“You’re the best housemate in the world.” She kissed Mel’s cheek. “What are we having this evening?”
“Lemon salmon with new potatoes and spinach.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“You should get used to that. I suppose your evening in Italy will be a fancy affair.”
“I’m freaking out about what to pack.”
“Why? It’s one night – it should be easy to pack for. You can borrow my little carry-on case, by the way.”
“Thanks. I was going to ask if I could.” The only case she had was a full-sized one. “No way I can show up with my frayed backpack.”
“Did Noah tell you what the dress code is for the party?”
“I think it’s just a family meal, but I guess I should ask him.” She sent him a message while Mel plated up the food. He replied almost immediately and she read the message out to Mel.
“It’s just dinner with my family. Knowing my brother, there’ll be dancing involved. Wear whatever you’re comfortable in.”
“That’s such a guy response,” Mel said, tutting as she took the food to the table. “Could he be any less helpful?”
Keira inhaled the aroma in the steam from her fish. “So, it’s dinner and dancing in Italy … that doesn’t sound like the type of event that I should wear what I’m comfortable in.”
“No. It sounds more like a situation where if you’re comfortable, you’re dressed wrong.”
“I could still back out. This is starting to feel stressful.”
“Don’t be daft. Even if his family are pretentious rich people, you’ll be with Noah. You’ll have fun. And getting dressed up for a ball is every straight girl’s dream, isn’t it?”
“Kind of. More so in theory for me. I’m not sure how I feel about it in reality. Not that there was any mention of a ball.”
“Dinner and dancing in Italy sounds like a ball to me.” Mel swallowed her mouthful then pointed her fork at Keira. “You should take my black dress. You know, the figure-hugging number that cost me a fortune and I’ve only worn once.”
“The neckline plunges quite dramatically, and it’d be very tight on me.”
Mel shook her head. “Eat up and you can try it on. You’ve got a pair of stilettos, right?”
“Yeah. But the one time I wore them they gave me blisters and I almost broke my ankle. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I bought them.”
“Subconsciously, you were thinking that one day you’d fall for the barman of your local pub and he’d sweep you off your feet and whisk you away for an evening in Italy!”
“That definitely wasn’t what I was thinking.” Keira focused on her food, rushing it down instead of taking the time to savour it.
“You were hungry,” Mel remarked, still only halfway through hers when Keira swallowed the last mouthful.
“I want to pack. My mind is racing, trying to think what I should take.”
“Go and find my dress and try it on,” Mel said. “I hope you’ve got some decent underwear to pack too!”
The comment brought a huge smile to Keira’s face and ramped up her excitement for the night away.
* * *
Going into work the following morning was a huge waste of time since Keira couldn’t concentrate on anything other than her upcoming trip. Noticing how distracted she was, her manager kindly sent her home an hour earlier than she’d planned to leave. It meant she had more time to pace the flat, waiting for Noah to pick her up.
When he arrived, he was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. After much deliberation, Keira had opted for a pair of white jeans with a white off-the-shoulder top for her travelling outfit. She had a baby-blue blazer too but didn’t imagine she’d need it once they arrived. According to the weather forecast it was set to be a balmy 26 degrees in Sicily.
It was a little odd to wear outfits that weren’t her usual comfortable attire, but it also made it feel more of an adventure.