‘You’re right,’ Maddy said. ‘And the coffee’s still warm if you want another cup. But I ate the last croissant. Sorry.’
‘I’m glad you did.’ Claudia poured herself some coffee. ‘I shouldn’t really eat all that gluten. But the food here is too good to be true. I’ll have to go on a diet when I get back home.’
‘Where’s home?’ Maddy asked. ‘New York?’
Claudia made a face. ‘No. I left New York for good. I’m moving back to Florence. My family owns the palazzo with Lucilla’s family. We all have apartments there. Mine’s in need of extensive repairs but I can stay with Lucilla until it’s ready.’
‘Must be expensive. The repairs, I mean.’
‘Oh, yes. I’m going to make it ultra-modern and rip out the old kitchen and bathrooms. I want to be comfortable and I don’t intend to move ever again.’ She sipped her coffee, watching the boats speeding ahead of them. ‘Everyone’s in such a hurry. What’s the point?’
‘Maybe they’re hooked on speed?’ Maddy said with a laugh. ‘You must be happy to move back home?’
‘Happy and sad,’ Claudia said. ‘And very stressed, to be honest. My husband’s being difficult.’
‘I thought the divorce was all done?’
Claudia looked into her cup. ‘No, not quite. We’re separated and I have a lawyer, but he’s dragging his heels. We signed a prenup before we got married, but he’s so clever, I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to figure out a way to get his hands on my assets. So in the meantime, I’m making sure it’s all secured. I’m selling the Park Avenue condo and moving everything to Florence. The properties here are owned by my family, so that’s safe, and I’m pouring money into the repairs, so that’s not something he can claim. Except if he comes and rips out the bathrooms, of course,’ she added with a wry smile. ‘But he’d be too lazy.’
‘What was the problem between you?’ Maddy asked without thinking. She put her hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry, that just came out. Didn’t mean to be nosey.’
‘It’s okay,’ Claudia said and smiled. ‘In America everyone spills their heart and soul out all the time. I’ve learned to talk about personal things, and in a way, it helps. To put it in a nutshell, I married a man with irresistible charm who turned out to be a bad sort. He was controlling and possessive and it took me quite a while to realise what was going on. But one day I suddenly woke up and then I packed my bags and ran out.’
‘But isn’t he staying in the apartment?’
‘No. He didn’t want to live on Park Avenue. He already had an apartment in the West Village, so we lived there during our marriage. I let the condo to a French diplomat, and when he was posted back to Europe, I decided to sell it. Thank God I kept it in my own name, otherwise he would have been able to claim half the money I’ll get for it.’ Claudia sighed and looked out over the sea. ‘Enough of that. I don’t have very pleasant memories of my marriage.’
‘Of course you don’t,’ Maddy soothed, shocked by Claudia’s revelations.
Maddy picked up a pair of binoculars from the side table and started to watch the marine life and the boats. ‘These are great binoculars,’ she said, scanning the shoreline of the nearest island. ‘I can see every detail.’ She moved her gaze over the water and saw something move. ‘Oh my God, a dolphin!’ she exclaimed, fascinated. ‘It’s following that little boat just behind us.’
‘How lovely,’ Claudia squealed. ‘Can I see?’
Maddy handed her the binoculars. ‘It’s there, just beside that small white motorboat with the red stripe across the stern. Keep the binoculars trained on the hull and you’ll see the dolphin jump.’
‘Oh, yes!’ Claudia shrieked. ‘It’s jumping as if it’s playing with the boat. I hope the person driving is careful.’
‘I’m sure he is.’ Maddy saw the driver, a man in a blue baseball cap, looking down into the water. But… She stared at him. He looked familiar, even from this distance. And the boat… It suddenly struck her. It looked like the same boat as the one they had seen speeding away from the harbour in Jelsa. And that man looked exactly like the person who had tried to steal Bridget. Even from far away, his strong features were recognisable. Had Claudia seen him? She turned as Claudia gulped and dropped the binoculars.
‘It’s him,’ she croaked, pointing a finger at the boat. ‘My husband.’
Twenty
Maddy stared at Claudia. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Oh yes, I’m certain,’ Claudia said in a shaky voice. ‘He’s following me.’ Her face was pale and her chin wobbled. ‘I knew he’d find me somehow, the bastard.’
