by Annie Seaton
Even when she thought I was an ass.
She leaned into him closely for a few seconds, and then she stepped back with a muffled sniff, before childishly wiping her nose with the back of her hand. She held the key and turned it over and over, rubbing her long slender fingers against the gnarled edge. His heart kicked in sympathy as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
She wiped them away. “Okay, Mr. Italian Speaker. Take me to my house.” She smiled up at him through her tears. “I’m sure you asked for the address?”
Tom looked down at her.
“Yes, Signore Antoniolli gave me the address. It’s actually in the next village, and we have to catch the bus. The village is called Canneto.”
He ran his hand through his hair and turned away from her for a moment to gather his thoughts.
How the hell was she going to take the rest of the news he had to tell her?
The content of the conversation that had taken place in the office would floor her. It still floored him, and he needed to take some time to digest what he had done himself.
He grabbed her hand and led her across the street. He’d really become a part of Brianna’s adventures and had given little thought to the reason for his own visit. He had to get back to the marina later in the day, and he had to remember his commitments there. This feisty woman was in the forefront of his mind and he needed to pull back.
“Before we catch the bus, we need to sit down and have a coffee so I can tell you what happened. There were a…er…a few more legal things we have to organize.”
“There’s a café over there by the square.” She pointed past the fountain to an outdoor café. “Come on, I want to hear everything.” Keeping his hand gripped tightly in hers, Brianna marched toward the middle of the square, her boots pounding on the cobblestones as she dragged him along behind her. He glanced down and was far enough behind to admire the long, tanned legs beneath her shorts before he caught up to her.
Tom shook his head. He had never before met a woman who was so sure of herself, yet so soft and emotional at the same time. She had layer upon layer of resilience, and he was getting a fascinating glimpse of her character each time she was presented with a challenge.
“And who was that crazy old man who grabbed me on his way out of the office?” she asked as they passed an old fountain with a statue of Neptune extending his arms in a lordly gesture of stilling the waters. “That was downright creepy. Strangest law firm I’ve ever been in.”
“Ah…he was—” Tom cleared his throat, at a loss for words.
Just tell her.
“He’s your grandfather.”
Brianna stopped abruptly and Tom bumped into her, almost pushing them both into the fountain.
“What did you say?”
“I said he is your grandfather. Come on, I’ll tell you everything when we sit down.”
By the time they sat down and their coffee was brought to the table, Brianna appeared more composed. Her tanned face was unusually pale, and a little freckle he hadn’t noticed before stood out on the side of her cheek. He reached over and took her hands in his, and a jolt of pleasure ran through him when she responded and tightly linked her fingers through his.
“Signore Antoniolli filled me in on your family background and the strict conditions of your inheritance. Now, tell me what you know first so I don’t repeat it all.”
Being devious didn’t come naturally to him. He needed to be sure she hadn’t known the conditions of the will and he wasn’t being conned. He remembered Nick telling him on many occasions that he was a soft touch. Too many women had tried to dupe him, making him look the fool.
“Hello?” Brianna tugged on his arm.
“Oh, sorry. Where were we?” He straightened in his chair and brought his mind back to the present. “Now, tell me what you know about your Liparian family.”
“My Liparian family?”
Her Scottish burr and the Italian words were an interesting mix. He could listen to her soothing accent all day.
“Nothing, zero, zilch, I know nothing. The first I knew was the letter I got in Australia, and when I rang the number they asked for Brian.” She pulled one hand back from his and grabbed her braid. He was starting to recognize this was a sign she was nervous.
He took a deep breath, wondering why the hell he’d done what he had.
Was he crazy? He’d had taken a lot upon himself in the lawyer’s office, and was more than a bit wary of her reaction, to say the least. Maybe he should have run it by her first, but he didn’t want to give the lawyer any inkling that things weren’t as he thought.
He’d come over here to loosen up and certainly hadn’t expected to get married as soon as he arrived. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to tell her what he’d just promised the lawyer.
Chapter Seven
“You what?” Brianna looked at Tom, wondering if he was the crazy one. “Did you just say we are getting married?” She pulled a tissue from her bag and wiped the last of her tears away.
Tom nodded.
“And you did say tomorrow?”
When he nodded a second time without speaking, she pushed her chair back and stood up.
“Whoa. I said I needed a fiancé, not a bloody husband.” She strode out for the bus top across the square, not caring if he followed her or not.
“Brianna, wait.” Tom hurried after her, catching her as she reached the bus stop. “Don’t go getting yourself all worked up.”
She looked up at the sign above the bus stop at the far end of the square. She could read the sign to the towns the bus visited and it said Canneto, so she was in the right place. At the moment, she didn’t care if Tom was with her. Her temper was firing and she was having trouble being polite.
“Worked up? I asked you to pretend to be my fiancé and before I know it you’ve organized a whole bloody wedding with my lawyer without one word to me.”
“Will you listen to me?” He spoke loudly as he grabbed her arm and she looked down with disdain. There was no one around to overhear them since the square was deserted. “Unless you signed that document today and also proved you were married, there was no way you would have gotten your mother’s house. As it was, I had to do some quick thinking and assure him we were getting married straightaway or you would have missed your chance.”
