Page 41 of Far from Home
Adam reached out and took her hand for a moment, giving it a little squeeze. ‘That’s a lovely thought. It’s such a pity you never met him; he was a great guy.’
Although the feel of his hand in hers was good, Amy relinquished it and turned away, knowing she was about to burst into tears. She walked back down the corridor, surreptitiously wiping away the tears that had sprung to her eyes. By the time she reached the top of the stairs again, she was able to turn back and address them in a reasonably even voice.
‘Take your time and have a look around by all means. I’m going to get the antipasti ready. Drinks are on the kitchen table when you’ve finished your inspection.’
Her culinary efforts were well received – at least that was what the three men told her – and by the time they reached the summer pudding and ice cream everybody was looking happy – in particular the dog, who had stationed himself alongside Pierpaolo and had received a steady stream of titbits from the table, in spite of Amy’s protests. Adam had told them more about his ordeal in the jungle – and it really did sound like it had been an ordeal – and Amy found herself thinking once more about the risks of his job. Could she see herself hitched to a man who might go off somewhere and never return? The thought was too sad for words. Mind you, he probably wouldn’t want to have a girlfriend who did nothing but work all the time either.
It was only ten o’clock when he stood up and stifled a yawn. ‘Sorry, guys, but I think I need to get some sleep. I’ve no idea what time my body thinks it is.’ He came around the table to Amy and she jumped to her feet. ‘Sorry to be a party pooper, but I’m worn out.’
‘I’m sure you must be. Come on, I’ll walk you home. Max needs a walk, and a breath of air will do me good.’ She glanced across at Danny and Pierpaolo. ‘If you two want to stay here, please do.’ Sadly, they didn’t take the hint and the four of them – plus the dog – ended up walking back together through the darkened streets to Adam’s house. As they walked, she made sure she was right beside him, rather hoping he might take her arm or her hand, but he didn’t.
When they reached his house, once again the other two didn’t follow the script and, instead of carrying on to their own house a little way up the road, they just stood around as Adam unlocked his door. Accepting the inevitable, Amy decided not to prolong the agony. She went over to him and caught hold of his hand.
‘Sleep well. I’m sure you will. I’m here for the rest of this week and then I’ll be going back to London. Hopefully we can meet up before I do.’
He looked down at her with a gentle smile on his face. ‘Thanks a lot for tonight. I was very impressed with your cooking and with what you’ve done to the house. I still owe you that dinner; how about tomorrow night?’
‘That would be great if you’re not too tired. Give me a call tomorrow.’
He nodded and then kissed her softly on the cheeks before disappearing into his house. Amy was just turning away after saying goodnight to the other two when she heard Pierpaolo’s voice. ‘You’ve missed a trick there. You should have gone in with him.’
She turned back and pointed an accusing finger at him, smiling in spite of herself. ‘I have no intention of carrying on my relationship with Adam – such as it is – under your scrutiny, young man. Tomorrow night it’ll just be me and him. Don’t you dare come along and suggest you join us.Capito?’
Undaunted, he grinned back at her. ‘Has anybody ever told you you’re oh so sexy when you act tough?’
Amy looked down at the dog who was sitting beside her, scratching his ear with his back leg. ‘Max, kill!’
All she got back from him was a lazy wag of the tail and Danny’s promise to do his best to keep Pierpaolo’s curiosity on a leash.
Chapter 24
Next day, Signora Grande phoned with the news that her sister was still in hospital and not at all well by the sound of it. She asked Amy if she minded looking after Max for another few days and Amy was happy to agree. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest that she look after him permanently, but then the realisation dawned that, unless she made a radical decision about her career, she would be leaving in five days’ time, and Max wouldn’t be able to come with her. She knew that being separated from him would be a real wrench. She even wondered whether she should give up the day job and stay here after all for the dog’s sake but that, she knew full well, would be daft. Her final decision on whether to stay or go would very much depend on what happened between her and Adam in the course of this week and whether she could find a meaningful job over here.
Adam called her just before lunchtime. ‘Hi, Amy, thanks again for last night. Sorry I had to leave early. I’m phoning about that meal I promised you.’
Just hearing his voice brought a smile to her face. ‘You must still be exhausted. Are you sure you feel like going out again tonight?’
‘About that, I’ve come back to a mountain of work, so would it be all right with you if we make it tomorrow or, better, the day after. That’ll give me a couple of days to get straight.’
‘Wednesday’s fine.’ Although that would only leave her with three days before she would have to fly back to London. Stifling the wave of disappointment that swept over her at the delay before she would see him again, she continued, ‘Do you need my help with any translations in the meantime?’
‘No, thanks, this stuff’s all in English. I’ll tell you about it when I see you.’
‘It’s possible I might still have Max with me on Wednesday night. Signora Grande’s away for a few days. I imagine that if I feed him before we go out he should be okay. Alternatively, do you think the restaurant would mind…?’
‘No problem. Bring him by all means. I’ll book us a table outside on the terrace so he’ll be fine.’
After he had rung off, she looked at her watch. It was half past twelve and she was on holiday so she went through to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She took it out into the garden and sat in the shade of the olive tree feeling remarkably subdued. Max, somehow reading her mood, came and slumped down beside her, his head on her feet. She was halfway through her glass of wine, her mind turning over all sorts of unknowns, when her phone started ringing. It was Lucy.
‘Hi, Luce, how’s things?’
‘All good here. What about your man? Did he get back safely? Did you do what I told you? Did it work?’
Amy recounted the rather underwhelming evening under the constant scrutiny of Danny and Pierpaolo and she heard her friend snort.
‘That’s no good. You need to get him on his own. Remember, you don’t have much time.’
‘He’s taking me out for dinner on Wednesday night. We’ll be alone then.’
