Page 87 of Girls Just Want to Have Sun

‘Who is this glorious goddess and what have you done with Connie? I’m not sure she even needs us any more, Liam, honey. We’ve had a wasted trip,’ Ged fusses, loving being the centre of the Dollz’ attention.

An hour later, we go out to sit by the pool.

‘Thanks so much for the cottage. It’s a dream,’ sighs Liam, sitting down with his latte. ‘And this villa is to die for.’

‘No problem,’ I say. ‘Consider it part of your engagement present. It’s all thanks to Tash for agreeing to share her room with me.’And hopefully wearing a muzzle.

‘I’ll try not to bite you.’ Tash gives me a thumbs up. Her leg is bandaged up to the knee. Big Mand is sitting opposite with her arm bandaged up in a sling, and Cherry is in bed with strict orders not to move. She is dehydrated, severely sunburned and has heatstroke.

‘So, what do we do about the show tonight?’ Tash asks.

‘There’s no way the rest of us can go on stage without you girls. We’ll have to cancel,’ says Big Sue glumly.

‘But we don’t want to let our fans down, do we?’ says Tash. ‘The nuns are coming to see us.’

‘Where can we get another three singers?’ Big Sue says forlornly.

‘Ged and Liam can sing,’ I say tentatively. ‘We all did a music degree together.’

The boys’ faces light up. ‘We’d die to go on stage with you. Dream come true.’

‘And Connie, you can take lead vocal,’ says Tash.

‘Oh no,’ I say, panicking. ‘I’d never be able to learn the dance routines. I’ve got two wooden legs. I’d look so out of place.’

‘We’ll change the routines. Easy ones for you three while we do more complex ones around you,’ says Liberty firmly.

There follows some excited discussion as Tash chatters away to me about song choices while the Dollz commandeer Ged and Liam to discuss dance routines and outrageous costume ideas. On Tash’s insistence we must captivate our audience early doors before they get too drunk to remember to like us on social media.

I try to put Matteo out of my mind. I’m not expecting him to get in touch with me. He’s got a lot on his plate without me adding to it. My whole heart feels heavy as we spend the next two hours locked away in the living room practising dance routines and songs. Luckily, we can put the lyrics up on the big TV screen at Voices to sing karaoke style to and the audience canjoin in. When we finally break for refreshments, talk turns to the festival.

‘Connie,’ Ged says. ‘Play us your song. The one you did at the festival.’

I blush instantly. ‘What if you don’t like it though?’

‘So what? Will it mean you’ll crumble?’ he sings. ‘Will you lay down and die?’

‘No,’ I say, giggling.

‘That’s the spirit. Now let’s hear it.’

After I’ve finished singing at the piano, Ged and Liam look at me with weird expressions. ‘It needs production,’ I say nervously when they don’t speak. ‘But it’s a start, don’t you think?’

They continue to look at me as though it’s my first day at school, and they’re waving me off.

It’s not the reaction I was hoping for.

‘It’s excellent,’ says Ged. ‘Just excellent. Connie, you are thriving out here.’

I suddenly realise why there’s a melancholy to their voices. ‘What are you saying? I should stay here?’

‘Only you can decide that, darling.’

‘But it’s such a huge decision,’ I say, feeling the weight of it. ‘What about Dad? What about you two? I’ll miss you all so much.’

‘What about the adventure you could have here, though?’ Ged says. ‘With or without Matteo.’

‘It seems like you could really achieve something new here. You’d have a job, somewhere to live, a chance to be creative, write songs, meet other singers, learn your craft from the groundup and what it means to entertain people with your gift,’ rattles off Liam as though he’s been waiting years to deliver that speech.

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