She leaned against the warm brick wall and folded her arms and watched Tom. Her temper faded away and was replaced by a glimmer of sympathy as she appreciated what he’d done. Before she could speak, the bus appeared around the corner and Tom put his hand out and held it as they walked over to the bus. After they boarded, he followed her to the back of the bus where there were two vacant seats.
Her shoulder rubbed against his as the old bus trundled up the steep hill to Canneto, the village closest to Lipari. The spectacular view across the water from the top of the cliff filled the window as the bus lurched close to the edge of a big drop. Neither the sapphire blue waters of the Mediterranean nor the profusion of wildflowers growing down the side of the cliff could hold her attention while she tried to process what Tom had just told her.
I have a grandfather and he wants to see me this afternoon.
And I have a house.
And Tom and I are getting married.
A giggle bubbled up from her chest and she fought to control it. He sat there beside her with no expression. He was a master at hiding what he was thinking, although he had been very intense when he’d held her hand and told her what had happened in the lawyer’s office. For some reason, she could see the humorous side of what he’d done. She choked it back and the tears welled in her eyes. He reached over and patted her arm.
“It’s okay. I’ll help you sort it out.”
She leaned forward, her shoulders shaking from crying, and put her hands over her face. Tom rubbed her back, his warm hand etching soothing circles through her thin shirt, and her skin sizzled beneath his fingers.
“Come on.” His voice sounded strained. “It’s okay. We’ll figu
re out a way to get around it. There’s no need to cry.” Brianna straightened up and looked across at him.
“I’ve had some amazing friends in my life and lots of people have done good things for me, but no one has ever stepped up for me like you did today.” She leaned across and somehow his arm ended up around her and she was against his chest. “What you did was the most gracious and amazing thing. Now tell me all the details.”
She laughed with sheer delight when he’d repeated what had been discussed in Signore Antoniolli’s office. Then in his organized fashion he ticked off the things they needed: an Atto Notorio filled in at the town hall and faxed to the consulate, a statutory declaration, and their birth certificates. He had been amazed when she said she had a copy of her birth certificate in her travel documents.
“I carried it with me to Australia, in case I needed proof of identity over there. But surely he knows your aunt. It’s such a small island. Wouldn’t he have known you were coming over anyway? Is it too much of a coincidence?” She chewed her bottom lip.
“No.” Tom paused for a moment. “There is something a bit tricky there, but nothing you need to worry about yet. I’ll explain later, but he definitely didn’t know either of us were coming until the lawyer rang him today.” He leaned in closer, and Brianna got a whiff of his aftershave and stared back at him, fascinated by the black rims around his deep blue irises. She hadn’t noticed before what beautiful eyes he had.
“I knew I was taking a big risk telling him we were about to get married, but I couldn’t risk telling you in the office, because he might have been a bit suspicious. Especially with your grandfather there.”
“So—” She dragged her attention back to what he was saying. “You said we would be getting married soon just so I wouldn’t lose the house? Why would you do that for me? It’s not like you even really know me.” She looked up at him as gratitude overwhelmed her. “I thought maybe being engaged would be enough. I really didn’t expect I would have to be married.”
“The terms of the will are explicit. Once the marriage certificate is signed, the inheritance will be completed. In the meantime, he let you have the key so you can have a look at the place.”
She shook her head and tried to shake off the feeling she was in a dream. Even though she had known from the letter the inheritance all hinged on her being married, deep down she hadn’t really thought it would happen.
“Bri.”
He shortened her name, and she liked the roll of the abbreviation in his deep voice.
“All I could think of was my family and what it would be like not to have known my own mother. And I knew you now had the opportunity to find out about your own birth mother.” He shook his head, a rueful expression on his face. “You don’t know me very well, but let me tell you, never have I made a decision so quickly in my life.”
“I’m still not sure it’s the right thing to do, but I guess we’re sort of stuck with each other till we get this sorted.”
Looking up into his face, she was taken aback by his expression. Something serious, something much deeper than a friendship, was in his gaze and her heart pounded a warning.
She sat back in her seat, pulling away from the arm still loose around her shoulder. “Okay, it’s time we made an agreement here. We can’t risk doing it through the lawyer, so we’ll have to draw up something and sign it together.”
“Cross our hearts and hope to die? In blood.” He grinned unapologetically. “Sorry, I have brothers.”
“Talk about loosening up. Must be the Mediterranean air. Don’t be flippant.” She shook her head and grinned back at him. “I appreciate what you’ve done, but we do need some sort of agreement. For all you know, I might demand half your money when we annul the marriage.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said, the grin still on his face. “You never know, I might want half your cottage in six months.”
Brianna looked at him curiously. When he dropped the serious face, Tom had quite a sense of humor. Before she could reply, an elderly woman stood and pulled the bell rope and the bus stopped in the middle of a cobblestoned square in Canneto.
“We’re here,” Brianna said. “Come on.”
