Chapter 22

Then

Annie had always found it easy to make friends, but what she’d experienced since she’d arrived in Italy was something unexpected. She, Colette and Kim had become almost inseparable in such a short space of time.

She’d already shared with them the story of how she’d come to be there thanks to Felicity Finch.

“It was like something from a movie,” she told them over one of their late-night chats on the terrace beneath the stars. “All this time, I was doing this woman’s hair, making idle chitchat and thinking I knew her, when I had no idea.”

“Such a wonderful gift,” Colette sighed dreamily. “Not so much the money, but the freedom, and the opportunity to come here while you figure out what to do with your life.”

“What will you do?” Kim asked. “If the old woman meant for this trip to be life-changing, you’ve gotta honor that, don’t you?”

“And I will,” Annie enthused. “I’m going to enjoy myself first and foremost, but when I get back, I’m going to look into opening my own salon.” She frowned. “Problem is, while I know hair, I know sweet FA about money or how to manage it.”

Kim took a sip of her water. “It’s not actually that hard. But before you do anything major like find a premises or buy stock, first find yourself an accountant to have the company registered officially, and give you some advice on how best to plan things when it comes to paying taxes and stuff.”

Annie’s heart sank a little. She didn’t even know she had to consider that kind of thing. But she knew she could learn.

Then there was Colette. Her disarming naivete, openness, and unbridled generosity were more than Annie had ever come across in a person, with the exception of Felicity, perhaps. The English girl was genuinely good-hearted, though a bit immature in her ways, to be fair.