A Little Piece of Paradise: A sweeping story of sisterhood, secrets and romance (Love from Italy Book 1)

by T A Williams

  ‘Don’t worry about it being a bit cooler up here. You’ll soon warm up. That’s where we’re headed.’

  She followed the direction of his finger and spotted a squat construction protruding from the top of a rocky promontory quite a way above them. She nodded to herself. It certainly looked like they had a hard climb ahead.

  They set off and almost immediately came upon a granite boulder bearing a bronze plaque engraved with the names of half a dozen partigiani killed by the Nazis during the war. The youngest of the partisans had been only seventeen. Up here in the wilds of the countryside must have been ideal terrain for the resistance fighters and it was sobering to think of the blood that had been shed in what was now such a peaceful, idyllic spot. The path narrowed as it began to climb tortuously up the mountainside and they very soon stopped chatting. Dan led the way while Sophie and Jeeves followed. This was because he had read that there were poisonous vipers up here whose bite could be deadly to dogs or small children. Sophie didn’t like the sound of that at all, so she made sure Jeeves didn’t go charging off into the undergrowth. The idea of losing him was too sad to contemplate.

  It took them three quarters of an hour to get up to the tower and fortunately the only reptiles they encountered were a few terrified lizards which disappeared into the crevices in the rocks as soon as Dan’s shadow fell on them. As he had predicted, Sophie was far from cold by the time they got there. While he went off to clamber about in the ruins, she sat down with her dog beside her, fanning herself while she admired the view. From here she could see all the way down the heavily wooded valley to the sea in the distance – the reflection of the sun on it almost dazzling her. The trees did a magnificent job of blanking out any signs of human habitation and it felt remarkably remote. It was hard to believe that just half an hour from here the beaches were packed with noisy holidaymakers enjoying themselves. Here it was quiet – apart from birdsong – and very relaxing. She did her best to absorb the feel of the place so as to include it in her book – which was now well into its second chapter.

  Gazing over the hills, she remembered what she had been trying hard to forget. Today would see the start of the auction house’s annual mountain retreat and the opening skirmishes in Paola’s battle for the heart and mind – or at least the body – of Chris. Sophie wondered yet again how he would react if Paola really did throw herself at him. Was she about to lose him before she had had a chance to tell him how she felt about him?

  ‘Can you imagine what it must have been like back in the Middle Ages when the alarm came from the lookouts that a fleet of marauding boats from the other side of the Mediterranean had been sighted?’

  Sophie looked up to see Dan standing right on the top of the ruined tower wall above her.

  ‘Dan, for goodness’ sake be careful up there.’

  He carried on as if he hadn’t heard a thing. ‘The Saracens – as they called them here – would have killed or enslaved any local people they could find and looted their houses and fields. Everybody knew how dangerous they could be, so there would have been a mad rush to get away from the coast as fast as possible. It took us half an hour in the car to get up here. Think of the people back then, most of whom would have had to do the whole thing on foot, carrying what valuables they could on their backs and even driving their animals. Those were hard times, all right.’

  ‘It does sound awfully hard and it would be just as hard to carry you down the hill if you broke your leg, so please try not to fall off that wall. It doesn’t look too stable to me. I’d hate for anything to happen to you.’ And she realised she meant it.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.’ He turned and she saw him disappear back into the ruins again. When he emerged a few minutes later he came over and sat down beside her. She looked across at him.

  ‘Find anything interesting?’

  ‘Nothing in particular. This place is little more than a pile of rubble now – but I came for the atmosphere as much as anything – you know, the view, the sounds, the scents, the vegetation. Although my book will be serious, factual history, I believe it’s essential to get the feel of the places I write about. Hopefully it’ll help the reader understand better what life was really like on the ground back then.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right. In fact, I’ve been sitting here thinking about my book and this would be a lovely spot to include. It’s so romantic.’

  ‘Yes, you’re dead right about that.’ She saw him close his eyes and lean back against the sun-warmed stones of the wall, a little smile on his face. ‘It sure is a romantic place.’ His tone was dreamy and he looked very peaceful. ‘You should bring Chris up here when he comes over in September. See if the magic of the place works on him.’ He opened his eyes and glanced across at her, the little smile still on his lips. ‘Mind you, I reckon you’ve already got him hooked.’

