Valentina smiled in anticipation at Isabella as she slowly opened the door to the room where her surprise was. Isabella frowned and turned her head away from her grandmother. Disappointment flashed in Valentina’s eyes. Carly called, ‘Isn’t this exciting, Isabella?’ Isabella looked at her dubiously but then, her curiosity piqued by Carly’s enthusiasm, she tilted her body away from Max to gaze into the room.
The room was a child’s paradise. An indoor miniature old-fashioned corkscrew fairground slide sat in one corner of the playroom, an array of soft toys in another, an exquisite doll’s pram sat alongside a more robust push-along trolley filled with building bricks. One wall held a vast library of children’s books, another arts and crafts supplies and various games.
Isabella eyed the room suspiciously.
Valentina looked at her again expectantly, waiting for a reaction. When none came, for a moment Valentina looked dejected but then went and reached up to select some wooden jigsaw puzzles stored high up on a shelf. When she couldn’t reach them she turned and asked Max, the tallest in the room, if he could reach them for her.
Max lowered Isabella to the ground and went and helped Valentina, who took the puzzles and, removing her high heels, went and sat on a pink rug imprinted with silver stars by the already open French doors that led back out onto the terrace. Once seated she began to remove the pieces of a wooden car puzzle.
Carly smiled, immediately warming to Valentina and her quiet determination to connect with her grandchild.
Her smile faded however when she spotted Giulio eying her suspiciously, which only worsened when Isabella toddled over to her and, grasping the light cotton of her trousers, hid behind her legs. Carly wanted to clap her hands and give a little shout of triumph. Isabella had come to her! Voluntarily. It shouldn’t matter that she did but it made Carly’s heart waltz with delight. She reached her hand down and tentatively stroked Isabella’s curls, not daring to say anything in case she frightened her away.
‘So, how long do you and Max know one another?’ There was an accusation to Giulio’s tone that had Carly will herself not to blush.
Max, who had come to stand beside her, frowned at his father-in-law. He went to speak but Carly managed to get there before him. ‘Only a matter of days. Max contacted me earlier this week when his paediatrician recommended me. Isabella’s sleep is increasingly becoming disturbed.’ She deliberately paused and shrugged before adding, ‘It’s very common with children Isabella’s age and not a major issue. I must commend Max, however, on being proactive and seeking outside help. Being a lone parent is difficult and he should seek as much support as he can.’
Carly pretended not to see Max’s annoyance at her words and she bowed down to gently chat to Isabella, pointing in the direction of Valentina, encouraging her to go and see what she was doing.
Isabella, always her own person, decided to remain clinging to her leg.
When she straightened, Giulio considered her for a moment and asked quietly, ‘And do you usually travel with your clients?’
Carly decided to ignore the censure in his tone and answered brightly, ‘No. But when Max explained that Isabella is to be a flower girl at the wedding and how keen he was that she be well rested for such a special occasion, I decided I would travel with them.’
Giovanni, who was kneeling on the floor trying to coax Isabella out from behind Carly’s leg by holding a rag doll and waving her hand, broke from making playful noises to look towards Max. ‘Tomaso and Bianca are arriving later this morning. They’ll be so excited to see you,’ Giovanni paused, a cloud of sorrow passing in his eyes. ‘It really has been too long since we last saw you.’
With Max standing close beside her, Carly could feel his body tense. ‘I’ve been busy with work.’
Giulio shook his head and waved his hands in the air with a disgruntled grumble. ‘You must always make time for family.’
Across the room, Valentina looked up at her husband’s angry tone and winced. And then her gaze shifted towards Max. She looked at him with such sadness that Carly had to look away.
Isabella cautiously started to move about the room. She paused for a moment by the toy kitchen and picked up a yellow saucepan, before moving on to stand a distance away from her grandmother, who had gone back to playing with the jigsaws, her heavy curtain of jet-black hair cut into an elegant bob, hiding her expression. Carly’s heart pulled painfully hard for Valentina—how were you supposed to cope when you lost the most precious thing in the world?