‘But how did he know where you were?’
‘He could have hacked into my email. He’s done it before.’ Claudia sat rigid in the chair. ‘He even hacked into my bank account once and siphoned off a huge amount of money to feed his gambling addiction. I didn’t notice it until they called me from the bank.’ She shuddered. ‘That’s part of the reason I left him. And now he’s after me to get me back. Or to get money from me.’
Maddy’s heart broke for Claudia. ‘That’s terrible. What are you going to do?’ She looked at the boat again. It was still the same distance away. She picked up the binoculars and inspected him more closely. ‘He has a beard, but I recognise him from photos I’ve seen in the media. No mistaking that broken nose and square jaw.’
‘He couldn’t disguise those away.’ Claudia got up and went into the saloon. ‘Can we go faster, Nico?’ she called to the bridge. ‘We think someone’s following us.’
‘Of course,’ Nico shouted back. ‘We’re going quite fast already, but do you want to speed it up even more?’
‘Yes please,’ Claudia shouted. ‘We want to get away from that motorboat behind us. The one with the red stripe across the side.’
‘Who’s following you?’ Nico asked.
‘My husband,’ Claudia replied. ‘It’s a long story. Can we go at top speed?’
‘No problem,’ Nico replied, pushing the accelerator.
They could hear the engines roar and the boat surged forward, throwing up sprays of water in their wake. It didn’t take long to lose the little motorboat. They turned sharply around the next island, in through a narrow sound, and then a slight gap between two rocks, the sides of the yacht barely scraping past. Another sharp turn and they were in a small bay, where Nico expertly steered the yacht to an outcrop, behind which they were hidden from view. He killed the engine and they stopped, rocking gently on the waves.
In the ensuing silence, only broken by the cry from a lone seagull and the loud chirping of the cicadas from the nearby shore, Maddy and Claudia looked at each other and exhaled.
‘Is this okay?’ Nico shouted. ‘Will I drop the anchor?’
‘Yes please,’ Maddy called back. ‘This looks perfect, Nico. Thank you.’
Leanne peered out of her cabin. ‘What’s happening? Have we stopped?’
‘Yes,’ Maddy replied. ‘Nice little bay. I think we can stay here for a while if you want a swim.’
The chain of the anchor rattled at the same time as the door to Lucilla’s cabin burst open and she came charging out. ‘What’s going on?’
‘We were being followed by a speedboat,’ Claudia said. ‘And we think it’s my husband.’
‘What?’ Lucilla stared wildly at Claudia. ‘Your husband? That’s crazy. How could he find you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Claudia replied, sinking down on a chair, her hands covering her face.
‘Is this true?’ Lucilla asked Maddy. ‘Did you see this man?’
‘Yes.’ Maddy showed her the binoculars. ‘We were looking at a dolphin and then we saw the boat that it was following and the person driving it. Definitely Oliver Wilde.’
‘But how is that possible?’ Lucilla looked at Claudia. ‘I thought you had made sure you couldn’t be found.’
‘I did. I even changed my phone and number. I set up a new email address and told nobody where I was.’
Maddy looked at Claudia’s trouble
d face and realised that this must be why she had been looking over her shoulder and hiding behind her sunglasses all the time.
‘This is very strange,’ Lucilla said, sitting down. She patted Claudia’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure we managed to lose him during this mad race. I practically fell off my bed!’
‘I hope we lost him,’ Claudia sighed.
Lucilla picked up her phone. ‘But just to be sure, I’m going to call Carlo. This might be a problem that can be solved by la famiglia.’
‘Whose family?’ Maddy asked. ‘Yours?’
‘No, Carlo’s,’ Lucilla said. She paused while she punched in a number. ‘He’s from Naples. Huge family and they all help each other.’
‘You mean like some kind of mafia?’ Leanne asked, returning from her cabin wearing her bikini.
‘No,’ Lucilla said, laughing. ‘Just a family network. Some of the cousins are on holiday in Dubrovnik.’ She waited for a while and then hung up. ‘No signal. Tony and Carlo must be on their way.’
