Having arrived on the Wednesday and worked steadily through the weekend, Libby was given Monday and Tuesday off. She was longing to get out and about, no longer restricted to her two-hour lunch break, and was planning on tackling the famous Walk of the Gods. She set off bright and early on Monday morning with a small daypack. She followed Floriana’s advice on which bus to catch to get to the start of the Sentiero degli Dei. The bus wound its way along the perilously curving roads, depositing her in a small village, from which she followed the hand-drawn map she’d got from La Casetta. She climbed up a series of winding steps to the start of the path. It was an old mule track which had once been the only path connecting the hilltop villages. As Libby walked she could see why the path had received its name. There was a low mist hovering at the top of the mountainous hills, waiting to be burned away by the heat of the sun as it rose. At times she felt as if she could reach out her fingers and touch the cloud of vapour. When it cleared about half an hour into her walk, she could barely believe her eyes as the staggering views of the Amalfi coast were revealed in their full splendour. The endless curves of the coastline plunged thousands of metres down to the emerald sea. The path was so well worn; even the natural stone steps that she came across at times seemed somehow softened and moulded underfoot. She was glad that she had brought a large bottle of water with her as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky.
Hours later, exhausted and sweaty from her endeavours and having finally made her way back to the main road, she decided to hitch a lift back into Positano. A kindly bespectacled man pulled over and let her into the passenger seat of his car, dropping her up the hill from the church. Libby was desperate to get into the sea, so she made her way straight down to the beach, opting for Spiaggia del Fornillo to settle in for the rest of the day. After a well-deserved swim, she ordered a panini from one of the beach restaurants and another bottle of water. Sipping the cooling water and munching on the slightly salty bread with its filling of soft mortadella ham and cheese, she wiggled her toes in the sand and watched her fellow beach-goers amble along the shoreline. Just then her phone beeped in her pocket.
‘Libby?’
‘Luca, hi! How are you?’
‘You made it in one piece?’
‘Yes, I didn’t get lost. It was so stunning, I couldn’t believe it. Hard work but worth every second.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come with you—’
‘No worries. Did you get everything sorted with your graphic design stuff?’
‘Yes all sorted, thanks. Now, this afternoon we are going out on Gian Matt’s boat. Do you want to come?’
‘Oooh, how exciting! Where are you going?’
‘Just around the coast. We can show you the Sirenusas, a bunch of islands between here and Capri.’
‘Wow, that sounds amazing. Are you sure Gian Matteo won’t mind me coming too?’
‘Absolutely. He’s right here with me. Where are you now?’
‘I’m on Fornillo.’
‘OK, we’ll pick you up from the jetty there in half an hour.’
‘Thanks, Luca.’
Libby was excited about getting out on the open water. She adored travelling on speedboats. In Kent she had often gone down to Chatham where Jules’s family had a boat. Some of her favourite memories were of sunny days in her childhood whizzing out over the bumps looking for dolphins, eating picnics, and swimming off the boat in secluded bays with Angus, Jules and their friends.
Soon enough she spotted Luca and Gian Matteo approaching the jetty. She was looking forward to spending some more time with Luca. They had grown close quickly since she had started working at La Casetta, and she could see them becoming very good friends.
‘This is Libby,’ Luca held her hand as she stepped aboard the boat. ‘My beautiful new colleague.’
‘Nice to meet you Libby. I’ve heard quite a lot about you from your greatest fan here,’ said Gian Matteo.
Luca gave Gian Matteo a shove, ignoring him. ‘And this is my sister, Nicola,’ said Luca, introducing Libby to a very pretty brunette who was sitting at the back of the boat.
‘Hi!’
‘Hi Libby, come and sit next to me. It gets quite bumpy out there, the back is much more comfy.’
As Libby took her seat Gian Matteo pushed down the throttle and they eased their way out to sea, accelerating faster as soon as they rounded the first crop of rocks and hit the open water. Libby chatted to Nicola, a charming and friendly twenty-nine year old, only three years younger than Libby and the spitting image of her brother. Libby could tell that they would get on well as they fell into an easy rapport, laughing about Luca and teasing him about his salmon-pink T-shirt, which was just a touch too tight.