  Sophie sat upright. ‘I’ve what?’

  ‘I could see from the way he was looking at you that he’s under your spell. Not that it would be hard for any man. You’re beautiful, you’re bright and you’re just a really nice person.’

  Sophie could feel her cheeks glowing by this time and reached across and gave his hand a little squeeze.

  ‘Thanks, Dan. And I think you’re a sweetie, too.’

  ‘So, are you planning on bringing him up here?’

  ‘It’s a lovely thought, but I honestly don’t know.’ She took a deep breath and decided to tell him the whole story. ‘There’s been a development on that front, quite a significant one.’ In spite of her reservations, she went on to tell him about Paola, the upcoming corporate week in the mountains, and her fears for what might happen. ‘She’s an alluring woman and very suitable for him in many ways, and I’m afraid he’s going to fall for her and that’ll be that.’

  ‘I’m sure you’d be more than a match for any woman.’

  ‘I wish I had your confidence.’

  ‘And this retreat starts today?’

  ‘Yup, today.’

  ‘And there was no way the two of you could have met up again before he set off?’

  ‘No, I wanted to, but it wasn’t possible. He was very tied up. I’m just going to have to let nature take its course and see what happens – although I’m not going to be holding my breath.’

  ‘Have you at least hinted to him about how you might feel?’

  Sophie had to stop and think for a moment. ‘Not really… in fact, to be honest, not at all.’

  ‘In that case I reckon you should throw him a bone at least.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You need to give him some hope. From what you’ve just said, it’s clear he has no idea you think of him as anything more than a good friend. You need to tell him, or at least give him an idea of how you feel.’

  ‘But that’s the problem, I don’t know how I feel. I mean, I do like him a lot, but we haven’t even held hands yet. What if the reality doesn’t match up to my dreams?’ Sophie could hear the frustration in her voice and he immediately picked up on it.

  ‘It seems to me that the very fact that you’re so obviously upset about the possibility of him ending up with this other woman proves that you do have feelings for him. Deep down, you do know, and I think you should at least give him a bit of a heads-up. He’s a man, remember, and we’re notoriously bad at reading the signs. Why not give him a call and tell him you miss him and can’t wait to see him again?’

  ‘I’m sure he knows that already…’

  ‘What did I just say? He’s a man for God’s sake. You can’t count on him being able to read between the lines. Can you honestly say you’ve told him you miss him?’

  ‘Well, not in so many words…’

  ‘Then do it.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘Look, I’m sorry, this is no business of mine but if I were you, I’d call him and tell him. That way, at least, he’ll know you’re thinking of him and he’ll know where he stands when this Paola woman comes on to him.’

  ‘I suppose I could…’r />
  ‘What do you have to lose?’ He stood up. ‘And maybe a lot to gain. Now, I want to take a couple of photos from up there.’ He pointed to another rocky outcrop protruding through the trees a hundred metres or so above them. ‘While I’m gone, why don’t you make the call?’

  ‘Tell me something before you go. Have you spoken to your friend Jennifer yet? Have you taken your own advice and told her how you feel about her?’

  He looked back down at her and she could see he was embarrassed. ‘You’re right… I’m a fine one to talk. Here I am giving you advice and I still haven’t had the nerve to tell her how I feel, even though I’m getting more and more convinced that she’s more than just a friend.’

  ‘You see? We’re hopeless. Let’s make a deal – I’ll try to summon up the courage to speak to Chris if you promise me you’ll do the same with Jen.’ She held up her right hand towards him. ‘Deal?’

  After a momentary hesitation he reached back down and shook her hand. ‘Deal. But it’s five o’clock in the morning over there. I’ll call her later on.’

  ‘Well, just make sure you do.’

  Once he disappeared around the side of the ruined tower, Sophie pulled out her phone and stared down at it blankly. Dan was right as far as Chris was concerned. She needed to say something to him, but what? After several minutes she took a deep breath and pressed his number. When he answered, his voice was metallic, with an echo.

