Rome is Where the Heart is: An uplifting romantic read, perfect to escape with (From Italy with Love Book 1)

by Tilly Tennant

  Kate shook her head. ‘I couldn’t possibly. . .’

  Anna folded her hands over one another in her lap and held Kate in a frank gaze. ‘I thought you’d say that. What are you going to do for money when you get to Rome?’

  ‘I’ll work.’

  ‘Immediately? You have a job already. . . one that pays enough for this apartment you’re getting?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So this money will come from thin air?’

  ‘It’ll be a struggle but—’

  ‘Why struggle? You deserve some happiness. You have the man so why not have the rest?’

  Kate was thoughtful for a moment. Then she broke into a slow smile. ‘Are you actually admitting that you like Alessandro?’

  ‘He’s alright,’ Anna said. ‘I have to say that coming to England to put everyone’s mind at ease was a lovely thing to do and it shows he must care for you a great deal. Lily adores him now she’s met him. Christian liked him too. . .’

  ‘But did you like him? I already know everyone else does – you’re the one I want to win over.’

  ‘If you must run off to Italy then I suppose there are worse men to do it with.’

  It was as close to an admission as Kate was going to get. She leapt up from the sofa and gave Anna a hug. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I haven’t done anything.’

  ‘You’ve made me feel better about leaving. I would have hated to go knowing you didn’t approve.’

  ‘Oh, I still think you’re mad. But at least I can see why you’re so keen to do it.’

  ‘It’s not just Alessandro. You can’t imagine how wonderful Rome is until you visit, and I can’t wait to make my new life there. Even without him I would want to go.’

  ‘But having him there helps, I imagine. . .’

  Kate smiled. ‘Of course. It’s a very big bonus.’

  ‘Changing the subject will not put me off the scent, though. You need money, and I know you don’t have it.’

  ‘I do need it, but I’m not taking yours.’

  ‘Think of it as a loan to make me happy. If I know you have some financial security I won’t worry about you as much. Now I don’t have to worry about the man, I’ll be worrying about how you’re feeding yourself if you don’t let me help.’

  ‘Alessandro’s family will feed me – they love feeding people!’

  Anna frowned. ‘You know what I mean. I’m talking about your general well-being. I don’t think a few lunches will be enough.’

  ‘I’m not taking it.’

  ‘Argh! You can be so infuriating!’

  ‘I think we established that a long time ago.’ Anna didn’t reply, but glowered at her so severely that Kate couldn’t help bursting into laughter. ‘If you ever look at Christian like that he must be in a constant state of terror!’

  Kate could see that her sister was trying valiantly not to crack, but eventually Anna began to laugh too. ‘What am I going to do with you?’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘Me neither.’

  ‘You’ll miss me when I’m gone, though.’

  ‘I will – more than you know.’ She paused, and her voice was earnest when she spoke again. ‘Please take at least some of the money. Not all of it, but something to fall back on. I know you need it and I can’t stand the thought that I’m just sitting on what could make a huge difference for you out there. And if you won’t let me gift it to you then let me lend it.’

  Kate chewed her lip for a moment as she studied her. She could see it meant a lot to her, and she couldn’t ignore the idea that this represented Anna finally giving her blessing to her and Alessandro. ‘You’re not going to let this drop, are you?’

  ‘No. So if you want to shut me up you’d better sit with me now and we’ll work out how much you need to make this crazy dream of yours come true.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Summer had turned into autumn, but the change in season served only to intensify the stifling heat as Kate stepped off the plane and hurried across the tarmac of Fiumicino Airport. There was the baggage carousel to get past, of course, and passport control, and all the other travellers to contend with, and she didn’t know how she was going to keep her sanity as impatience overwhelmed her. But keep it she must, because the prize waiting for her if she did was worth a thousand frustrating journeys through a thousand packed airports. A new life was just through the arrivals lounge, dazzling and wonderful, and she couldn’t wait to get started. The teach-yourself-Italian podcasts had been listened to over and over during the weeks leading up to her flight, which had given her something to do during all those long evenings when she’d had to stay in Anna’s spare room to save money once her own house had gone and wanted to keep from being too much of a nuisance to Anna and Christian. The days had been taken up by a temporary job with an agency at a doctor’s surgery along with bits of sewing she’d taken in. She’d actually quite enjoyed the change of the surgery, knowing that it wasn’t forever and that every bit of cash she earned made a difference to the dream she was constructing, turning it into a reality at last. She’d been reading about Italian property law, immigration policies, and employment and self-employment rules, and had even been to her local bank to talk about small business start-ups in other countries (although the advisor had been a little flustered by the nature of her request and had clearly been out of her depth). Anna, despite giving her blessing and financial help, had done her best to persuade Kate to drag things on at home for as long as possible. Kate knew it was just because parting would be so hard for them, and it proved to be, with tears at the airport on her departure, despite everyone’s assertion that she was only a couple of hours away and they would see each other soon for visits. But there would never be the perfect time, and Kate was afraid that if she waited for it, she would never go.

