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

by Tilly Tennant

  Kate grimaced. ‘Thanks for that lovely image.’

  ‘Seriously, Kate! What’s wrong with you? You have his number, right? You’d better call him and make sure you see him again before you go home.’

  ‘I don’t have his number and that’s exactly why. There hasn’t been a need to get it up until now and there didn’t seem any point because I would be going home but. . . I don’t know. I’m so confused and it would be great to chat to you later. I’ve got some stuff to talk about, and I don’t feel ready to share it with anyone but you yet. So dinner would be great if you could spare the time.’

  ‘That sounds very serious but OK.’

  ‘It’s nothing bad, I promise. I’ll meet you at seven-thirty – the usual place.’

  ‘Sure, catch you later.’

  Jamie hung up. Some might think it odd that he was the go-to person when she needed to pour her heart out, but throughout her visit to Rome he had been the one constant. And perhaps it didn’t matter what he knew or didn’t about her feelings; because he was a stranger, it was somehow easier to share it all with him. There was no emotional baggage, no guilt, no preconceptions based on what he knew about her or her life before Rome, and he wouldn’t judge her in the way her sisters or her mother might. It didn’t matter to him where her life went after this week, and maybe she would never see him again after all this, so she and her angst would be nothing more than an interesting anecdote he’d trot out during his next dinner party. She sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but she was getting used to the idea these days that life didn’t always go how you thought it was going to and that people you thought would always be there were not.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘I found this great place for dinner,’ Jamie said as he kissed Kate on the cheek. ‘And by the way you look incredible again – is that another of your self-made dresses?’

  Kate nodded and smoothed a hand over the skirt of the black dress she was wearing. It had a sweetheart neckline, and she’d teamed it with a red belt and shoes. The cut of it gave her a definite wiggle when she walked. While she waved away the compliment, inside she was bursting with pride. ‘Where’s this new restaurant? Is it far?’

  ‘It’s near the Spanish Steps,’ Jamie said carelessly as he offered Kate his arm. She shot him a sideways glance as they began to walk. Alessandro had mentioned that his beat would take him around that area again. Was Jamie up to something? Kate didn’t mind running into Alessandro, of course, but she didn’t need Jamie’s help to do it, and Jamie already knew that Kate had decided not to see him again while she was in Rome. At least, that was the last version of her thoughts that Jamie had been privy to, because she hadn’t yet told him about her new decision to spend a lot more time in Rome than just her week’s holiday. It still didn’t give Jamie an excuse to cause mischief, though.

  ‘I thought we might go somewhere else,’ Kate said. ‘I’ve already seen the Steps and I’d like to go somewhere I haven’t seen yet.’

  ‘But you haven’t seen this restaurant yet. It’s divine – you have got to try it. I promise you won’t regret it.’

  ‘Hmm, well it had better be good.’

  ‘My taste is impeccable – you know this.’

  ‘Well, you did make friends with me,’ Kate said.

  Jamie grinned. ‘Exactly.’

  As the sky was overcast, they caught a bus, something which Kate hadn’t done much since she’d arrived. There had been a lot of walking, and quite a lot of hair-raising lifts in cars and on the back of mopeds, but public transport, busy and noisy as it was, was another fun way of experiencing the real Rome.

  ‘So, do you want to tell me about this big secret?’ Jamie asked as they settled on the seat together.

  ‘It’s not so much of a secret really, more of a dilemma.’

  ‘You’re staying in Rome and having thirty kids with Alessandro?’

  Kate stared at him. ‘How. . .? You’re only half right, so you can stop looking smug.’

  Jamie grinned, looking very pleased with himself indeed.

  ‘Am I that obvious?’ she added.

  ‘I’m just that good. So, which bit am I right about?’

  Kate took a deep breath. ‘I’m going to stay in Rome. I don’t know how long for, what I’m going to do here or where I’m going to live, but I want to stay.’

  ‘Now that’s what I call a life-changing decision. What do your sisters have to say about this?’

  ‘I haven’t actually told them yet. . .’

  ‘Do you think they’ll be pleased for you?’

