He said nothing for a moment but simply leaned on the doorframe, arms folded, and looked at her. Naturally, he was immaculate in a cashmere sweater over an open-necked white shirt, with snug jeans accentuating his delectable body. His dark hair had been cut shorter, and it made him look younger, almost boyish.
“Do you need a hand?” he asked at last.
“No…thank you.” She stuffed the remaining papers in a drawer and turned off the computer.
“You look exhausted.”
“I am. We’re opening the restaurant ahead of time; there’s a lot to organize, but I think we’re on course. I didn’t know you were arriving today.”
“I managed to rearrange some meetings last week and got away a day early.”
“Well…that’s good…isn’t it?” She cleared her throat, not knowing what to say or think. At last, she raised her eyes to him and saw only softness and love.
“Come here, Amy,” he commanded her, and slowly, she moved from behind the desk and came to stand in front of him. He lifted her chin and looked into her tear-filled eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Wordlessly, he kissed her and then took her into a deep, healing embrace. The warmth of his body, the scent of him as he held her, the beat of his heart under her cheek left her weak with relief. This was a moment she had feared might never come, and for a while, she was incapable of doing more than stand there, her arms around him, fighting for control of her emotions.
“Come for a walk?” he asked at last.
“Yes. I’ll get my coat.”
Hand in hand, they walked along the canal to the waterfront, and when they came to a bench, Alessandro pulled her to sit beside him.
“I need to tell you some things about my background, Amy, things which have wrongly been kept secret because my…mother…is terrified of scandal.”
“I know she is. She berated me for turning up with your child and is obviously still very angry about your divorce.”
“She has been angry at me from the moment she set eyes on me. You see, she isn’t my real mother. She either couldn’t or wouldn’t have children, and how my father has tolerated her foul temper and spiteful nature for so long, I really can’t imagine.”
“So…you were adopted?”
“No. My father had an affair with a young woman who worked at the house. I believe he was truly in love with her, and she became pregnant with me. He apparently asked Dolores for a divorce, and she threatened him with the biggest scandal he could imagine. She said she would say he was a violent husband and that she would reveal some rather unsavory business dealings in which he had unfortunately been involved and which, at that time, would have destroyed him and possibly even put him in prison. It was outright blackmail, but he gave in to her on condition that when I was born, my mother and I would live nearby, that I would have his name, and that she would never stop him having contact with us.”
“What happened?” asked Amy, totally intrigued.
“When I was born, my mother died of a hemorrhage. My father was devastated and naturally took me to live with him and Dolores. As it happened, Dolores had been away for several months and returned a few days after my birth—so my father insisted that they could pass me off as her baby since no one had seen her for a while anyway. I’m sure most people knew what had happened, but in ‘polite society,’ nothing was said, and I was accepted as their child. But she hated me all my life. She still does. That’s why she bullied my father to tell you those lies and send you away. She thought you were below her class and that her friends would look down on her if I married someone who wasn’t on the ‘A’ list. And anyway, she couldn’t bear the thought that I might be happy.”
Amy stared out across the lagoon, thinking that in her story, it was Prince Charming who had the wicked stepmother.
“I am sorry, darling.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I had no idea what a minefield I was meddling with. But your father…he obviously adores you.”
“Yes, I’m sure he does. He’s always had my best interests at heart, but Dolores has dominated him and blackmailed him for forty years. He taught me the business and handed it over to me when he retired. Since then, it has tripled in value, and now it’s clean of anything underhanded. However, since he left the business, I have had little contact with either of them, just the odd duty visit. So you see, I have a lot to learn about how families and friendships work. No one ever taught me, and when I came here and saw you with your friends, and how you were with James and Donna, I just craved to be a part of a family.”
“And I kept running out on you.”
“Papa!”
“James.”
The little boy came running along the towpath with Donna and Sonya in tow and flung himself into Alessandro’s arms. “Have you come to stay, Papa?”
“For a few days.”
“Oh.” His little face fell. “Will you take me to football? There’s a game tomorrow.”
“Of course…if that’s all right, with your Mama?”
“Of course it’s all right. Shall we all go back to the house? It’s getting cold.”
Companionably, they sauntered back, and as they drew near the villa, now with its proud sign “Hotel Maria,” they noticed a removal van outside Constanzo and Simona’s house next door.
“They are moving to their new flat today,” said Sonya. “We shall miss them.”
“Well, they’re not moving far, and they are joining us for New Year and for the gala night,” added Amy.
“I’m going to say goodbye,” yelled James, dashing inside.
“You would never believe he had been so ill,” marveled Alessandro.
A moment later, he reemerged, dragging Constanzo by the hand, closely followed by Simona.
“We have lived here for fifty years,” she told them. “But I am glad it is going to be a family home again—and now I shall only have a small place to clean. The bad news is that I shall also have Constanzo under my feet all day.” She smiled at Alessandro, and he moved forward quickly to take her hand.
“Who bought it?” asked Sonya.
“A lovely young family. You’ll like them.”
