Sebastian looked a little disappointed by her refusal, but nodded. ‘Of course. Would you mind though if I quickly show you around that little studio over there?’ He pointed across the road. ‘It’s run by a friend of mine and he’d be offended if I came here and didn’t pop in to see him.’
‘I’d love to go in.’ Paige said honestly, stepping in front of him as he held open the front door of the small shop. She glanced over at the brightly coloured impressionist painting taking up most of the window space, before walking inside the cool air-conditioned room. At first she thought the room was unoccupied, until a tanned man she assumed must be around her age stood up from behind the stone counter and smiled at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he uttered a word he spotted Sebastian following her inside and smiled widely, opening his arms.
Paige moved to let Sebastian greet his friend. The men hugged and she could see he obviously held Sebastian in high regard.
‘Sebastian Fielding, so you’ve finally come back to visit me?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘I said I would, but I was hoping not to have left it for so long.’
‘Your uncle?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘He’s well, thank you.’
‘Good. Please give him my best wishes and tell him I’m proving you right.’
Paige wasn’t sure what was going on, but could tell the two of them were very happy to see each other again. She moved away to give them some time alone and enjoy the amazing paintings on display around the small studio.
‘Which do you like best?’ Sebastian’s friend asked her a few minutes later.
She studied the paintings. It was a hard decision to make, they were all so beautiful. She spotted the label hanging from the back of one and wished she had a few hundred euros to spare to be able to buy one to take home to her cottage.
‘Assuming you like any of them,’ he teased.
‘Paige, please let me introduce you to a good friend of mine, Carlo Rosselli.’
Paige smiled and shook Carlo’s proffered hand. ‘It’s good to meet you. Did you do all these paintings?’
‘I am. What do you think of them?’
Paige raised her eyebrows in surprise, relieved she wouldn’t have to pretend. ‘I love them, they’re stunning.’
Carlo looked up at Sebastian, and winked. ‘You have a woman of good taste, Sebastian.’
‘Oh, we’re just friends.’ Paige said hurriedly. Sebastian was great company and very handsome, but she didn’t want his friend getting the wrong idea.
‘Yes,’ Sebastian added. ‘We’re staying at the same hotel and I offered to show Paige some of the sights in the area.’
Carlo’s smile disappeared, but Paige couldn’t tell if he was teasing her, or not, because there was a definite sparkle of mischievousness in his dark eyes. ‘Excuse me, I don’t wish to make you feel uncomfortable.’ He stepped back and stood next to a small, but exquisite painting depicting a colourful water scene. ‘My paintings, you still haven’t said what you particularly like about them.’
‘Carlo, stop pushing for compliments,’ Sebastian said. ‘Would you like to join us for lunch in the piazza?’
‘I would, but I have a commission I’m running behind with. It’s for a birthday present, so I have to finish it on time. Maybe another day, if you’re coming back before your return to England?’
‘Not this time,’ Sebastian said, his voice filled with regret. ‘I will be here soon though and we can catch up over lunch then.’
Happy with this suggestion, Carlo hugged Sebastian and kissed Paige on both cheeks before showing them to the door. ‘Thank you both for coming here. I hope to see you again sometime, Paige.’
‘That would be lovely.’ She smiled at him and took one last look around his colourful studio. ‘I might even come back to buy one of these from you some day.’
They walked the few paces to the restaurant and were soon shown to a table in the packed piazza and Paige couldn’t take her eyes off the obvious wealth all around her. Where were the locals? Everyone here had the best of everything, or so it seemed. ‘Where do all these people come from?’
‘Some of them would have come by ferry, like we did.’
She indicated the expensively clad group of people sitting at the next table to them. ‘I don’t think many of them came across on the ferry,’ she whispered.
‘Probably not. I think they more than likely have their own cruisers. This place comes alive at night when the tourists and ferries leave; it’s when the parties begin.’
