Reawakened by the Italian Surgeon

by Scarlet Wilson

  Temptation was running through her veins. It felt like something a sixteen-year-old would do. But she couldn’t pretend it wasn’t a little amusing. Sad thing was, she probably would have bought a number of things in the other store if they’d been a little more friendly. Could she really pull this off?

  He slowed as they approached the main door. Her bags were emblazoned with the name of the store Marie worked at. She guessed it must be a rival. Before she could overthink things, Autumn strode into the store. For a few seconds her wave of confidence evaporated, and then she lifted her head and started to stroll around, looking at the items on the rack.

  Three saleswomen were standing gossiping at the back. As soon as they saw the amount of designer bags she was carrying, two of them were over in a few seconds. One of them was very familiar.

  ‘Welcome, how can we help you?’

  ‘Would you like some coffee? Some wine, perhaps?’

  Autumn gave them a pleasant smile, but didn’t attempt to speak. Didn’t they even recognise her—remember that she’d been in their store only a few hours before? She started walking along the rails, looking at the clothes.

  ‘What about this? It’s one of our finest?’

  One of the women had snatched a white jacket from the rail. It was as about as far removed from any item Autumn would ever wear as it was possible to be.

  Autumn gave a brief shake of her head and kept moving.

  The other woman moved seamlessly ahead of her, picking out a beige formal dress. ‘Something in this shade?’ Before Autumn had a chance to object it was pressed against her. ‘This colour is perfect for you,’ the woman cooed.

  Autumn held up her bags and smiled. ‘No, thank you. You weren’t so helpful when I came in last time, so I shopped elsewhere.’ She moved closer to the door and looked over her shoulder. ‘Such a shame... You have lovely clothes, and I probably would have bought quite a lot.’

  That was enough. That was more than enough.

  She could remember the scene from the film exactly in her head, but she wasn’t about to make any comments about commission.

  Instead she finished with a steady gaze. ‘Being nice is so important. We can have no idea of what kind of day another person has had, and I always try to remember that.’

  She walked out through the door where Giovanni was waiting. ‘You were nice to them,’ he said in a surprised tone. ‘You might even have taught them a lesson.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ she said, just as she heard a sharp voice behind her.

  ‘Giovanni?’

  She turned around in time to see one of the saleswomen, with an expression on her face that was a mixture of pinched and haughty. Her words came out in rapid Italian.

  Giovanni crossed his arms across his chest. His voice was low, deep, and from its tone Autumn could tell he had no intention of getting into a conversation with this woman.

  The woman started throwing her arms about, her voice getting more staccato. Surely he hadn’t said anything that bad? There hadn’t been time.

  Giovanni’s voice remained low and steady. And as the woman kept ranting, he slid his arm into Autumn’s and dropped into English. ‘I think it’s time for a change of scenery and I know just the place.’

  He shot the woman a disdainful glance and started walking. They’d only gone a few steps when another woman approached him.

  Autumn’s head was spinning. What on earth was going on—all she’d wanted was a few dresses!

  But this woman was entirely different. She was small, dressed in jeans and light shirt, with a broad smile across her face. Before Autumn had a chance to catch her breath the woman had flung her arms around Giovanni and stuck a kiss on his cheek. She was talking nineteen to the dozen, but clearly very pleased to see him.

  Autumn was aware of the curious glance she got from her.

  ‘Tua moglie?’ the woman asked.

  There was an awkward pause, then Giovanni shook his head and replied, ‘Un college chirurgo.’

  ‘Ah!’ The woman threw up her hands, grabbed Autumn around the neck and kissed both her cheeks.

  Autumn’s hands were still full of the shopping bags and she was frozen in bewilderment.

  The woman then shook Giovanni’s hand again, before hugging him for a second time and walking down the road with a final wave.

  Autumn was shaking her head. ‘Tell me what just happened!’ she said, trying not to laugh out loud.

