Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance)

by Taylor, Helen Scott

  "Dino, mate," Freddy said. "What're you thinking?"

  Frustration tightened his muscles. Every time he'd wished Maria was there with him, she could have been. She'd been so close, and he hadn't even known.

  "Where did she stay?" he demanded, praying that Freddy had looked after her and not abandoned her to fend for herself.

  "That sister of hers said they had a hotel booked," Freddy said defensively. "I did ask."

  Dino broke the connection and tossed his phone on the bed. He'd thought he heard her voice by the stage door on Saturday but persuaded himself it was wishful thinking. She must have been there in the crowd. He pressed his hand over his eyes, feeling utterly helpless. Maria had been hurt, and it was because of him.

  ***

  After fifteen hours of traveling, Maria and Chris arrived at Truro train station and trudged out dragging their cases. In all Maria's life, she had never felt this tired. Not just physically weary, but mentally and emotionally exhausted.

  Eric's car was parked outside. He climbed out to greet them, pulling Chris into a long hug. "You didn't run off with an American hunk, then?" he said, smiling.

  "None of them are as hunky as you, my darling."

  Eric kissed Maria on the cheek and opened the back door for her to climb in while he hefted their suitcases into the trunk. Chris hopped in the front and released a long sigh of relief. "Wow, am I glad to be home."

  "Me too." And she was, even though Maria had huge challenges to face, namely finding a new job and somewhere to live.

  Eric climbed in, started the car, and pulled away. "How are my babies?" Chris asked.

  "Tina's babysitting the girls. We took them out and kept them busy, but they missed you."

  Maria stared out the window at the familiar scenery as Eric negotiated the traffic out of Truro and headed into the country. Although she'd promised herself to be positive, it was difficult. Right now, all she wanted to do was climb into bed, curl into a ball, and sleep for a week. But even the Crow's Nest was no longer the sanctuary it had been. She rested her forehead against the side window and stared blankly outside. Her hopes and dreams for the future were impossible now her parents had decided to sell. Suddenly the fruitless trip to see Dino felt like the final straw.

  Eric turned up the private lane leading to the guesthouse and cut the engine outside the front gate. Maria released a long, pent-up sigh. Chris reached back and patted her arm. "Forget him, Mari. Just forget him. It'll hurt for a while, but the pain won't last forever."

  Wiping all memories of Dino from her mind might be wise, but it just wasn't going to happen. He owned part of her heart.

  Her dad hurried down the path, and she climbed out to meet him. "Good to have you two back safe and sound." He gave her a hug, then leaned in the car to kiss Chris. He lifted Maria's case out and carried it inside.

  Maria's mother was waiting at the doorway as she went up the front path. The welcoming smile on her mother's face fell as she watched her approach. "Oh, dear. What happened, darling?"

  She walked into her mum's open arms and wished she was a little girl again when hurts could be put right with a kiss and a cuddle.

  "I went all that way and didn't see him."

  Her mother led her through to the kitchen, sat her down, and made a cup of tea. "Tell me what happened," she said.

  The whole sorry tale poured out. Maria told her how Dino had turned up on the doorstep after they left for the cruise, and how she had fallen for him. She ended with a description of the frustrating time in New York.

  Her mum sat beside her, gripping her hand. "Oh, darling, Chris told me it was Dino Rossi you were going to see. I should have warned you not to bother and saved you all this heartache. Men like him aren't interested in girls like you."

  "What's the matter with me?" Maria asked indignantly, even though she knew what her mother meant.

  "Nothing, darling. Nothing at all. But Dino Rossi lives in a glamorous jet-set world. I'm sure you've read the articles about him on the internet. He has women throwing themselves at him all the time. You don't want to get involved with that sort of man."

  "I really liked him, Mum."

  Her mother slid her chair closer and put her arm around Maria's shoulders. "You'll get over him just like you did Tom. The next few years will be exciting for you, darling. You have the world at your fingertips. With no ties, you're free to choose any job you want. Just think, with your qualifications you could work for a tour company anywhere in the world. Isn't that exciting?"