‘Sounds like fun.’ She would love to experience an evening here at some point, she decided. She took off her hat and waved it in front of her face for a few seconds, before placing it on the table. It was hot and she was glad of the shade. She was slowly getting to know more about her new friend and it had been wonderful to discover Carlo’s artwork and meet a friend of Sebastian’s. ‘Thank you for introducing me to Carlo and his intricate artwork,’ she said. ‘I love discovering painters, and one day I’m going to treat myself to as many originals as I can afford.’
Sebastian smiled. ‘He is very good. My uncle is an avid supporter of talent that he believes has a future.’
‘And was it you who put him in touch with Carlo?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘He needed someone to back his ambitions for his own studio and despite his initial reticence, my uncle eventually helped Carlo.’
She didn’t like to ask why his uncle had needed persuasion. ‘I was excited to discover the work of an impressionist artist when I visited Wales a couple of years ago. He’s so good and I have to admit that I did buy one of his smallest paintings. I couldn’t help myself.’
‘If you give me the link to his website, I’ll check out his work online.’ He typed in the website name into his Blackberry as she gave him the artist’s name.
‘He’s got an excellent website,’ she said. ‘The paintings are displayed in a much more user-friendly way than most sites. Olly’s suggested I update the basic website I’ve currently got for my shoes and handbags. He believes I’m missing a trick because the site isn’t as professional as it could be.’
‘I agree with him,’ Sebastian said. ‘It’s another outlet without having to pay rent, and you can take orders and maybe show designs before they’re actually released. Teasers, as it were.’
Paige raised her eyebrows. ‘You seem to know a lot about retail.’
‘A little.’
‘What exactly do you do for a living?’ Paige pierced some of the lemon sole on her plate and put it in her mouth, relishing the delicate flavour.
‘All sorts really. My uncle has 11K status in Jersey.’
Paige had heard about wealthy island immigrants, but hadn’t yet met one. ‘Does that mean he can only visit the mainland for ninety days at the most each year then?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘It does. And you’d imagine most people would be thrilled to live in Jersey, but he finds it restricting. He loves England and resents not being able to live there all the time.’
Paige adored the island where she had been born and always lived, but decided she would hate having to be told where to live. ‘Would it be too dreadful for him to go back then?’
‘It would mean they’d tax him on his worldwide assets going back to the seventies when he moved to Jersey, so yes, it would.’
‘Poor thing,’ Paige chewed her lower lip. ‘I’ve never imagined I’d feel sorry for someone really wealthy like him before now.’
‘It could be worse,’ Sebastian said, raising his eyebrows and not looking to Paige as if he had much sympathy at all. ‘I spend most of my time either in the office he has in London keeping an eye on everything, or working from my office at home.’
‘But you travel to Jersey a lot by the sounds of it?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘It’s where the head office is, and where the company board meetings are held.’
She didn’t like repeating her question, but her curiosity was too strong to stop. ‘You still hav
en’t said what it is you actually do.’
Sebastian seemed to consider her question for a moment. ‘I mainly take over failing businesses and find a way to make them work. It usually takes big changes though and the hardest part is discarding anything, or anyone, that’s surplus to the companies’ requirements.’
‘It sounds unpleasant.’
He pursed his lips. ‘Not exactly, but when you’re making people redundant and having to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were, things can get a little heated and personal. It has its good side.’ He held his hands palms upward. ‘And its less savoury side, but most of the time it’s very satisfying clawing a success out of something that seems to have flat-lined.’
‘Impressive.’
‘Not really, it is hard work though.’
After finishing their meal, Sebastian suggested they go for a walk to help their food digest. ‘I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself today, Paige. I was hoping you’d like Capri as much as I do.’
She wasn’t sure why he would be so pleased, but assumed that he must be one of those people who enjoyed introducing the places he loved to those who had yet to encounter them. ‘It’s glorious here, I’m so happy I’ve taken the time to visit. Let’s go this way and see what we can discover.’
She relished the peace of the long winding roads as they meandered in between elaborate private homes partially hidden by their white-walled gardens, sheltered by pine and lemon trees against the sun. Paige pointed down to the sea. ‘We’re higher than I thought.’
