Has Angie told you about Christmas? I know she’s planning to get your parents over. Will you be coming too? If so, do you want me to go away somewhere? I don’t want to make things awkward for you, although I know I would love to see you again.
Your call.
Corrado
Jo spent an hour wondering how to reply. In spite of what she had told Angie, she felt pretty sure she should be able to get at least a week off at Christmas and the idea of the family getting together was appealing. It was considerate of him to offer to disappear, but Christmas was a time for families, not for being alone, even with a loveable black dog as company for him. After two cups of tea and a slice of toast, she finally made up her mind.
Dear Corrado
I hope to be able to come over to Rome for Christmas. Thanks for offering to go away, but I wouldn’t want to separate you from your family at such a time. No, if I manage to come, I’m sure I’ll be able to cope with seeing you again.
As for Richard (Ricky) Paris, I know him quite well. He’s a very nice guy. What are you seeing him about (or is it a trade secret?)?
Jo
She didn’t hear back from him until the next day. After all, it must have been very late by the time he’d received her email. His reply was interesting.
Dear Jo
Thanks for being so understanding. I do hope you can come and I promise to be on my very best behaviour. As for Professor Paris, we are talking about plastics and how to dispose of them. He’s a world expert on that sort of thing. I’ll say hi to him from you.
If you do come at Christmas, I can guarantee you a very warm welcome from your four-legged friend. She’s lying at my feet at the moment and I’m sure she’s dreaming of you. I do.
Corrado
I do. Jo read these two words over and over again, wondering what they meant. In the end, her logical self won out over her limbic system and she decided it must be a sexual thing, just him remembering some of the wonderful nights they had spent together – and they had been wonderful. If she were totally honest with herself, she, too, had had such dreams, but she knew they were best ignored, so she didn’t respond. After all, he had made it quite clear there wasn’t going to be anything else between them.
As the days ticked by, Jo made up her mind to accept the invitation to the family get-together in Rome, even though this would bring her into contact with Corrado once more. She mentioned the possibility of going to Rome for Christmas to Waltraud and was pleased to hear she had no objections. Then, one day in late November, just as Jo was checking flights and groaning at the way the prices for the Christmas period had all shot up, Waltraud dropped into her office with some very good news.
‘You know you were talking about going to see your family in Rome at Christmas? Well, I wonder if you felt like killing two birds with one stone. A friend of mine at the European Commission has just been in touch to see if we could send one of our experts to a climate change summit that’s taking place in Milan on the twenty-second, just three days before Christmas for crying out loud! God knows why they’ve waited until the last minute to contact us. Under normal circumstances, I’d tell them we can’t, but it occurred to me that it might suit you. That way, you could go on from there to Rome and then fly back here after the holidays.’ She gave Jo a smile. ‘And the EU will pay for your flights and your expenses.’
This sounded amazing, but daunting. ‘What would I be expected to do?’
‘I’ll forward the briefing papers I’ve been sent. By the sound of it, they just want you to sit on a panel of experts to answer any questions thrown at you by the EU heads of state.’
Jo gulped. ‘Heads of state?’
Waltraud nodded. ‘And before you say it, you’ll be fine. Trust me, I wouldn’t suggest you for this if I didn’t think you were up to it. And the fact that you speak Italian’s going to be very much in your favour as well. Besides, I can sort you out with a whole heap of statistics you can use to bamboozle them if you run into trouble.’ She grinned. ‘Honestly, you’ll do fine. Besides, you’ve already proved your credentials with the Italian media so you know that’ll go well if you’re approached.’
Jo took a few deep breaths and said yes, but as the days counted down to her departure, she found herself feeling more and more nervous. And, of course, she had two things to worry about now: the summit and Corrado. She wasn’t sure which of the two was scarier.
