BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

God, this was hard. It was too dark to distinguish which bits on my plate weren’t meat, so it wasn’t safe to chance eating anything. Then Quin discovered that ‘aquila’ was Italian for ‘eagle’ so it was official that our new friends were laughing at us.

Next thing, two of the fabulous women opposite us began kissing each other, in a very ‘perform-y’ way. I turned to Quin. ‘I’m too hungry for this.’

‘Okay.’ He was already standing. ‘We’re off.’

Our departure triggered a riot of hugs and yelling and the whole place felt moments away from descending into an orgy. I felt sad and ashamed, a non-wine-drinking, non-eagle-eating, non-orgy-attending failure.

Quin and I didn’t speak until we were side by side in an Uber, halfway back to the hotel.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said.

‘I’m sorry.’ Then, ‘We can get room service. Or anything you’d like.’

‘Quick is all that matters.’

‘We’ll go to the marina. There are stalls there, they’d be fast.’

The car dropped us at the seafront, where we sat on a wall and had churros and hot chocolate from a stall. Because the night was once again breezy, Quin put his jacket around my shoulders, the way he had the previous night, but this time, neither of us mentioned our perfume.

72

‘…for an actual moment, I wondered if I was dead?’ Quin said, laughing. ‘If this was hell? Having the chats with friendly Italians for all eternity.’

After the churros on the marina wall, we’d slept heavily and had woken up in a better mood.

‘To me,’ I said, ‘it felt more like a zombie movie. The black teeth, the eyeliner…And as soon as we got free of one lot, another popped up in their place.’

‘Seriously, though.’ He rolled over in the bed and looked up at me. ‘I’m really sorry.’

‘No way, Quin. It was a risk and this time it didn’t pan out. But if you play it safe all the time, nothing exciting happens.’

‘And playing it safe is the most dangerous thing a woman like you can do.’ He said that to me a lot. I loved it even though it wasn’t true, not even remotely.

‘So, this morning, the Gaudí house?’ I said. ‘And then the airport?’

‘And if we’ve time, I’d like to drop in on someone. There’s a man here, deals mostly in furniture, but he’s always got beautiful, interesting pieces, things with a story. I like going along, just to see what he has. You’d like it.’

‘Okay. Great.’

*