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First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2014
Copyright © Aimee Duffy 2014
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Aimee Duffy asserts the moral right
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the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to
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Ebook Edition © August 2014
ISBN: 9780008106317
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âThis is much, much better,â Elle said as she led them through the door of another of the Muirsâ luxury properties.
Ciara realised that the Hollywood mansion in LA, the beach house in Miami, the townhouse in Paris and the spectacular multi-levelled house in Santorini were only a taster of their familyâs wealth.
Everything here was marble and gold with Renaissance art in the form of statues and paintings sheâd have thought would be in museums, not in someoneâs entrance hall. Again there was a spiral staircase and she could see their granddadâs style in the structure, or maybe Zack had helped with the design.
Either way, now she knew why Zack was worried about giving all this up. It must be terrifying to go from having everything to nothing. Not to mention the fact he thought heâd be letting so many people down.
âElly, youâre talking like youâve spent the last few days in a Travelodge,â Zack teased.
Travelodges were perfectly fine accommodation in Ciaraâs opinion. The five star hotel theyâd just left was stunning.
âA hotel never has the same comforts,â Elle said and on that note a woman dressed in black wearing a white apron came to greet them.
Unsurprisingly, both of the Muirs spoke perfect Italian â or at least she assumed it was perfect by the unfaltering string of words delivered with confidence. More staff appeared and Elle must have instructed them to take the luggage upstairs because thatâs what they did.
âOkay, I say we get showered and then hit the bars. The sunâs going down and I donât want to waste a night stuck in here,â Elle said, then turned to the stairs assuming everyone would agree instantly.
âThereâs nothing wrong with a quiet night,â Ciara protested. After all, her funds were running low and sheâd promised Elle sheâd show Zack he could have a great time without spending a fortune.
Elle whirled on her. âA night out isnât going to break the bank, Cia.â
A night out with those three could put her in debt for the rest of her life. But they had a point too. She didnât want to spend the last stop of her trip stuck in a house, even if the house was massive and incredible.
Luckily, sheâd abused the wifi at the airport and had pre-planned their trip to the city thanks to travel websites. And the cheapest place for a night out was somewhere the tourists didnât go much, or so said the reviewer.
âFine but if weâre going anywhere itâs the bars in Piazza di Santo Spirito. I hear itâs not as touristy as the other places.â
Elle liked exclusive and Ciara took her shrug as a win.
âI think tonight Iâm going for classy rather than slutty,â Gem said, following Elle up the stairs.
Hand in hand with Zack, they trailed up behind her friends.
Elle laughed. âThereâs more to it than wearing a nice dress, Gem. If you get on a guyâs knee two minutes after you meet him, it doesnât matter what youâve got on.â
âItâs not slutty if heâs into it. What do you think Zack? Is it better to go with the buzz or be a tease and frustrate the guy?â Gem turned to them with genuine curiosity in her eyes.
His cheekbones darkened. âUm, I donât think I should answer that.â
Gem stopped on the stairs and scowled. âSo you think itâs slutty?â
He held his hands up. âDidnât say that. I meant different guys see things differently. Just like you three.â