Page 28 of Twin Surprise for the Italian Doc
What a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive...
Georgia couldn’t even offer advice to her best friend to hang onto the connection she had found with Luke because they both knew how rare it was to find something like that. It would be a case of ‘do what I say, not what I do’, because she had found a connection herself that was justas rare and precious. With Matteo. And she was prepared to sacrifice that.
Not because she wanted to.
Because shehadto.
She had to let her head win any battles with her heart because the lessons she had learned in life were so deeply engraved.
You couldn’t trust love to last.
And some fathers could destroy your life.
There was a crazy moment, in those long hours where the silence was onlybroken by the sound of Kate’s breathing, when it seemed that her heart could win the battle. Georgia seriously considered getting hold of Matteo’s contact details and admitting the truth. Thewholetruth. Her heart whispered encouragement. Maybe it was worth taking the risk. Maybe Matteo also knew how rare this kind of connection was and would be prepared to move heaven and earth to make it work.
But her head had plenty of ammunition left.
Are you crazy? You’re expecting that kind of commitment on the strength of a couple of days and ‘one’ night together?
Maybe you imagined that the connection was mutual.
And do you really want to open that can of worms right now—when your very best friend is utterly miserable? Would you want to make her feel like she has to support you to chase theimprobable dream of a happy-ever-after family when she’s grieving for the loss of her own?
Kate’s breath came out in a sigh that became a whimper of distress that was timed perfectly to underline just how wrong it would be to make this any worse than it had to be. Georgia smoothed a lock of blonde hair back from Kate’s face and whispered reassuringly.
‘It’s okay... Everything’s going to be okay.’
It had to be, that was all there was to it.
And, with that determination, another convincing victory got handed to her head. Georgia had chosen the path she needed to follow. Now she just needed to stick to it.
* * *
‘Hey, man...’ Matteo started speaking even before Luke’s image came onto the screen of his laptop. The tone of the Skype call had interrupted the movie he was watching but it wasa very welcome surprise. ‘Where the hell have you been for the last few weeks?’
‘It’s been crazy.’
‘You talking about your work or your love life?’
‘Bit of both. Hey, before I get distracted, what are you doing on Friday?’
‘Tomorrow or next week?’ Matteo blinked. ‘Not that it matters. I’m working on both Fridays. Why?’
‘Do you reckon you could swap a shift? For next Friday? That gives youa whole week to sort it out.’
‘I don’t know.’ Matteo peered at the screen but Luke didn’t look as if he was in the midst of some personal crisis. He looked...very happy. ‘It’s never easy but I could try, I guess, if it was important enough. What’s going on?’
‘You remember what you said?’
‘I say a lot of things.’ Matteo grinned. ‘What particular words of wisdom are you referring to?’
‘ThatI can’t get married unless you’re my best man.’ Luke was grinning back at him now.
‘Noway...’ Matteo was stunned into silence for a long moment and then he shook his head. ‘You are kidding, aren’t you? You’re getting married next week? What kind of notice is that?’
‘I know, I’m sorry. We just got lucky in finding the perfect place. In an ancient chapel right in the middle of Edinburgh castle.You’d normally have to book a year or more in advance but we happened to ask on the same day an American couple had to cancel because they had some problem with their visas.’
Matteo was still trying to get his head around the news.