She flew across to Milan on the nineteenth of December. It turned out to be a remarkably comfortable flight in Business Class and she even managed to sleep for a few hours. She was met upon arrival by a uniformed driver in a black Mercedes, who delivered her to her hotel in the city centre. She then had a few hours to herself to visit the stunning cathedral and to do a bit of shopping. Everywhere she looked, there were Christmas decorations, and there was a decidedly festive air about the place. That evening she attended the opening drinks party and was delighted to see a very familiar head looming above the crowd.
‘Jo, hi. It’s great to see you again.’ Ricky appeared at her side and gave her a warm hug.
‘Ricky! I didn’t know you’d be here.’ Jo kissed him on the cheeks.
‘I gather we’re on the “experts” panel together tomorrow.’
‘Well, in that case, I’m counting on you for support. I’m terrified.’
‘No need. You’ll do just great. And, hey, I’ve discovered we have a mutual friend. I met Corrado in Switzerland a few days back and your name came up.’ He gave her a big smile. ‘I may be talking out of turn here, but I definitely got the impression he thinks a lot of you, Jo.’ The smile broadened. ‘And I mean a lot.’
Jo felt herself blushing, but did her best to carry on as if nothing had happened.
‘He’s going to be my brother-in-law. We get on well. I gather you and he were talking business.’
Ricky looked almost embarrassed for a moment.
‘We sure were, but I can’t tell you anything about it for now. But yes, exciting times.’
Jo was intrigued and decided to ask Corrado what it was all about. At least, she thought to herself, it would give them something to talk about when they finally met up.
The summit meeting two days later went remarkably well, and Jo was delighted to discover that she didn’t have to do any TV interviews. By the time all the heads of state and ministers for the environment of the different European countries had arrived, the meeting itself barely lasted three hours and concluded with a late lunch, after which Jo had the surreal experience of finding herself in the ladies’ toilet at the same time as the British Prime Minister. Somehow it had never occurred to her that Prime Ministers needed to go to the toilet.
By mid-afternoon it was all over and she bade farewell to Ricky once again, wishing him and his family a very happy Christmas. Another black saloon delivered her to Milano Centrale station, where she took her seat in the sleek high-speed train that shot her down to Rome in barely three hours. As she emerged from the train at Roma Termini, she found Angie waiting at the end of the platform to greet her. Jo didn’t know whether she was relieved or disappointed it wasn’t Corrado. The two sisters hugged warmly and walked out to the Kiss-and-Ride car park where Mario was waiting with the car. Jo hugged him and found herself smiling broadly. It was really good to see them both again.
It was just after eight o’clock by the time they arrived out at the Country Club. Her mum and dad were staying in Mario’s parents’ villa across on the other side of the estate, while Jo was staying with Angie and Mario. She dumped her suitcase, freshened up, and then they went over to the hotel to meet the others for dinner in a private dining room. As they walked into the room, there was a sudden movement and the next moment a very happy Daisy came charging towards her. Jo dropped down on one knee and hugged the rapturous dog, equally delighted to meet up again. And, of course, she thought to herself as she finally returned to her feet, where there was Daisy, her master would also be.
‘Joanne, sweetheart, you must be exhausted.’ Her mother c
ame across and enveloped her in her arms. ‘How are you?’
Jo hugged her warmly. ‘I’m fine thanks, mum. Far less jet-lagged than I’d been expecting.’
She released her mum and hurried over to hug her dad and then Mario’s mother and father. Finally, she looked round and saw Corrado.
In spite of everything that had happened, in spite of the pain and grief of these past few months, there was no disguising the flash of joy that shot through her at the sight of him. Even her stubborn subconscious couldn’t do anything about this. He was looking as gorgeous as she remembered, no longer dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but in a very smart grey suit. She was still wearing the rather nice formal blue dress she had bought at Macy’s a week earlier and was glad she hadn’t changed into anything more casual. It was only as she approached Corrado that she realised it was the exact same colour as his eyes. She didn’t have time to dwell upon the ramifications of what had made her choose this colour as he stepped towards her and reached out his hand formally. Remembering her decision to keep up the charade that they were still very good friends, she ignored his hand and caught hold of his shoulders and kissed him on the cheeks, much to the delight of her limbic system and the annoyance of her subconscious.