  ‘Eventually, maybe. Until they get used to the idea they’ll be worried to death, and I suppose I can understand that. I’d probably feel the same way if it was one of them, but we’re adults now and we can’t have someone holding our hand all the time, can we? I’ve come to realise that the life I was living with Matt. . . well, that was the easy path, but it was the slow path too, and it was leading to a dead end.’

  ‘That’s a lot of analogy in one sentence. I’ll be careful not to take that path if I see it signposted.’

  Kate let out a giggle. It was encouraging that Jamie didn’t seem to be dismissing her idea out of hand and that he didn’t seem to think she was crazy.

  ‘What I mean to say is I was coasting because I was just so comfortable with it all. I didn’t push myself to do anything new and I know that Matt and I were bored with each other partly because we were just bored with our lives. It doesn’t matter now, and there’s no going back to fix it because since our separation we’ve both become different people – at least I know I have – so I should use this opportunity to shake things up. I should go out and find the life I didn’t even know I wanted until now, and I only wish I’d had this epiphany sooner. Matt and I might still have been together.’

  ‘Do you think that?’

  ‘Who knows?’

  ‘But would you really want that? It seems to me that you’re moving on pretty quickly. Maybe you weren’t as in love as you thought you were.’

  ‘I think you’re probably right, though it’s hard to admit it to myself, because then I feel the waste of those years even more keenly. In many ways Matt walking out was the biggest gift he’s ever given me; I just couldn’t see it at the time.’

  ‘It’s a shame more people don’t spin these things into something more positive, like you’ve done.’

  ‘Believe me, I didn’t at the time. If you’d seen me over the last few months you wouldn’t have recognised me.’

  ‘Ice cream from the tub?’

  ‘Uh huh. On the sofa, every night. Gallons of it.’

  ‘Shoot; it was bad.’

  ‘You don’t know the half of it.’

  ‘So what’s next? You just up and leave? You’ll go home, surely?’

  ‘Do you know what, it’s half crossed my mind not to get on that plane at all on Monday. But I should, if only to start putting things in order. My sensible brain tells me it’s going to be hard to organise things from here, but. . .’

  ‘You’re afraid that if you go home your courage will fail you and you won’t come back at all?’

  She gave him a rueful smile.

  ‘Honey, I went through exactly the same thing when I left Texas to live in New York. I was terrified. But I did it, and I have faith that you can too.’

  ‘I feel guilty too. I mean, my sisters have stuck by me through the separation and the divorce, and I repay them by buggering off at the first opportunity.’

  ‘They won’t see it like that. They’ll be happy for you once they get used to the idea. It’s only you holding you back now.’

  Kate leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. ‘You’re amazing, do you know that?’

  ‘Kinda,’ he laughed. Then his gaze went to the window. ‘OK, looks like we need to get off here.’

  Whatever his reasons for taking her there, the seared sea bass alone made it worth the trip to Jamie’s new restaurant discovery. It was a bit grander and stuffier inside than the
cosy Trattoria da Luigi, where he had taken her the first night, with wall friezes in the style of the Renaissance painters and opera piped in through the sound system, but the staff were friendly and the ambience was relaxing. The house wine wasn’t too bad either, and it might have been that Kate had underestimated its potency as, after only the second glass, she was becoming pleasantly tipsy. If she was going to move to Rome, her wine intake was one thing she’d have to address or she’d either be bankrupt or alcoholic, or possibly both. For now, there seemed no reason to worry, and the drink only helped loosen her tongue in a most cathartic way, so that she and Jamie were able to discuss her future plans without her feeling awkward or silly.

  ‘So there was me, knee deep in live crickets. . .’ Kate said, recalling an incident at Mr Woofy with a damaged shipment of reptile food. ‘They’re in my hair, in my bra. . . they’re bloody everywhere. . .’

  ‘Crickets? Oh my Lord! I would have been screaming!’

  ‘I would have been too, but if I’d opened my mouth I’d have eaten half of them. So my colleague, Deidre, the one I told you about with glasses so big they look like two car windscreens strapped to her face, she just walks into the warehouse with her copy of Hello! magazine, takes one look at me, shrugs, and walks out again.’

