Summer in Sorrento by Melissa Hill

 “ Thanks for letting us borrow these .” He motioned to the bikes as he handed Maia the picnic basket they had borrowed earlier in the day.  “ Lor i’ s righ t— having these at our disposal, we saw so much, and when we wanted to stop and have a glass of wine or explore, we did.  Thank you for, um, encouraging m e… u s ,” he smiled as Lori nudged him with her hip.  “ It was a nice break from the norm . ”
                  Parking the bikes near the shed, Maia immediately went into hostess mode.  “ Well, I’ m sure that you must be hungry.  Here, let me get something going for yo u …”
                  But Lori put her hand up.  “ No, you relax.  Yo u’ ve done so much for us since we arrived ,” she said, and Maia got the distinct impression that Lori was referring to more than simply providing a place to stay and food to eat.  “ We actually accumulated some stuff throughout the day.  Some wine, cheese, other little yummies, we thought that maybe we could get back here and share it with everyone . ”
                  Feeling touched by the gesture, Maia murmured her thanks.  “ Tha t’ s great.  Yes, please.  Although, I’ m all alone at the moment actually.  Amelia went off to her wedding, and Jacob offered to be her escort. With Camill a’ s blessing of sorts . ”   Lori raised her eyebrows, and her husband looked at her inquisitively. 
                  “I’ ll tell you later ,” Lori smiled, wrapping an arm around Ha l’ s waist.  “ Well then, you chill out here, I’ ll get you some wine, and we will get everything set up inside. You relax . ”
                  Maia was about to protest, but then she gave in to Lor i’ s request. The couple went into the house wrapped in each othe r’ s arms like besotted teenagers and with their bag of Italian goodies in tow.  Maia sat down after she watched a light turn on in the kitchen.
                  “ Maybe I will just relax for a second ,” she sighed, feeling at once appreciated and blissfully happy that her guests did n’ t just seem to be lodgers, but that they were gradually turning into friends.
     
     
    “ Are you sure yo u’ re OK ?” Amelia asked Jacob as she parked the car in front of the farmhouse.  She took a glance at her watch, almost three in the morning.  She hoped that Maia had n’ t stayed up to wait for them.  She had no idea that they would be out this late.  She also had n’ t realised that she would be the one driving them home.
                  She turned in her seat to look at Jacob, he was a bit slumped, but it was n’ t from drinking too muc h— tha t’ s not why she was driving.  Their night had taken an unexpected turn.
                  Amelia was proud of hersel f— she had successfully made it through Aaro n’ s wedding.  Had wished him well, had even complimented his bride and had smugly introduced Jacob to everyone she met. 
                  Jacob, for his part, had been the perfect date.  He had flirted with her, he had pulled out her chair, he had escorted her gallantly on his arm and had danced with her.  He had made her the envy of every woman at the part y— and Amelia could n’ t help but feel pleased when she saw Aaro n’ s new wife nudge him in the ribs with a scowl on her face as Jacob artfully dipped her on the dance floor and returning her to her seat, planted a kiss her hand before placing a glass of champagne in it.
                  But then, around eleven o’ clock, Jacob had received a phone call from his sister. She thought that he needed to get to the hospital, right away. It was time.
                  Jacob, at first, had offered to go alone, but Amelia insisted on going with him.  After all, there was no reason for her to stay at the wedding at this point, and he had been there for he r— the least she could do was also be