“I am sure you will be very happy in your new home,” Alessandro said, shaking Constanzo by the hand.
“I hope so too, Signor. Thank you.”
“We’ll see you the day after tomorrow.” Amy hugged them both. “Good luck. Come on, everyone. I wonder when the new people will be moving in?” she mused as they gathered in the large kitchen. “I should have asked them.”
After mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream had warmed everyone up, Sonya and Donna went home, and James, who had suddenly drooped after so much activity, nodded off on Alessandro’s lap. Together, they put him to bed for an afternoon rest, and then Alessandro insisted Amy should sit opposite him at the kitchen table.
“If I sit close to you, I can’t think straight, and I really want to sort out the plans for the project in Rome. Look, these are the drawings by the architect, which we know will be passed by the authorities; they are desperate to develop the area, which was very run down, and this is just the sort of project they want to encourage.” They pored over the plans, and Amy was delighted with them.
“Good,” grunted Alessandro with satisfaction. “Now, if you will just sign all these papers, we can get on to much more interesting things.”
“Like what?” she asked mischievously, taking his proffered pen.
“Just sign, woman, and then you’ll find out,” he growled.
“My father told me never to sign anything I hadn’t read,” she teased him.
“If you are going to sit there and read all those documents, I think I shall go insane!”
So, she signed everything he put in front of her, aware only of a growing need in both of them, which would not be denied any longer.
The following morning, the day before New Year’s Eve, Alessandro rose early. Amy rolled over sleepily and tried to pull hi
m back to bed, but with a groan, pleading with her to release him, he extracted himself from her arms.
“If you knew how adorable and sexy you look right now,” he murmured, “you would understand what a strong act of will it is taking to leave you. But I have some important things to organize this morning if I am to take James to football later.”
“What things?” she asked.
“Just business. Can I use your office to make some phone calls before I go out?”
“Yes…but surely everyone has gone home now for the holidays?”
“Not the people I need to talk to.”
“You’re being deliberately mysterious.”
With a grin, he went into the adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower. Amy, unable to resist the sight of him naked, flung off the bedclothes and went to join him.
“You wretch.” He pulled her into the steamy cubicle.
It was probably one of the longest showers in history, but eventually, they emerged. Alessandro dressed quickly and left a smiling Amy to do the same.
Somehow, she managed to refocus her mind on the myriad details which still had to be attended to and managed to keep an excited James from over-tiring himself before the big match.
Sonya and Donna arrived a short while later, and as the children went off to play, Sonya inspected her friend with frank curiosity. “You have the look of someone who spent a lot of time in bed but got very little sleep,” she said, smiling.
Amy giggled and blushed. “I really don’t know where this relationship will go,” she admitted, “but if I have to settle for what we have, I will.”
“He’s never mentioned marriage?”
“No. But it really doesn’t matter anymore. You know he had a bad experience, and well, now that I know a bit more about his past, I can understand why he might be rather reticent about marrying again—at least for some time. But I do think he loves me, and that is really all I care about.”
“I am glad for you. Now, we have to tidy up; those darling chefs will be here soon.”
“Yes…I’m delighted with them, but I shall miss having the kitchen to myself. They have definitely made it plain that it will be their territory and that I will be there under sufferance. Getting under their feet will cause tantrums.”
“Gabriel’s coming over this afternoon, so for now, I shall go and help Carmela with my dress. She’s taught me so much about sewing, and now I really quite enjoy it. Wait until you see what we have in mind for the children.”
True to his promise, Gabriel arrived at lunchtime with bags of decorations for the dining room. He popped his head into the office, where Amy was still battling with her new filing system, and she smiled happily at him.
“Ah ha! I take it Alessandro has arrived.”
“Gabriel!” she remonstrated with him. “Didn’t I ever smile before?”
“Not often. Is Sonya here?”
“Yes, she’s helping Carmela with her dress. Gabriel…”
“Yes.”
“You and Sonya…do I sense a change?”
Gabriel suddenly dumped his bags and came to sit opposite Amy in the cramped office. “I can trust you not to breathe a word to her, can’t I? I just need to talk to you, Amy. You see…I can’t stop thinking about her. She haunts my dreams, and when I’m with her, I just want to grab hold of her.”
“Then, why don’t you?”
“I’m not getting the right signals. I don’t know how she feels.”
I do, thought Amy, but I promised not to tell. However, some promises should be broken… "Gabriel, for goodness’ sake, ask her out tonight. Donna can sleep over here on James’s top bunk, and you can spend some time alone together.”
“I’m afraid to ask her, Amy. If she doesn’t feel the same, I risk ruining an important friendship.”
“Gabriel…I had exactly the same conversation with Sonya.”
“You did?” he said, brightening up.
“Just ask her.”
“I will. Thank you, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek just as Sonya walked into the office.
She looked from one to the other, puzzled.
Amy rose and, with a cheeky grin at her friend, left the office, closing the door behind her.
