Page 40 of Best Laid Plans
He really didn’t want to have Indigo’s suffering gnawing away at him too. He could have done so much more to make her happy, but he’d let her go, telling himself it was what she wanted.
She’d needed more from him than a kiss on the cheek and a metaphorical pat on the head.
His hands balled at his sides as blood rushed through his veins.
There was no way he could leave things with her like this; it would plague him for the rest of his life.
Especially when he knew he could do something to really help and support her.
Sitting up, he took a deep fortifying breath, feeling his energy returning as purpose and resolve flooded his body with adrenaline.
He was going to find her and make things right.
9
Sorrento to Capri. It could be a rough ride between the mainland and the island, so be prepared for turbulence on your journey. Don’t worry – once you’re there it’ll all be worth it…
He’d not been able to find Indigo in Sorrento.
It was ridiculous for him to feel miffed about the fact because the town had a population of over fifteen thousand, which no doubt doubled in high season, but after not being able to avoid her at the beginning of the week, he’d fully expected to bump into her as soon as he set foot on dry land.
But after a fruitless search through the town, where he felt as if he’d visited every eatery and hotel that Sorrento had to offer, his heart lurching every time he caught so much as a flash of the colour red, he’d finally given up, deciding the best place to catch her would be the small port in Capri where the ferries sailed in from Sorrento on a regular basis.
Mooring the yacht in the marina just to the west of the main ferry port, he holed up early for the evening, determined to get up at the crack of dawn in order to meet the first ferry of the day in case Indigo was on it.
It felt good to have a purpose after spending the rest of the week in a state of disconnected limbo, occasionally checking his work email for news, only to find that everything was running smoothly without him. This had both heartened and distressed him.
He didn’t like the idea of not being needed.
The early morning air felt fresh and cool on his skin as he made his way over to where the passenger ferries docked in the marina, armed with a bag full of food and beverages so he wouldn’t have to run the risk of missing Indigo in between landings.
When he arrived, the place was only just waking up for business, catering for a few early risers who paced about waiting for the first ferry to arrive and take them back to the mainland.
He could tell from the intensity of the first rays of the sun burning through the low hanging clouds that it was going to be another hot day.
Settling down onto one of the long stone benches that faced out across the water, he took out a book he’d borrowed from his yacht’s small library, made himself as comfortable as possible on a seat that wasn’t really designed for people to sit on for more than a few minutes and prepared himself to wait until Indigo made an appearance.
* * *
Since leaving Julien on the beach in Nerano, Indigo had spent her time making good on her decision to continue the walk to Sorrento. In a stroke of pure luck, she’d bumped into Ruth and her group heading that way too and was somewhat relieved to find herself warmly integrated back into the group.
She’d needed the distraction after spending the morning in a state of torment after saying goodbye to Julien.
It had taken Ruth a couple of miles’ worth of small talk before she finally got round to asking about him, clearly sensing that there was something wrong in Indigo’s world but that she wasn’t going to bring it up herself.
Indigo had been preparing herself to talk about Julien but, even so, it was still hard to make her story of their walk to Nerano and subsequent night on the yacht sound as inconsequential as she’d wanted it to.
Ruth had not been fooled by her bluster though and had pressed her about their relationship until Indigo had given up on the pretence that he meant nothing important to her and blurted out the whole sorry tale.
‘He sounds like he needs more time, love,’ Ruth told her as they walked the last leg towards Sorrento.
‘Yeah, I know,’ she said with a sigh. ‘It was just really bad timing.’ They walked for another mile or so in companionable silence, with Indigo’s thoughts spinning through her head until she couldn’t keep it in any longer.
‘I just felt like we were meant to meet,’ she blurted. ‘It was like some force kept dragging us back together. It felt right to be with him, you know?’
‘I do,’ Ruth agreed. ‘My husband and I met in Western Samoa, of all places, after living only five miles apart for twelve years, never having crossed paths before. We kept missing each other, even though we now realise we’d attended quite a few of the same events. He was married to someone else at the time, though, who sadly died after a long illness a year before he and I met each other in Samoa, so it wouldn’t have worked out if we’d bumped into each other earlier. It’s funny how these things happen. You can’t help but suspect there’s some kind of benevolent force pushing you together at the right time.’
‘Yeah, but if the other person isn’t ready, there’s only so much magic fate can weave.’