Isabella leant forward to see better what Valentina was doing, losing her balance in the process so that she stumbled forward. Righting herself, she moved closer. Valentina gave no reaction. Isabella landed on her bottom with a bump opposite her grandmother. She stared warily at Valentina when Valentina edged the almost complete puzzle towards her. But when Valentina began another puzzle, Isabella dropped the yellow saucepan and picked up the one remaining puzzle piece and easily slotted it into the awaiting space.
‘Those puzzles...’
Valentina looked at her husband and finished his sentence, her tone sad but determined. ‘Yes, they were Marta’s. I thought Isabella would enjoy them. They’re so alike.’
Max moved across the room. Kneeling down, he spoke directly to Valentina. ‘Thank you for creating this room for Isabella.’
‘In the future...perhaps she could visit us more often? I can go to London and collect her.’
Max tensed. ‘At the moment she wants to be with me all the time.’
‘But if she spent time with us alone then—’
Standing, Max interrupted Valentina. ‘I’ve promised Carly that Isabella and I would show her Lake Como.’
Valentina looked up at Max with dismay. ‘You have to leave? But you’ve just arrived.’
Max’s expression softened at Valentina’s upset. ‘We’ll be back this evening for the party.’ Then glancing towards her, he added, ‘Carly will be joining us this evening.’
Carly smiled wanly in Giulio’s direction and saw he wasn’t looking too happy at the news she was coming to his party. ‘I hope that is okay with you?’
Giulio blinked at her question and with an abrupt nod of his head said gruffly, ‘Of course.’
Passing another jigsaw puzzle to Isabella, Valentina stood and reached out and touched her hand against Max’s bare forearm. In a low voice she asked, ‘Can Isabella stay here with us? It would be so nice to spend time with her.’
Max shook his head. ‘She doesn’t stay with others—she gets upset when I leave.’
Carly moved across the room. She knew that Giulio was suspicious of her relationship with Max and what she was about to say might add fuel to that particular fire, but she knew she should encourage Max to leave Isabella in Valentina’s care. Standing next to Max, she said in a low voice, ‘Isabella looks content here. Explain to her she’ll be staying here for a few hours but you’ll be back later. See how she reacts.’
Max spoke to Isabella, who nodded. Max stood, explained again to Isabella he would be back soon. Again, Isabella gave a bare nod, her attention fixated on the wooden pieces of a rainbow puzzle.
Max gave Valentina a detailed run-through of all the items in Isabella’s changing bag. At one point Valentina caught Carly’s eye; both women smiled secretly at Max’s anxiety at leaving Isabella.
He stood at the playroom door, watched Giovanni join Valentina on the floor, Giulio sit on a nearby chair, the three of them laughing at something Giovanni said to Isabella, who smiled faintly at her uncle. Max called out to them, ‘We’ll collect Isabella at three in time for her to have an afternoon nap.’
The foursome on the rug looked briefly in his direction and then away.
Max’s mouth tightened. He glanced in her direction, the initial uncertainty shifting to a proud tilt of his head before he walked away.
CHAPTER FIVE
MAX STRODE T
HROUGH Villa Fiori until he reached the entrance courtyard, where despite wanting to punch something instead he smiled when Hilda, the Ghiraldinis’ ancient Labrador, trundled towards him with heavy pants of delight.
Crouching down, he patted Hilda, who offered him a paw by way of welcome. They had always been friends...even when he had been decidedly persona non grata in this household.
A rush of footsteps behind him had him turn to find Carly running towards him. Bending over, she scratched Hilda behind her ears. ‘I see someone else is also delighted to see you.’
‘They’re delighted to see Isabella.’
Her hand came to a stop on Hilda’s fur. ‘You as well, Max.’
Standing, he gestured towards the gardens of the villa. ‘We can walk to Bellagio through the gardens. There’s a private entrance that leads out into the town.’
