Page 69 of The Island of Hopes and Dreams

Lola closed her laptop and took out her phone. She clicked on the message thread she had with Rhys.

There’s too much to explain in a text, but it seems Jarek is well and truly out of my life. Hope you’ve arrived safely. X

She sent the message knowing he might not receive it until he was in his hotel in the Dolomites, then she rang Mirabel. They’d already had a couple of long catch-ups about her honeymoon and house hunting in Sardinia, while Lola had told her the truth about Jarek and him turning up at the wedding, kept her in the loop about life at Rhythm continuing without her and the ongoing situation with her ex, so it filled her with joy to relay all that Barnaby had told her.

‘For the first time I feel like I can actually shut the door on him and breathe easy again. Although his poor wife?—’

‘He’sout ofyourlife, Lola,’ Mirabel pressed upon her. ‘That’s what you need to focus on. And, by the sounds of it, she may well be aware of what he’s like but has chosen the security of money and the comfort of a multi-million-dollar apartment over a decent, faithful husband, while you, my lovely, have got out. You’re free and can finally live your life on your own terms.’

Lola gazed across her apartment, the dark-stained wooden floor and exposed red-brick and white walls softened by a deep-pile rug and framed pictures of iconic album covers; her own private space. It had been her haven away from Jarek, and it still was to some extent. Yet since returning from Sardinia, she felt like a different person with a fresh outlook on life, new desires, hopes and dreams.

‘You’re completely right,’ Lola said as a stream of fireworks exploded into the night sky. ‘But I can’t shake off the feeling that something’s missing.’

‘Me!’ Mirabel screeched with glee.

‘Well, yeah, of course there’s that; I miss you like crazy. Work’s busy and exciting and filling my time. Friends are busy with their own lives and I just keep thinking there should be more to my life than what I have, which seems incredibly greedy because everything’s good…’ She trailed off, not really knowing how to put into words what she was feeling.

‘Is it discontent or something more?’ Mirabel paused, allowing the silence and thoughts to grow. ‘Something along the lines of missing a certain someone?’

Lola’s heart battered her chest just thinking about Rhys. ‘I do miss him. But I miss you too, and I miss being with Deni and Sarah on Sardinia. I miss seeing Polly regularly because she’s understandably busy with her kids.’

‘Mmn,’ Mirabel said in a non-committal way. ‘Think of the news Barnaby’s given you as a fresh start. Really think about what will make you happy, then follow that path, however scary it might seem.’

‘Like you did following Fabs to Sardinia.’

‘I want to be here. I just want it to be on our own terms; with our own space, leading our life together. We’ll get there. Good things are worth the wait, isn’t that the saying? It’ll be the same for you with… well, with whatever you decide will make you happy.’

* * *

Lola pondered her conversation with Mirabel for the rest of the evening and it was only when a message from Rhys popped on to her phone after she’d gone to bed that an idea began to take shape.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that he’s out of your life. If you want to talk, call me. I arrived late in Cortina d’Ampezzo but at the hotel now. Hopefully you can sleep easy tonight. xx

She did want to talk to him desperately, but not late at night when she knew she wouldn’t be able to put into words how she was feeling. Instead, she slept fitfully because her head and her heart were at odds with each other. When she woke after the alarm, she didn’t have time to reply to Rhys. She could have messaged him while on the Tube, but she wasn’t sure what to say, not when her head was firing off a dozen preposterous, crazy, exciting and enticing ideas. Wired on coffee, she started work late, feeling drained and hyper at the same time.

At least she was kept busy throughout the morning, lining up radio and TV interviews for a debut artist. By the time she left the office at lunchtime, she’d worked herself into such a state over the possibilities racing through her head that she needed to get out.

She walked from St Katharine Docks across Tower Bridge, which was jostling with tourists taking pictures, and followed the path alongside the river towards Borough Market. Clouds of varying shades of pewter filled the sky above the equally grey Thames. Across the other side of the river, the trees in front of the stone walls of the Tower of London were the only colour in an otherwise dismal day, yet even they were muted without a hint of sunshine. Beyond, metallic and glass skyscrapers dominated the skyline – a view she knew well. London was a place she’d thought of as home for so long and yet her heart was trying to tug her in a different direction. Home didn’t have to be a place, it could also be a person.

Tears slipped down Lola’s cheeks, which were already damp from the incessant drizzle. The combination of the view, the weather and her thoughts should have been downright depressing, but none of that really mattered, not when, on a grey Thursday in November, her heart was elsewhere entirely and, if she was brave enough, she was finally free to follow it.

42

Lola obviously hadn’t wanted to talk the night before because she hadn’t phoned him, but then they hadn’t actually spoken to each other since they’d said goodbye in Sardinia. All of their communication had been through messages, which he found far easier. He wasn’t sure he’d know what to say to Lola if they talked, not when he was in such a muddle emotionally. He longed to talk properly like they had on Sardinia, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same over the phone, and a video call would be torturous when all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms again.

After his train journey and late arrival at the hotel the day before, Rhys woke refreshed. He took a cup of coffee out onto his balcony and breathed in the fresh mountain air. The town lay in the Cortina valley, the surrounding mountain peaks of the Dolomites dusted with snow, while the lower slopes were carpeted with evergreens and larches, a muted dusky gold where the sun didn’t yet reach.

It was the right time to be somewhere like this, to take a breath, think and reflect. Up until now, travelling from place to place exploring the old parts of cities, soaking up the atmosphere and culture had been what he’d needed. He craved this kind of space in his everyday life and he was itching to pull on his walking boots and get lost in the wilderness. Metaphorically speaking. He smiled wryly; he was far too organised and planned things to the minutest detail to get lost or accidentally stray too far, but a hike to explore the surrounding area was on the agenda.

After breakfast, Rhys set off on a four-hour walk starting and ending in Cortina that took him beneath towering spruce, across rocky terrain and into the shadow of soaring mountain peaks. Back at the hotel, he ate a late lunch on his own in a restaurant with an uninterrupted view over the town. Eating breakfast and lunch on his own was fine, it was dinner he struggled with while surrounded by couples, families and groups of friends enjoying each other’s company.

But sitting staring at his phone wasn’t going to make Lola call or message. She’d likely phoned Mirabel yesterday evening. Of course she’d call her best friend over him. She had probably celebrated with her friends too and was in full-on back-to-work mode today. They’d messaged each other every day he’d been travelling, so he was sure today would be no different, but it didn’t mean he had to wait for her to make contact. They were friends, there was no need to play games. He drained his coffee and composed a message.

Everywhere has been incredible in its own way, but this place… Maybe I like the space when the sky seems so vast, or perhaps it’s because I’m surrounded by trees and mountains. Whatever it is, it’s awe-inspiring and no words or even photos will do it justice (although I’m sending you the photo I took from my balcony this morning).

He sent it, not expecting her to reply straight away when she’d be at work, but his heart lifted when she did.

Well that’s stunning. Beats a damp, miserable London. Wish I was there x

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