  He put his arm around her back and they started walking again. ‘That was the mother of a former patient. I saved her son and she’s never forgotten.’

  Autumn juggled her bags into one hand. ‘And the woman from the store?’

  His eyebrows were raised and there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. ‘Oh, it’s safe to say she hates me, but I never lose a moment’s thought over it. It’s personal.’

  ‘Not now,’ said Autumn quickly. ‘You made me complicit, so you’d better tell me why.’

  He nodded. ‘Fair enough. I found out a few years ago that she was cheating customers—charging even more inflated prices than the designer brand had set for their clothes. One of Anna’s friends suffered badly from postnatal depression. One of her ways of coping was buying designer clothes frequently and putting them at the back of the cupboard where they wouldn’t be found. The family ended up in a large amount of debt.’

  He’d mentioned his wife easily, and Autumn shifted a little on her feet. There was always chatter in the hospital. People mentioning how beautiful Anna had been, or what a great doctor she’d been to work with. But things seemed different when it was Giovanni talking about his ex-wife. She didn’t like the way it made her feel. Why was that?

  ‘What did you do?’ she asked.

  He sighed. ‘When she asked Anna for help, we discovered the unworn clothes. They still had their tags and the original receipts in the bags. It didn’t take long for us to notice that the prices of the items didn’t match the prices on the handwritten receipts.’

  Autumn’s eyes widened. ‘That woman did that?’

  Giovanni nodded as they walked. ‘Celeste—yes. When I confronted her about clearly taking advantage of a vulnerable individual she was furious. But we had all the evidence. The store gave her the choice of paying back the difference to Anna’s friend or facing criminal charges.’

  ‘And did she pay the money back?’

  Giovanni nodded. ‘She did—and then the store sacked her.’

  Autumn’s footsteps faltered. She squinted her head back. ‘So she hasn’t always worked in the store I was just in?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, she’s only worked there for the last year, but I heard she was up to her old tricks again.’

  Autumn frowned. ‘Darn it. Now I want to go back and make more of a scene.’

  He rested his other hand on her arm and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Actually, I shouldn’t have encouraged you. You were much nicer than I thought you might be. I wish I could say that might have taught her a lesson, but I seriously doubt it.’

  They reached a taxi stand and he opened the door of the vehicle at the front. ‘After you.’

  The taxi driver rushed around and opened the boot, taking Autumn’s many bags from her as she climbed in.

  It was nice to get out of the heat for a bit and she settled back in the seat. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

  Giovanni slid in beside her. ‘How much of the city have you seen? Have you had time to do anything?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘So, it might be too hot to go tramping around the sights, but we can have a casual drink with your favourite place in view. Take your pick.’

  She pressed her lips together, thinking hard. ‘Either the Vatican or the Colosseum. But I’m not sure what the surrounding areas are like.’

  He gave her an approving nod. ‘Go with your heart. I’l
l find us somewhere good. I’ve lived here all my life.’

  She closed her eyes for a second then gave a smile. ‘The Colosseum, then.’

  Giovanni gave some instructions to the driver, and half an hour later led her up some steps to a private rooftop bar, a few streets away from the Colosseum.

  She sat down on a plush cream seat, with a large parasol shading them from the hot sun. There was only one other couple on the rooftop and the view of the Colosseum and surrounding bell towers was spectacular.

  ‘Wow...’ she breathed as she sat back and relaxed.

  Giovanni was on the bench seat next to her, his leg close to hers, and he looked over the half-formed structure and smiled widely. ‘It’s magnificent, isn’t it?’

  A waiter appeared and handed them both menus, but Autumn’s eyes were still on the Colosseum. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sight.

  Giovanni spoke to the waiter in rapid Italian and he disappeared. She wanted to pinch herself as she stole a glance at Giovanni. She’d noticed the looks he’d got on the street from women, who gave him more than a passing stare.

