Page 41 of Never Too Late
He shook his head. ‘Thanks, but you’ve been at the keyboard all day and you’re cooking dinner so why don’t we just go and sit outside and relax? After the rain the views are great.’
He led her outside to the loggia. This was a terrace attached to the house covered by a sloping roof and with open, arched sides overlooking the sea. Sheltered from the direct sunlight and with a gentle cooling breeze the temperature here was perfect. They sat down side by side on a wicker sofa with the dog sprawled on the old brick floor at their feet. They were little more than a few metres from a low wall that marked the edge of the cliff, and the views, as Rob had said, were spectacular.
Steph relaxed back onto the cushions and gradually they started to talk. They talked about all sorts of things, not just his and her music, and the conversation ebbed and flowed without any awkward pauses. She even ended up talking about her fears about the outcome of the biopsy and he was as supportive as his mother had been. As promised, he was communicative, cheerful and warm, and the hour flew by until a glance at her watch told her it was time to head for the kitchen.
While she pulled out the ham,finocchionaand bread and made nibbles for them to eat as she cooked, he refilled their glasses and watched as she talked him through the not too complicated business of making risotto.
‘The first thing is to use a good, solid, flat-bottomed saucepan. And into that you put a little olive oil and a similar amount of butter. I know cooking with butter isn’t big in Italy but Dad always told me it made all the difference to a good risotto. Begin by frying the chopped onions gently, but don’t under any circumstances let them go brown. You just need to blanch them.’
While this was happening, she asked him to grate some Parmesan cheese to be added when the dish was finally served. He did as instructed, and then stood there looking on until she decided the time was right to tip in the rice.
‘Gently stir the rice so it mixes with the onion and let it colour gradually. At this point the whole thing’s very dry so pour in half a glass or even a full glass of white wine – I hope Donatella’s uncle doesn’t find out we’ve used his lovely wine for cooking – and then start adding occasional ladles of chicken stock as needed. I asked Donatella for a bag of stock from her freezer as I didn’t have any. Why don’t you continue stirring gently and adding stock until the rice is just about cooked? It’s dead easy.’
She handed him the wooden spoon she had been using and watched as he did as he was told. Truth to be told, she enjoyed watching him, every bit as much as she did supervising his culinary ability. Finally, reluctantly, she tore her eyes off him and decided it was time for the next stage.
‘Tonight, we’re going to throw in a big handful of peas and a heap of chopped ham but you can use all sorts of ingredients from prawns to mushrooms or whatever takes your fancy. Keep tasting it until the rice reaches the consistency you prefer. Personally, I like ital dente. Whatever you do, don’t let it cook too long and don’t let it dry out. Then, when it’s just about ready, squeeze in a clove of garlic and just let that mix briefly before taking the pan off the gas. Some people say you should fry the garlic along with the onion at the start, but Dad always said it was best added at the end so it doesn’t run the risk of burning and tasting bitter.’
She took the pan across to the table and divided the risotto onto two plates. ‘And that’s all there is to it. Sprinkle it with the Parmesan and add a good twist or two of black pepper and it’s ready. We can finish the antipasti with it or after it, but the risotto’s best eaten hot.Buon appetito.’
He brought a bottle of red out of the fridge and drained the last of the sparkling wine in his glass. ‘When the weather’s as hot as it is today I keep the red wine in the fridge. Although it might make a few diehard wine buffs wince, I think it’s the only way. Finish your white and try the red.’
The risotto was a great success – or at least that was what he said. As far as she could judge, he enjoyed it and she certainly enjoyed his company more than the food. The red wine from the fridge was very good and the atmosphere between them relaxed and, as he had promised, cheerful. From time to time she glanced across the table at him and knew that under other circumstances she could really have seen this developing into something special. As it was, with his concert tour starting tomorrow and her departure from Italy likely to be only a matter of days after he came back – plus the other big unknown of the biopsy – she knew she was on a hiding to nothing.
At the end of the meal, they went out into the loggia to eat the little pastries she had bought from thepasticceriain Lerici. These were a tasty mix of fruit tartlets and profiteroles with a variety of toppings and, accompanied by coffee from his machine, they were an excellent way of finishing off the meal. By now the light had faded and they were sitting side by side in almost complete darkness, and she couldn’t help a feeling of delicious anticipation descending on her. In spite of her doubts about the future, she wanted to concentrate on the here and now and let the future look after itself. What was that old quotation about it being better to have loved and lost?
Alas, Rob didn’t appear to be on the same wavelength. He was sounding more pragmatic than romantic. ‘You say the big man’s coming over from Hollywood next week?’
‘Yes, at the end of the week, I believe.’ She swallowed her coffee and, with it, a little wave of disappointment.
‘By which time you hope to have all the tracks recorded?’
‘Yes, in near final form. We’ll still need backing singers and a few other instruments for some of the tracks like a sax and some bongos.’
‘Assuming he likes what he hears, you could be off to the States or the UK as early as next weekend to produce the final version, and I wouldn’t see you back over here again?’
‘I’m afraid so.’ Put like that, it was painfully clear that, nice as it might be to have a little fling with him here and now, that was all it could be: a fling. He was due back from his tour on Thursday and Solomon Phoenix was due to arrive the same day or at most the day after. That didn’t give time for anything to develop, even if she decided to throw caution to the winds. Then, for just about the first time, he brought up the subject of relationships.
‘I heard that you and Ethan are close. Is that right?’
‘We used to be together, but that’s all over now.’ She came close to telling Rob that he had eclipsed Ethan in her heart but firmly kept a lid on it. What was the point, seeing as this was one of the last times they would see each other?
‘I’m going to miss you.’ He said it as she was gathering the courage to say the exact same thing.
‘I’m going to miss you, too.’ She reached over and caught hold of his hand. ‘I’ve known you for such a short time, but it feels as if I’ve known you for ages.’
‘The same here. I like you a lot, Steph.’ And, to her delight, he leant towards her and kissed her softly on the cheek. ‘An awful lot.’ There was tenderness in his voice but there was also a note of regret. Clearly, he realised and accepted the situation. Seconds later, before she could say or do anything, he pulled himself to his feet. ‘I think it’s about time I took Waldorf for a walk.’
The dog was currently snoring happily with his heavy head on Steph’s feet, but at the sound of the magic word he roused himself and leapt to his feet. Reluctantly accepting the wisdom of keeping Rob at arm’s length, Steph followed suit and they set off. The sky was clear, and the stars illuminated the path as they walked through the woods. At first it was only wide enough for them to walk in single file behind the dog, but when it widened out she caught hold of Rob’s arm with both of her hands and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.
‘I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be or anybody I’d rather be with.’
‘That’s exactly the way I feel. Promise you won’t forget me.’
‘I could never forget you.’ She pulled him to a halt and reached up to kiss him in her turn – just on the cheek and only for a second or two – but it felt so right, and her head was spinning as she stepped back. ‘Besides, I’ve got this T-shirt now, so I’ll always have that as a reminder.’ It seemed like the best thing to make a joke of it. If not, she was afraid she might start crying.
They stood there, face to face. She could see the starlight reflecting in his eyes as they reached deep inside her. Seconds later, however, he stepped back, and she saw him glance at his watch.
‘I’ve got an early start in the morning and you’re going to be busy, so I’d better get you home.’
