#21 | Friends At War

‘Fancy running into you two.’

‘Your grace.’ Tallulah and Rocks mock bow at the appearance of Caroline the Duchess behind them outside the airport.

‘Shut up.’ Caroline playfully swaths them, she loathes using her formal title that came with marriage to Ralph, especially not with her friends. It’s why the press call her the reluctant duchess.

‘It’s good to see you two.’

All three women hug and giggle like schoolgirls.

After that breakfast with JJ, Tallulah, Rocks and Caroline concocted a plan to help their friend out otherwise she would not make it through the holidays. So here they are in Florence airport to spend the holidays entrenched in the family drama that there will be, without their husbands and children, they made arrangements for them to spend Christmas together, all goes well they will be with their families come New Years’.

‘Is that all your luggage?’ Caroline motioned to where several uniformed men are busy loading suitcases into three SUVs.

‘Yup.’

‘Are you staying for a year?’

‘We needed options,’ Rocks says with a playful tsk to her tone, ‘and we didn’t have much time to pack sensibly. You coming with or are you being chauffeured down?’

‘Are you not being chauffeured?’ Caroline’s brows furrow with confusion.

‘No.’

‘Bash sent a car.’ Tallulah informs Caroline, a tease to her tone.

Just then a sleek navy-blue Bugatti pulls up in front of them.

‘Sebastian is such an indulgent sod.’

‘I know. Come on it’ll be fun.’ Rocks pleads.

‘Who am I to turn down any fun to be had.’ All three women hop into the Bugatti, awaiting their luggage to be loaded in the SUVs before pulling out with the convoy.

‘Cigar?’ Rocks offers them a cigar from the compartment in the car. Bash knows her little indulgences.

The other two turn to stare at Rocks, as she cuts a cigar, lights it, inhales and puffs it out the window. With a signal given from the uniformed men who were done with their luggage, she throws on her sunglasses and pulls out ahead of the convoy.

‘I hate how cool you are right now,’ Caroline says, ‘smoking a cigar, driving a sports car down the Italian highway, sunglasses on. You are proper big time.’

Rocks cannot help but laugh as she manoeuvres her way expertly between cars.

‘Okay Sebastian Rose-Jones.’ Tallulah says buckling in for dear life. Sebastian is a race car legend, the only drive to have won the F1 championship ten times. He is obviously rubbing off on his wife. ‘It looks like we are going to need the cigar.’ She offers one to Caroline in the back seat and takes one for herself. Sunglasses at the ready, let the good Christmas time roll.