Page 71 of Pomegranates and Olive

"I'm starting to think she might be in heat."

"Stop it."

"Rosie has a mad crush on Luca, she has had for years, and yeah, watching them together now with fresh eyes, I'm starting to realise that he has a bit of a thing for her as well."

"So, Rosie's off the chart flirting with Deniz just now? How does that add up?"

"Well it could just be because he's a guy, but my guess is that this is more of an attempt to make Luca jealous."

"Do you want me to go and separate them?"

I shake my head and lean in closer to Ginny so my voice doesn't travel across the deck. "I can't seem to control anything in my life right now. Did you hear about Luca's plan to win me back with a trip to Verona?"

"Hmm, yes he mentioned that..."

"Meanwhile, Deniz wants me to cruise the Mediterranean with him..."

"Sounds messy."

"It is." I let out a snort of laughter. "I've got no idea what to do... so I'm just going to let destiny decide for me. Madam Magda was right when she said I had to choose between two roads. I'm just going to go with the flow. If that means I'm jumping on a plane with Luca in three days, then maybe we've got a chance to make our relationship work, or if that means I'm cruising the Mediterranean with Deniz and that damn cat..."

"Cat?"

Spotting Aslan on the steps near the warehouse I point out the obnoxious monster to Ginny. He glares at me with intense hatred, before stalking off, his tail in the air. I'm pretty sure this is the kitty equivalent of giving me the finger.

"What is it with you and cats?"

"All I know is if destiny wants me to set Rosie loose on Deniz then good luck to him is all I can say!"

"I'm really enjoying this. It's like I'm watching my favourite characters in aTürk dizisi. I'm just waiting to tune in for another episode." I must look baffled because she giggles. "Sorry, it's like an episode of The Bold And The Beautiful or Home And Away, darl."

"So that's it, is it? My life is nothing more than a bad soap opera."

"Would you relate better if I said it was a Shakespearian tragedy?"

I sigh heavily. "I'm starting to think there might actually be a third tine in my road."

"Oh?"

"Where I tell them both to fuck off and lock myself away where no one can find me."

"Move to Antarctica and live with the polar bears."

"Penguins."

"Whatever."

Luca calls me over, so I reluctantly wave goodbye to Ginny and follow him into the grove. Despite the initial awkwardness between us, we've always worked well together and soon fall into a routine as we move from tree to tree. I spread out the net under the tree and Luca sets up the ladder. We take turns climbing the ladder to rake the olives, with Luca dragging the net back to the large crates deposited around the grove to deposit our haul. He’s enjoying himself and I have to admit that if I try to forget about all the drama that’s brewing beneath the surface it’s a pretty great day.

We talk, not about anything too personal, just about his work and family. Alice has had her baby, a little boy they named Alessandro. He's a cute baby with a great set of lungs, apparently. I'm a little sad that Alice didn't message me herself, but I need to accept that our relationship may not ever recover from our last conversation.

By late afternoon I'm ready to pack it in. I'm even considering skipping dinner for a soak and an early night. To me, that seems like a much safer option than breaking bread with Deniz and Luca at the same table.

We’re looping back along the ridge and are only a few hundred metres from my tree. "Come, I want to show you something."

We drop our equipment and walk along the peak for a few minutes until we reach the oldest part of the grove. We walk over the ridge and I gasp as my tree comes into view.

“What’s wrong?”

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