Leanne looked over the railing. ‘Very quiet here. Nobody around except seagulls. I’m going to jump in for a swim. Anyone want to join me?’
‘In a minute,’ Maddy replied. ‘But you go ahead, I’ll catch up with you.’
‘Okay.’ Leanne threw her leg across the railing and jumped into the crystal-clear water, swimming away to the shore just as the sailing boat glided around the outcrop and settled beside the motorboat with a splash of the anchor. Tony threw a fender over the side to stop the boats knocking against each other and waved.
‘Hi there! Got Nico’s message so we changed our course. Nice little bay. We’re in time for lunch, I hope?’
‘Lunch?’ Claudia exclaimed. ‘How can you think of lunch at a time like this?’
Tony looked surprised. ‘A time like what?’
‘Did you see a motorboat with a red stripe across the hull when you came through the sound?’ Maddy asked.
‘Yes, we did,’ Tony replied. ‘Going hell for leather towards Dubrovnik.’
Claudia let out a long sigh. ‘Oh, that’s good.’
‘What’s this all about?’ Tony asked.
‘Nothing. Just someone we wanted to lose,’ Maddy said, seeing how uncomfortable Claudia looked. ‘Lunch isn’t ready yet, but we’ll rustle something up.’ She went into the galley. ‘Hard boiled eggs, salad, cheese and bread okay?’ she called out.
‘Sounds good,’ Tony replied. ‘We’ll bring beer. If there’s any ham, I’d be more than happy. How about you, Carlo?’
Carlo didn’t reply. Already in a pair of red Speedos, he dived from the deck of the sailing boat and followed Leanne with an easy crawl.
Maddy watched him swim away, praying that whatever happened next, it wouldn’t be worse than last night.
* * *
Leanne lay on a rock on the shore of the little island, her eyes closed to the sun. The water had been cold and she was enjoying the sun warming her. The hot rock beneath her, the sound of the cicadas chirping and the waves lapping the shore were soothing her worries away. After her long siesta on the yacht, she felt rested and much calmer than before. Whatever happened, she’d cope with it, even if the thought of facing Carlo made her cringe with embarrassment.
She heard feet crunching the pebbles and opened her eyes. Carlo, dripping wet in a pair of tiny red Speedos, made his way to the rock. God, what a beautiful body, she thought, before the anger hit her.
‘What are you doing here?’ she snapped, her voice hoarse. So much for playing it cool.
‘I want to talk to you.’
She closed her eyes again. ‘I’m not ready to speak to you yet.’
‘Then just listen.’ Carlo sat down on the rock beside her, his leg barely touching hers.
‘How can I avoid it?’
‘Please. I need to explain. First of all, I want you to know two things. The first is how sorry I am about what happened. I shouldn’t have flirted with you like that, and I shouldn’t have tried to make love with you like that. It was all wrong.’
‘Wrong?’ Leanne sat up and glared at him, her hand shading her eyes against the sun. ‘Yeah, it was,’ she said bitterly. ‘And I was wrong to believe you were falling for me the way I was for you. I didn’t mean to say what I said, actually, only that I felt so—’ She stopped and looked at his face. ‘You have no right to be angry with me.’
‘I’m not angry. I’m sad about what happened – or didn’t. It was a mistake and I’m sorry. I thought you were… that we were just…’ He stopped and rubbed his eyes. ‘This is difficult.’
‘What is? That you don’t fancy me and that you were just looking for a quick screw?’
‘No… yes, I mean…’ He looked away. ‘I do like you, Leanne. But there’s something about me you need to know.’
Leanne gasped. She couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t be…? ‘Are you trying to tell me you’re… gay?’
Carlo snorted a laugh. ‘No, of course not. But there’s something else.’ He looked at his hands. ‘I can’t get involved with anyone.’
‘Why not?’ Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to burst out of her chest.
‘Because of Lucilla.’
Leanne sighed. ‘Okay. I knew it. She owns you or something. Or you love her and she doesn’t want you.’
‘Stop making things up,’ Carlo ordered. ‘The thing is… Lucilla and I are engaged.’
Leanne gasped. ‘To be married, you mean?’
Carlo got up. ‘Yes. To be married. What other kind of engaged is there?’
‘But you broke up,’ Leanne said, confused. ‘That’s what you told me.’