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. ‘Stunning though, don’t you think?’ He checked his watch. ‘Damn, we’d better get to the funicular if we want to catch the last ferry back to Sorrento.
‘The what?’ she asked, not enjoying the change of mood, and his new sense of urgency.
‘I’ll explain as we walk. I think we have about twenty minutes and I’m not certain we’re going to make it,’ he took hold of her hand. ‘We’d better hurry.’
He groaned when they reached the back of the queue as the crowds jostled impatiently to get on board. ‘Too late,’ he said, watching the carriage starting to move down into the mountain.
Paige followed Sebastian to the viewing platform. ‘No wonder they were in such a rush,’ she said, seeing the holidaymakers hurriedly stepping onto the last ferry. Then, aware that she wasn’t as disappointed as she probably should have been, added, ‘We’ll never make it, will we?’
‘’Fraid not.’ Sebastian turned to her. ‘Don’t look so worried.’
She didn’t like to admit that the prospect of an evening in Capri didn’t bother her, especially as he looked so concerned.
‘We’ll ask at the nearest hotel for a couple of rooms and I can book us in for the night,’ Sebastian said. ‘We can go back to Sorrento tomorrow morning.’
Having tried three hotels, only to discover that all were fully booked, Paige’s earlier nonchalance was slipping. She was beginning to dread having to sleep outside somewhere.
‘It’s mid-season,’ Sebastian said, reporting back to her about his latest attempt to find somewhere. ‘But the girl on reception is phoning her brother. He owns a small guesthouse at the other side of the old town and she thinks he may be able to put us up for one night.’
Paige waited while Sebastian returned to the reception. She could hear him chatting away in Italian to the pretty receptionist, and couldn’t help thinking how melodious his deep voice sounded as he spoke the lilting language.
He waved her over. ‘They only have one room.’
‘Only one?’ Paige didn’t like the idea of having to share a room with any man right now, even one who looked like Sebastian.
‘Just the one, but don’t worry, I can sleep on Carlo’s sofa and we can meet up again in the morning. Shall I say we’ll take it, or do you want to keep looking for something elsewhere?’
Paige shrugged. ‘That’s fine, if you don’t mind?’ She turned to the receptionist. ‘Do you have Wi-Fi?’ She didn’t want Olly trying to contact her back in Sorrento and panicking if he didn’t find her.
The Wi-Fi sorted, the receptionist gave Paige her key and instructions to find her way to the guest house.
‘I’ll go and speak to Carlo and give you a chance to check your emails,’ Sebastian said. ‘Maybe we could go for something to eat a little later?’
‘Perfect.’ Paige said. ‘I’ll meet you out the front in one hour.’ She left through the large glass doors at the back of the reception and followed the pathway until she came across a couple of tiny buildings. Checking the number on her large key, she unlocked her room and entered the plain, white-washed room and sat on the bed. She longed for a cool shower, so quickly discarded her clothes and stepped into the en-suite bathroom.
Feeling much better, Paige dried herself off and dressed. Running her hands through her hair, she applied a little lip gloss and returned to the reception to use the old computer on a makeshift desk in the corner of the room. After sending Olly a quick message telling him she’d contact him the following day, and satisfied that she’d done all she could to ensure he didn’t panic, Paige went outside and sat down on a weathered bench. Leaning back and closing her eyes, she let her mind wander as she soaked up the sunrays.
‘All OK?’ Sebastian said, making her jump. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a fright.’
She stood up and smiled. ‘Did you speak to Carlo?’
‘Yes, he’s excited that I’ll be staying with him tonight. He insists we open a few bottles of his favourite wine and spend the night catching up. I was wondering if you’d like to join us?’
‘Maybe for one or two, but I wouldn’t want to get in the way and ruin Carlo’s plans. He obviously doesn’t get to see you very often and must be looking forward to having you to himself.’
