by Loren Teague
‘You’re worried about being alone with me,’ he said drily.
Hearing him voice her concerns made her face flush.
‘I’ll be a perfect gentleman,’ he promised. ‘My sister will also be staying and she’ll be bringing her two kids along too, so you’ll have a chaperon.’
That surprised and disappointed her all in one breath. ‘Your sister?’ she said slowly.
‘Elena. She needs a break and she’s got a few days’ leave from work. It’s the school holidays, so I said I’d help out with the kids so she can relax for a while.’
It sounded good, she thought. ‘OK. So when do we leave?’
‘As soon as you’re packed. Throw some gear in a bag and we’ll go. I was speaking to Elena last night and she’ll be arriving this evening if all goes well.’
‘You don’t waste much time,’ remarked Gina.
He gave a grin. ‘Got anything better to do?’
‘No,’ she admitted.
Later, Gina wondered how she managed to pack so quickly. But then again, there wasn’t really that much to take. It wasn’t as if they were going to hit any night clubs. Or shop in any trendy malls.
He hadn’t wanted to take her Ferrari, preferring his own Toyota station wagon as it could carry more luggage. She agreed.
On their way out of town Rick stopped briefly to see Anthony at his law office to let him know where he would be in case he needed to be contacted. Anthony opened the door, looking harassed.
‘Is everything OK?’ Rick asked.
‘I’m not sure.’ He paused briefly. ‘My secretary, Denise, hasn’t turned up for work again. It’s a bit worrying.’
‘Have you rung her?’
Anthony nodded. ‘There’s no answer.’
Rick suspected there was more to it than Anthony was letting on. ‘Maybe she’s just not answering on purpose.’
Anthony shrugged. ‘Maybe …’
Rick recalled what Gina had told him about Anthony. ‘Is there something going on between you and your secretary?’
‘Like what?’
‘Come on, Anthony.’
Anthony exhaled. ‘Who told you?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘OK, we had an affair. So what? It finished long before Maria and I were engaged. The problem is Denise took our break-up hard. Things have been a bit awkward between us since then. I’ve tried to keep things professional, but you know how it is….’
So Gina had been right about the other woman. There were more questions he would have liked to have asked Anthony but now wasn’t the time. ‘I’ll catch up with you later. I’m on my way to my beach house. Gina’s coming with me.’
Anthony raised his brows. ‘She is?’
‘Any objections?’
Anthony shook his head. ‘None at all.’
‘It’s a bit off the beaten track. That’s why I bought the place,’ said Rick.
The ocean, a Prussian blue in the evening sun, shimmered with an intensity taking Gina’s breath away. Why didn’t the sea look like that from her apartment? Maybe it was the magic of the place, she thought, as she took in the long wild coastline and the golden sands stretching endlessly.
A few minutes later they reached the beach house, a rustic wooden building perched only metres from the edge of a cliff. Gina suspected there’d be a sharp drop to the beach in front of it and, when she climbed out of the car to investigate, she was right. Large rolling breakers pounded below, luring anyone with a surfing soul to play amongst the foaming brine. She knew Rick heard the call as he stood there looking seaward. He had brought the surf board with him, tied to a roof rack.
Rick hauled their bags out of the rear of the Toyota and laid them on the deck near the French doors. Gina noticed the old ship’s bell at the door and the half-moon pottery of a smiling face hanging on the wall to the left. The earthy charm about the place pulled at her.
‘I never imagined you owned a place like this.’
‘I keep it secret. Only invite close friends or family. I try to come down here as much as I can.’
She took in the flowering honeysuckle as it climbed up the front of the house and the daisies bordering the path. Pink roses bloomed in two identical terracotta pots. She bent down to smell them. ‘The garden’s well kept.’
‘I’ve got a confession to make. My father attends to the place once a month.’
She gave a smile. ‘I should have known.’
He picked a white daisy from a large bush nearby and popped it behind her ear. ‘Suits you,’ he said, tilting her chin one way, then another.