After a good blast of sea air had cleared the cobwebs from their lungs and added a pinch of colour to their cheeks, Gian Matteo set his course for the Sirenusas.
‘How did they get their name?’ asked Libby.
‘Legend has it that three enchanted sirens, half women and half birds, lived on the islands,’ explained Gian Matteo.
‘They were said to lure sailors closer and closer towards them with enchanting music and singing, causing boats to shipwreck on the rocks and the sailors to drown,’ continued Luca.
‘Oh! A lovely story!’ laughed Libby. ‘Very morbid!’
The boat slowed down as they slowly circled the jagged rocks. The sea was such a vivid turquoise, it seemed almost impossibly clear and bright. Gian Matteo found a secluded spot and dropped the anchor. He didn’t want to swim himself. Libby wasn’t surprised, he didn’t look the type to enjoy getting wet, but he sat with a beer from the cool box while Nicola, Luca and Libby stripped down to their swimwear and dived in. Luca gave Libby an admiring wolf whistle as she surfaced next to him. ‘You certainly look incredible in a bikini,’ he said.
She laughed, splashing him and diving back under the surface, chiding herself for being secretly pleased with the compliment. She was meant to be immune to those easy tactics from the opposite sex – she was not a teenager, after all. They swam around to the rocks and clambered up on to the island, taking care not to cut their feet on any sharp stones. After a bit of exploring, they swam over to the boat and climbed back on board, drying off in the sun as they sipped cool beers. Nicola told Libby stories about Gian Matteo and Luca growing up, causing indignation on Luca’s part if ever he were portrayed in a less than perfect light.
‘You don’t want to give Libby the wrong impression of me, sis,’ he scolded.
‘I already have an accurate enough impression of you, thanks Luca,’ laughed Libby.
‘She’s not stupid, Lu… she can see straight through you,’ chuckled Nicola.
‘Finally, a woman immune to Luca’s charms.’ Gian Matteo chinked his bottle against Libby’s. ‘I’ve been waiting thirty-seven years for this!’ Libby laughed, though just how immune she was turning out to be, she wasn’t so sure…
That evening, having got back to Positano and disembarked from the boat, and following a couple more beers at a beachfront bar, Luca suggested they all go up to Luigi’s for dinner. Libby was enjoying herself enormously; she loved flirting with Luca and was aware just how much she was beginning to fancy him. Nicola and Luca were given a rapturous greeting by their great-uncle, whom Libby recognised immediately as the bearded man who had been walking around the tables chatting to all the guests the night she had been for dinner there.
After mouth-watering bowls of spaghetti vongole and huge mounds of fluffy tiramisu, not to mention several vats of wine, they were all stuffed to the brim. Luigi came to sit with them, proffering a bottle of Limoncello, which was passed around with tiny shot glasses as a digestivo.
‘So Luigi, what was Positano like when you were a child?’ asked Libby. ‘Has it changed enormously?’
‘Ahhhh… well! It was so tiny when I was young – peaceful, idyllic. No tourists, nothing. I remember when there was only one telephone line in the village. It was at the post office in the centre. If anyone got a telephone call, one of the local boys would have to race as fast as they could up to the far end of the village, sometimes up thousands of steps, to tell the recipient. Then you had to run all the way back to the post office and hope that the person trying to contact you hadn’t got bored of waiting and hung up the phone.’
‘Oh my goodness, how amazing!’ said Libby.
They reminisced further about Positano’s development from a tiny fishing village into the tourist hub that it is today. Luigi was full of interesting and funny anecdotes. He had welcomed his fair share of famous faces into his restaurant over the years and he marched Libby over to his wall of fame by the bar. It was covered in framed photographs of Luigi posing with his famous clientele. Libby spotted Elizabeth Taylor, Goldie Hawn and Tom Hanks among the gallery of stars.
After dinner, Luca and Nicola walked up with her to La Casetta, depositing her at the door before making their way on to their own flat. Luca had three sisters altogether. Nicola was the second youngest, and he and Nicola lived together about a hundred metres further up the hill from the hostel.