‘Ciao, Corrado.’ She was pleased to hear her voice sounding level.
He smiled back at her. ‘Ciao, Jo. It’s really good to see you again.’ He sounded as if he meant it.
They didn’t have any time to talk as his father, obviously keen to play the perfect host, invited them to all sit down at table. Either by accident or design, Jo found she was sandwiched between her mother and Mario, with Corrado along the table from them so, throughout the meal, they had little opportunity to talk.
It was an excellent dinner and the two families soon bonded. Jo was impressed to hear her mum resurrecting her rusty Italian to speak to Mario’s mum, while Mario’s father produced some pretty comprehensible English. The two fathers appeared to be hitting it off and Jo was delighted. Angie looked absolutely radiant and Jo even wondered for a minute if she might be pregnant, but as she was drinking wine, Jo assumed it was just the pleasure of seeing her parents and her future in-laws getting on so well together. From time to time, Jo felt Corrado’s eyes on her, but for the most part, she avoided eye contact with him.
Finally, as the pudding plates were replaced by coffee cups and liqueur glasses, Mario announced that he would be taking his future in-laws on a whistle-stop tour of the Eternal City the next day and Jo was welcome to join them. She declined the invitation as she was starting to feel very tired now after all the travelling and the stress of the summit. She decided she would have a long lie-in and then spend the day with her sister, catching up and helping to make preparations for the Christmas party planned for that evening at Mario’s house. This, apparently, would be for a load of their friends, some of whom Jo had met briefly at the pool party that summer. That seemed a very long time ago.
The dinner party broke up at around ten-thirty and Jo said good night to everybody, including Corrado and the dog, and went home with Mario and Angie. As she stripped off her dress and went into the bathroom, she breathed a big sigh of relief that things between her and Corrado hadn’t been too strained. Of course, she still had five more days to go before she flew back to the States.
Chapter 25
Angie and Mario’s Christmas party started at eight and Jo had been busy all afternoon helping to move furniture, prepare canapés, hang Christmas decorations and set out glasses and plates. Mario had been out most of the day with their parents and there was no sign of Corrado. Jo toyed with the idea of opening up to her sister about exactly what had happened on their sailing holiday, in particular how it had ended, but she decided to keep this to herself. Everything appeared to be going very well and she had no intention of making waves.
It turned out to be quite a big party and Mario had even rented a mobile disco. Fortunately, it was a dry night, and although it certainly wasn’t anything like as cold as New York outside, it wasn’t a balmy summer evening by any means. Even so, as the party heated up, so did the house and soon the French windows into the terrace were all open, with people standing, sitting and dancing outside as well.
Jo had slept remarkably well the previous night and was feeling relatively relaxed – apart from the lurking fear of sooner or later finding herself alone with Corrado. He put in an appearance with Daisy at seven-thirty, but they were all so busy making the final preparations that Jo and he barely exchanged greetings. This was actually quite a relief to her. She didn’t really know how she would react as and when she finally found herself alone with him, but she had to admit that she was surprised how little anger she now felt towards him. Whether this was just the passage of time or the success of her first few months in America was hard to assess. Nevertheless, she was happy to put off talking to him for as long as possible.
Angie had warned her in advance that they were planning a party and Jo had come prepared with two dresses – one lightweight and one thicker in case it was cold. She chose the lighter one and had no regrets as the temperature in the house rose and she found herself being dragged onto the dance floor by a string of cheery Romans. At the end of one particularly energetic dance, she thanked her dancing partner and slipped out onto the terrace for a breather.
She was happy to take a little break, sitting on the edge of a huge terracotta plant pot containing an olive tree, as she relaxed in the night air. It was cold, but not too cold. Her moment of relaxation was soon interrupted by the arrival of a slightly older man. He was carrying a glass of wine and, from the colour of his cheeks, it wasn’t the first one he had drunk. He gave her a smile and held out his hand.
