Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance)

by Taylor, Helen Scott

  Maria snatched a breath and tried to smile. "I'm fine." She might be in a sharing mood, but some things she would never tell.

  "So what happened between you and your girlfriend," she asked quickly, hoping to distract him.

  "She was not who I thought. She did not understand me."

  "I could say the same thing about Tom." Maria flashed Dino an understanding look. "Is she something to do with why you ended up here?" Even as the words came out of her mouth, Maria knew she shouldn't be delving into this. It was likely something he didn't want to share. But her heart ached when she remembered the lost, desolate expression on Dino's face.

  Dino blew out a breath and rested his forehead on the ladder. "I have not shared this with anyone." He cast her a sideways glance. "You will never tell, please, even if you are asked."

  Who would she tell? They had no friends in common. She shook her head. "Of course not."

  "My girlfriend, Rachel, she was pregnant when we parted, but I didn't know."

  Maria's hand flew to her mouth, dreading the next words out of his mouth. "She didn't...?"

  "No. She had my son and gave him up for adoption."

  The awful tension in Maria's chest loosened for a moment. Then what he'd said, hit her. "Adoption? You mean she gave the baby away without telling you?"

  His downcast gaze was her answer.

  "But surely that can't be legal without your permission."

  "One would think not but...he is gone, Maria. I never even saw him."

  Tears flooded her eyes, and she had to swallow a few times before she could speak. "I'm so sorry, Dino." She had been imagining all sorts of things but not this. How could his girlfriend have done something so cruel when he obviously wanted his baby?

  Dino put down his paint roller and scrubbed a hand across his face. "I have painted enough. I will walk now, I think."

  Then he was gone. She heard his bedroom door, and a few minutes later he strode past the open doorway without acknowledging her.

  Why had she dug into his life? He had been happy these past few days and now he was sad again. And no wonder. What sort of a woman did that to a man, especially a caring man like Dino?

  Chapter Four

  Maria continued to paint but her heart was no longer in it. Her chest felt tight and achy at the thought of Dino hurting. In spirit she was out on the coast path with him, wishing she could soothe his pain. When he hadn't come home by dusk, she put down her brush, walked through to the front of the house and stared out the window.

  A lone figure sat on the Jacka, facing out to sea. Although twilight made it difficult to see, something about the figure persuaded her it was Dino. The wind had picked up. He must be cold, sitting there alone—and it was her fault for dredging up his troubles.

  She wrapped the bristles of her paintbrush in a plastic bag, then fetched the master key and let herself into number twelve. She paused inside the door. Even though she had been cleaning the room for years, a strange, light-headed excitement fizzed through her at being in the room where Dino slept.

  She gathered his leather jacket off the back of a chair and held it to her chest, pressing her cheek against the smooth, warm collar, breathing in the leathery smell mixed with his spicy shower gel. Enough of this mooning around. Dino was getting cold. She hurried downstairs, donned her own coat and the training shoes she used for walking, and set off down the lane.

  Although she could see the Jacka from the Crow's Nest, it took fifteen minutes at a brisk pace to reach it. She had to walk through the village, past the harbor and up the steep coastal path to the rocky outcrop. She kept her fingers crossed he would still be there when she arrived.

  Her heart raced as she hurried up the final hill and had to pause for a few moments to catch her breath. At the top, she let out a sigh of relief to find him perched on the highest point, staring out to sea. "Dino!"

  He turned at her voice and smiled. "What are you doing out here, Maria?"

  "I thought you'd be cold. I brought you this." She handed his jacket over, and he put it on and turned up the collar.

  "You are an angel. Thank you, cara." He shifted over and patted the rock at his side.

  She hesitated a moment, then climbed up beside him and wriggled to get comfortable. She hugged her knees against the chilly wind. "I'm sorry. I upset you with my questions."

  He shrugged. "It is not your fault. I am coming to terms with my loss, but every now and then I am reminded of my son, and I am sad again. To know he is out there somewhere and will one day call another man papà will always hurt. I just hope he will be happy and loved as much as I would have loved him."

