the tablet, forgetting that wouldn’t affect the image on the bigger screen. Frantically tapping buttons, she swore under her breath.

‘Oh, I must have… put that one in by accident.’ Sophie cringed, cursing herself for the oversight and itching to transfer the file out of her work folder and into the forbidden Andreas folder she’d been trying to stop looking at.

‘Is that you and—? Are you two—?’ Ginny continued.

‘No.’ She cleared her throat, feeling Kira’s gaze on her. ‘It was just for the photographer to… an example of the—’ She swiped the photo away, at least a minute too late.

‘It really does look like a wedding,’ Roman said, looping his arm around Lily and pressing a kiss to her hair when she shared his grin.

This wastheirwedding and Sophie was doing a damn good job organising it. Her own feelings could get lost and she didn’t need to worry what Kira thought either. The awkwardness would fade by the time they had to work together in September.

When Lily and Roman left, Ginny went to make tea and then Sophie was alone with Kira, desperate to ignore the tingle at her hairline.

‘I thought something happened while you and Andreas were away,’ Kira said as soon as Ginny was out of the room.

‘It didn’t mean anything.’ It was so obviously a lie, Sophie couldn’t say anything further. She risked a glance at Kira and her new colleague’s scowl made her wish she hadn’t.

But when Kira spoke again, what she said wasn’t what Sophie had expected. ‘I don’t want to see him get hurt again, okay? We look after each other at Great Heart.’

‘You don’t think he can look after himself?’ Sophie asked in a small voice.

‘Of course he can, but you’ve always been like a summit he failed to reach and you know what he’s like with a summit.’

Sophie frowned. She’d thoughtshewas the one who needed closure. ‘He’s got another summit to focus on right now,’ she said, alarmed by her bleak tone.

‘As long as he is focusing on that and not…’ Kira made a frustrated noise. ‘I don’t want to talk about this crap. But I also don’t want to scrape him up off the floor again.’

‘I’m sure he’s not…’

‘God, the both of you are idiots,’ Kira mumbled and flung herself onto the sofa, leaning her forearms on her knees. ‘Let’s just talk about the hen do.’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Sophie agreed, trying to shake off the uncertainty. A wedding planner needed to be the one in control while the bridal party broke down in tears. Her own emotional turmoil was a moot point – especially since Andreas seemed to be honouring her request for a clean break. ‘What have you got planned? And which of the other guides have you got booked in to come? Is it Laurie or one of the casuals?’

‘What do you mean? Do we need a third person? I think Andreas and I can manage.’

‘But… I thought Andreas wasn’t coming? It might clash with the departure for Manaslu.’

Kira didn’t respond, she only peered doubtfully at Sophie. ‘He’s not leaving for Nepal until the middle of October.’

‘Oh, well…’ She tried to ignore the flicker in her stomach.Clean break, clean break, clean break. ‘He’ll have to train and prepare though, right? You can’t just stick some crampons on and off you go.’ She crossed her arms tight.

‘Andreas probably could, but I thought you wanted him?’

Did she?

‘For the wedding, I mean,’ Kira added, which only made Sophie flush.

‘Of course, I—’ She swallowed. ‘I just got the distinct impression that he didn’t want to do any weddings at all and this one – with me – in particular. I’m not going to force him… orexpectanything.’

The way Kira looked at her, Sophie must have sounded like a fool. ‘Sophie, he’s already accepted the booking in our system and we’ve thrown around some ideas for the bachelor party.’

‘You’ve… He’s actually booked in?’ She tried not to be excited at the prospect of seeing him again. At least she hoped nothing showed on her face – not eagerness, nor confusion and especially not hope.

‘Sorry, I thought he’d told you.’ Sophie heard Kira mutter, ‘The muppet,’ rather fondly under her breath.

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