by Jayne Castel
Irritation surged through Kay and she took a gulp of her drink. The bubbles caught at the back of her throat and she spluttered inelegantly.
“So how are you feeling after your long flight,” Vincenzo asked politely, “you must be jet-lagged?”
“A little,” Kay admitted. Despite her nap, as the day wore on she could feel fatigue settling like a heavy blanket over her.
“I have to say I was shocked when Kay said she was coming to visit,” Melissa refilled their glasses, “you aren’t much of a traveler. When I invited you to come on holiday with me you said you were too busy.”
“Well, maybe I should have come,” Kay replied.
“What? You think you might have kept me out of trouble?” Melissa countered, as usual reading her sister accurately.
“Maybe,” Kay replied stubbornly.
That was as near as they had got to the real reason Kay had paid an exorbitant sum for a plane ticket and rushed to Rome. Melissa knew how unpopular she was at the moment and the upset she had caused. However, neither of them were ready to broach the subject directly.
As the sun dipped further towards the horizon, sliding behind the pines, the bottle of prosecco emptied and Vincenzo went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Melissa followed, leaving Kay and Alessandro alone. The wine, coupled with jet-lag and an empty stomach, made Kay light-headed and a little woozy. Alessandro sat on the other-side of the table sending a text message and ignoring her.
Kay decided to find out a bit about this family that had suddenly intruded upon her life.
“So… Alessandro. Melissa tells me Vincenzo is a carpenter. What is it you do?”
“I’m a journalist,” Alessandro replied without bothering to look up from sending his text message.
“You and Vincenzo both speak English very well. Where did you learn it?”
Alessandro looked up and once again Kay was hit by the voltage of his intense gaze. She felt a frisson ripple through her body in response but resolutely ignored it.
“What did you expect?” his voice was softly mocking, “that all Italians speak English like in the Godfather?”
“Well no, I haven’t seen the Godfather actually.” Kay refused to be baited.
“Vincenzo and I spent each summer in Cambridge studying English while we were teenagers. After that we both lived in London for a couple of years.” Alessandro replied. His voice was clipped.
Silence fell between them once again and as it dragged on, Kay felt herself growing angry with Alessandro Falcone. She hadn’t expected to like these people Melissa had fallen in with but Vincenzo’s brother was one of the rudest men she’d ever met. She thought Italian men were supposed to be charming. Tiredness and alcohol dissipated her usual shyness.
“Well since you asked, I work as a freelance editor, which means we’re in similar fields.”
“Really,” he leaned back in his chair and drained his glass, “how so?”
“Well I edit what journalists write,” Kay doggedly continued, “what kind of articles do you write?”
“A bit of everything,” Alessandro replied, “I work for a daily paper, La Corriere della Sera, The Evening Mail. Recently I’ve covered a lot of politics which is depressing.”
“Why?”
Alessandro raised an eyebrow and studied Kay with thinly veiled amusement. “Does anything about what goes on in Italy ever reach New Zealand?”
“Not much,” Kay admitted. Then, feeling he was chastising her for not being up to date on world politics, added. “But then the Italian government probably only publicize what they want the rest of the world to know. The worst stuff gets airbrushed out. Most countries are like that.”
That comment made Alessandro Falcone finally sit up and pay attention. He studied her face for a moment before he nodded.
“You're right,” he admitted.
“Dinner is served!” Melissa stepped back out onto the balcony carrying a tray of bruschette topped with chopped tomato and basil, “I’ll be right back with the wine.”
“So what does the New Zealand government hide from the rest of the world?” Alessandro asked, handing Kay a plate.
Kay shrugged, “not much really. It’s a quiet place, there isn’t much to hide.”
“Sounds nice,” Alessandro replied.
Kay looked hard at him, searching for a trace of sarcasm or coldness but found him sincere.
“It is,” Kay admitted, “although I suppose when you grow up with it you take what we have for granted.”
“That's human nature,” Alessandro stood up and took the bottle of chilled white wine Melissa had passed him. He wedged the corkscrew into the bottleneck and started to open it.