  Life could be so unfair. Maria reached out and laid her hand over Dino's. "It's an old cliché, but they say time heals and it does. I hardly think of Tom at all these days."

  As she drew back, he caught her hand and lifted it. Her heart jumped at the warmth of his breath, then the soft brush of his lips across her skin. "You are kind and sweet, Maria."

  "Not really." She laughed nervously, trying to ignore the tingles of pleasure racing up her arm.

  "You are," he reiterated, firmly. "If you have finished cooking the dinner, shall we go back and dine?"

  "Of course." Maria climbed off the rock and waited for him to join her on the path.

  He jumped down, ran his fingers back through his dark hair and came to her side. "I'm glad you are here. It is good to have a friend to raise my spirits." He caught hold of her hand and they walked down the slope. It felt right to have her fingers engulfed in Dino's warm grip.

  "I should finish the second bedroom tomorrow," she said. "Then I have to shift the furniture back and paint the other two rooms. Can you give me a hand with the lifting?"

  "Of course I will. You should not lift furniture. Women have no muscles."

  "I do!" Maria bent her elbow to show off her biceps. He squeezed along the top of her arm, making her go all tickly and giggly.

  "You have nothing there."

  "Yes I do!"

  "You need muscles like these to move furniture." He angled his arm and she wrapped her hand around his bicep. She lifted her eyebrows at the firm bulge beneath her fingers, and a delicious image of him shirtless flashed through her mind.

  "I was going to ask my brother-in-law to help. Perhaps you and he can move the furniture, and I'll prepare us a nice dinner. My sister, Chris, and the girls can come as well and make it a family occasion." As soon as the words were out, she realized she'd started to think of Dino as a friend rather than a guest. Maybe more than a friend. And she was helpless to stop the feelings growing.

  "A family dinner is good. I would like to meet your sister and her husband." Dino only relinquished her hand when they arrived at the guesthouse and he headed upstairs while she went to the kitchen.

  Eating dinner with Dino in the dining room had become a habit. As she laid the table, he came in. "We will have a bottle of wine tonight." He chose from the wine list and she added wineglasses to the place settings. Later, when they had finished their meal, they moved to the conservatory and sat side by side in wicker chairs, sipping their wine and staring up through the glass ceiling at the stars.

  They talked for hours, comparing their childhood experiences, discussing their families and friends, their likes and dislikes, neither of them wanting to end the evening. It was long past midnight when they said goodnight at the bottom of the stairs to her top floor room. Dino kissed her hand and headed along the corridor to his bedroom. Maria stared after him, her heart pounding with longing, her skin tight and achy, desperate for his touch. When he reached his bedroom door he turned. Their eyes met and held, his gaze burning with intensity. For long minutes he stared at her. She willed him to retrace his steps, take her in his arms, and kiss her.

  The air hummed with tension. "Goodnight, Maria," he said, then turned away and unlocked his door.

  ***

  Eric's pickup drew up in the guesthouse car park beside Dino's BMW. Chris, Eric, and the girls piled out of t
he vehicle laden with the usual bags of baby paraphernalia.

  Maria held the front door open and they came inside. Dino leaned against the wall by the dining room, strangely reticent. But when Eric offered a hand, the two men shook and Dino seemed to regain his normal easy manner. "So, Eric, we lift the furniture and the women they will talk," Dino said with a mischievous glance at Maria.

  "Too right, mate." Eric slapped Dino on the shoulder, and they headed for the stairs.

  "Hang on." Maria hurried after them. "I need to tell you where things go."

  "You have already told me twice, cara," Dino said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

  "I just want to make sure I covered everything." Maria explained it all again to Eric and watched as the two men hefted a chest of drawers through to room one.

  Chris finally made her way to the top of the stairs with a small girl hanging on each hand. She leaned around the door to admire Dino's rear view and waggled her eyebrows as he bent over. "Ooh la la," she whispered.