  ‘Hi, Sophie. How’re you doing?’

  ‘Hi, Chris, I’m fine. Your voice sounds funny.’

  ‘I’m on speaker in the car. I’m on my way to Stansted to catch my flight to Pau. Today’s the start of the company retreat in the Pyrenees.’

  Sophie chatted to him about her book, the building work and the objects they had been preparing for the antiques fair, before finally taking the plunge.

  ‘Anyway, I don’t want to disturb you while you’re driving.’ She hesitated for a moment, still searching for the right words. ‘It’s just that, Chris… I wanted to tell you that I’ve been thinking about you a lot and I miss you. I can’t wait to see you again next month.’

  ‘I miss you, too, Soph.’ She listened intently for any change in tone or sign of emotion. She heard nothing apart from the sound of a car horn in the background. ‘Imbecile! Sorry, Soph, not you. Some prat just decided to turn off at the last moment and cut me up.’

  ‘But you’re okay?’

  ‘I’m fine, thanks. Anyway, like I say, I miss you too.’

  Sophie waited for more, but nothing was forthcoming and her mind went blank. She couldn’t blurt out that she had started thinking of him as more than a friend but she wouldn’t be sure until he kissed her and, indeed, she had no idea whether he might maybe feel the same way as she did, but if he didn’t, or she didn’t, she still wanted them to be friends. It sounded like gobbledegook in her head, let alone if she tried to express it out loud. So in the end all she could do was to wind things up. ‘Enjoy yourself in the Pyrenees.’ But not too much. ‘See you in September. Bye, Chris, and take care. I do miss you.’

  ‘And I miss you too, Soph. A lot.’

  After ringing off, she sat there for a few more minutes, doing her best to analyse what he had said – and what she hadn’t said. Should she have been more direct, more open? When he had told her he missed her, had he meant it the same way she did? Being on the phone in the car hadn’t helped. Maybe it would have been better if she had waited until the evening to call him but, of course, by that time he would have been at the hotel in the mountains, maybe even with Paola’s elegant arms already draped around his neck, and unable to speak freely. In the end her only clue as to how he might feel about her came in the form of his last two words: a lot. He had said he missed her, but then he had added a lot.

  That had to mean something, hadn’t it?

  Chapter 18

  The first of the Spanish contingent arrived in one car just after five in the afternoon and the others an hour later. To muddy the waters, the two couples in the first car were both composed of a Fernando and an Alejandra. Tall Fernando was married to diminutive Alejandra, while bearded Fernando was engaged to normal-sized Alejandra with the red hair. In the second car came Lola and her brother, Juan, along with his two best friends, Sebastián and Pablo.

  Lola – instantly renamed Lolita in Sophie’s head – was stunning in a very ostentatious way and it rapidly became clear that both of her brother’s friends fancied her. They were all very friendly towards Sophie and her dog and very appreciative of being invited to stay, and she was relieved to find that communication turned out not to be a problem. They all spoke some English – Lolita’s brother Juan in particular was fluent – and Sophie soon discovered that if she spoke Italian to them and they answered in Spanish they could converse fairly easily and freely. As for Rachel, she just flicked an internal switch and poured out a stream of fast, fluent-sounding Spanish.

  On Rita’s advice and with her help, they had prepared a cold spread for dinner, but Sophie had forgotten that Spaniards tended to eat late. They all opted to go for a swim in the pool in the early evening and it was there that Sophie discovered that Juan was built like the Incredible Hulk. His unbelievably muscular body was obviously the result of countless hours spent in the gym, and when she mentioned to him that there was a small gym here in the castle, his eyes lit up. For her part, as far as muscles were concerned, she could take them or leave them. She had never been a great fan of bodybuilders, finding many of them somehow grotesque, but Juan was friendly and remarkably gentle in spite of his bulk. She wondered what he would make of Uncle George’s gym. Neither she nor her sister had ventured in there since arriving in Paradiso. It had just been too hot. Besides, she kept telling herself, walking Jeeves and swimming was all the exercise she needed.