‘Good evening. My name’s Paolo. I saw you all alone and I thought I’d come and talk to you, to see if you’re all right.’
She stood up and shook his hand. ‘Good evening, Paolo. That’s very kind of you. My name’s Jo. I’m Angie’s sister and I’m pleased to say I’m fine. I was just getting a breath of air.’
Paolo took a step back and looked at her with renewed interest. To her surprise, he then proceeded to walk all the way round her in a circle, his eyes glued to her, studying her in great detail. Seeing the expression on her face, he was quick to explain.
‘Do excuse me. I just had to take a good look at the famous Jo, the heartbreaker.’
Jo gave him a quizzical look. ‘I think you may have me confused with somebody else, Paolo.’
He took a big mouthful of wine and Jo rather wished she’d got a glass of her own. This had the makings of an awkward conversation.
‘You’re Jo, who went sailing with Corrado this August, right?’
Jo nodded, wondering how he came to know this. She soon found out.
‘I’m sorry, I should explain: I’m Corrado’s Finance Director and I’ve known him for years. We’re very close.’
‘I see. So, you were the man Corrado had lunch with at Porto Santo Stefano.’
‘That’s right.’ He drained his glass and looked round for a top-up, without success. ‘He talked a lot about you. It was easy to tell he was head over heels in love with you and then you just went off and left him. Broke his heart.’
Jo was stunned. ‘I didn’t do anything of the sort. I had the offer of a job in New York and I took it, that’s all.’ She very nearly went on to tell him that it had been Corrado who had told her to take the job and that if anybody’s heart had been broken, it had been hers, but she decided it was no business of Paolo’s.
‘Well, whatever happened, the result is that you broke his heart.’ He shook his head sadly and Jo felt her temper rise.
‘How can you say that? It wasn’t like that at all.’ She could hear her voice getting shrill and she made a conscious effort to cool things down. ‘It really wasn’t. But what makes you say he’s heartbroken? He looks all right to me.’
By this time, she got the impression Paolo was beginning to regret embarking upon this subject.
�
��It’s a sham, an illusion. I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the past few months and I’ve seen him at his lowest. We’ve been talking a lot about you and every time it gets to him.’
‘You’ve been talking about me?’
This time she couldn’t miss the guilty expression on his face. ‘I’m sorry, I’m speaking out of turn. Please forget what I’ve said. It was nothing.’
He suddenly looked so ashamed, she felt sorry for him.
‘It’s forgotten, Paolo. Don’t give it another thought. I still think you’re wrong, but forget it.’
He managed a little smile before he turned away. ‘I’m very sorry, Jo. I shouldn’t have said all those things. It’s none of my business. But I can see why he’s so infatuated with you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen all night… all day.’
Jo patted him on the arm and smiled back at him. ‘Thank you, Paolo.’
As he scuttled off guiltily, she found herself turning over in her head what he had just said. Why on earth, she asked herself, had he used the present tense when he had told her Corrado was infatuated? Surely that was long gone, if it had ever existed?
Just then, she saw Angie appear with a bottle of Prosecco and two glasses.
‘Hi. Jo. I’ve got to sit down. My feet in these shoes are killing me. Remind me never to wear heels ever again and certainly never to dance in them.’ She led Jo to a nearby table and the two of them sat down. Angie slipped off her shoes with a sigh of relief, filled the two glasses and looked across at Jo.
‘So, sis, how’s it going?’
‘I’m fine, Angie, but I’ve just been having a strange conversation with a man called Paolo, Corrado’s Finance Director.’
‘I just saw him. I think he’s had a few too many glasses of wine. He’s a nice guy and a close friend of Corrado’s, but he’s always had a bit of a drink problem. Why, what did he say?’
Jo took a deep breath. ‘He said Corrado’s heartbroken, and it’s my fault.’
Dreaming of Rome Page 27