What are the chances?

Once in a while

"Sorry ladies but Stefano said the boys have the bus booked out all day," Joyce confirmed as she made her way back across the driveway to the group, who were already defeatedly slumped across their scooters.

"Did I not already tell them this?" Kat whispered to Debbie as she impatiently dropped her head onto the handlebars of her dusty red bike.

"Ladies we need to get a move on, time is ticking away and we need to make sure we're back in time for Kat." Debbie stood tall as she tried to call reason with the group and get them moving.

"It's fine we just won't go." Joyce huffed, folding her arms firmly across her chest.

"Don't be daft," Gill interjected. "There are more than enough scooters here for two of us to have passengers." She patted her double-seated scooter with a warm smile.

"I don't want to cause any issues guys. We didn't get scooters so we should just stay." Nita shrugged in an attempt to diffuse any hostility arising.

Kat huffed again as they continued to go back and forth with the same conversation.

"Right, enough ladies we need to go." Debbie threw a helmet towards a startled Joyce whose reflexes were not quite quick enough to catch it. "Joyce you're with me, you can act as sat nav so we don't have to keep stopping to check the map, and Nita you're with Gill. Now can we finally helmet up and get going, please?" Debbie exasperatedly pleaded with the group.

"Fine by me." Nita slipped on Gills spare helmet and awkwardly straddled the back of the seat.

"Finally." Natalia and Rachel echoed each other as they lifted their heads from their hands and popped on their helmets.

"Brilliant. Let's hit the road then ladies." Gill happily started the engine and cautiously turned the scooter around getting used to the different feel of having a passenger.

The rest of the group followed suit carefully navigating around each other as they turned their scooters and set off out of the compound.

Joyce happily directed Debbie through the scenic route allowing Gill several opportunities to halt the journey to take pictures of the beautiful Tuscan landscape. The 30-minute journey ended up nearly an hour longer as they laughed, joked and embraced the freedom of the long quiet roads. Kat spent most of her time thinking about Damian, and what Debbie had said earlier that morning, so by the time they finally arrived at the mall she had convinced herself that she was perfectly fine with things being no more than a brief holiday fling, and hopefully whatever happens over the next few days would be exactly what she needed to get herself back out there.

As the group pulled into the large open car park the huge outlet came into view along with rows and rows of banners advertising the considerable selection of designer outlet stores.

"This is amazing." Rachel clapped enthusiastically as she eyed up store after store of her favourite luxury brands.

"Would it make more sense to break off and go at our own paces?" Debbie suggested, in hope that it would give her and Kat a chance to shop in peace from the prying eyes and questions from everyone.

"Yeah, I think that makes sense." Rachel excitedly confirmed, desperate to be let loose on each store.

"Yeah, I don't want to go to any shop in particular so I'm happy to just wander about," Nita added as she tried to puff out her now flat helmet hair.

"Natalia, are you coming with me?" Rachel eyed her with a glimmer of hope that she would say yes and they could get going.

"Yeah sure." Natalia thankfully smiled before she and Rachel quickly said their goodbyes and headed off towards their first shop.