  When they emerged from the pool at close to eight o’clock, the Spaniards insisted on taking Rachel and Sophie to the bar across the road for an aperitivo which soon turned into several aperitivi and Sophie had to struggle to stop them plying her with drink. Luckily she remembered one of her favourites – a non-alcoholic aperitif that looked and tasted like Campari – and switched to this. The drinks came with complimentary crisps and Sophie saw a number of these disappear under the table as her mooching Labrador did his rounds wearing his ‘I’m starving’ expression.

  They ended up sitting down to dinner at half past nine – which Rachel assured her was early by Spanish standards – and the meal was a great success. As the evening progressed, Sophie relaxed more and more, confident that the new arrivals weren’t going to tear the place apart or prove to be a pain in the neck. They were a charming bunch and she could see why her sister had become close friends with them. She resolved to have a word with her later, to apologise for her original outburst when Rachel had told her she had invited them.

  More by accident than design – at least on her part – Sophie ended up alongside muscleman Juan and chatted to him most of the time. She discovered that he was in fact an English teacher in a big high school in the suburbs of Madrid, which explained his fluency in the language. He told her he was teaching some tough teenagers in a deprived area and she realised that this maybe also explained the muscles. He filled in the gaps as far as the others were concerned. Tall Fernando was a lawyer, as was his minute wife. The other Fernando was a doctor and his fiancée worked as a civil servant of some description. Lolita was between jobs – Sophie wondered if she might be into acting or modelling, judging by her appearance – and the two suitors for Lola’s hand sold cars and pork products respectively.

  In the course of the evening, Sophie began to realise that she could use these people as characters in her book and she soon had the car salesman and the ham and sausage purveyor down as knights competing for the hand of one or both of the princesses in her book. Fernando the lawyer soon morphed into the court chamberlain in her head, while bearded doctor Fernando became the apothecary. Juan would of course be the king’s champion, feared all over the land for his feat
s of strength and skill in combat. She got into the swing of it and tried to decide whether she should model one of the princesses on Lolita and turn her into a man-eater. By the time she got up from the table and slipped out with Jeeves for his nightly walk, she had not only got to know them all but could genuinely say she was enjoying having them there.

  The following day was ferragosto, the fifteenth of August, and Sophie remembered what Romeo, the hairstylist, had told her: there was going to be a big party on the beach. She checked out the local Santa Rita website and saw that although there were events all day as varied as face painting for kids and sailing and windsurfing races, the evening looked like the best time to join in. After a lazy day, mostly spent by the pool, they set off at six o’clock. At the last minute, Sophie decided not to leave Jeeves on his own for the whole evening so she opted to take her own car. That way she could bring Jeeves and leave before the others if the event proved unsuitable for dogs.

  Parking was a major problem and she ended up having to leave the car on the outskirts of town and walk for fifteen minutes or so to get to the seafront. The closer she got to the beach, the more the noise level increased and she muttered another little thank you to her uncle for choosing to buy a house way up above it all. It was clear that nobody living in the first three or four rows of properties by the beach was going to get much sleep tonight.

  It turned out to be a lot of fun and, as there was a barbecue serving hotdogs and burgers and lots of little kids dropping things, Jeeves ended up eating far more than he should have done – much of it covered in sand. Sophie gave up worrying after a while, hoping that his digestive system would prove up to the challenge. They drank cold beer from cardboard cups and danced on the sand like Romeo the hairdresser had said, taking it in turns to keep an eye on Jeeves who wasn’t really supposed to be on the beach. Dancing on the beach was an entirely different sensation and quite hard work, shuffling about in loose sand in her bare feet. She was feeling quite tired by the time she had danced with all the Spaniards, followed by Romeo himself, who appeared dressed in a gold lame suit and black shirt, unbuttoned to display the sort of chunky medallion she thought had gone out of fashion in the Eighties. He must have been boiling, but the demands of fashion clearly obliged him to wear this ensemble and Sophie was impressed at his dedication, even if his sartorial taste wasn’t one she shared.