“What’s human nature?” Melissa asked, intrigued.
“Taking things for granted,” Kay replied, hoping her intended double-meaning wouldn’t be lost on her sister. It wasn’t. Melissa frowned and Kay felt a minor stab of victory. One point for the home team at last.
Kay's innuendo caused a pall of discomfort to settle over the table but the food gave them something to focus on. Vincenzo was a fantastic cook. After the bruschette he served them spaghetti in a tangy tomato sauce followed by sea bass cooked in rock-salt, served with a green salad. They finished their meal with a tiny glass of chilled limoncello – lemon liqueur from the Amalfi Coast.
The sun had long since set and the sky overhead had darkened to deep purple. The air was still sultry but there was a softness to it. After prosecco, white wine and limoncello, Kay was now feeling as if she could fall asleep in her chair. The conversation moved around her and she could hear Melissa attempting to use some of her newly acquired Italian on Vincenzo and Alessandro.
Kay noticed that Alessandro was coldly formal and standoffish with Melissa, while Melissa appeared oblivious. Vincenzo drew her attention whenever he was near. Although the brothers shared many physical similarities, Kay could see their characters were vastly different. Although she was trying valiantly, it was hard to dislike Vincenzo Falcone. He was easy-going and warm with a dry wit – and he looked at Melissa as if she were the most incredible creature he had ever set eyes on. Kay found it difficult to watch them.
“Kay is starting to wilt,” Melissa finally noted when Kay succumbed to fatigue and dozed for a few moments, “you’d better see her home Alessandro.”
Kay jolted awake, got to her feet and felt the world teeter slightly. It had been a mistake to drink when she was jet-lagged. The alcohol hadn’t affected anyone else. They had all drunk slowly and savored the wine with dinner. Kay had been so tense recently it took very little to disturb her equilibrium. Trying her best to appear sober, she retrieved her bag and said goodbye to Vincenzo, who insisted on giving her the Italian two-cheek kiss. She gave her sister a brief hug at the door.
“I’ll meet you for lunch tomorrow,” Melissa promised, “I’ll pick you up at your hotel at one, okay?”
Kay followed Alessandro out to the lift and they travelled down in silence. Alessandro’s momentary burst of manners appeared to have deserted him and Kay could see he was brooding again. This time she was too tired and woozy to care. Let him sulk.
Perhaps it was the wine that had relaxed her but Kay found herself enjoying the ride home. Rome’s streets were much quieter now and a half moon had risen high above the city. Alessandro’s body was tense but Kay was so tired she leaned against him. The feel of his strong back was treacherously comforting. How long was it since she had enjoyed the heat of a man’s body against hers? Years. Far too long.
Kay watched the city unfold as they drove north and by the time they reached the river she was enraptured by Rome. The waters of the Tiber glittered in the moonlight. In the distance, lit up ghostly white, was the dome of St. Peter’s. Somewhere, a church bell chimed. It had just gone eleven. Now Kay was beginning to understand why people raved about the beauty of this city. It was indeed timeless as if the passing of the centuries meant nothing to its soul.
Alessandro maneuvered the Vespa through Tra
stevere’s tangled web of streets and pulled up outside Albergo Gelsomina. He dismounted with the practiced ease of someone who had ridden a scooter since before he could drive a car. Kay attempted to follow him with the same aplomb but caught her foot as she swung her leg over. She would have sprawled across the cobbles if Alessandro hadn’t caught her. Once again she found herself in unwanted physical contact with him, and once again her body betrayed her. Her stomach swooped as if she was on a swing. This time it was worse, for her face smashed up against the wall of his chest. He grabbed her under the arms and pulled her up so she was facing him.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“Er no, I’m fine,” Kay mumbled, glad that the alley was dimly lit and she could only see the shadowy outline of his face. As she collided with him she had caught a whiff of his cologne, spicy and musky, mixed with the warm man-smell of him. It was delicious but Kay took two rapid steps back to distance herself from it. Why was she so attracted to him?
