‘These are great,’ I murmured. ‘Katrina’s going to love these, especially if Ford is innocent.’
Following the close-ups were a series that showed the whole scene, including the threatening stance of the man in the cap.
‘All right, that’s enough.’ Nick held out his hand for the camera.
I frowned at him and snatched it out of his reach. The next few showed the man in the cap walking away. Ford looking pensive. Then me joining him at his table, the two of us talking. I stopped abruptly at a photo that showed only my face in the frame. My mouth was slightly open in a half-smile, my eyes wide with the eagerness and apprehension I’d felt as I listened to Ford speak. Seeing myself like this made me feel exposed, self-conscious. Had my inexperience really been that obvious? Had Ford been able to tell how out of my depth I was? And more to the point, why was Nick taking photos of me?
I gave him a brief look, then pressed the button for the last image. It showed Ford disappearing on the far side of the piazza. I handed the camera back to Nick without a word. He avoided my eyes. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, then I stood up. ‘I’m going to call James.’
‘Good luck.’ Nick’s face was a wall.
I walked away from the bar and sat down on one of the circular steps that surrounded a huge, stone fountain. It was hot out of the shade under the midday sun, and I could feel the sweat rise in my pores. What had just happened? Nick had a gift for showing his subject’s inner hopes, fears and vulnerabilities, and I hadn’t liked what I’d seen in that photo. Had he taken it to make fun of me?
I studied the once-white stone of the fountain, now greyish and lined with black cracks. James may have been an excuse to get away from an awkward situation, but I really did need to speak to him. I couldn’t leave things the way they’d ended last night. And there was something else. I wanted to let him know how hurt I was by the way he’d treated me, and angry that he wanted to punish me after what he’d done.
I dialled his number and waited, imagining him looking at my name on the screen and wondering whether he should answer. Finally the ringing stopped and I heard his voice, so comforting and familiar. Relief washed through me. Everything was going to be OK.
But it was just his voicemail. It wasn’t him consenting to talk to me. And in my despair, my determination to give him a good bollocking went straight out the window. ‘Hi James, it’s me. I just wanted to explain properly about last night. Nick’s the last person in the world I’d sleep with, you know how much I hate him. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I miss you and I want to talk to you. Please call me. I love you.’
Staring down at the phone in my hand, I thought about what I’d just said. I told him I missed him, which was true. I told him I hadn’t slept with Nick, but I’d skated close enough to making that a lie last night. I told him I loved him, and while that was still true, too much had changed between us to ever go back to the way things were. Nick was watching me, his expression inscrutable.
I stood up and slipped the phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
‘That was quick,’ Nick said when I sat back down at the table.
‘He didn’t answer.’ I kept my gaze resolutely on my plate.
‘Look, don’t worry about it now, OK?’
I didn’t say anything.
‘Anyway, we should be home in a few days,’ he went on. ‘And I’ll tell him whatever you want me to.’
I glanced at him sharply. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
He paused. ‘It means that I won’t tell him what really happened.’
Humiliation twisted in my belly and channelled into anger. ‘Nothing happened!’ I snapped. ‘We didn’t do anything wrong.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘So I’ll just tell him you were all over me right after you spoke to him, shall I? And all within days of falling into bed with Mr Try-Hard Muso. All I can say is you must have one hefty itch, woman. Just don’t expect me to scratch it for you. James is my mate, and he’ll be my mate long after you’re off the scene.’
Hatred bubbled up inside me. ‘While you’re playing the hero, perhaps you could tell me why you were taking photos of me instead of the subject? I’m not part of the story, Nick. Putting it in the spank bank for later, were you?’
‘Don’t flatter yourself, Burrowes.’ His smile was twisted and cruel. ‘Been there, done that.’
I stood up and stuffed the laptop into my satchel. All I could see was a red haze of anger. ‘It’s no wonder you’ve never had a proper girlfriend, Nick,’ I spat. ‘You’re an insufferable pig.’
I threw the strap over my shoulder and stormed away. I didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get as far away from him as possible, as quickly as possible. The other side of the city, perhaps. Hell, another planet would do nicely.
A road ran alongside the Tiber River and I followed its bends and straights, walking as fast as I could in an effort to escape my
