‘Fair enough,’ Alex said. ‘How will Harriet get to the wedding, then?’
‘I’ll book her a water taxi to pick her up at the hotel around ten. They have their own jetty.’
‘Okay.’ Alex didn’t mind. He would have all day with her, more than enough time to show her some sights and have late-afternoon delight in her hotel room. He wondered what Harriet was doing right at this moment. Hopefully, she was having a good rest and not feeling lonely or abandoned. He would call her later. Or perhaps he would just text her; tell her they were having their stag party tonight and that he would join her tomorrow morning. Yes, perhaps that would be better. He didn’t want her thinking he simply had to hear the sound of her voice.
Chapter Twenty-one
WHEN HARRIET WOKE, she wasn’t sure where she was for a split second. But then she remembered. She was in Italy, in a gorgeous hotel on the shores of Lake Como.
Unfortunately, she was also alone. Harriet pulled a face. What she would not give to have Alex by her side at this moment.
Thinking of Alex had her rolling over, picking up her phone and turning it back on. Good Lord! It was almost seven o’clock. She’d slept for hours. She hoped he hadn’t tried to ring her. She quickly checked. No. No missed calls, but one message, informing her that they were having Sergio’s stag party that night so that they wouldn’t be hung over for the wedding. This would also leave tomorrow free for him to spend with her.
Harriet’s spirits immediately lifted.
‘Ring me when you wake up,’ he’d added before signing off.
She did so straight away, just the sound of his voice filling her with joy.
‘Did you have a good sleep?’ he asked.
‘Very good.’
They talked for ages, Alex telling her of all the places he planned to take her the next day. Sergio had offered the use of his speedboat. It sounded wonderful. Still, she would enjoy going anywhere with Alex.
‘Hey!’ She heard a deep male voice call out. Jeremy, no doubt. He did have a distinctive voice.
‘Girlfriends aren’t allowed at stag parties,’ he said. ‘Not even via the phone.’
Harriet’s heart turned over at the word ‘girlfriend’. It sounded wonderful as well, though she’d better not get used to it. That would only be her title here, in this fantasy world, on this fantasy getaway. Once they got back to the real world at home, she would revert to being Alex’s PA, plus his secret bit on the side.
It was a depressing thought.
Then don’t think about that, Harriet, she lectured herself. Live in the moment. That was the order of the day.
‘I’d better go,’ Alex said. ‘See you tomorrow morning around nine-thirty.’
‘That early?’
‘Don’t worry. I won’t be drinking too much. I’ll leave that up to Sergio and Jeremy. I’ll give you a call when I’m on my way. Bye, sweetheart.’
That evening seemed endless, despite the excellence of the meal she had in a local restaurant. She kept thinking about Alex, then about tomorrow. She could hardly wait.
She woke very early the next day, already excited. Unfortunately, it was still over three hours before Alex was due to join her. Showering, dressing and titivating took up a good hour and a half, and Harriet used up another hour having a leisurely breakfast out on the huge back terrace that overlooked the lake. The day promised to be warm again, but not too warm, with a smattering of cloud in the sky. She was lingering over a third cup of coffee when her phone pinged. Snatching it up, she read the message from Alex with a pounding heart.
I’m on my way, it said. Be on the lookout for the boat. It’s red, so it should be easy to spot.
Harriet stood up and made her way over to stand at the stone railing that enclosed the terrace. Her eyes scanned the lake, looking for a red speedboat. There were myriad assorted craft on the water. Ferries, water taxis, sailing boats, jet skis and, yes, several speedboats, none of them red.
And then she saw it, cutting across the wake of a ferry, jumping the waves, Alex at the wheel, his fair hair glinting golden in the sunshine. He arrived like a hero from an action movie, Harriet only then noticing the hotel jetty at the bottom of some stone steps. Spotting her watching him from the terrace, he waved, jumped out of the boat, tied a rope around a post, then dashed up the steps towards her, dashingly handsome in white shorts and a navy polo. He gathered her to him and kissed her thoroughly, uncaring of the other guests sitting at tables nearby. When he finally let her come up for air, Harriet didn’t care, either.
‘You’re looking good for a man who should have a hangover,’ she said, cupping his face and pretending to inspect his eyes. Lord, but he had beautiful eyes, blue as the sky overhead, and with lashes that any woman would kill for.