She laughed, feeling more carefree than she had in days. ‘Well, thanks,’ she said, and before she realized what she had done, she reached and kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘That’s for taking such good care of me.’
His eyes darkened. From the way he looked at her, she thought he might have taken her in his arms, but he stepped back as if to put some distance between them. Just then his mobile phone rang. ‘Sorry.’ He gave a shrug. ‘I have to answer it. I’ve still got the business to run and you never know who is trying to get hold of me.’
While he spoke at length on the phone, she walked up the steps and sat down on the deck to wait.
After a couple of minutes, Rick hung up. ‘That was my sister, Elena. She can’t make it here until tomorrow. Something’s come up. Do you want me to take you back to town until then?’
She shook her head. ‘We’ve spent over a month together in my apartment and one more night on our own isn’t going to make a bit of difference.’
He laughed. ‘Good.’ He pushed open one wing of the French doors. ‘Come on, I’ll show you around.’
‘You don’t lock the door?’ she asked, surprised.
Rick gave her a crooked smile. ‘The day I lock it is the day I find somewhere else to live.’
When Gina entered the large living area, she gasped. The room was painted a sunflower yellow but what astounded her was the candles. They were everywhere.
‘No electricity?’ she asked.
‘Only a generator and a big bunch of batteries and gas cooker.’
A large open fireplace had a blackened kettle sitting in the cold, empty grate. For an instant, she could imagine a roaring fire and toasting marshmallows, listening to Billie Holiday, while the wind pounded at the windows with its fists.
The room itself was simply furnished but that was part of its charm, she decided. A chunky old-fashioned-looking sofa sat against one side of the wall. Several bottles of red wine were stacked nearby in a wine rack while on a table in one corner stood a CD player. At the other end of the room, a bookcase full of paperbacks reached to the ceiling. If she owned a place like this, she’d live here all the time, she decided.
‘Want to take a look at your bedroom?’ he asked.
‘Love to.’
The bedroom was spacious. A large brass bed, made up in white linen, faced the French windows. Apart from a large rimu dresser and a basket-weave chair the room was simply furnished. A collection of shells were displayed on the dresser. She picked one up admiring the green and blue pattern of the paua.
‘There are plenty more shells on the beach,’ he said, moving closer. He lifted a hand to her cheek and ran his thumb across it lightly. It was such a natural gesture that it made her smile. He stepped away to look out the window. ‘Wind is getting up. We’ll light the fire tonight. It heats the hot water.’ With quick strides, he lifted up the log basket. ‘I’ll chop the wood. Make yourself at home.’
‘Thanks,’ she murmured. She started to unpack the box of groceries, placing what they had bought on the kitchen bench. ‘Where do you want these?’
He pointed. ‘Over there. In the cupboard.’ She quickly thought about what she could make for dinner. A quick pasta dish with the fresh vegetables, tomatoes, and basil, would work well, so she left them on the bench ready for use. It didn’t take long to chop the ingredients. The pungent aroma of basil filled her nostrils. One thing she’d always been
good at was cooking and using herbs. When she was a little girl, her mother had helped her develop her own garden plot near the kitchen. Every day she had watered it faithfully. And when her first harvest of herbs was ready, she had been so proud. She gave a small sigh. It was memories like those which kept her parents alive for her.
It took a while to get the hang of the gas cooker as the flame was so temperamental but she persevered. She stirred the rich tomato sauce, humming softly.
Rick was still outside chopping wood. She couldn’t see him but she could hear the thud of the axe as it hit the log. He soon appeared through the doorway with the log basket. ‘It’s a bit dark in here. I’ll light the candles,’ he said, his muscles straining with the weight of the basket as he deposited it close to the fire.
Although it was late summer, the sea breeze cooled the evening, so Gina was glad of the heat from the fire. Within minutes it roared. She leaned forward to open the kitchen window to let out the steam from cooking. Brisk night air rushed in.
Rick uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. He handed her one. ‘Salute.’
‘Salute,’ she repeated, and took a sip. ‘Dinner’s nearly ready. Hope you’re hungry.’