‘Thanks so much for such a fun day!’ Libby said, suddenly reluctant to part company with Luca.
‘It was great to meet you,’ said Nicola.
‘And you,’ Libby grinned. She liked Nicola.
‘Let’s do it again soon.’
‘I’ll try and persuade Floriana to give you days off when I am not working,’ said Luca.
‘That’d be great,’ said Libby. ‘You certainly make an excellent tour guide.’
‘All she wants me for is my tour guiding,’ said Luca to his sister, looking morose. ‘She has no idea how it hurts—’
‘Shut up.’ Nicola gave him a shove. ‘Ignore my brother!’
‘Oh don’t worry, I do,’ laughed Libby, as she skipped up the steps and opened the yellow front door. ‘Night,’ she called, closing it behind her.
‘Night, bella!’ shouted Luca. Despite herself, Libby grinned the whole way through her bedtime routine; her heart was dancing the tango and she knew there was only one person to blame.
The following day was spent in a slump on a sun lounger, dozing in the sun. Her calf muscles were aching terribly after her walk and she felt quite exhausted.
She called Jules, who was always willing to pick up while at work; any excuse for a brief respite from her spreadsheets. Jules was not a natural number-cruncher. She was desperately plotting her escape from the world of accountancy to do something more creative. Libby was incredibly sympathetic. There was nothing worse than doing a job that you just didn’t feel cut out for, as she knew only too well. She just wished that Jules would have the strength of mind to do something about it. She had almost got to the point of handing in her notice when they had given her another promotion, which had had the desired effect of enticing her to stay put once more. Thankfully Angus was an extremely sympathetic husband. She was sure that his support was the secret to Jules keeping it all together despite her frustration.
‘Libs! Perfect timing, I’ve just gone out for lunch.’
‘How’s it going?’ Libby asked.
‘Deathly. The usual. You?’ Libby caught her up with all the details of her first week in Positano, in particular the wonderful time she had had the day before with Luca and the others.
‘Sounds heavenly. It’s great that you’ve got Luca, and his sister sounds nice. I thought you might get quite bored without any mates, but it sounds like you’re making friends no problem.’
‘They’re all just so friendly. I’m really lucky, though I think it’s also something to do with the Italian character; they’re such open people and very generous with their hospitality. I’m having dinner this evening in Floriana and Tonio’s apartment. Their son Ugo is down from Rome for a couple of days, and Tonio is cooking his speciality gnocchi. I can’t wait!’
‘I hope you’ve at least put on about a stone in weight. That will be my one compensation for losing you to Italy for four months. You have to promise me you’ll come back fat.’
‘I’ll certainly try my best! Though I’m sure I’m burning rather a lot of calories simply going up and down the stairs – there is not one flat path in the whole village. It’s like living on a StairMaster!’
Satisfied that they were both fully up to date with each other’s lives, they hung up the phone, leaving Libby to immerse herself in her novel for the rest of the afternoon. She had tried her sister again but still had no luck getting through.
Before Libby could catch her breath, her working week was over once again. Her two days off stretched out luxuriously in front of her. She was delighted that Luca had once again negotiated the same day off as her, secretly thrilled that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Today they were planning on driving to Ravello. They set off mid-morning and wound their way up the perilous roads once more, veering across to Amalfi and then further up the Via del Dragone high into the hills.
‘I’m impressed with your driving skills,’ Libby told Luca as he negotiated his way past an enormous bus packed full of tourists that had broken down on a hairpin turn. She found his coordination and confidence on these difficult-to-navigate roads very attractive.
‘I’ve grown up driving on these roads. It’s not the easiest place to learn, but once you’ve mastered driving here, you can drive anywhere!’
Luca was wearing khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt and Libby’s heart had skipped a beat when she had seen him that morning. He wouldn’t have looked out of place on the big screen, he was so perfectly chiselled. Libby felt a wave of attraction for him, and for a moment regretted the huge quantities of pasta, pizza and ice cream she had been enjoying. She sucked her stomach in, hoping Luca wouldn’t notice her expanding waistline.
She drank in the breathtaking views as they drove. ‘Luca, what’s the deal with you and Giulia?’ she asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.