“Well Kay Starling,” even in the murky light Kay could feel Alessandro’s gaze fix on her, “now you have rushed to your sister’s side, what are you planning to do here in Rome?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well it’s obvious this isn’t a holiday. Rome doesn’t interest you.”
Kay bristled at his assumption she was indifferent to Rome. He took a lot upon himself.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice hardening.
“You’re here to convince your sister to come to her senses and go back to New Zealand, aren’t you?”
When Kay didn’t answer, he continued. “Good luck - I’ve had no success convincing my brother he’s making the biggest mistake of his life.”
It was strange, but even though she was against Melissa and Vincenzo’s impending wedding, she didn’t like the intended slur he was making against her sister.
“Melissa is making the biggest mistake of her life,” she responded frostily, “and I’m intending to tell her that tomorrow – not that the rest of my family haven’t done so already.”
When Alessandro didn’t immediately respond, Kay continued, “maybe she hasn’t filled you in on the details but Kay was engaged to Jake Cutler, a man she’s supposed to be marrying in September. A month ago, she goes off to Italy on holiday, falls for your brother and emails Jake to let him know the wedding's off and she’s not coming back to New Zealand. She left behind her fiancé, her friends, her job, her home – for a man she hardly knows. Everyone thinks she’s been brainwashed.”
“Brainwashed?”
“How else can you explain it?”
“Maybe Melissa hasn’t filled you in on the details of my brother’s life before he met your sister,” Alessandro shot back, “Vincenzo was engaged to marry a girl he’d been with since they were both twenty-two and he left her for Melissa.”
“Twenty-two?” Kay replied incredulously, “but he’s in his early thirties now!”
“Engagements last a long time in Italy,” Alessandro’s voice was getting more glacial by the moment, “it takes a long time to save up for a deposit for a house and secure a mortgage. Vincenzo and Sabina had been together so long it was as if they were married. It broke the hearts of two families when your sister arrived on the scene. She has no idea what she’s done.”
“Neither has your brother,” Kay snapped, “it’s a wonder you’re still speaking to him. I’m the only one in my family who is still talking to Melissa but she doesn’t seem to care.”
“Our parents have told Vincenzo that unless he gives Melissa up and goes back to Sabina, they want nothing more to do with him,” Alessandro said. “That’s a terrible thing in Italy. Family is everything here but your sister has bewitched Vincenzo. I’ve begged him to reconsider but he won’t listen.”
“My sister hasn’t bewitched anyone,” Kay countered, “she’s the one who’s been influenced, the one who was in the most vulnerable position – on holiday in a romantic city, away from her family and friends. It was easy for your brother to prey on her.”
“Vincenzo isn't a predator!” Alessandro’s voice cut through the humid night air, “women like you like to lay the blame at a man’s feet. Your sister knew what she was doing. She wasn’t some innocent girl! She got her hooks into Vincenzo the moment she met him!”
“What a load of rubbish!” Kay’s anger flared, “you’ve got a twisted mind if that’s the most logical scenario you can come up with. My sister was in love with her fiancé! This is obviously just some holiday fling that’s gotten out of hand. And for the record, you don’t know the first thing about me so don’t start telling me what I like or don’t like. You hardly seem an expert on women. You’re just another reason I don’t want Melissa to stay on in Rome. If Vincenzo is anything like you, Melissa wants nothing to do with him!”
Shaking with rage, Kay stalked to the hotel’s entrance and stabbed the intercom. Mercifully, the gate clicked open and Kay pushed through. She could feel Alessandro Falcone’s gaze piercing her through the darkness but she didn’t look back. She wished she hadn’t lost her temper but his arrogance had goaded her.
She had to convince Melissa to rid herself of this man and his family.