They walked up a flight of steps, the ancient stone mottled and worn with time, and along a pebbled path filled with tall palms and Italian cypresses, towards the sound of a classical piece of music. Carly gave a laugh of pleasure when they came upon musicians out in the internal courtyard of the villa, their playing just about drowning out the sound of the vast catering team also there, busy setting up the tables for tonight’s party.
Carly paused to watch the team place gleaming silverware and vast urns of fresh flowers onto the snowy white linen tablecloths. ‘Are the tables for this evening’s party or the wedding?’
‘Tonight’s party.’
Carly’s gaze widened. ‘I hadn’t realised it was going to be such a big party—there must be seating for at least three hundred.’
‘The great and the good of Italian society will be here tonight. Giulio likes to do things in style. Tomaso and Bianca’s wedding reception will take place here too—the ceremony will be in the gardens as the villa’s chapel is too small to accommodate all of their guests.’
As they continued along the path, Carly asked quietly, ‘Did you and Marta marry here also?’
It was strange—if anyone had asked him about Marta before he would have shut them down. But with Carly it didn’t feel wrong; instead it felt natural, respectful. Was it that time had passed or was it more to do with Carly’s empathy that seemed completely authentic? ‘We married in Milan. Just the two of us and two friends who were witnesses.’
‘Because of her family?’
‘Yes.’
At the wrought-iron gate that led into the villa’s orchards, Carly stopped at his side when he held the gate open for her. ‘Did you or Marta mind marrying without your families?’
His heart turned over to see her concern. For a moment he considered not answering her, but something inside him wanted to be always truthful with Carly Knight. ‘We were in love...at the time that was all that mattered. But I know it’s not the wedding Marta had dreamed of.’
‘I’m sure it was still a magical day.’
Surprising himself, he smiled gratefully at Carly. It felt good to remember the happy times he’d had with Marta—up until now it had been too painful to recall those times. ‘It was a special day.’ Then, remembering her planned wedding, he asked, ‘Would your family have been at your wedding—if it had gone ahead?’
‘They said they would...’
* * *
Max regarded her curiously, ‘You don’t sound certain.’
Years ago Carly had built a wall around herself when it came to her family. A wall that was easier to maintain when she didn’t have to think or speak about them, about how disappointed, how let down, how rejected, how lonely she felt amidst them. She considered changing the subject but she could tell by Max’s expression he wasn’t going to let her. ‘My stepfather Alan has a habit of finding excuses when it comes to anything to do with me. No doubt some urgent business would have cropped up and as my mother is the chief financial officer in his company, he would have insisted she accompany him.’
Max’s eyebrows shot up. ‘On your wedding day?’
Carly shrugged, desperate to keep up an act of nonchalance, while inside it hurt like hell to talk about all of this. ‘It happened on my graduation day, my birthdays. My stepfather’s focus in life is his company and my mother. His daughters come after that. Then I’m somewhere down the list.’
With that she walked away, along the path between the blossoming trees. Max soon caught up with her, a hand gently touching against her elbow. ‘What about your mother—are you close?’
Her feet threading against the grass at the edge of the clay path, Carly answered, ‘My mother tries to smooth things over between us. But she’s deeply in love with Alan.’
‘Why, when he doesn’t sound like a nice guy?’
Carly paused as, not for the first time, she tried to fathom her mother’s complex relationship with Alan. ‘She was happy with my father but with Alan it’s as though he freed something in her. She loves his drive, his ambition, his energy.’
‘Wasn’t your father like that?’
Carly smiled. ‘No, he was soft and gentle. He used to take me fishing to the river that ran through our hometown, and we would go camping.’ She came to a stop. Her eyes flickered away from Max’s intent gaze, the sadness inside her overwhelming, before she added, ‘But sometimes he was distant. It was only when I was a teenager that my mum told me of his depression. How he had struggled at work. My mum ran the business mostly by herself—in the end she grew tired of all that responsibility.’
