Italian Affair

by Annie Seaton

  A future he could not envision without her now.

  It was time for a serious talk. The past couple of months had been the happiest he’d ever had, and he’d be damned if he was going to let her go. She’d let her guard down before. Now it was time to convince her they had a future together.

  He stood under the sharp needles of spray and tipped his head back, letting the warm water run down his body. The door of the bathroom opened. She was going to join him after all. The earring must have made him irresistible.

  Brianna appeared in the bathroom, her face drained of color, and he knew immediately something was very wrong. His gaze dropped to his cell phone clutched in her hand.

  “Tom…it’s…it’s your mother on the phone. She wants to talk to you. There’s been an accident.”

  His stomach clenched as he stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel as he reached for the phone.

  “A car accident.” Her voice broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Your brother’s fiancée.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The ferry receded into the distance and Brianna touched a hand to her lips. Despite his grief, Tom had held her close and kissed her for a long time before boarding the ferry. Her skin still tingled where he’d gripped her. He’d pushed her away gently and stared down at her, rubbing his hands up and down her sides, as though he was reluctant to let go.

  “Promise me you’ll be here when I come back?” he asked.

  “I’ve still got three chapters to do before I go home.”

  “I’ll be back in a week or so. No longer.”

  She stood on tiptoes and kissed him again, and pushed him toward the boarding ramp as the ferry horn warned that departure was imminent.

  “Are you sure you are going to be all right by yourself?” His brow creased in a worried frown.

  “I’ve lived alone for ten years. I’ll be fine. You worry about taking care of yourself and your family. Ring me when you arrive.”

  “Don’t forget to charge your cell phone,” he said with the first glimmer of a smile since the phone call from his mother. He held her gaze until the ferry accelerated with a churning of water and disappeared around the headland.

  After saying good-bye, she made her way to the Internet café, where she e-mailed her completed chapters to the publisher and answered the many e-mails waiting for her. She smiled at the messages from her family.

  Brianna. We know you are a bad letter writer, but at least e-mail and tell us you’re still in Italy?

  She replied to her mother and sent messages to Phil and her sister, and to as many friends she could find in her address book.

  Finally she admitted to herself she was avoiding going home to the empty villa. It wouldn’t be the same by herself. Placing her backup drive in her knapsack and checking that she had water in her drink bottle, she decided to walk home along the cliff path between the villages.

  Thoughts crowded her mind as she wandered along the path, the warm sun beating down on her head. A mass of wildflowers covered the cliff down to the rocky beach below, and she paused to pick one every so often until she had a small posy in her hands. At the halfway point, she rounded a headland and Mount Stromboli appeared before her, rising majestically out of the ocean, plumes of smoke puffing from the live volcano.

  Tears filled her eyes. She sat on the grass and wiped them away angrily. They should have been over there today, climbing the volcano together and crossing another thing off Tom’s stupid list.

  Life sucked, it really did.

  Her heart went out to Tom’s brother. Losing his fiancée so young would be so hard to bear. Even though she didn’t know him, she knew from the way Tom spoke he thought the world of him, and no one deserved the grief he was going through. She was missing Tom so much already. She had to get her act together. It would be good practice for when she went back home. Okay, so she’d miss him for a while, and then she’d get on with her life.

  She didn’t need this emotional crap.

  She’d gotten along quite well by herself over the last ten years. She had a great job, she had friends, and her adopted family was always there for her…and now she had a second family as well. Always a free spirit, and that’s the way she wanted to stay. Families were too complicated. She wasn’t going to get tied up with anyone for life.

  She wiped away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling and then picked up her knapsack and marched toward Canneto. There was a book to be finished, and she would edit it as quickly as she could. When Tom came back, they would do their Stromboli trip and then she would go back to Scotland and get on with her life…alone.

  Italy had been a nice interlude, even if she hadn’t found out much about her mother. At least she knew where she came from, and she had a nice villa for her vacation every year.

  She walked up the hill to the villa and groaned when she reached the crest.

  Oh shit, not today.

  The white Mercedes was parked outside the gate and her grandfather stood stiffly beside it. Brianna slowly covered the distance between them and stood next to him. He gestured to the driver and the uniformed man went around to the back, opened the trunk, and lifted out a large cardboard box.

  The old man nodded at her. “Brianna.” His voice made her name sound so musical.

  “Nonno.” She nodded back and stood waiting to see what he wanted.

  “I come in?”

  “I suppose. If you want.” She shrugged and turned to the ornate metal gate. If he wasn’t prepared to make an effort, she was just about ready to give up. She pulled the key from her knapsack, and was surprised when he held out his hand and took the key, opening the gate for her. The driver followed them in, and her grandfather gestured for him to put the box on the table and wait outside.

  Brianna waited for him to speak first. She was in no mood for any more emotional stuff. He could say what he wanted and leave, although her gaze kept flicking to the box the driver had placed on the table.

  He surprised her again by walking over to the sink and filling the coffeepot and putting it on the stove. He knew his way around; it was obvious he’d been here before. She sat and waited and didn’t speak, but surprisingly the silence was not uncomfortable.