Sebastian shook his head and began walking. ‘He’s a great guy, but I know he’s going to want to cover old ground that I’d rather not discuss just yet.’
Paige couldn’t imagine what he meant, but didn’t push for him to elaborate. ‘I’m sure it’ll be fun,’ she said, always enjoying catching up with her friends when she hadn’t seen them for a while.
‘It’s going to be heavy,’ he arched an eyebrow. ‘There are quite a few years to cover. I can see a long evening ahead of me.
Paige accompanied Sebastian to Carlo’s studio. He was already locking the front door. She noticed him quickly covering his disappointment to see her arriving with Sebastian.
‘I’m only going to join you for a bite to eat and one drink, then I’ll leave you guys to your evening,’ she said.
‘No, you must stay,’ Carlo said, politely.
Paige shook her head. ‘No, I’m tired and you two don’t want a relative stranger listening while you chat.’
‘Really, we’d love you to stay with us,’ Sebastian stepped in between her and Carlo, linking arms with them.
Paige laughed and suspected he meant what he was saying, but shook her head.
Carlo was funny and she could see that the two men had a close bond. The meal, in a secluded restaurant in one of the small backstreets, had been delicious. Paige waited for the musician to finish playing his mandolin and for everyone to finish applauding. ‘Right,’ she said, taking her napkin from her lap and placing it on the table before picking up her handbag. ‘I think I’m going to head off now.’
Sebastian and Carlo immediately stood up. ‘Already?’ Sebastian asked, looking unimpressed by her imminent departure.
‘Yes.’ She went to shake Carlo’s hand. He took hold of her elbow, leant forward, and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘It was lovely meeting you and seeing your wonderful paintings,’ she said, a little taken aback by his embrace.
‘I’ll walk you to the hotel,’ Sebastian said.
‘I’m fine. You stay and enjoy your evening and we can meet tomorrow morning.’
‘I wouldn’t hear of you going back alone.’ He turned to Carlo. ‘I won’t be long,’ he said, before accompanying her out onto the
street.
‘Really, Sebastian,’ she said, not used to someone wanting to look after her. ‘I’m perfectly happy walking back alone, and I promise I won’t get lost.’
He narrowed his eyes. She could see he wasn’t happy with her insistence. After a brief hesitation, he sighed. ‘If you’re sure you’d rather go alone.’
‘I am.’ She smiled, not wanting him to feel bad. ‘Go back inside. I’ll meet you at the piazza at nine o’clock for breakfast, then we can catch the ferry back to Sorrento.’
Paige stood on tiptoes, kissing him on both cheeks as she had done with Carlo. ‘Good night,’ she said, before walking away.
Chapter Four
He sat back in his chair and stretching his legs out to the side of the small wooden table, crossed them at the ankles and breathed in the warm sea air. It was hard to believe their trip to Capri had happened almost two weeks ago. He had extended his break for as long as he could, but his uncle was now insisting that he return to work. Today would be their last spent together. Why did the days seem to be rushing by so fast, he wondered. He spotted Paige hurrying down the unlevelled pavement and noticing she almost lost her footing, went to get up to see if she was OK. She righted herself by grabbing hold of a paint-flaked windowsill, glancing around to see if anyone was looking. Not wishing to add to her embarrassment, Sebastian sat down once again and concentrated on a fisherman repairing nets with his gnarled but surprisingly deft hands.
‘Well, that’s the last time I run in heels,’ she giggled.
Sebastian glanced up and stood to greet her. Her pretty face was flushed, and he couldn’t help thinking how exquisite she looked all flustered while trying to appear calm. ‘Good morning, I hope you slept well?’
She smiled, and smoothed her hair down with one hand. ‘I must look a wreck. I woke up later than I’d hoped and had to rush to get here.’ He motioned for her to take the seat opposite him. ‘I’m supposed to be relaxing on holiday, but I’ll be going home with black circles under my eyes after all our late nights.’
‘Nonsense.’ He motioned towards the fisherman. ‘I bet he would disagree with you, too.’
A Jersey Affair Page 4