‘You bet.’
He took a seat at the table and Gina could feel him watching her as she worked at the kitchen bench.
‘Have you thought any more about travelling to Italy?’ he asked.
Gina threw over her shoulder. ‘Hmm … often.’ Concentrating on the task in hand, she lifted the dish of pasta out of the oven and set it down in the middle of the table, ready to serve. ‘I guess there’s nothing to stop me now. But it would only be for a holiday, not to live there. My home’s here. It’s strange really, sometimes I think of myself more Kiwi than Italian.’
‘You do?’ He arched a brow. ‘Why?’
‘Because I grew up here. That’s not to say I’m not proud of my Italian heritage, I am. My grandmother tried to instill in me some of the old ways. At first, I didn’t want to know, but as I got older I realized it shows us who we are. Where we came from. We can never forget our roots.’
‘What about on a personal basis? You didn’t take any notice of your nonna when she advised you about men,’ he mused.
Gina laughed as she dished up the meal. At one time she would have reacted defensively to that statement. But not now. Somehow things had changed within her. The change had come so subtly she hadn’t even been aware of it. She replied in the same vein. ‘You’re treading on sensitive ground.’
‘Just an observation,’ he said lightly. ‘No offence meant.’
‘None taken.’ She smiled.
As they ate, she decided to ask Rick more about his past. ‘What about you? Why did you leave the police force? I thought cops look on it as a career for life.’
‘It usually is.’ His face turned serious. ‘It was a combination of things. The deciding factor was Karen, my working partner. She was shot when we were out on night patrol. We were the first two on the scene of a robbery. When we entered the building the crims were still there. They opened fire. She was killed instantly.’ He stared into space for a second. ‘I didn’t see one of them hiding behind the door. We fought. He stabbed me. I was in hospital for a month. After that, I decided to leave. I’d put in a few good years to the force, so I didn’t feel too guilty about going.’
‘Did Karen have a husband?’ she asked, curiously.
‘No, she didn’t.’ He hesitated, before adding, ‘She wasn’t married. We were dating at the time.’
Gina paused, surprised at his admission. Up to now, he hadn’t opened up much about his personal life. ‘I’m sorry.’ She meant it.
He shrugged. ‘It happens. I liked her a lot. But I wasn’t in love with her,’ he admitted, ‘It never got to that stage and I guess I wasn’t ready to settle down then. After she died, I became disillusioned with the force. Management have no idea what goes on in the front line. We needed new radios, new cars.’ He sighed. ‘And in my estimation, the focus on crime had been lost somewhere along the way. Some good men left around the time I did.’ Rick paused in between mouthfuls. ‘So when I left the police force I had to find another job. It wasn’t easy. I figured the best thing I could do was to start a security business in my home town.’
‘You don’t mind you’ve given up a career in the police force?’
‘Sometimes I do. But that’s the way things have worked out.’ He gave her a long, level look. ‘And you?’
She wasn’t sure how much to give away, although she had confided in him more about her past and her marriage than she had anyone else.
‘Long ago, I made a big mistake. I paid for it as you know,’ she explained. ‘I won’t pretend it’s not altered my attitude to life. Knowing that it was Russo who killed Maria and that he will face charges does bring some justice to the whole thing.’ She shook her head, puzzled. ‘I’d like to have known why he did it … that still bothers me. We can only assume it was revenge.’ She took another sip of her wine trying to stem the tightness in her throat which was only a moment away whenever she thought of Maria. She didn’t want to spoil the mood of the evening. Rick had made an effort so she ought to do the same.
Rick had obviously sensed the change in her because he said lightly, ‘Mmm … this tastes really good,’ he remarked. ‘Who taught you to cook?’
She laughed. ‘My grandmother. That’s one great thing about being Italian. We learn to appreciate food from an early age.’
‘And we appreciate family, don’t forget.’ His next question completely threw her. ‘Would you get married again?’