‘Deal? What do you mean?’
‘Is there any history between the two of you?’
‘Why do you ask?’
‘Just a feeling!’
‘Well now you mention it, we may have hooked up a couple of times.’
‘I knew it!’
‘How?’
‘Something about the way she is around you…’
‘It’s my fault. I should never have gone there. As soon as I did it, I realised that it was a bad idea – don’t mix work with pleasure and all that…’
‘Well, I can see why that’s a good philosophy. Not great if things go wrong.’ Libby wondered what had happened, but she didn’t want to pursue the conversation further. Not for the first time she considered whether Giulia had warned her off out of jealousy or out of compassion? It was hard to tell.
Luca parked his car on the outskirts of the town and they wandered through the cobbled streets, drinking in the divine panoramic views that had made the town so famous. Libby thought of Wagner, D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, who had all fallen in love with Ravello. She was amazed at just how much she remembered about Italy from her studies. It was as if the wealth of information she had accumulated over the years had lain dormant and was now welling up inside her, fuelling her love for this magical place more and more.
‘Let’s head to the piazza,’ said Luca. ‘There’s a market on every Tuesday morning, selling local produce.’
‘Ooh yum!’ said Libby, rubbing her hands with glee. ‘Great idea!’
They pottered around the market tasting the local delicacies, laughing at some of the more interesting designer clothes on sale. They had lunch in a small café in the shade of a canopy of bougainvillea, eating risotto and drinking white wine. Luca was a truly entertaining guy and she found herself laughing out loud at the stories he had accumulated from years of working at La Casetta.
‘There was this one German guy who, after too many drinks, decided that he would try and balance on the railings out on the terrace like a tightrope walker.’
‘No!’ gasped Libby. ‘That’s so dangerous – he must have been crazy.’
‘Tell me about it. Maria screamed and as soon as I realised what was happening I ran out to grab him, pulling him towards me to get him down to safety. He landed right on top of me, knocking me over in the process. Thankfully he was safe… The only problem was that he had decided to strip naked beforehand. I ended up with my face wedged into his crotch.’
Libby cupped her hand over her mouth, laughing as she imagined the scene.
‘Let’s just say it was the first and hopefully the last time that I will ever be getting quite so up close and personal with a male customer!’
‘If it had been a female customer you wouldn’t have minded so much, right?’ she teased him.
‘That depends,’ laughed Luca.
After lunch, Luca had to get back in time to start his shift. Libby left him at La Casetta and made her way down to the beach. If she were being honest with herself she felt a bit disappointed that – despite his flirting – he still hadn’t made a move. It had to be all talk and no action, she reasoned. He clearly didn’t fancy her. She told herself off for caring. She found herself thinking about what she should be looking for in a partner. She wished she knew. Chemistry was vital, definitely, but she knew how important it was to have someone kind, dependable, someone who would be good with her family, a great father… It was a lot to ask. Did people really just know when they met the one?
Later that afternoon she tried calling her sister. Still no luck. She decided to phone her mum instead.
‘Hello?’
‘Hi Mum, it’s Lib.’
‘Oh hi, darling. Hang on, let me just come inside. I’m knee-deep in the rose garden doing the dead-heading and the line is terrible on this portable phone.’
Libby waited for her mother to get inside to the kitchen phone. Ever since her father had passed away, ten years ago now, her mum had taken over the care of the rose garden in his memory. It had been his pride and joy. She took it very seriously, and to her credit it was just as splendid as it had ever been under his notoriously green fingers. As ever when Libby thought of her dad she felt the familiar ache of pain deep inside her, just as raw as it had been the day that he died.
‘OK, here I am!’ Her mum’s voice sounded much clearer on the landline.
‘Hi Mum, how are the roses getting on?’
‘Jolly hard work, especially in this heat!’
‘Haven’t you still got Gavin helping with the garden?’
‘Normally I would, but he’s in Tenerife with his girlfriend this week, so I’m trying to keep on top of things myself. It’s good exercise for me anyway – good to get out in the fresh air.’
‘Absolutely.’