  Whilst she’d been looking for clothes that morning she’d tried to push all thoughts of him from her mind, but then, like magic, he’d appeared, and her wardrobe worries had vanished. Now she was in the perfect place. She just wasn’t sure if the man sitting next to her thought he was in the perfect place too.

  * * *

  The waiter brought two glasses of chilled white wine and put them on the shaded table. Giovanni watched as Autumn took a sip from her glass and visibly relaxed.

  A smile danced across her face as she looked back at the imposing view. ‘I can’t quite believe I’m here,’ she said quietly. She tipped her head to one side and held up one hand. ‘This is right in front of me... Built more than two thousand years ago, a place packed with history where more than fifty thousand people would watch gladiators fight.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I can almost hear the roar if I try and concentrate.’

  He loved that. He loved it that he’d shown her a tiny part of Rome and she was instantly trying to soak it up. He was also feeling a little guilty about what he’d asked her to do earlier.

  He’d put most of his life with Anna behind him. But Celeste’s manipulation of Anna’s friend still made his blood boil.

  When he’d heard Autumn’s voice on the phone, he had instantly recognised the uncertainty and hurt in her tone. It had struck harder than he could ever have expected. Why? Did he feel protective of his fellow surgeon because he felt responsible for bringing her here and wanted to ensure she stayed for the surgery? That was the easiest explanation. But it didn’t quite ring true.

  As soon as Autumn had explained where she was, he had known exactly how she was being treated. Giovanni always tried to be logical. First solve the outstanding issue, then go back and deal with the original problem. That was what he always tried to do. But Autumn had handled things better than he had. Every time he found out more about her, it sparked something inside him.

  ‘Bring many people up here?’

  Her voice floated through his thoughts. He turned to her with a smile. ‘Not many. But the view speaks for itself.’

  She held out one hand. ‘So does the shade, and...’ she raised her glass ‘...the wine. This is a beautiful place to relax.’

  He leaned forward a bit, a teasing edge to his tone. ‘What? You don’t want to stand in a long queue in the searing heat?’

  She shuddered. ‘Tell me that I can do a tour at night some time. That would be perfect.’

  He could see her imagining it in her head.

  ‘You know...standing inside as the night air cools and the sun is setting behind me. I can just imagine it.’

  ‘Sounds romantic.’ The words were out before he had a real chance to consider them.

  Her gaze shifted from the building to him. She gave a thoughtful smile. ‘Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic and you’ve just not discovered that yet.’

  There was something about sitting under this cool shaded parasol while the world baked around them... From the moment he’d met her there had been an instant attraction—one he’d tried his best not to act on—but the glances, the smiles, the teasing tones and the full body contact were making it very hard for him to continue to fight something he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to fight.

  Anna was long since gone, and the memories of their deteriorating relationship had left scars in his brain. Whilst there had been a few passing flings, there had never been anyone who had met Sofia. He’d deliberately never taken that step before. But Autumn had already crossed that bridge. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  All he could concentrate on right now was this woman with her soft brown hair and oh-so-green eyes, dressed in blue capri pants and an orange top, with her sunglasses pushed up on top of her head. She was so close he could see some tiny freckles across the bridge of her nose.

  ‘What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?’ he asked, his voice low.

  She blinked, and he saw something flash across her eyes. The soft cushions on the bench seat seemed to push them closer together. The smile she gave him looked kind of sad.

  ‘I’ve not really done anything romantic. Just the normal thing—a few nice dinners.’ She gave a shrug. ‘Nothing big. Nothing spectacular. I guess I’ve just not really been in that kind of relationship.’

  Something pinged hard in his heart. In front of him was a gorgeous, intelligent woman. But she hadn’t ever had those moments. Giovanni was struck by that. He could think of any number of romantic moments—silly things, gestures that had struck him at the time as a memory to keep and savour. Some before Anna, some with Anna, and a few after. But Autumn couldn’t think of any?

  ‘Didn’t a boy ever make you a daisy chain when you were a girl?’ he asked.