  "Christine, your husband is right here," Maria retorted under her breath. "You're terrible. Come on. The men know what to do. I have profiteroles in the oven that I need to check."

  Maria took Charlotte's hand while Chris held Poppy's and they made their way slowly down the stairs.

  Chris sat the girls in front of the television in the sitting room and joined Maria in the kitchen as she removed her dessert from the oven. "So, how are things going between you and your Italian stallion?" Chris asked.

  Indignation flashed through Maria. "Don't call him that. It's disrespectful."

  "Listen to you with your claws out, protecting your man."

  "He's not my man."

  "Isn't he? I see the way you look at him. It's obvious you've fallen for him. Are you sure he isn't taking advantage of you?"

  "Dino's nice. He's trustworthy. He wouldn't do anything like that."

  "I don't mean physically taking advantage, Mari." The amusement had dropped away from Chris's face, and she now looked deadly serious. She placed her hand over her heart. "I mean he'll hurt you here."

  Maria bit her lip. She had a nasty feeling Chris was trying to close the stable door after the horse had bolted. "I can look after myself, "she offered, but she didn't sound convincing.

  "How does he feel about you?" Chris asked.

  Maria shrugged.

  "When is he leaving?"

  "I don't know."

  "Well, has he said anything about continuing to see you after he goes?"

  Maria shook her head. She'd been in a good mood, but with every question Chris asked, her spirits sank.

  "What does he do for a living?" Chris continued relentlessly.

  "I don't know. Can you just leave it, please?"

  "Oh, come on, Mari. You must agree I have a point. You two have been cozying up here together for two weeks, and you don't even know what he does for a living."

  "We're not cozying up. And I know lots about him, where he comes from, all about his family and stuff. It's just his job has never come up, all right?" But that was a lie. She had asked Dino what he did a couple of times, and he'd avoided answering. She hadn't pursued the matter in case it upset him again.

  "I still think he's an actor. I'm sure I've seen him in something," Chris mused.

  "Well, I haven't," Maria retorted. "Don't ask him, please." She didn't want to bring back any memories that might make him unhappy.

  Dino and Eric came downstairs a while later, chatting together. Chris helped Maria set the table and serve the roast beef. Charlotte and Poppy were strapped into high chairs, and they all sat down. The conversation flowed easily, Dino and Eric having a friendly argument about football teams and cars, while Chris and Maria discussed the children and the playgroup fundraiser.

  Charlotte dropped her toy monkey and Dino picked it up for her. "Say thank-you-Dino," Chris said to her daughter.

  "Tank 'ou, Dino," Charlotte copied, then babbled the words again and again until everyone laughed.

  "Trouble with kids is there's no off switch," Eric said.

  "It does not get easier," Dino added with a wry smile. "The problems just change."

  "You have children?" Chris chipped in, and Maria stilled, her heart faltering. She had tried so hard to avoid subjects that would remind Dino of his lost baby son.

  The question seemed to hang in the air unanswered for an eternity, and she imagined how Dino must be feeling. Then he smiled and shrugged. "No children of my own, but many nephews and nieces."

  "Oh, well, that's good," Chris said.

  "Very good," Eric added. "Nephews and nieces you can give back at the end of the day."

  They all laughed, but Dino's sounded forced. Chris and Eric chatted and without planning it, Maria's hand crept across the tablecloth to settle over Dino's in silent support. Their gazes met, and gratitude flickered in his brown eyes. She suddenly realized that the talking had ceased and looked up to find Eric and Chris watching them.

  Chris was right. Although Dino was a kind man and would not hurt her on purpose, her heart was already cracking at the thought of him leaving.

  ***

  For the next few days, Maria worked hard to finish the decorating and Dino helped. Much of the time they labored together in companionable silence, and being with him felt so comfortable, so right. Occasionally, the thought he would soon leave sneaked into her mind, and she shoved it away. She would worry about that when it happened. At the end of his third week, they decided to spend a day out together to celebrate finishing the painting.