***
Kay sat outside the pizzeria and watched passers-by trickle across the sun-baked square. Underneath the shade of an awning it was pleasant to sit outdoors, while just a few feet away Rome’s cobbles were hot enough to fry an egg on. Kay took a sip of sparkling water and watched the waiter slide a bubbling margherita pizza onto the table in front of her. Melissa had ordered a pizza topped with rocket and cherry tomatoes. Despite the heat, both women were hungry. They tucked into their pizzas and Kay marveled at how bread, tomato and cheese could be so delicious.
They were half-way through their pizzas when Melissa wiped her hands on a napkin and fixed her sister in a level gaze.
“So Kay, you’ve been biding your time but now you might as well come out with it.”
“What?” Melissa’s directness caught Kay off guard. She had a mouthful of pizza and was attempting to mop up the oil that was dribbling down her chin.
“I can read you like a book,” her sister continued, “your disapproval radiated down the phone line even before you got here. Now we’re face to face its screaming at me. Come on, let’s get this over with and then you can enjoy the rest of your stay in Rome.”
Kay swallowed her mouthful of pizza and took a sip of rapidly warming beer.
“There's no need to get defensive,” she said finally.
“It's hard not to be,” Melissa replied, “when you feel someone mounting an attack against you. Come on, spit it out.”
Kay frowned. She hadn’t wanted to broach the subject like this. Melissa had a knack for throwing her. Deciding subtlety wasn't going to work now, Kay took a deep breath.
“You're making an enormous mistake Mel,” she began, watching her sister's face closely as she spoke, “and I couldn't sit back in Wellington and let you do it. Think how this appears to everyone. One minute you're madly in love with Jake, about to get married, you've even bought a house together – then you go off on holiday to Italy and drop everything for the first man who crosses your path. No wonder mum and dad are livid. Jake's a mess. I had to do something. I arrive here to find you totally complacent about what you've done. Don't you have a conscience?”
Kay sat back in her chair and waited for Melissa's response. Her words had been harsh and cutting but they'd had to be. Melissa's face was hooded for a few moments. She looked down at her plate and when she looked up again, Kay saw her sister’s eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“I know I broke things off with Jake in a cowardly way,” she began, her voice low, “I thought it would be less messy if I didn’t have to speak to him.” Melissa pushed her half-finished pizza away. Her appetite had faded along with her carefree mood. “I've hurt him and I wish I hadn’t. He’s not a bad man but when I came here and I met Vincenzo I realized that for years I’d been pretending to want the life I had wh
en I didn’t.”
Kay stared at her uncomprehendingly, confused by Melissa’s convoluted argument. Melissa saw she’d lost her and so she sought to explain herself better.
“For years I thought I’d done so well. A great career, the boyfriend all my friends wanted but over the last two years I’ve felt like I’ve just been going through the motions. I took the safe track Kay. I could have done what some of my friends did: travelled, tried out different countries, different jobs. Instead, I’ve spent the last decade living a serious, confined life. I never realized what I was missing out on until I came here.”
Kay frowned. She and Melissa had been living similar lives until Melissa absconded to Italy. Kay felt insulted. Melissa may have felt her life was serious and confined but Kay’s wasn’t.
“Sounds like some kind of early mid-life crisis to me,” she said, not liking the sniping tone she was using but unable to stop herself.
“Maybe it was,” Melissa sighed, “but I’m glad it came. I love it here Kay and I can’t believe how lucky I was to meet Vincenzo. Few people ever meet their soul mate and I have.”
“Soul mate!” Kay spluttered, “but you’ve only known him a month! You sound like an infatuated teenager!”
“And you sound like a bitter old maid!” Melissa shot back, “for god’s sake, you’re only twenty-nine. Way too young to be so jaded. I’m surprised you didn’t get on better with Vincenzo’s brother because you sound just like him. People are so quick to judge, to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. Vincenzo and I just want to be together. Some people stay in a relationship for years and never really know the other person. So what if Vinnie and I only met a month ago. Time has no importance.”
Kay breathed in deeply and let the simmering anger which grappled her around the throat, slowly ease back. She didn’t want to lose her temper but she was seconds away from doing so.