At the thought of her beloved dad, Libby blurted out the question that had been running round her mind. ‘This might sound a bit weird, but I’ve been doing some thinking about relationships, wondering what it will be like to finally meet someone and settle down…’
‘Right, darling…’ her mum said curiously.
‘When you met Dad, did you have any doubts in your mind at all that he was the one? How did you know for certain?’
There was a pause as Miriam dragged her mind back to those bittersweet memories. She and Ronald had met at school, but they hadn’t started courting, as she called it, until their twenties.
‘I must say, darling, I don’t think I had a single doubt in my mind. He was the one and that was that. I knew I couldn’t be with anyone else.’
‘I think that’s what I’m going to need, Mum. That certainty. I have never met anyone that has made me feel that way.’ Libby wondered whether she ever would.
‘Well I hope that you meet this elusive Mr Right soon, darling. You are thirty-two! And with Helen in the state she is in, you might be my only chance of being a mother of the bride, or a granny.’ Libby knew that under the jovial tone her mother was deadly serious.
‘Yes I know that, thank you Mother! Only too well! When I have a spare moment from working around the clock in the law firm, I will make sure I squeeze in a few dates, all right?’
‘I’ll do some investigating myself… maybe I can do a little matchmaking with some of my friends. Maureen was telling me just the other day about her lovely son Dominic—’
‘Right, Mum, knock yourself out. No promises though!’ Libby laughed as she hung up the phone. She thought about Helen and her desire to have a baby. She knew she wanted a family of her own one day as well, but there seemed an infinite number of hurdles to get through first. She knew she needed to work on herself, to make sure she was happy and independent and sorted, before she embarked on that kind of journey. For now she just had to focus on sorting out her career. Perhaps when that was in hand a relationship would follow, and then, who knew, maybe she would have a baby of her own. She fell asleep in the shade, daydreaming about Luca.
A while later her dreams were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. ‘Libby? It’s Helen.’
‘Good to hear from you at long last, stranger.’ Libby smiled at the sound of her sister’s voice. ‘I’ve missed you!’
‘I’ve missed you too. Sorry it’s taken me so long to call,’ Helen said.
‘Don’t worry. I bet you’ve been manic settling in to your new life. How are you? Mum has been worrying – she says she hasn’t spoken to you for ages. How’s it all going?’
‘I feel bad for not calling her, but you know how she drives me nuts with her worrying. I just needed to have a break for a few weeks while I tried to settle in.’
‘I understand. Maybe just send her the odd email, though, just so she knows you are OK.’
‘I will, you’re right…’
‘Where are you staying?’
‘I’m in an apartment provided by the school. It’s tiny and pretty central so it’s easy to get around. It’s perfectly fine.’
‘And have you started work yet?’
‘Yup, I’ve done my first week. It’s OK. Colleagues are all right, kids seem fine.’ Helen was hardly an expert at description.
‘That all sounds great!’ Libby tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible as they chatted. She was determined to encourage her sister and felt proud of her for being so brave. In return she told Helen all about life in Positano so far, realising just how lucky she was to be there – it all sounded pretty idyllic, she had to admit. As she ended the call, with Helen promising to get in touch soon, a beach-seller came along selling cups of ice-cold lemon sorbet. Libby bought one and relished the refreshing spoonfuls of crushed syrupy ice as she looked out on the sea. It reminded her of the Slush Puppies her dad used to buy them after trips to the local swimming pool: blueberry and cherry. He would laugh as the dye slowly turned Helen and Libby’s lips bright blue and neon pink. She felt overcome with emotion at the memory.
Later that afternoon she wound her way back through the shops, buying a pair of blue espadrilles and some ingredients to cook pasta arrabbiata back in the hostel kitchen. Tonio offered cooking lessons to interested guests, teaching small groups how to cook local specialities. Libby was determined to watch and learn as much as she could; she would sneak into the kitchen during these sessions, keeping an eye on the desk and listening out for the phone whilst scribbling notes. This evening’s meal would be an exact replica of his recipe, and she hoped it tasted as good.
She was remarkably pleased with the results of her culinary efforts. The heat of the chilli was complemented perfectly by shavings of Parmesan cheese. She knew she would never get bored of Italian food.