  The tantalizing aroma of coffee wafted past her nose as he brought the coffeepot to the table and then went to the cupboard and removed the cookie tin Maria kept filled for them. He carefully poured the coffee, and pushed the cream and sugar and a plate of cookies in front of her.

  She looked up and her stomach clenched when she saw his lips quivering. She dropped her head as tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill.

  “Mia caro…” His voice quavered.

  She was not going to make this easy for him, and she lifted her head, holding his gaze, refusing to let the tears fall. Finally, her shoulders sagged and she pointed to the box.

  “What is it?”

  He smiled and spoke in broken English.

  “Your mama, she must have loved you very much. But your father go. It was a…how you say…shame?”

  “Disgrace?” She filled in the missing word.

  “Si…disgrace. She no tell us…her mama and I. She went away for years and when she come back, we still not know about you.”

  “Not until she die…” He wiped his eyes with a shaking finger, and Brianna wished Tom was here with her.

  “And I get box from bank in Naples. She send there when she get sick.”

  Brianna stopped fighting the tears. Her throat ached too much, and they rolled down her cheeks. It was only a few months now since her mother had died. She’d had thirty years to find her and she’d failed. Smashing her hand down on the table, the cups rattled in their saucers.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” She put her head down on the table and buried her face in her arms as the tears came. “You’ve known the whole time I was your granddaughter? I thought you doubted me.” Wrenching sobs overtook her and she struggled for breath. A soft, gnarled hand rubbed her arm as her gr
andfather reached over and touched her. For the first time in her life someone of her own flesh and blood comforted her, and warmth filled her chest.

  “She was good daughter…and she would have love you very much.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Brianna said. “I would rather have known her than had this.” She sat up and gestured to the house around them.

  “You see.” He patted the box. “I wait outside. You come see me.”

  He stood and walked from the house, and moments later the metal gate clanged shut behind him. Then there was only the whisper of the sea caressing the sand below the hill.

  Brianna didn’t move. She stared at the box for five minutes as though there were a cobra inside ready to strike the minute she opened it. Her fingers tingled in anticipation, but trepidation took over. She went over to the sink, filled a glass with water, and sat at the table. She reached out and ran her fingers along the edge of the box.

  Lifting the lid, she put it aside and waited a moment.

  Oh God, I wish Tom were here. It would be so much easier. And then she got cross with herself for wanting him.

  A lavender scent drifted across her nostrils and tempted her. She stood and peeked into the large cardboard box. Inside was a smaller box tied with mauve ribbon. She reached in and lifted it out, surprised at its weight.

  Her name was written across the top of the lid, and for a moment she thought it was her own handwriting. Shaking her head in confusion, she looked closely and realized that although the writing was very similar to hers, some of the letters were formed with ornate loops, which she didn’t use.

  She undid the ribbon and removed the lid. A soft gasp escaped her lips. More than two dozen small packages were neatly labeled with each year from her birth up until one year ago.

  She picked up one package at random and three photographs fell out. The top one was a photograph of her graduation, standing with her adoptive parents outside Edinburgh University.

  She remembered the day well. Jennifer and Jim had seemed so proud that day and had insisted on a photograph, asking a passerby to snap them before they went to a hotel in the Lawnmarket for a celebratory lunch. She turned the photo over and recognized Jennifer’s handwriting.

  Brianna, Jim, and Jennifer. Graduation, 2002.

  Photograph after photograph chronicled her life. All the milestones, each birthday and Christmas, and many random shots of her playing the fool. She smiled as the memories came flooding back. Each photograph captured the essence of her and the happiness of her family life.

  Bloody hell.

  She didn’t know whether to be ecstatic or devastated that her mother had known her. Why in the hell hadn’t she contacted her, especially when Brianna had tried so hard to find her?

  Angrily picking up the photographs, she went to throw them back in the box and give them back to her nonno. She knew enough now. Her mother had known all about her, she’d left her a villa, but didn’t care enough about her to even contact her. At the bottom of the box was an envelope with “Brianna” written across the front in the same stylish handwriting. The lavender paper was delicate, and the folds were creased as though it had been read and refolded many times. She reached for it and unfolded it with shaking fingers, and started to read before she could think.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tom bowed his head and kept his arm firmly around Alex’s back as the pallbearers brought Emily’s coffin down the wide aisle of the church. The last time he’d stood at his brother’s side it had been the joyous occasion of Nick’s wedding.

  Now, he looked across and caught Nick’s eye, and a silent message of support passed between them. They linked hands behind Alex as their younger brother’s shoulders shook and the grief of his fiancée’s death overwhelmed him. The music swelled as Emily’s father and brothers brought the coffin down the middle aisle of the church toward the vestibule and the waiting hearse.

  Tom swallowed his grief and focused his thoughts on Brianna. If this had happened to him, he was sure he wouldn’t survive it. The depths of his feelings for her hit him like a punch in his chest. He loved her, and by God, he was not going to let her go. He had to get back to Lipari Island and convince her that they had something special. It shouldn’t be treated flippantly and discarded.