  In the arrivals hall now, Kate scanned the crowds, her heart thudding in her chest, almost dizzy with excitement. Alessandro had apologised profusely that he was on shift and unable to meet her from the plane, but that was OK. She would see him later and although Lucetta meeting her from the flight wasn’t quite the same, she was just as excited to see her for all that this day represented. They had planned to have lunch with Signora Conti and Abelie first at their home, and then Lucetta would take her to meet her new landlord and get the keys to her apartment. Her apartment. It didn’t seem possible that this was her life she was talking about. She was getting an apartment in Rome. This incredible, vibrant city was going to be her home from now on.

  A hand appeared above the heads of others waiting to greet friends, relatives or simply transfer customers, waving frantically.

  ‘Kate!’ she called, and Kate homed in on Lucetta’s broad smile. She looked as glamorous and effortlessly stylish as always in a pure white linen dress that virtually no one else could have pulled off, her olive skin glowing and her long dark hair falling in glorious waves around her shoulders. Her husband-to-be was a very lucky man.

  Kate broke out into a grin of her own – a grin so wide it threatened to pull free of her face. She began to run, weaving through the crowds, dragging her case behind her. The two women threw themselves into each other’s arms like lifelong friends.

  ‘Welcome back to Roma!’ Lucetta cried.

  ‘I can’t believe I actually made it back!’ Kate said. ‘I feel sure that if you pinch me now I’ll wake up in my house in Manchester.’

  Lucetta laughed. ‘Then I will not pinch you.’ She glanced down at Kate’s only suitcase. ‘Do you have more luggage?’

  ‘No, just this.’

  Lucetta frowned.

  ‘The rest is in the hands of the removal firm,’ Kate smiled, guessing Lucetta’s next question. ‘I wasn’t planning on starting a new life on one suitcase, though I don’t have a lot more to come if I’m honest. I tried to get rid of a lot of my belongings so that I wouldn’t have to move too much here – trying to keep the cost down.’

  Lucetta gave a sage nod. ‘You can buy things here. I
will show you the best places.’

  ‘Thank you!’ Kate slipped her arm through Lucetta’s. It was strange, but only a few months ago she wouldn’t have dreamed of being so familiar with Alessandro’s sister. She’d found her unapproachable and rather terrifying, if anything, but now she saw a different side to her. Kate guessed that she had just been looking out for Alessandro, as Anna had been doing for Kate, and she couldn’t blame her for that. It made her a good person, and her actions since had confirmed that. ‘How’s everything at home?’ she asked as they walked.

  ‘Good,’ Lucetta said. ‘Mamma is waiting to meet you later, and she will cook dinner to welcome you back.’

  Kate smiled. Signora Conti was still unconvinced that Kate was the right woman for Alessandro, despite her commitment to moving nearby and Alessandro’s continued attempts to win her over to the idea. It wasn’t personal, though, and her offer to cook for Kate showed that at least she was trying. It would take time, but together they would convince her.

  ‘Alessandro has given her so many flowers this week she does not know where to put them,’ Lucetta continued. ‘He is trying to make her happy so she will be kind to you, but she will be kind to you anyway because that is Mamma’s way.’

  ‘I can just imagine him doing that. He pretends to be a tough policeman but he’s really just a softie.’

  ‘Softie?’ Lucetta asked. Kate laughed.

  ‘Not as tough as he thinks he is.’

  ‘Ah!’ Lucetta joined in with a giggle. ‘I will learn your funny English words.’

  ‘I should really be learning funny Italian ones, not teaching you mine. It’d be more useful. My attempts at teaching myself aren’t going that well, but I never was good at picking up languages at school. My French teacher despaired of me – said I was unteachable.’

  ‘It will be different living here. You will hear it all the time and you will soon learn.’

  ‘I hope so, because things might get difficult if I don’t. Not least talking to your mother.’

  ‘We will help,’ Lucetta said. She gave Kate’s arm a gentle squeeze. ‘Here. . .’ she added, stopping at the glass exit doors of the arrivals hall. ‘I will get my car and you will wait.’

  ‘Where?’ Kate asked, blinking at a wall of white cabs as they stepped out into the sunshine.

  But Lucetta didn’t reply – she simply grinned at Kate.

  ‘What?’ Kate asked. ‘What have I done wrong?’

  The next moment Kate’s eyes were covered by a pair of large hands. Instinctively she spun around, fists flailing, certain she was about to be mugged.

  ‘Kate!’ Lucetta squealed. ‘Look!’

  Kate stopped, hands balled in mid-air in front of her. Not that it would have been much of a punch if she’d thrown it, but she was glad she hadn’t. Alessandro stood before her, grinning broadly. ‘Oh!’ she breathed. And then she threw herself into his arms.

  When they had finished kissing, Kate glanced around to see that Lucetta was staring very deliberately at a nearby sign giving parking directions to visitors.

  ‘You are a wildcat,’ Alessandro said with that gently mocking smile. ‘I was afraid for my life just now.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Kate laughed self-consciously. ‘I thought I was being kidnapped. I wasn’t expecting you to be here.’

  Lucetta smiled. ‘We were dishonest with you.’

  Kate opened her mouth to reply, but Alessandro spoke first. ‘I had to work, but one of my colleagues stepped in when I told him why I wanted to be here today. But I did not know until this morning and I thought it would be a happy surprise.’