After dinner she decided to call Jules and Angus on their landline.
‘Hello?’ It was Angus. As soon as she heard his voice, Libby realised that it was Angus she had been hoping to get through to.
‘Angus, it’s Libby.’
‘Libby! What a lovely surprise. Jules is out this evening so you’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.’
‘I was actually hoping to speak to you.’
‘Well I’m flattered. Not that Jules and I compete over the affections of our oldest friend… much!’
‘Ha! I love you both, equally, you know that.’
‘You damn well better. So, what’s up? La dolce vita still going well?’
‘La dolce vita is truly incredible. I’m still determined you must come and see me – the Amalfi coast would be your idea of heaven; so much inspiration for your painting. No it’s not Italy, it’s Helen. I’m worried about her.’
‘Have you spoken to her?’ Angus asked.
‘I spoke to her today. She seemed OK actually. I guess I just feel so sorry for her, and the thought of her all by herself in a foreign country, trying to sort out a life for herself, it makes me anxious.’
‘She’s quite tough you know, Libby. I am sure she will be all right. She just needs time.’
‘But what if she takes a turn for the worse?’
‘It can happen… You just need to be there for her, keep checking in on her.’ Angus’s father had suffered from depression on and off all his life, taking a lot of his frustrations out on his son; as a result they had had a very difficult relationship. As the eldest child, Angus had been the voice of reason, trying to calm any explosions of temper, attempting to mediate between his parents and his siblings. He had spent a long time in his teens and early twenties studying depression, and had always been Libby’s sounding board for any problems that had arisen with Helen.
They talked about her for a while, Libby feeling reassured – as always – by his words of wisdom. ‘I think she just really needs to meet a decent guy…’
‘There’ll be someone out there – for both of you, Libs. Maybe you just need to stop trotting the globe to give them a chance to find you!’
‘I hope so. One day…’ said Libby. ‘When the time comes, I just want what you and Jules have – to marry a best friend who I adore. Something natural and uncomplicated.’
‘You mean me and Jules minus the arguments, I hope!’
‘You and Jules have always argued – you don’t know any other way.’
‘She’s certainly feisty,’ Angus said ruefully.
‘Tell me about it… I honestly don’t know how you cope sometimes.’ Libby laughed as she thought fondly of Jules.
‘Me neither.’
‘Angus!’ He might say that, but Libby knew he loved her best friend just as she did.
Sadly they had been having some of their very worst rows over the last couple of years about having children. Angus was desperate to start a family, whereas Jules seemed to be becoming less and less convinced. It really worried Libby. Such a fundamental disagreement couldn’t be resolved without one or the other of them making an enormous compromise.
‘Have you had any more talks about kids recently?’ Libby dared to ask the question. She could feel Angus tense at the topic. He drew in a long breath and let out a deep sigh.
‘Not since the last one.’
‘Do you think she’ll come round in the end?’
‘I don’t know. She’s just so determined not to disrupt her life. I know she would love it as soon as she actually had a baby; it’s just the thought of it that freaks her out. But there must be loads of women who couldn’t imagine what it would be like to become a mother, but now wouldn’t change a thing.’
‘You’re right. I’m sure she’d be a great mum.’
‘It’s really hard. We got married so young that we didn’t even really talk about it. I just assumed it would happen, and now I really am not so sure.’
‘She’ll come round.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, she will.’ Libby crossed her fingers and hoped she was right. If there was one characteristic Jules certainly wasn’t lacking, it was stubbornness. And this was such a delicate area that it was hard for Libby to get involved. She so wanted Angus to be happy. To make matters worse, she knew that he would be the most incredible dad.
They chatted for another half an hour or so; it was so great to catch up properly with him. He was working on a new series of oil paintings following a recent trip to the Lake District. Angus was a successful landscape artist and Libby loved his expressive, colourful style, as did the majority of the art world. The value of his work was going up and up year by year. She was so proud of him. What a long way he had come since that first exhibition she had been to of his art GSCE work at school – abstract geometrical prints had been his preferred subject matter at the time. Just as well that had only been a phase, she smiled to herself.