Alessandro reappeared just in time to snatch James and rush off to the football match. The little boy was beside himself with excitement, and Amy had a lump in the throat as she watched them jump into the small launch Alessandro had hired which was waiting with its driver on the canal outside Hotel Maria.
Sonya came up to her as she watched the boat roar away, and there was a definite sparkle in her eyes. "Do you mind if Donna stays over tonight with James? I can hardly believe it, but Gabriel has asked me out to dinner.”
Amy hugged her gleefully. “I’m so glad. It’s about time!”
Arm in arm, they walked back into the villa, where the phone was ringing.
Amy picked up the receiver, and her smile faded to a frown. “Lucia…yes, this is Amy. What is it?” She replaced the receiver a few moments later and sat heavily in a chair.
“Bad news?”
“Yes, it’s Giovanni, Alessandro’s father. He has had another stroke and isn’t expected to survive.”
“Does Alessandro have a mobile phone with him?”
“No. He left it on my desk; he said it was his time off and he didn’t want to be interrupted.”
“Then we have to wait until he gets back. Perhaps you could book him a flight for later this evening?”
“No. He will always get a seat if that’s what he decides to do—he could even charter a small plane—but I am not interfering again. Lucia said Dolores was insisting he return immediately and was shouting and screaming at her down the phone. He may not choose to go back to that.”
“She sounds a witch.”
“She is.” Amy briefly told Sonya about Alessandro’s relationship with Dolores.
“Poor guy. Well, at least now he has you and James.”
“But we live here, and he lives in Rome. And I don’t see how that can change with his business commitments. But that’s a problem for another day. Go and bring Donna’s things over, and then you can spend a couple of hours pampering yourself before this evening.”
“I feel quite nervous,” she said. “Supposing it doesn’t work…”
“Sonya! I happen to know that it will. He’s as mad about you as you are about him. Just go and have fun—you deserve it, and so does Gabriel.”
“Thank you, Amy. I do love you.” She tripped off down the road with a bounce and lightness in her step which brought a warm smile to Amy’s face.
“I hope your life is more straightforward than mine,” she said to herself, wondering how Alessandro would react when he returned home with James.
They didn’t come in until after seven o’clock, and by that time, Amy knew that Giovanni had died peacefully in his sleep. Gently, she sent James to the kitchen and gave him and Donna some supper before taking Alessandro into the living room and shutting the door.
Alessandro looked at her questioningly, and she went to him and put her arms around him. “Alessandro, I couldn’t contact you, but I have to tell you that your father died about an hour ago. He had another stroke this afternoon.”
For a few moments, he stood holding her without saying a word, but then he drew back and looked at her. “I am so glad now that you did what you did. He and I were reconciled, and he met his grandson. Thank you, my love.”
“Will you go back to Rome tonight? Dolores is apparently in a terrible state.”
“I will call her, but she will have her cronies with her for tonight. There is nothing I can do, so no, I shall leave tomorrow, and I expect the funeral will be the day afterwards, as is the custom.”
Amy poured him a drink and sat beside him. “Does this change things for you?”
“The company is now legally mine, with an obligation to give Dolores an allowance for her lifetime—a very generous one—and the house is hers until h
er death, when it reverts to me. None of it seems to matter very much right now. I can’t believe my father is dead.”
They sat staring thoughtfully into the firelight until the children burst in and climbed onto them, demanding a game before bedtime. Amy tried to discourage them, but Alessandro shook his head at her and took them upstairs for a story. He put them both to bed, and when he came down, they ate supper together before going to Amy’s bed, where, for once, they lay quietly in each other’s arms all night. Alessandro slipped away very early to return to Rome, and Amy had no idea when she might see him again.
Chapter Fifteen
Gabriel and Sonya arrived mid-morning to collect Donna. They both had a glow about them, and Amy had no doubt that Gabriel had not returned to his own flat the night before.
Amy told them Giovanni had died and that their New Year’s Eve gathering for the new staff would go ahead without Alessandro. The chefs had already taken over the kitchen, and it was almost impossible for anyone else to go in there without being frowned on.
“I shall have to have a kitchenette fitted into my apartment somehow. I can’t even go into the main kitchen to make coffee!” Amy fretted.
“Perhaps you should look for an apartment like mine,” suggested Sonya. “At least then you would be away from the hotel some of the time.”
“Maybe, but I can cope for the time being? I gather you two had a good evening?” The fact they could barely stay more than two inches from each other and kept touching told her everything she wanted to know.
“We did.” They exchanged a glance, and Amy felt she was distinctly in the way.
“You can leave Donna here for the day, if you have…other things to do. But be here at seven sharp for dinner. Otherwise, I won’t be accountable for the behavior of my chefs.”
“Amy, I promise we will—and thank you.” They floated away, and James and Donna stood watching them from the door.
“I think Gabriel is going to be your papa,” said James. “Then we’ll both have papas.”
Donna looked a little doubtful. ”Does that mean he will live with Mama and me?”
“I don’t know. My papa comes and goes. I wish he did live with us.”
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