Page 44 of Best Laid Plans
Which was a terrifying thought after what had happened with Celine. But then wasn’t that the point? Real love was never easy; it was complex and sticky and downright rough sometimes.
He knew now that he hadn’t been in love with Celine – in lust, sure – and he’d married her because he believed it was the right thing to do at the time. But the way he felt about Indigo wasn’t wrapped up in sex or lust or duty; it was based on how he felt about himself when he was with her.
She’d made him come alive.
In the dark hours of the night, tossing and turning as sleep eluded him, he pictured her back in London, filling her days working at the cafe, laughing and joking with her colleagues, then perhaps going on a date with a man she’d met, the sparkle returning to her eyes as he lavished the praise and attention on her that she deserved.
The thought of someone else taking care of her made his stomach lurch with anxiety.
Indigo would be fine without him because she was a fighter. It was one of the things he loved about her.
But wouldhebe all right withouther?
Okay, so meeting Indigo right now wasn’t great timing, but then what in life ever really was?
And at least this time being with her would be his choice.
Fuelled by the fervour of his revelation, he quickly plotted a course that would get him to Naples ahead of schedule then picked up his phone, intent on getting himself out of Italy as fast as possible in order to set a new plan in motion.
He knew now that being here alone had been a pilgrimage to nothing. He’d thought he wanted his freedom – but it didn’t feel the way he’d thought it would. It felt empty. And silent. And lonely.
A Pyrrhic victory.
He’d thought he could go back to the way things used to be, before Celine, but trying to go backwards was a big mistake.
What he needed was a fresh start.
Finally, there was clarity in his mind. He missed Indigo. He loved her. He’d let her go.
And now he was going to get her back.
10
London is a vibrant and forward-looking city, ever evolving, with an exciting new encounter just waiting for you at every turn…
One week later
Indigo wiped her hands on her apron and looked round at the eclectic gathering of local people who had turned up for her early evening cookery course, despite the torrential rain.
Her feet throbbed and her back ached from being on her feet all day, but her insides burned with satisfied warmth as she perused the table full of nutritious, delicious-smelling food that her class had produced in just an hour – which they’d easily be able to replicate at home.
This made all her hard work worth it – the shine of pride on the faces of people who’d previously not believed they’d ever have the skills to cook anything vaguely edible for themselves, let alone something they’d be proud to share with friends or loved ones.
The kitchen at the back of the cafe wasn’t stocked with enough culinary equipment to be able to teach more than five people at a time, but she was hoping that once the grant came through – she mentally crossed her fingers that it still would – she’d be able to afford to buy more so she could teach a larger group at one time.
‘Well, I think you’ve all done a wonderful job today. It’s great to see how much you’ve improved since you first started coming here,’ she said, beaming at them all.
‘It’s good to have you back, Indigo. We missed your lovely smile while you were off gallivanting in Italy,’ Ron, one of the gentlemen who had been coming to her for a couple of months now, called across the room, giving her a cheeky wink. He’d been a morose character when he’d first started coming, due to losing his beloved wife only a short time ago, but he’d slowly made friends and come out of his shell as, week by week, he’d allowed himself to be integrated into the group. She suspected there might even be romance blossoming between him and the only lady currently attending. They often had their heads together, chatting quietly as they worked.
Pushing away a sting of melancholy at the thought of the dire state of her own love life, she returned his wink and gestured towards the table.
‘Okay, well, if you want to start tidying away, we’re just about out of time. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get home and eat after being tortured by the smell of your wonderful grub cooking for the last twenty minutes.’
It was hard keeping up a chipper tone of voice when her heart was so heavy, but somehow, she seemed to be managing it.
When the group had asked her about her holiday, she’d worked hard to sound breezy and upbeat about it, telling them as much as she could whilst studiously avoiding mentioning Julien’s name. She thought she’d pulled off making it sound as if she’d had a fun and revitalising time, though.
The bell of the cafe rang in the distance and she glanced over to her friend and kitchen assistant, Lacey, sharing a questioning smile with her.