  Maria sat beside Dino in the BMW. He switched the radio to a classical music channel as they cruised along the narrow Cornish lanes towards Mevagissey. "You like this type of music?" she asked and he nodded.

  "It is my favorite. Close your eyes and listen, Maria. Classical music is the sound of beauty and emotion." He fisted his hand over his heart. "Do you not feel the music inside you?"

  She concentrated and tried to sense what he meant, but the music just sounded too complex to her, the notes all over the place. She preferred a simple repeating melody she could sing along to.

  Maria directed Dino to park on the outskirts of Mevagissey to avoid the narrow main street. They walked arm in arm along the pavement, stopping occasionally to examine the tourist gifts and craft items on sale in the shop windows. The day was gray and overcast with spits of rain, but she didn't care. Just being with Dino, holding his hand, laughing and talking, filled her with pleasure.

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked out to the end of the harbor wall and cuddled her close when wind rushed in off the sea and buffeted them with fishy-smelling air. Dino examined the fishing boats, commenting on technical things about sailing that meant nothing to her, but he could talk gibberish and she would be happy to listen to the beautiful cadence of his voice. He snapped some photos of her on his cell phone and she wished she had thought to bring her phone or a camera.

  Seagulls hung in the wind overhead, calling loudly and periodically skimming low over their heads. "In the summer, the gulls swoop down and steal food from the holidaymakers," she told him. "It's quite a problem. Attracting tourists down here is hard enough these days when everything in this country is so expensive, especially when families can hop on a cheap flight and get guaranteed sun in Spain or Portugal."

  "Or Italy," Dino added.

  "Yes!" She punched him playfully on the arm. "You steal all the holidaymakers with your warm climate and lovely beaches."

  "If it were up to me, I would send them all back to you." He laughed. "But my brother Roberto needs the tourists to visit his restaurant and my papà also. Or he would not sell all his catch."

  "Speaking of fish, how do you fancy a fish restaurant for lunch?"

  They stopped outside the mullioned window of a quaint building overlooking the harbor and perused the menu. "They do delicious crab topped with melted cheese in here," Maria said.

  Seated at a table in the window, they watched the few tourist
s wander past, and the gulls soar on the wind over the masts of yachts in the harbor.

  "Mmm, this is so good," Maria closed her eyes as the delicious mix of melted cheddar cheese and freshly cooked crab mingled in her mouth. She promised herself to try this recipe soon.

  When she raised her eyelashes again, she found Dino watching her, his dark gaze intense, and her heart gave a little skip. His hand slid across the red-checked tablecloth. He brushed the ends of his fingers over hers, a fleeting contact, but one she felt right down to her toes. She might have fallen for him unwisely, but little moments like this gave her hope he returned her feelings. Hope that when he left the Crow's Nest, as he surely would soon, he wouldn't walk out of her life completely.

  After lunch, they wandered along the seafront, then cut down a narrow alley towards the main street and browsed the small jumble of shops crammed into every nook and cranny.

  Maria halted outside a jewelry store and scanned the displays. "Oh, I love that." She pointed to a small gold heart on a chain. A simple flower was engraved on the piece with a tiny diamond at its center, a pinpoint of sparkling light.

  "I will buy it for you," Dino said, stepping towards the door.

  "No! I didn't mean for you to do that. It's too expensive." She had commented without thinking. Now she wished she hadn't.

  "I can afford it, cara."

  "Please, no. It's okay. I don't want it." She tugged on his hand, pulling him away from the door. He resisted for a moment, then shrugged and let her lead him along the pavement.

  They entered one of the few tourist gift shops that was open out of season, and Maria bought an elastic ponytail holder decorated with spotted yellow balls. It would go perfectly with the dress she had found in a thrift shop to wear to the hop.

  As they ambled along, drips of rain plopped on their heads and quickly became a downpour. Dino pulled her into the doorway of an old-fashioned candy store that had a 'Closed' sign in the window. Fat raindrops pelted from the sky, hammering the sidewalk and rattling off the cars that passed. A few people dashed by with their collars up, or fighting the wind to hold umbrellas.