  ‘She didn’t help you?’

  ‘Not a bit. And there are so many of them I end up stamping on them by accident, you know, they’re under my feet and I’m trying to get away from them, but they’re following me around like a little chirruping cloud.’

  Jamie snorted as he took a mouthful of wine. ‘So gross. But weirdly cute too.’

  ‘Not when they’re chirruping around your head it’s not.’

  ‘So what did you do?’

  ‘Eventually some of the warehouse boys came and scraped them off me. When the boss got back the only thing he cared about was how many of them I’d killed. That’s how underappreciated I am there.’

  ‘I can see why you want to quit!’ he laughed. ‘That’s so gross!’

  ‘It’s not just that. I can put up with the weird and wonderful stock, but God, it’s boring! That’s about the most exciting thing that’s ever happened there.’

  Kate reached over and filled up her wine glass. ‘Ten years of a dead-end job in the most boring business imaginable, looking at those same boring faces every day – it’s no wonder I want to emigrate! I’m going to email the boss on Monday morning and tell him I’m not coming in ever again.’

  ‘Really? You don’t want to think about that for a moment?’

  ‘Nope,’ Kate said. ‘I do not. I never want to go into that damp, smelly, dull office, not for as long as I live. I’m going to have a little dress shop in the backstreets of Rome and I’m going to do exactly what I please. Maybe I’ll even get as famous as one of those swanky shops I saw today.’

  ‘And you’re going to marry Alessandro and have beautiful children.’

  ‘Maybe. . .’ Kate giggled, the wine blurring the edges of her uncertainty with Alessandro and letting her fantasies run riot. ‘Stranger things have happened.’

  ‘I knew it!’ Jamie said, clicking his fingers. ‘I’m going to be invited to the wedding, right?’

  ‘Guest of honour, obviously.’

  He clapped his hands together. ‘I’m so excited for you! I almost want to relocate to Rome too, just so I don’t get left out!’

  ‘You would never get left out. And you’re always welcome to stay once I’m settled, so at least you’ll always have a friendly face when you’re over here on business.’

  ‘And that invitation still extends to you coming to New York. I’ll be pretty pissed if you don’t come and visit me at least once a year with your gorgeous husband and beautiful children.’

  ‘Steady on!’ Kate laughed. ‘I haven’t even moved here yet!’

  ‘But you will and you’ll be fabulous.’ Jamie raised his glass. ‘To a fabulous future!’

  Kate clinked with a giggle. It was the drink talking, of course, and they both knew that she’d be back at her desk the following week – at least to work her month’s notice if nothing else. And as for marrying Alessandro, if that day was ever coming it was a long way off. But it was a nice fantasy, and Kate was happy to enjoy it for a while.

  ‘I think it all sounds perfect,’ Jamie said.

  Kate was about to reply, something flippant about her being destined for greatness, but she stopped short as he took his phone from his pocket and frowned at the display.

  ‘Shoot. . . I’m sorry,’ he said, not taking his eyes from the screen, ‘but I have to reply to this text.’

  Suddenly he seemed preoccupied, and the bantering mood they’d just shared dried up. She watched as he finished tapping on his screen and locked the phone, finally looking up at her again. ‘Um. . . OK, so where were we?’

  ‘I was telling you about my dress shop and you were telling me what a terrible idea it is.’

  ‘I think it’s a great idea—’ He was interrupted by the phone bleeping the arrival of another message. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Kate said. ‘If you need to get it. . .’

  She glanced over and saw Pietro’s name flashing on the screen. Jamie’s frown deepened as he read the second message. He quickly sent another reply and laid the phone down on the table again. He’d barely resumed the conversation when it went off a third time. He swiped the screen and then began to get up from the table. ‘I’m so sorry. I have to go outside and sort something, but I promise I’ll be back, so don’t go wandering off again.’

  ‘Pietro, by any chance?’

  Jamie nodded.

  ‘He’s outside now?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I had to tell him where we were; he said he was desperate to tell me something. I won’t be long.’

  ‘Shall I come with you?’

