by Lily Zante
Knowing exactly how much Ava had to deal with on a daily and weekly basis, Rona knew that unless her sister was given an extra six hours in the day she wouldn’t find the time to deal with all things wedding related.
“It helps being married to a man who owns hotels,” Ava told her. “Nico has all the contacts and we delegated tasks months ago. Everything is sorted out.”
“We just have to turn up,” Nico announced. “Assuming I can convince the priest to marry us in the church.”
“When’s Elsa coming?” Nico asked.
“A week before your big day,” Rona replied.
“And Carlos?” Ava asked.
“He said he could just about get a week off. He was going to come a few days before.”
“I wish he could take more time off,” remarked Ava.
Rona said nothing.
“Things are working out in the US, with Kim?” Nico asked.
Ava made a grumbling noise. “Sort of. Kim is running the show and keeping it all together, thank goodness, but I’m not so sure about some of the products.” Rona knew that Kim had mentioned that the customer complaints had started up regarding the products she’d sourced from one of the new suppliers.
Rona piped up. “You need to find some new suppliers because apart from Andrea and Geraldino, the other one just doesn’t have good quality products.” Ava rubbed her belly, unconsciously, and it reminded Rona of when she did that when she’d carried Tori. Self-conscious, she placed her hand over her smooth stomach.
“I know,” said Ava, looking worried. “It’s going to take a while.”
“At least the other two suppliers are good,” said Rona, trying to be positive.
“I know things are going to be hectic up until the wedding but don’t forget we’re going to have a relaxing honeymoon. And that means no work.” Nico reminded her.
Ava wiped her hand over her forehead; she had a ton of things she was juggling right now and Rona admired her. She herself had given up her job when she was seven months pregnant and she’d had two months of taking it easy before Tori had arrived.
“Are you going anywhere nice?” asked Rona, feeling excited as though she was the one who was going. Of course, it would be somewhere nice. Somewhere wonderful, she imagined.
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me,” said Ava, batting her eyelashes at Nico.
“I don’t want you dialing in, logging on, calling in, or checking figures. It’s going to be you and me and nothing else. Did you sort out your arrangements?”
“I’d say the same to you. Mr. Can’t-Live-Without-His-iPhone.” She smiled sweetly at him then added, “I’ve asked Rona to stay on until we return.”
Nico bowed his head at her. “Thank you so much.” His expression was trapped between an apology and relief.
“It’s not a problem,” said Rona quickly. It meant that she got to stay on until the start of September. Extra time in Verona was never a problem, though Carlos might not be too happy about it, especially when he realized that Tori’s first birthday would take place in Italy.
“Thank you,” said Nico. “Once we get back I’ll most likely go to Denver sometime at the end of September to look at the warehouse situation.”
“Thank you for doing that,” said Ava.
“It’s not a problem. You can’t go, and so it makes sense for me to.”
“Isn’t your new hotel opening a few months later?” Rona asked.
“Yes. I can take care of both.” He insisted.
Ava rested her hand against her forehead. “It’s crazy.”
“The only time you’ll get to put your feet up is when you’re giving birth,” said Rona.
“Your sister takes too much on,” commented Nico.
“She can’t help it,” acknowledged Rona.
“I’m hoping that two days away next week will make up for it.”
Ava scowled. “What two days?” She groaned and then remembered. “I had arranged meetings with new suppliers.”
“You’ll just have to postpone them. It’s only two days. You should go and take a little time off while you can.”
“That’s advice coming from a mother,” said Nico. “I think you should take it, besides, I need your opinion. I’d like you to see where we are with the new hotel. The infinity pools are going in and the treatment rooms are being done. I need you to cast your eye over it since your taste is impeccable.”
Ava reluctantly agreed, but Rona could see her sister’s mind working furiously as she seemed to weigh up what missing two days would mean.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on things.” Rona did her best to assure her sister, though she still wasn’t sure how much help she was being. Of course she was now comfortable with maintaining the website and checking figures and inventory and all those other things that she once thought would be too hard. But she could have done a lot of this work back in Denver. She didn’t need to be here specifically. Though Ava obviously thought otherwise. However she was helping, it made Rona feel good that she had been of some use.
Nico drove them back home, and as Rona put Tori to bed, she couldn’t help but wonder whether those two days without Ava around would mean she could spend the evenings with Ruben.
Chapter 18
“If you’re sure you’re okay with it. Otherwise, if it’s a problem, we can leave it,” suggested Rona, anxiously. She’d held off going out yesterday, but with Ava and Nico back tomorrow, this was as good an opportunity as any.
Lizzi shook her head and assured Rona. “It is not a problem. I enjoy looking after this little one.”
“I won’t be long,” Rona promised. “I thought I would meet a friend and …” her voice trailed off. She was explaining too much and Lizzi wasn’t interested. She had already swept Tori up in her arms and was making circles in the air with her daughter held securely in her arms.
