when I surfaced an hour ago his bedroom door was open, his breakfast dishes were washed and draining in the kitchen and the house was in silence. The man had obviously gone to work on a Sunday. Either that or the sight of so many lovely ladies in their lingerie last night was more than he could stand and he took off back to Alaska.’
‘Alaska,’ Lucy sighed. ‘That’s on my list.’ Then she sniffed. ‘But not this trip. Way too cold. Bring on the sun. Oh. Speaking of which. We have twenty minutes until the boys get here.’ And with that she slurped her coffee and scraped back her chair.
‘Packing. That would be good. Be back soon. Amy, have you seen my hair straighteners?’
Toni got to her feet and started clearing away the breakfast plates as Amy chuckled into her tea and toast.
‘Hair straighteners? I think Lucy may be in for a bit of a disappointment when she gets to the campsite.’ Amy waved her hand from side to side and rocked her shoulders. ‘Apparently the electricity generators can be a bit temperamental.’
Then she looked up at Toni and grinned. ‘Don’t look so worried. I’ve packed a tool kit with a full set of screwdrivers into my suitcase. We shall—’ and she waved her butter knife in the air ‘—have power. So fear not, darling sister, the magical sat phone will be charged at regular intervals. How else am I going to be able to keep tabs on this amazing love life you promised to throw yourself into? I can see our house being turned into a real little love nest now that you’ve cleared out the lodger. Cool!’
Then she tucked into the marmalade with great gusto.
‘You are incorrigible!’ Toni replied with a grin and flicked the tea towel towards Amy. ‘Love nest? Where did you hear that expression? You know that it’s totally going to be the other way around! The boys will be falling over themselves when they take a look at you! Try not to break all of their hearts.’
‘Can’t promise a thing.’ Amy smirked and then startled Toni by wrapping her arms around her and giving her a big squishy hug. ‘I’m going to miss you but you understand why I don’t want you at the airport making a mushy scene, don’t you?’ Then, before Toni could answer, she stepped back and dropped her plate and cutlery into the sink. ‘Thanks for doing the washing-up! I should probably get dressed.’
And, with a wide-armed stretch, Amy walked slowly back to the bedroom where, from the sound of it, Lucy and two of her flatmates were already arguing about what to take in their hand luggage.
Madness. Total madness.
But she waited until Amy was out of sight before pulling out a tissue and blowing her nose. Stupid girl. She had known this day was coming since Christmas and she had promised Amy that she would not get all gooey...but look at the state that she was in!
Of course she understood. That was why she was here now instead of weeping buckets at the departure gate. But it didn’t make it any easier.
It helped if she imagined it was Scott Elstrom’s face at the bottom of the washing-up bowl.
This was entirely his fault!
Her brain had been spinning most of the night, working through the options, over and over again, weighing up the pros and cons, and the more she thought about it, the more obvious the answer had become.
She had to convince Scott that he should sit for a portrait in place of his father.
He was the new head of the company, after all. It was his duty to go ahead with the project that Freya had already paid half in advance. Wasn’t it?
But there was something else which kept whirling around inside her head every time she’d punched her feather pillow to try and find a comfy spot.
Freya had come running to her to ask for help. It had to be a Baldoni. No one else would do!
Surely that had to give her some bargaining power?
Toni scrubbed extra hard on the frying pan. Now all she had to do was pluck up enough courage to insist on it the next time she saw Scott.
Toni’s hands closed around the cool edge of the sink and she closed her eyes for a few seconds.
She didn’t have any choice. That portrait had to be finished, one way or another.
She needed the rest of the money to pay for Amy’s university fees in the autumn.
Girlish laughter broke through her thoughts and Toni smiled as she stacked the cups and plates.
Amy was right.
This was her chance to make a new start and claim her life.
The little girl who she’d promised to take care of the morning their parents died was a young woman now with her own life.
Amy was amazing and was going to go far in life. She knew exactly what she wanted and how she was going to get it. It had been Amy’s idea to talk to the university professors who were going to be teaching her and find out what kind of expedition would suit the coursework. Thinking ahead. Planning her future.
She had taught her sister well.
They had watched the dawn come up together in the garden of their little family house early on New Year’s morning and made promises to one another that could not be broken.
In three months’ time both of their lives would be completely different. Amy would be in Peru and working hard. And she would have finished this portrait, cleared out the clutter from their little house and redecorated every room. All ready for their cute London house to be rented out for the next three years while Amy was at university.
This was her chance to take her photography career to the next level and she was ready to grab it with both hands and do what it took to learn from the best. Travel. Live a little. Maybe even find the time to enjoy herself.
It was scary to think of the transformation that was going to take place but it was make the change now or stay locked in the same groove forever.
She chose now.
By the time she was thirty, her plan was to have the Antonia Baldoni photographic studio up and running. No more working for someone else. No more being taken for granted. No more being used by other people.
Three more years’ experience and training and she would be ready to start out on her own.
Starting with this portrait.
This was not the time to let one man who refused to have his portrait painted get in the way of Amy’s education.
Scott Elstrom was not going to escape that easily. And if she had to become a total pest to make that happen? Then so be it.
Because the new and improved version of Antonia Baldoni had decided to make some changes in her life and it all kicked off today.
Look out, world. Here I come. Bring it on.
* * *
Scott strode down the busy London pavement in the light morning sleet, wincing in pain.
His senses were assaulted by a cacophony of noise which seemed to come from