  ‘No, keep our seats warm.’ Jamie gave her a tight smile, a world away from his usual easy grin.

  As Kate watched him go, she couldn’t help but feel that something didn’t stack up. She wasn’t entirely happy about the prospect of a repeat of her first dinner in Rome with Jamie – that she would end up ditched in favour of Pietro – but it wasn’t just that bugging her. Aspects of the situation didn’t make sense. How had Pietro got here so fast if he didn’t know where Jamie was? Why couldn’t he talk to Jamie over the phone, or even wait, presuming that Jamie had told him he and Kate were eating together? Perhaps he hadn’t – it wasn’t completely outside the realms of possibility. Maybe Jamie had told him in advance where he would be, had even chosen the venue with a plan in place that Pietro would come to find him later, but why would he have gone to the trouble of taking Kate there if that was the case? Why not simply put Kate off for another night and meet Pietro? After all, Jamie must know Kate well enough by now to know that she wouldn’t have minded. She decided quickly that Jamie wouldn’t do that, but still, the whole thing made her feel uneasy. Her mind automatically went to Alessandro, and although there was something comforting about the idea that he was on duty nearby, it was lucky she didn’t have his phone number or she’d be sorely tempted to call him right now. He’d probably come running, and it might well be for nothing. Then again, Jamie was too quick to trust, and too eager to help, and she couldn’t escape the feeling that he was heading for trouble.

  Fifteen minutes had passed and Kate was growing increasingly anxious as Jamie failed to return. The waiter cleared their plates and returned with coffee for Kate. She’d ordered it mainly to stall the dessert menu, or even the bill, neither of which she wanted while Jamie was still missing. Perhaps fifteen minutes wasn’t that long though; she’d had much longer conversations than that with the owner of her local shop while popping in for a loaf, so maybe she was overreacting.

  But then fifteen minutes turned into half an hour and still no Jamie. She pulled her phone from her bag and sent him a text. There was no reply. After another minute of procrastination she decided to phone him, but it rang out. She drained the last of her
coffee and looked hopelessly towards the door of the restaurant.

  Come on, Jamie, where the hell are you?

  ‘Would you like anything else?’ The waiter’s voice came from behind her. She spun around, almost losing her balance on the chair.

  ‘No thank you.’

  He took her coffee cup without a word. She dialled Jamie’s number again. Still no reply. Pushing her chair away from the table, she got up, deciding to go and peek out of the door to see if he was anywhere to be seen.

  ‘Madam, you have not paid the bill!’ The waiter was there again, a slip of paper on a tiny tray in his hand.

  ‘Oh. . . I’m not leaving. . . I’m just looking to see where my friend is. . .’

  The waiter stared at her, and it was obvious that it looked very much like she was trying to leave without paying. She took the tray from him and scanned the total with a sharp intake of breath before depositing the right amount of euros into his hand.

  ‘Grazie,’ he said.

  Kate nodded and headed out into the evening air. Whether Jamie wanted to or not, there was no coming back in now. If he wanted to continue the meal, they’d have to go elsewhere. But as she searched the street, there was no sign of him.

  ‘Bloody typical,’ she muttered.

  She’d been an idiot. Jamie was quite obviously having an affair with Pietro, despite what he’d told her, and he was obviously with him now. She’d fallen for the same bloody con twice, and twice she’d ended up abandoned to pay for both their dinners. She didn’t think he’d done it on purpose, but she did think it was an almighty piss-take to leave her alone in a restaurant again when they were supposed to be having dinner together. If he couldn’t control his libido then perhaps he shouldn’t be asking people to come to dinner with him; perhaps he ought to just hang around Trattoria da Luigi like a lovesick puppy so that he’d be on tap whenever Pietro called him.

  She stamped her feet like a petulant child, a growing feeling of annoyance coming over her. What she wanted to do was give him a piece of her mind. It was tempting to phone again and leave a message to do just that. Anna would have told her that a friend who kept letting her down was no sort of friend at all, no matter how fun and charming they were, and she’d probably be right. Kate hated it when Anna was right, even an Anna who wasn’t here and had no idea what she might be right about. The thought of it made Kate even more vexed.