“You look beautiful,” Lizzi commented as she sat on the floor cross-legged, with Tori banging a wooden stick on the xylophone.
“Thank you,” replied Rona. She’d taken off her tight fitting top, considering it too tight and too clingy, and put on a loose fitting shirt instead, with a pair of jeans. The only thing dressy about her tonight was her chunky bronze bracelet. She’d even convinced herself to ditch the large earrings.
She heard the sound of Ruben’s car horn. “Your friend is here,” said Lizzi, and Rona gave her an uncomfortable grimace as she kissed Tori.
“Enjoy yourself,” Lizzi told her. The fact that Tori appeared not in the slightest bit interested that Rona was leaving gave her some comfort.
She rushed out of the house and saw Ruben waiting for her in the car. Even as she walked towards it, there was something different about him.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly, climbing into his black Lancia. He did a double take when he saw her. It was a slight jerk of his head, but enough for her to notice. “You look amazing.” He stared ahead of him while she put the seatbelt on.
Maybe the less-is-more mantra really did work. He’d never been so vocal about her appearance before and his compliment lifted her mood.
She gave him a sideways glance and it tripped her heart a little. “You really do look stunning,” he told her.
She shifted in her seat.
“Too much?” he asked, starting the car up again,
“A little,” she replied, making an effort to smile. She sensed that he understood. Compliments like these pushed the boundaries of their easy friendship.
“Sorry,” and with that he drove off.
They sat in silence for a while, and Rona’s thoughts turned to Tori and Lizzi. For a moment, she had reservations about leaving her baby alone. Lizzi was good and she obviously trusted her, but Ava and Nico weren’t around either. What if something happened?
Her once relaxed mood fell away as unease grappled with her insides.
“We could try somewhere different tonight—if you want?” Ruben suggested.
She wondered if she’d done the right th
ing by going out tonight. By going out with him.
“Rona?” he asked.
“Huh?” she looked at him, but her mind was still back at the pensione.
“You look worried. Are you worried about your baby?”
She tried to smile. Why was she so anxious? She’d never been so anxious before?
“We can turn back if you want.” He slowed the car down and pulled over to the side.
She was being silly. Of course Tori would be fine. The pensione was safe enough. Lizzi had a mobile, they had each other’s numbers. She was being paranoid without good reason.
“Let’s go.” She said, being decisive. His eyes lit up and he started the engine up again.
“Shall we try somewhere different?”
“You mean not go to Gioberti’s?” It wouldn’t be a bad thing.
He nodded.
There was something different about him tonight. After stealing another furtive glance at him she realized what it was. He didn’t look as casual, it was almost as though he’d spruced himself up a little. His hair, normally thick and springy, seemed shorter, more groomed.
“Have you had a haircut?” she asked, curious.
“Is it that obvious?” He asked, embarrassed.
She nodded. “It suits you. It looks neater.”
“Salesmen have to look sharp,” he said, getting over his embarrassment. A part of her wondered if he’d made an effort just for her.
“Especially those selling such expensive software solutions to their clients,” she joked.
“You don’t switch off when I tell you about my work?” He sounded impressed.
“I find it interesting when you tell me about some of the managers who sign off the big sale without being too sure what they’ve bought.”
“They’ve bought the right thing,” he told her. “It’s just that they don’t understand the system, though they will never admit to it. It would be like admitting that they don’t understand why they’re in those high positions.”
This was safe talk and it made her instantly feel at ease.
It was a harmless friendship; dare she say it, a mild bit of flirtation. Even now, knowing that he’d had a haircut, she wondered if the fact that he looked more appealing each time she saw him was the attraction at play or was it because he had made an effort to look good for her?
Or was it both?
“What are you thinking?” he asked, breaking up the veil of silence that had come between them.
“Tori,” she said. “I was wondering if she was okay.” Far better to tell him that than to admit the truth.
“She’ll be fine. Otherwise, you would never have left her.”
True.
“You say your sister and her fiancé are away for a few days? Maybe that’s why you’re doubly worried this evening.”
“Maybe.”
“The wedding is next month?”
“Yes, in the middle of August.”
He paused then, before asking her, “When will you return to Denver?”
“She asked if I could stay until she returns from her honeymoon—at the beginning of September.”
Wanting to gauge his reaction she stole a sideways glance at him when he had his eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead.
“And what did you say?”
“Of course I’ll help her.”
“You’re staying until then?”
“Yes.”
He glanced at her and she caught the sparkle in his eyes before he looked away again; the barest hint of a smile played on his lips.
Her heart slammed against her ribcage and a feeling of warmth and light infused her body.
From where he parked the car they had to walk a small distance to get to the new restaurant he had in mind. She followed him along a row of cobbled streets and down an alleyway with no idea where she was going and trusting him implicitly. A few times as they walked along the narrow cobbled streets she stumbled in her heels, almost falling against him.