  ‘It’s alright. You’re making a habit of surprising me. You are allowed to let me have some warning you’re going to turn up sometimes, you know.’

  Alessandro pulled her close and kissed her again. ‘No more surprises.’

  ‘Not no more,’ Kate said, smiling up at him. ‘Sometimes is OK.’

  He leaned in to kiss her again, but mid-kiss Kate felt him jump back sharply. They both looked around to see Lucetta grinning. Alessandro rubbed at his head where his sister had just rapped her knuckles on it.

  ‘Lucetta!’ he cried, and she let out a raucous giggle.

  ‘You can kiss later,’ she said, wagging a finger at them. ‘All of the night. Now we must go to my car.’

  Kate smiled as Alessandro took the handle of her suitcase in one hand and reached for her with the other. A feeling of great warmth and contentment spread through her. They say home is where the heart is, but she had never really understood that more than she did right now. Kate’s heart was in Rome, and she had the strongest feeling as they walked together behind Lucetta, the sun on their backs, her hand enveloped in Alessandro’s, that it always would be.

  A Letter from Tilly

  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Rome Is Where the Heart Is as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was a very different book for me; I usually write stories firmly set in England, so it has been an adventure and an excuse to lose myself in another culture. I hope that you’ve enjoyed getting lost there too with Kate and her new friends. If you liked Rome Is Where the Heart Is, the best and most amazing thing you can do to show your appreciation is to tell your friends. Or tell the world with a few words on a social media site, or a review. That would make me smile for at least a week. In fact, hearing that someone loved my story is the main reason I write at all.

  If you ever want to catch up with me on social media, you can find me on Twitter or Facebook, but if you don’t fancy that, you can sign up to my mailing list and will get all the latest news that way. I promise never to hassle you about anything but my books. The link is below:

  Tilly Tennant email sign-up

  So, thank you for reading my little book, and I hope to see you in Rome again soon!

  Love, Tilly x

  @TillyTenWriter

  TillyTennant

  Also By Tilly Tennant

  From Italy with Love series:

  A Wedding in Italy

  Honeybourne series:

  The Little Village Bakery

  Christmas at the Little Village Bakery

  Mishaps in Millrise series:

  Little Acts of Love

  Just Like Rebecca

  The Parent Trap

  And Baby Makes Four

  Once Upon a Winter series:

  The Accidental Guest

  I’m Not in Love

  Ways to Say Goodbye

  One Starry Night

  Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn

  The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

  Mishaps and Mistletoe

  A Wedding in Italy

  Available Now…

  Sun, spaghetti and sparkling prosecco. When it comes to finding love, there’s no place like Rome...

  Kate is living the dream with her gorgeous boyfriend Alessandro in his native city, but the reality is sometimes a little less romantic than she’d hoped. Every day in her new home is a fight against leaking pipes, her cantankerous landlord and her less-than-perfect grasp of the Italian lingo.

  All around her there is talk of weddings, but when a secret from her past is thrust out into the open, Kate must fight to prove to Alessandro’s Mamma – and the rest of his formidable family – that she truly is Italian marriage material.

  With the women in Alessandro’s life on a mission to break them apart, the cracks begin to show and Kate starts to question if Alessandro really is the man of her dreams. Can love and the city of romance conquer all, or is that just a fairy-tale?

  Let Rome steal your heart this summer in this gorgeously romantic escapist read. Perfect for fans of Jo Thomas and Abby Clements.

  What everyone’s saying about Tilly Tennant:

  'Wonderful characters which make you want to befriend them and a storyline which left me wanting more.’ The Reading Shed

  'What an absolute gem of a book. A lovely feel-good story.' Stef Loz Book Blog

  'Observant, insightful, humorous, and heart squeezing. I adored her hum
or.' Books and Bindings

  'Every page of this novel was a delight to read...I loved this book, it picked me out of my wintertime blues!' The Anxious Canadian

  'Superb! The perfect romance for everyone ... I highly recommend it!' Urban Book Reviews

  'Wow! Such a wonderful feel good story effortlessly transporting me to Rome. Loved every word!' Renita D'Silva

  'This book was an absolute pleasure to read – I devoured it in one sitting!' The Reading Shed

  'I absolutely loved this.' Well Read Pirate

  'Bloody brilliant… Oh I just enjoyed everything about it! 5 stars!' I Love Reading

  'A feel good festive romance.' Bookworms and Shutterbugs

  Available Now…

  'Another feel-good story from Tilly Tennant. It felt like diving in to a book with long lost friends.' Krafti Reader

  The Little Village Bakery

  A feel good romantic comedy with plenty of cake

  Help yourself to a generous slice of Victoria sponge, a perfect cup of tea and a big dollop of romance. Welcome to The Little Village Bakery.

  Meet Millie. Heartbreak has forced her to make a new start and when she arrives at the old bakery in the little village of Honeybourne she is determined that this will be her home sweet home. Her imagination has been captured by the tumbledown bakery but with no running water and dust everywhere, her cosy idea of making cakes in a rural idyll quickly crumbles.