Max inhaled deeply. ‘That must have been very difficult for them both.’
‘When I was younger I couldn’t forgive my mum. I told her she was selfish for leaving him for Alan.’
‘And now?’
‘I guess I realise that life isn’t as black and white as I thought it was when I was a teenager. We argued a lot back them. Alan used to intervene, which of course only made matters worse.’
‘Maybe he was trying to protect your mum?’
Carly blinked at Max’s words. She was about to angrily tell him that no, Alan had only been looking to find reasons to create a wedge between her and her mum, but then she paused and admitted, ‘At the time, when they sent me away to boarding school, and constantly found me courses to attend during term breaks, I assumed Alan in particular was rejecting me. But maybe you’re right, maybe part of his reasoning was that he was trying to protect my mother from our arguments.’
‘Would you like to be close to your mum now?’
All the sadness inside her suddenly centred in her throat. It was beyond painful when she swallowed against what felt like a boulder of emotion stuck there. ‘I don’t know—it’s hard to trust after being let down so often.’
Max nodded, his green gaze swallowing her up with gentle understanding. ‘Have you told her how you feel?’
Carly smiled, her sadness dissipating a little in the face of his attention, his empathy. ‘About her leaving my dad, yes. But about how Alan treated me, how upset I was when they didn’t attend events, no—in truth I was embarrassed at how excluded I was. Somehow it felt as though it was all my fault, as though it defined me as a person—that I was the type of person who deserved to be excluded.’
‘You should talk to your mum.’
Carly nodded. Max was right. She should talk to her mum. But what if it only led to more disappointment, more times when she was let down?
She raised an eyebrow, happy to change the subject back to Max. ‘As you should speak to the Ghiraldinis. They seem very fond of you now, Max. Whatever happened in the past, however hurtful it was, maybe you should embrace this family. You need and deserve their support.’
An unripe fig lay on the path before them. Max picked it up and tossed it into the dense foliage of the grove. ‘If Isabella wasn’t part of the equation I’ve no doubt I’d no longer be welcome in their life.’
‘I don’t agree.’
‘You saw how Giulio was—he still has issues
with me. And who can blame him after everything that has happened?’
At the wooden bridge that ran over a stream and led to the pine forest, Carly looked down into the lightly flowing water. ‘I think right now I’m to blame for Giulio’s unhappiness.’
‘You?’
‘He’s worried that there’s something between us.’
* * *
‘Why would he think that? I’ve visited with a nanny before.’ Even as he said those words, Max felt his pulse quicken. There was an ease between him and Carly that had not been there in his formal and distant relationship with the nannies he had previously employed. An ease Giulio must have picked up on. Guilt caught him by the throat. ‘Giulio should trust me better than that.’
Carly’s head jerked back. He hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, so harshly.
He let out a sigh. ‘I’m sorry...’
She gestured towards the path leading through the woods. ‘I’ll visit Bellagio by myself. There’s no need for you to come. It would be...less complicated.’
He cursed himself for her hurt expression. ‘I’ve many faults but the one thing I never do is break my promise. And I promised to show you Lake Como.’
Carly backed away from him, her hand trailing along the wooden handrail of the bridge. ‘Well, I absolve you of that promise.’
He followed her. ‘I want to show you around.’ His words were out before he had really thought about them. But they were the truth. He did want to show Carly Como, spend some time with her. Especially after everything she had just revealed. How on earth did this beautiful, intelligent and compassionate woman think for a moment that she deserved to be excluded from anyone’s life? And for the first time in years, he was finding it possible to speak to someone, even have some fun. He shoved the guilt that came with that thought deep down inside him and said, ‘And I’ll even laugh at your jokes.’
After a moment’s hesitation Carly turned in the direction of the woods. They walked in silence, their footsteps crunching on fallen pine needles, the warm air thick with the scent of earth and pine, their arms brushing against branches of rhododendrons spilling out over the path.
Resisting the Italian Single Dad Page 8