  Maria nodded obediently, even though traveling to another country was the last thing on earth she wanted to do right now.

  ***

  Dino was desperate to call Maria, make sure she arrived home safely, and explain that he hadn't known she was in New York. He wished he had given her his mobile phone number before he left Cornwall. He couldn't even remember why he hadn't.

  He calculated the time she would arrive home and rang the Crow's Nest at eight a.m. from Calgary, the next stop on the Canadian leg of his tour. Pacing nervously back and forth across the hotel room, Dino waited for the phone to be answered.

  "Hello, the Crow's Nest," a woman's voice said. He guessed it was Maria's mother.

  "I wish to speak to Maria, please."

  Silence.

  He rubbed his lips nervously. "Hello. Are you still there?" he prompted.

  "Yes. Is this Dino?"

  He winced at her chilly tone. Of course she would know what had happened to Maria. "Yes. May I explain please, Mrs. Gardener? I did not know that Maria visited New York until after she left."

  She sighed. "Whether you knew or not is beside the point. Maria was devastated when she arrived home. She's in bed now recovering from jet lag. I'm sure it's hit her extra hard because of the stress. I don't know you, Mr. Rossi or Rossellini, or whatever you like to be called, but I do know this relationship you have with my daughter is bad for her. I don't want you to call her again."

  Dino halted his pacing, heart racing as her words sank in. "I am sorry for what happened in New York. I wanted very much to see her."

  Silence.

  "Please," Dino said, "let me speak to her."

  "No. Maria might be twenty-four, but while she's under my roof she's still my little girl. I won't see her hurt like this. Please don't ring again." Then the line clicked and the dial tone sounded in his ear.

  Dino stared at his phone with disbelief. Maria's mother had forbidden him from calling as if he were a delinquent teenager! He cursed in Italian and jammed the device in his pocket. Then he paced angrily in front of the huge picture window, barely noticing the magnificent view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

  Respect for his elders had been instilled in him at a young age. He would not disobey Mrs. Gardener's request. But she had asked him not to phone. She had said nothing about writing. He sat at the desk in the corner of his room, selected some sheets of hotel paper, and poured out his heart. He included his phone number and e-mail address and asked Maria to call him so he could arrange to see her again. Then he sealed the envelope and prayed she would forgive him for hurting her.

  ***

  Maria spent a week recovering from her trip to New York. Then she made a promise, she would not mope around and feel sorry for herself. She needed to take control of her life, find a job, and create her own future.

  She tried not to think of Dino. But she still rushed downstairs every morning to check for another postcard. When her mother assured her no postcards had arrived, she had to accept that the New York card must have been a one-off that he'd sent on a whim.

  After she realized this, she resisted googling his name every day to follow the news about his tour. Instead, she used the Internet to search for jobs. She made a few appointments, requested application forms, and got a lucky break when she called a new spa hotel only eight miles away that was looking for an assistant manager.

  Ten days after she arrived back from New York, she drove down the country lanes to the Eden Bac
h Hotel and Spa. She turned between tall, granite pillars to a manor house and followed the private drive through beautifully maintained gardens bright with primroses, crocuses, and daffodils.

  Maria parked and made her way into the building. The entrance hall had been converted into a tasteful lobby with a reception desk along one side manned by two staff members. She approached the nearest receptionist and smiled. "Maria Gardener for Mr. Calder."

  "Take a seat, please. I'll let him know you're here."

  A few minutes later, a nice-looking man with brown hair and gray-blue eyes emerged from a door nearby and held out his hand in greeting. "Miss Gardener, good of you to come at such short notice." He had a firm handshake and a pleasant manner. Hope and expectation bubbled inside her. This might be the answer to her prayers. A place she would enjoy working not far from her family.

