“Sorry,” she repeated with a little grin, as she slouched down in her seat and turned her gaze back to the window.

She wondered what Italy would be like. She had never been on a foreign holiday before; hell, she had barely traveled outside of Dublin.

How would she get on in this strange new place?

Chapter 13

Then

By the time they landed at Naples airport Annie was completely lost.

She didn’t speak a word of Italian, and her head was completely muddled by the fast-moving crowds and general hubbub, but thanks to the English exit signs she was able to find her way to the baggage claim and out of Arrivals.

“You want a taxi?” a lightly accented voice called out.

“Yes. I need to get to a place called Villa Dolce Vita.” She read out the address written on a piece of paper. “Do you know it?” she asked hopefully.

“Positano?” the man repeated. “But of course. It is a long journey, though.”

Annie smiled as she said words she’d never before had the privilege of uttering: “I can pay.”

The driver was dangerously fearless, she was sure of it. She’d never seen anyone weave in and out of traffic at such a pace, and for most of the drive—as he wound along roads that were so narrow and high she was certain they would drop off the side and go hurtling to the ground on every turn—her heart was in her mouth.

She was relieved and elated when they finally arrived at the villa and she could see the back of him. Though he was nice, in fairness. He had great English and didn’t seem to bat an eyelid at her nonexistent Italian.

She supposed they were well used to tourists in these parts and it made her feel immediately at ease. Until they’d hit the road, that was.

The accommodation Felicity had chosen was surprisingly underwhelming. Granted, many of the houses around here looked fairly ancient and crumbling, but huddled closely on top of one another—as if fighting for space all the way down the mountain to the bejeweled sea—they looked like a pile of colorful kids’ blocks with their pastel colors and terra-cotta roofs. The effect was startling.

The house looked to be situated just on the edge of a big town, and Annie could see lots of blue-and-white beach brollies and sun loungers laid out on the beach a little further along the coast, beneath all the houses and buildings, which was where the main action must be.

Annie supposed the crumbling buildings thing was the kind of old-world Italian charm that tourists seemed to love.