“I’ll wear sneakers next time,” she said, jokingly. But it was only to hide the way her heart was beating uncontrollably under her shirt.
At last he stopped outside a darkly lit restaurant. Bright red and green lanterns hung outside and when they walked in it was a welcome relief not to be greeted by Gioberti for a change. The place was busy and full of people.
Small and intimate, she thought. She looked around her at the candlelit tables close to one another with their classic chequered red and white fabric tablecloths and thin bottles of oils.
Wringing her hands together, she suddenly felt unsure. The fact that the place was so intimate and discreet both bothered and excited her. Gioberti’s was safe—it was brightly lit and loud, full of chatter, and with Gioberti interrupting them every now and then, they didn’t feel so cloistered, as though they were the only people in the restaurant. This place was entirely different. There was an undercurrent of secrets and suspense here. It was the sort of place where people who shouldn’t be together would come to be together.
A waiter seated them, and then left them, and she could only stare across the table at him.
“You like it?” he asked, eager for her response.
She stared at the candles, at the wick all melted and loose, falling in clumsy rivulets clustered at its base. “It’s charming,” she replied, “It’s very…” Very sensual, she wanted to say but she dared not use that word. “Nice,” she said instead. “Did you bring Celeste here?” It wasn’t the ideal question, perhaps but she had to break the spell. And it worked. Her reply hadn’t been the response he’d been looking for.
“She loved it.” Fire flashed in his eyes.
“I can see why.” She picked up the menu and pretended to look through it.
They ate and because the food was so good, and made a change from Gioberti’s menu, their conversation began to flow as easily and as comfortably as it had in the past. She soon forgot her initial unease and began to relax though she kept her cell on the table just in case Lizzi rang.
“Why don’t you call her?” Ruben suggested after she’d eyed her phone for the millionth time that evening.
“I don’t want to disturb them. Lizzi might be putting Tori to bed, or playing. She’d call me if there was a problem.”
“Yet you still worry when she doesn’t,” he said, studying her face.
“You never stop worrying about your child from the moment you become a parent.”
“I can believe that,” he said. “I think you are an excellent mother.”
“I do my best. I can’t say I always am. But I try to be.”
“She’s very lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” She believed it with all her heart. Maybe she was ready for another baby? A brother or sister for Tori to play with.
“I’m away next week on a training course.” He told her.
“I thought you knew everything there was to know about selling?” She asked, mischievously.
“Apparently I don’t know everything,” he grinned. “This course is about reading body language and second guessing your client’s refusal to buy.”
“You learn how to force them into buying something they don’t want?” She angled her head, puzzled.
“Force might be too strong a word,” he said, raising his eyebrows and smiling.
“But you’ll overcome their resistance to buy without them even knowing they were resisting?”
“Something like that. It sounds interesting.”
“It sounds amazing.” She said and let him refill her wine glass.
“But I won’t be here.” He didn’t need to say anymore. It simply meant that they wouldn’t be able to meet up next week. It was just as well she’d called him tonight.
“But after that, I’ll be back and maybe next time we could try somewhere else.” She knew that by then the wedding would dominate and Carlos and Elsa would be over. Her time with Ruben was fast coming to a close but she chose not to mention that right now and spoil
the evening.
“I like our evenings, Rona.”
“I do too,” she murmured, then grinned, so as to lighten the tone. “I hope they help.”
“Help?”
“Help you forget Celeste,”
“Celeste?” he laughed. “See, you’ve already made me forget her.”
“I’m glad to be of assistance.”
“What was your therapy?” he asked. “Mine was to get over Celeste. What was yours?”
He had her then. “No therapy,” she said, evasively. “It was good to feel appreciated.” She closed her eyes and winced. That wasn’t what she’d meant.
“Your husband doesn’t appreciate you?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s not what I meant.” She suddenly felt wrong discussing her relationship with Carlos with anyone, especially Ruben. “I don’t want to stay out too late,” she told him, all too aware that it was past nine o’clock and that Lizzi had yet to get home. She left her full glass of wine on the table.
“I understand,” he said and put his hand out to get the bill.
Had it been a short evening, or was it that each time she saw him time flew past quickly? She seemed to lose track of it and everything around her whenever she saw Ruben. With him she was in her own golden bubble, protected from the harshness of reality, cocooned, content and happier than she’d been in a while. She imagined this was what it must have been like for Ava, finding Nico at a time when things with Connor had turned sour.
Ava had walked free because she’d had no ties. But, thought Rona…her case was different.
Why was she thinking these thoughts? This wasn’t reality; she managed to suspend reality each time she saw him. When they talked she felt the emotional connection that she’d lost with Carlos. With Ruben she had the undivided attention of a person who made her feel as though she mattered.