  Mr. Calder ushered her into his office and directed her to a chair. "I've reviewed your resumé. I can't fault your qualifications or experience. We're all about customer service here. The Eden Bach group prides itself on providing the personal touch. Every guest must feel as though they are the most important person in the hotel. Your philosophy on customer service fits in well with that. In fact, you could have written our mission statement." He laughed and Maria smiled with him.

  "Let me get someone to show you around, Miss Gardener. Come back and see me in thirty minutes and we'll discuss the details."

  Did that mean she had the job? Maria's heart leaped as Mr. Calder summoned a receptionist to be her guide. Everything about the place was top quality. She even liked the staff uniform, a classy burgundy blazer and navy skirt. Maybe getting out in the world was a good thing. She would meet single men. Perhaps her dream of marrying and running a guesthouse with her husband was not impossible. In the midst of her enthusiasm, an unwanted memory of Dino sneaked into her mind. Her heart hadn't caught up with the reality that Dino was gone forever. But it would. One day.

  "Very impressive," she said, as Mr. Calder ushered her back in his office.

  "That's what I like to hear." He indicated she should sit down and tapped his fingers on some forms. "I took the liberty of ringing our head office to confirm your employment. If you want it, the job's yours."

  "Oh!" Maria's hand flew to her heart. She liked the place, could imagine working here, but still...it took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I thought I'd be sitting by the phone for ages before I heard."

  "There's a company orientation course running next week. I'd like you to attend if you're going to join us."

  "Next week!" Everything was happening so fast. "Where would I have to go?"

  "The course takes place at the head office in London."

  Maria bit her lip, her pulse racing. She had no reason to turn down such a good job, except her own resistance to change. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Calder, I accept. I think I'll enjoy working here."

  "Great! That's settled then. I'll get the official letter in the mail to you today. The training course starts at ten thirty on Monday morning at the Eden Bach Hotel in Mayfair, the chain's flagship hotel overlooking Hyde Park."

  Maria's head spun. She had a new job. No, this change was more fundamental than that. She had a new life.

  Chapter Eleven

  Maria strode out of the Eden Bach Hotel in Mayfair and stared longingly across six lanes of traffic at the green oasis of Hyde Park. She had come up by train the previous evening and spent a nervous night in the luxury hotel. But everyone was friendly and the first morning of her training course had gone well.

  She found a deli, bought a takeout sandwich and coffee, and waited at traffic lights to cross Park Lane. A red double-decker bus pulled up, its breaks squealing, and Maria's heart faltered at the advertisement plastered across its side: DINO ROSSI LIVE AT THE O2 ARENA. Dino and Rachel stood together in the photo, an orchestra behind them.

  Maria stared dumbstruck as the bus moved away. Sweat prickled her skin on a flush of heat. The lights changed. Someone shoved her in the back, grumbling at her to hurry. Thoughts swirled as she dashed across the road with the crowd and stumbled through the gate into Hyde Park.

  She found a vacant bench and dropped down, her sandwich forgotten. Dino was performing in London on the last day of her course. Her fingers gripped the small gold heart hanging around her neck. She could watch him perform live. No. This was crazy. What happened to her promise to move on? Memories and longings assailed her as strong and deep as ever.

  Maria checked the time. She had only a few minutes to return to the meeting room. Flustered, she tossed her uneaten lunch in a trash can and hurried back. As the course tutor droned on about customer service principles, Maria's thoughts were all of Dino. She barely heard a word of the presentation.

  As soon as the class ended, she hurried to her room and used her new company laptop to search the Internet for ticket agencies, and booked for Dino's performance.

  The rest of the course passed in a blur. By the end of the week, she could hardly sit still with excitement and nerves over seeing Dino. Her new job felt like an irritation. She wanted the course to just hurry up and finish.

  When the evening of the concert finally arrived, Maria changed into warm clothes and caught the underground to North Greenwich. It was only a short walk from the station to the O2 Arena. She didn't have any difficulty finding her way. Everyone seemed to be walking in the same direction. The roof of the arena soared high into the night sky, a huge dome speared with glowing metal spikes. The place resembled a flying saucer perched on the edge of the river Thames.