…
They stood on the crest of the hill on the northernmost side of the village. Tom had sought directions from the bus driver, who told them to follow the road through to the other side of the little village.
“It’s magnificent.” Brianna took a deep breath and stood staring out over the sea.
Mount Stromboli lay seven miles to the north across the Tyrrhenian Sea. Clouds of smoke hung over the volcanic island, contrasting with the deep blue sky and the azure waters of the sea. From the side of the road, the hill ran steeply down to a magnificent white beach.
“Oh, I do hope we can see the water from the cottage.”
“Come on, let’s find this place and then all your questions will be answered.” Tom tugged at her hand and they walked up the steep hill.
“Are you sure he gave you the right directions?” Brianna asked, stopping and pulling a water bottle from her bag after they had climbed for another ten minutes.
“Yes, I am sure. It should be around the next bend.”
She skipped ahead of him and he smiled to himself. From a distance, she looked like a teenager with her long gangly legs and her black braid flying in the breeze as her excitement at seeing her mother’s house spurred her along.
A whitewashed villa sprawled down the hill at the end of the road. The vista of the sea formed a scenic backdrop to the waves breaking gently on the pebbled beach far below them.
“Is this it?” He strode down the hill and caught up to Brianna, who stood at a locked wrought iron gate. Tom peered over the top of the intricately scrolled metal into a paved courtyard with a small fountain in the middle. Wind chimes tinkled and the soft sound of the cascading water greeted them from inside.
“This is it. La Casa Brianna.” Tom held the key out. “The White House.”
“But…but…it’s not a cottage. It’s a lot posher than I imagined. I thought it was going to be a wee cottage.” Brianna’s hand shook as she inserted the large key Mr. Antoniolli had given them. To Tom’s surprise the gate opened noiselessly on the first turn of the key and they stepped through.
“Oh my God. Look at this.” Brianna turned to him, wide-eyed. “Is this really the right place? Is this my mother’s place? Did the lawyer say it’s really going to be mine?”
“Twenty questions again, Bri?” He couldn’t help grinning at her delight, and stood back as she whirled around and took off to the side of the building.
He followed her slowly, allowing her time to have her first look alone.
It wasn’t a cottage. It was a small villa that was well cared for, and it was obvious from the pots of pink and red geraniums spilling down the sides of the wall overlooking the sea that someone still maintained it on a regular basis. The windows shone, and the pungent smell of thyme growing in the cracks between the cobblestones floated in the still air as it was crushed beneath his feet.
Brianna was standing at the wall overlooking the white pebbled beach far below, with her back to him, hands gripping the bricks tightly, her shoulders shaking. The unpredictability of this woman left him guessing most of the time. The emotions she showed freely confused him. He hesitated, unsure if she was laughing or crying this time, and then walked across and stood next to her. He breathed in deeply, as the heady aroma of the geraniums and herbs filled his senses, and he followed her gaze. Below the whitewashed brick edge of the balcony, a steep hill covered in yellow wildflowers led down to the shoreline. There was another small gate at the side of the balcony opening to a rough stone path that meandered along the cliff down to the water.
“I know I’m being emotional.” She turned and smiled shakily up at him through her tears. “But it’s so amazing. Pinch me, Tom. Tell me this is real. I’m not dreaming?”
He patted her on the arm. God, he’d run a mile when his sister
s had gone through their teenage emotional stage, and he’d didn’t know how to react to Brianna. “Okay?”
She turned to him and he held his arms out. She buried her wet face in his chest, taking gulping sobs as he rubbed her back. Her whole body was shaking. This time there was no laughter. The loose hair from her braid tickled his nose, and as he turned his head to the side, he inhaled the sweet jasmine scent of her hair.
“I don’t know if I can even go inside. I thought I could do this. I had a strange childhood. Even though I love Mum and Dad, and Phil, and Susie and Alan to pieces, I never truly belonged in the family. When I got the letter, the thought of Italy and a little cottage took over. But Tom”—she pulled back and he looked down into her red-blotched face—“this is my mother’s house, my real flesh-and-blood mother who gave birth to me, and now I know she’s dead and I’ll never see her, but I feel like I’ve come home. This is where I belong.”
Tom’s eyes pricked at the mix of grief and happiness on her face.
“Are you going to be all right to meet your grandfather later? You don’t have to do it all in one day.”
“Yes,” she said dragging in a deep breath. She touched his shirt, which was damp from her tears. “Thank you—you’re a good man. Now come with me while I explore my mother’s home, my new home.”
…
The same large key opened the ornate metal screen door leading into the villa from the back courtyard. Like the outside of the house, the interior was clean and well maintained. Even though it was unoccupied it was not musty, and it had a welcoming feel. Tom followed Brianna as she walked slowly from room to room. The villa was spacious, and the two bedrooms, small bathroom, and living area adjoining the tiny kitchen were bursting with color. Pottery, rugs, and paintings in bold, bright colors contrasted with the stark white walls and the white tiled floors. Each room had an external door opening out to the balcony, which wrapped around the whole house.