The two-week visit would give them just enough time for Rory to meet her mother and to get everything ready for the move to Edinburgh, where Rory would begin his classes. Shortly after their arrival, the three girlfriends met at the beach in the afternoon. Lola desperately needed some tanning time before returning to Scotland. Right away Lola brought them up to date on her plans. There was no hiding how in love she was. Rebecca listened in silence, her face clouded and distant. Berta let Lola, beaming with happiness, chatter on without interrupting. Berta didn’t have much to tell. Albert was still studying; his exams were in one month, and they had hardly any time together. But she was confident Albert would get the position; he was preparing diligently, practically without letup. Caught up in the details of her life, Lola only registered Rebecca’s preoccupied state when she stopped talking. She frowned. She’d promised Rory that she wouldn’t meddle, had sworn she wouldn’t say anything.