  In the midst of the crowd, she was swept up to the gates and through the door into the building, past the shops and up an escalator to her seat. The inside of the place was huge, like a football stadium, with rows and rows of seats holding nearly twenty thousand people. She sat down and hugged her coat around her as others seated themselves. All these people had come to see Dino...her Dino. The man who had danced her around the kitchen, held her in his arms, made love to her.

  She was so far from the main stage she had to squint to see the orchestra taking their places. Multicolored lights roamed over the crowd, flickering and flashing like fireworks. The chatter of expectant voices filled the arena. Seats rattled and footsteps thumped on the steps as the last people hurried to their places. The orchestra started playing. Every muscle in Maria's body was strung tight, her palms damp.

  Then Dino strode out from the side of the stage, confident, smiling. Deafening applause rose from the crowd. Maria wouldn't have been able to see him clearly, but a huge LCD screen behind the orchestra showed him in close-up. He grabbed a microphone from a stand and raised his arms for silence. The clapping faded. "Buona sera! Good evening, London," Dino said. "How are you tonight?"

  The crowd cheered again, but Maria stared mutely, her throat tight with emotion. She felt as though she had slipped into an alternate reality. The otherworldly feeling continued as Dino glanced at the conductor and nodded.

  He sang the first song in Italian. Because she didn't understand the words, she concentrated on the beautiful tone of his voice, memorizing each note, each gesture, desperate to remember. As much as she had enjoyed hearing him sing La Bohème, these popular songs were the style of music that resonated with her most deeply.

  Sometimes he paused his singing and danced for a few bars, his elegant, fluid movements so achingly familiar that tears ran down Maria's cheeks. Watching him live was a very different experience to seeing him on the screen in New York. This was exquisite torture, as painful as a blade sliding into her heart. She shouldn't have come. What had she been thinking?

  Between songs, he talked to the crowd, mentioned other places he'd performed, joked about things that had happened. He had such charisma, the audience hung on his every word. How could she ever have thought in her wildest dreams that he would want her? Her mum had been right. She'd deluded herself.

  She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and told herself to leave, but she couldn't drag her hungry gaze off Di
no. This must be the last time she saw him. Her heart couldn't stand it again.

  Rachel sashayed onstage in a gold satin dress and performed three songs with Dino. Flickering lights danced over the eager upturned faces of the audience as Dino and Rachel held hands, stared into each other's eyes, and sang of love lost and found. The crowd erupted into ecstatic applause at the end. Grinning, Dino kissed Rachel's hand, just the way he had once kissed Maria's.

  Maria buried her face against her sleeve as the adulation continued. She couldn't take much more of this. The clapping seemed to go on forever. When Maria finally raised her gaze, Dino and Rachel had left the stage, but the orchestra was still there.

  The audience continued to clap, people drumming their feet on the floor, cheering for an encore. Part of Maria hoped Dino wouldn't answer the call, that this was the end and she could escape to lick her wounds. But her stupid heart ached for one last sight of him.

  After what felt like an eternity, Dino walked onstage again and picked up the microphone. This time he was alone. "Ah, you Londoners, you are too demanding." He gestured in a familiar way. Then his smile faded, and he glanced down thoughtfully. "Now I will sing something that is special to me." As he spoke, he moved away from the orchestra, along an elevated walkway to a small stage in the center of the arena. The circular platform raised Dino ten feet high, and eager faces stared up at him.

  Colored lights flickered over the crowd and the orchestra started playing softly. "A little while ago I met a woman," Dino said, his words echoing around the arena. He kissed the tips of his fingers and held them up, releasing the kiss into the air. "This song is for her."

  Like everyone else in the arena, Maria was transfixed. A spotlight illuminated Dino from above, shining off his glossy dark hair, making him look almost surreal. Then he started singing and Maria forgot to breathe. She recognized the song immediately—"Maria" from West Side Story. She clamped a hand over her mouth. Tears spilled from her eyes as he sang her name, over and over, his voice laden with emotion.