She fiddled with her wine glass, playing for time. ‘I’m not sure. If you’d asked me that a few months ago, I would have said a definite no. After my marriage failed, I never wanted to commit myself to anyone again.’
‘That doesn’t answer my question.’
She held his gaze. ‘You’re right. It doesn’t.’
Gina helped herself to another portion of pasta while she tried to think of an appropriate answer. Of course, she knew why she had changed her mind. But she couldn’t tell him. Maria’s death had made her realize that life was for living. And even if you made mistakes, there came a time when you got over them, and hopefully learned a valuable lesson. It was all about moving on. And now, here was Rick Caruso sitting right in front of her, having come into her life unexpectedly, penetrating her barriers. If she thought about it too deeply it really shook her, and yet, she couldn’t help being increasingly drawn to him. She could imagine his type of wife. Someone who stayed at home with the kids and cooked good hearty meals. For a moment, she almost laughed out loud. That was what she had always wanted to do, wasn’t it? But her marriage hadn’t worked out like that. She didn’t even know if she would ever get a second chance. And Rick had made it perfectly clear he didn’t want to get involved. And so had she. So where would that leave her if she didn’t put a stop to what was happening between them?
‘I don’t know if I’d get married again,’ she finally said. ‘It all depends.’
‘On what?’
‘Who asks me,’ she teased. She picked up the tea towel and threw it at him. ‘Since I cooked, you can dry.’ She collected the plates and stacked them on the bench.
A ghost of a smile hovered on his lips. ‘Looks like I can’t talk myself out of this one.’ The phone rang. ‘Damn,’ he muttered. His eyes met hers. ‘I could ignore it.’
She shook her head. ‘Might be important.’
It would be an opportunity to be on her own for a few minutes to compose her thoughts and extricate herself from having to answer more questions. She had never been afraid to answer anything or anyone in all of her life. It surprised her how she had reacted when he started touching on topics like marriage which were close to her heart. Then again, since Rick Caruso had come on the scene, she could expect anything.
He turned to face her, his expression serious. ‘That was Brougham. Danni Russo has been refused bail.’
> She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Thank God.’
She put the kettle on and made coffee while Rick selected some music. He connected a car battery to the CD player. ‘Generator charges the batteries,’ he explained. ‘That way we don’t have to listen to the generator while we try to enjoy the music.’ They both sat around the fire listening to Billie Holiday just like she had imagined they would. ‘Tomorrow I’ve got a surprise for you,’ he told her.
‘Oh. What?’
‘Surfing.’
She raised her brows. ‘Surfing? Isn’t that a bit ambitious? After all, I’m a lie on the beach with a book in my hand kind of girl. The nearest I get to anything strenuous is putting the sun tan lotion on.’
His mouth twitched. ‘We can soon change that.’
‘You can?’
‘Yeah….’
‘Are you sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for?’
‘Nope. But I have a lot of patience.’
That’s what she liked about him, she thought. His patience. His understanding. There were starting to be too many good qualities she was noticing, she thought. The way he looked at her sometimes for a start. Could she dare think that he might be feeling the same about her? She pulled back abruptly, rising to her feet. ‘I’m tired. I think I’ll head to bed.’
‘So soon?’ He stood up. ‘Have I said something wrong?’
My God, he was even starting to know how she thought. ‘No … no … not at all. It’s just that….’ Her voice trailed off as she failed to find an excuse.
‘Just what?’ he prompted, his forehead creasing in puzzlement.
‘I’m still feeling a little raw,’ she said lamely.
He smiled. ‘Sure. I can understand that. I’ll be sleeping on the sofa, so just yell if there’s anything you need. ‘Take a candle with you.’ Rick took one in an old-fashioned holder and lit it from the fire before handing it to Gina.
By the time she reached the bathroom she heaved a big sigh of relief. Now that she was alone, she could finally deal with the turbulence of her emotions. Had it been a good idea to come here, she wondered? Being with him like this in such an intimate setting wasn’t something she had envisaged. Or had she been fooling herself? Was it what she had wanted all along?