  She looked surprised. ‘What? No, never.’ Then she frowned. ‘Did you make someone a daisy chain?’

  They were close. So close he could feel the heat from her skin... He grinned. ‘I might have.’ Then he pulled a face. ‘I might even have made two at the same time.’

  She let out a gasp of horror and her hand came down gently on his arm. ‘The word I have for you doesn’t really translate well from the Scottish,’ she said, lifting her eyebrows, ‘but in England they would call you a cad.’

  ‘A cad? At five?’

  ‘You were double-dating at five?’ She shook her head and took a drink. ‘I think I’m going to need more wine.’

  He liked this. He liked this new, completely relaxed version of them. No hospital. No distractions. Just the chance for him to concentrate on the woman right next to him and finally let her set alight the parts of him that he’d been trying to temper.

  As he signalled to the waiter for more wine, she gave him a sideways glance. ‘But you have sisters—how on earth did they let you away with that?’

  He shifted on the cushions, which meant that his hip and leg were pressing next to hers. He’d turned to face her. There seemed to be little need to stay apart.

  ‘They were actually in competition with each other. Both wanted to set me up with a friend.’ His grin widened. ‘You have a lot to learn about Italian families. You wouldn’t have done the same in Scotland?’

  She laughed. ‘If anyone had given me a daisy chain between the ages of five and fifteen in Scotland, my brother would have likely beat them with a big stick.’

  ‘Hmm...’ Giovanni pretended to be thoughtful for a moment, then asked, ‘So your brother...you haven’t said much about him. Does he still live in Scotland?’

  Autumn laughed again. Her hand was still on Giovanni’s arm and she gave it a squeeze. ‘The question you want to ask is, where doesn’t he live?’

  Giovanni wrinkled his brow. ‘What do you mean?’

  She made a flyaway movement with her hand. Giovanni immediately wanted
her to put it back on his arm.

  ‘You might have heard of him. My brother is Ryan Fraser.’

  It only took a few seconds for the name to click in his brain. He shifted and looked at her in surprise. ‘Your brother is Ryan Fraser the billionaire?’ Tiny things started to make sense. ‘He has his own jet, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Yep. That’s how I got here. Ryan has places in Melbourne, London, LA, Washington, Spain and a castle in Scotland.’

  Giovanni folded his arms across his chest and couldn’t help but grin as he shook his head. ‘Wow. Your parents must be delighted.’ He gave her a nudge. ‘A pair of over-achievers—a billionaire, and a brilliant paediatric liver surgeon.’

  Their wine glasses had been topped up and he took a sip. But Autumn tensed. It was as if every cell in her body had just contracted before his very eyes. ‘They probably would have been.’

  His skin prickled. ‘Your parents are dead?’

  She nodded. But he instantly knew it was more than that.

  Her eyes dropped. ‘My parents were very...controlling. With both me and Ryan. They were never bad to us. Just very strict. Much more so than any other parents I knew. They were academics. They probably should never have had children. They hated any element of life that was out of their control. They just wanted to focus on their work. So they tried to control us completely.’ She gave a sad sigh. ‘I guess it rubbed off a little. Ryan...he’s a bit older than me...he managed to get out before I did.’

  ‘You felt as if you had to “get out”?’ asked Giovanni.

  Her words and general demeanour were alarming. She’d gone from relaxed and composed to almost turning in on herself.

  She gave a nervous laugh and shook herself. ‘I’m being too dramatic. We just had a kind of odd experience growing up, with parents who made everything rules and demands.’ Autumn paused for a moment and licked her lips. ‘I guess it was my parents who made me think about childhood psychological trauma for separated conjoined twins.’

  He was trying hard to follow the conversation here. She was saying that her parents hadn’t been abusive, but Giovanni was wise enough to know that trauma for children came in many different forms. Part of him wanted to change the subject and get back to where they’d been before. But he wouldn’t do that. Not when she was opening up to him.