  The situation and the grief had firmed his resolve. Brianna was his wife and they were right for each other. Her joy of life brought out the best in him, and he knew he was good for her. They laughed constantly and all their time together, even from those first few hours on the plane, had been special. For the first time in his life, he loved a woman…unconditionally. He was confident he could convince her to marry him, for real this time.

  “Come on, mate.” He leaned over to his younger brother. “Time to go outside.”

  The three brothers followed Emily’s mother and sister to the door and stood quietly in the little churchyard as the coffin slid into the back of a hearse.

  Tom stood alone at the window of his parents’ large living room and the noise of muted conversations washed over him. Tessa had offered the use of their home for the wake and he knew Emily’s family appreciated the gesture.

  “Tom?”

  Warm fingers squeezed his arm and he turned to see Lissy standing next to him.

  “We are all pleased you were able to get home in time for the funeral,” she said. “You’ll be tired after the flight and today, well, today has been so very hard for everybody.”

  “Of course I came. We all had to be here for Alex.”

  Although she smiled, her eyes filled with tears. “It really brings the uncertainty of life home with a vengeance when someone is taken so young.”

  Tom hugged Lissy and held her close for a moment. “Where’s Nick?”

  “He’s out with Alex saying good-bye to Emily’s parents.” She stepped back and patted her swelling abdomen. “He wanted me to stay inside. He wraps me in cotton wool.”

  “I haven’t offered my congratulations. I’m very happy for both of you.”

  “We weren’t going to share the news till we were all together at Christmas, but well…everyone can see it for themselves now.” She looked up at Tom, her eyes wide, and shook her head. “And you…look at you. You look amazing, so healthy and relaxed.”

  He laughed grimly. “Come on, Lissy, be honest. I’m not such a stuffed shirt anymore.”

  “No, I didn’t mean that. It’s just the hair and the tan and the earring. Well…we—” She stumbled over her words. “Let’s say we nearly didn’t recognize you at the airport. You look so different. Out of the three brothers, I never thought you’d turn into the bad boy.” She reached up and her hand was warm against his neck as she flicked his earring. “But the main thing is, despite our grief today, you look happy. Tell me about Brianna.”

  Tom thought about the best way to describe her.

  “Brianna is full of life. She sees the good in every situation and she makes me laugh. It’s been a tough few months for her in some ways—she’s tried to find out about her mother, but there seems to be a real secret there—but she’s a real Pollyanna.” He touched the black curls tumbling past his collar. “She makes me laugh at myself and I’ve done things I would never have thought of doing before. I’ve loved every moment of it.”

  Lissy laughed. “Too much information.”

  “Oh, God no.” He hurried to correct himself. “I’ve done physical things…fun things.”

  “You’re getting me more intrigued by the minute.” She smiled at him and turned to Tessa, who had walked over to join them.

  “Tessa,” she said. “Your son is filling me on the details of his sex life.”

  Tessa raised an eyebrow at her son and he hurried to correct Lissy.

  “No…I meant I’ve done a lot more Nick sort of things. I’ve ridden a Jet Ski and we’re going to climb Mount Stromboli. It’s a volcano.”

  “And I think you have finally fallen in love with life,” Tessa said. “It is so sad that we get to see your happiness when trag
edy strikes.”

  Tom reached out for his mother and they stood in a close embrace for a few minutes before he pulled away.

  “Can I get you a drink, Lissy?”

  “A cup of tea, please.”

  Nick and Alex walked in together as he was pouring Lissy’s tea. He looked across at his younger brother and his stomach clenched. He felt so bloody helpless—there was nothing they could do to help, except deliver meaningless platitudes. Nick and Alex crossed the room and joined him. Nick poured a coffee and gave it to Alex, who looked at his as if he didn’t know what to do with it.

  “This is for Lissy.” Tom handed the tea to Nick. It was time to give Nick a break—it would have been tough supporting Alex at the cemetery. He took Alex’s arm and led him over to the window, searching for words, any words. But he came up with nothing.

  “Don’t worry, it’s all been said,” Alex said as if understanding his brother’s search for comforting words. He put the cup on the windowsill and coffee slopped all over the white glossy paint. “Don’t try. It means nothing. Nothing will bring her back.”

  He stared out over the lawn and it seemed to give him comfort to speak.

  “Did Nick tell you we were moving?”

  Tom shook his head.

  “Straight after the wedding. Only three months to go.” Alex’s voice shook and Tom’s stomach gripped with an aching hollowness. He could not comprehend what Alex was going through. He and Emily had been together since high school.

  Tom closed his eyes for a moment. At Nick and Lissy’s wedding he had danced with Emily, and she had brushed her lips across his cheek and told him she was sure he would find his love in Italy. Now she would never know she’d been right.

  “I got a transfer with the law firm. A big environmental job up in Brisbane.” Alex’s eyes filled with tears, and Tom put his arm around his brother as his voice broke.

  “We’ve already bought a house up there and now she’s gone. Bloody stoned truck driver. I could kill the bastard with my bare hands.”

  He let Alex vent his grief and held him close. Alex’s shoulders shuddered as he drew in deep, ragged breaths.