‘No, not really. We’re taking a little break from each other. We’re going to be married next year. But we have decided to split up for a while and see other people. She felt I needed to… get around. She knows I like to play the field. But that will end when we’re married, so…’
Leanne suddenly understood what was going on. ‘You needed to sow some wild oats before you go into that to-death-do-us-part life sentence, you mean?’ she started. ‘Lucilla wants you to fool around for a bit so that when you’re finally Mr and Mrs, you won’t stray again? Sleep with a few floozies and have a ball before the wedding bells ring? Am I right?’ She got more and more worked up as she talked.
‘Yes,’ Carlo replied, looking shamefaced.
‘And then when you met me, you thought I’d be one of those fun girls who sleeps around with no hard feelings afterwards?’
‘Something like that,’ Carlo said.
‘Exactly like that, I bet.’ Leanne hugged her knees to her chest. ‘And then all was well until I had to go and say the magic words which scared you shitless. I see it all now.’
‘You’ve explained it better than I could.’
‘Yeah, but I have to say, it’s weird. She lets you fool around, in fact she’s there to see it happen, like last night. She must have known what we were up to.’
Carlo shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
‘And she loved the photos we took. She must have felt the vibes between us. But as it was good for business, so she didn’t protest. Is that right?’
He shrugged again. ‘She doesn’t involve her feelings when she is working. Business is business for her. If the campaign is a success, we’re made.’
‘Of course.’ With a feeling of distaste, Leanne climbed off the rock. This was too much. She didn’t want to hear any more. ‘Well, whatever,’ she drawled. ‘I’m going back to the boat.’
Carlo grabbed her arm. ‘Don’t go yet. I want you to hear the rest.’
‘You mean there’s more?’ Leanne peeled his hand off her arm. ‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch me.’
‘Sorry.’ Carlo sat down on the rock and folded his arms. ‘But I want you to hear this. I come from a big, very poor family in Naples. Five brothers. Four sisters. I’m the youngest. I’ve worked hard all my life to help the family. I worked as a model in New York so I could send money to them and to
my mother, who is old and unwell.’
‘What about your dad?’
‘He’s dead.’
‘Oh, God. I’m sorry. But go on.’
‘Then I went to Nice and studied marketing. That’s where I met Lucilla. We started dating, and then when the course was finished we began working for your father. After that, we set up our own business, hoping to make something of ourselves. During this time, we fell in love, but her family didn’t approve. It wasn’t until last year, when the business started doing well, that they’ve welcomed me into the family. They’re noble and rich, you see, and I come from nowhere.’
She could see it all now. Lucilla, the classy aristocrat with connections and money, and Carlo, the handsome poor boy with a great head for business. Together they would be hard to beat. And they both knew it.
‘I have worked so, so hard to be where I am today,’ Carlo continued. ‘I’m the head of my own company, and I’m engaged to marry this powerful woman with enormous standing in society. Together we will found a dynasty.’
‘And she gives you a little time off beforehand to fool around,’ Leanne remarked, a sharp edge to her voice. ‘Seems a little heartless to me, but hey, I’m not a businesswoman.’
‘No. I don’t think you really understand the whole thing.’
‘That’s putting it mildly.’ She looked at him, and all the anger and embarrassment faded away. She wasn’t really in love with him, she realised. She was attracted to him, that was for sure. And she had wanted him to want her. Body and soul. But he was only after one thing and just for a night. A bit of fun before the real deal. She thought about Carlo and Lucilla – their relationship didn’t sound like the kind of true love she dreamed of. ‘Do you love Lucilla?’ she had to ask. ‘I mean really, really love her? Like you’d die for her?’
‘Yes. She’s perfect for me. Beautiful, smart, classy. And we have the same outlook on life. She can be a little cold and calculating at times. But that’s her sharp mind. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t met her.’
‘I see.’ This made her feel sad, not only for herself, but also for him. But she had to cut her losses and appear cool and in control. Leanne swallowed and held out her hand. ‘Let’s shake hands and agree to be friends. No more fooling around. We’ll work as before but no more flirting, is that clear?’
A Holiday to Remember: An absolutely hilarious romantic comedy set under the Italian sun Page 16