Page 17 of Under A Sicilian Sky
‘Nutter,’ Ruby said and ended the call, giggling uncontrollably.
8
After a quickly prepared lunch of salad with the freshest, ripest tomatoes she had ever tasted, the creamiest, melt-on-the-tongue mozzarella that made her think of sunshine, and succulent, juicy olives that she presumed had been harvested from the trees in the garden, Ruby decided to wander around the grounds of the property. The temperature was certainly milder than in New York, but it was in no way ‘tropical’. She slathered on coconut-fragranced sunscreen as she naturally did every day because of her pale skin, and dressed in linen trousers, a white vest top and a denim shirt. Her sunglasses finished off the ensemble and she was ready to go.
The grounds were extensive. More twisted, gnarled olive trees stretched from the ground and reached towards the sunlight, their leaves casting dappled shadows on the dusty, stoney ground. She encountered different levels, hidden courtyards and marble steps leading to a little elevated patio with far-reaching views over the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the horizon. It really was a stunning, tranquil place. Although she guessed it wouldn’t be from Monday when the builders were back. She hoped they all had well-fitting trousers and decent personal hygiene. The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by stinky men exposing their bum cracks to all and sundry. It really would ruin the ambience.
Valerie had texted to check in and say that the security men were called Jacopo and Luca. They would be alternating their duties for the duration of her stay. Jacopo was in situ when she’d arrived. Both men were Italian, from the mainland, and could speak very little English, but they came from a firm that was used to protecting politicians and Italian movie stars, so they were apparently the best for the job.
Ruby sighed,Great, two more non-English speakers…Things were going to be interesting. The whole situation was less than perfect. She resigned herself to the fact that in-depth conversation was something she’d have to save for her calls with Kitty and her parents, although recent calls with the latter had ended in tears. Her folks were so worried about her and her dad had had some choice words to say about Tyler. She rarely heard her father swear, but this was an exception. He was clearly angry about the situation his ‘little girl’ found herself in. Her dad had even hinted at the possibility that Tyler could be the one behind the internet posts, citing jealousy of her blossoming career as the motive. She was ashamed to admit that the thought had crossed her mind too, but she had no evidence and truthfully doubted he would be so vindictive.
As she passed the gatehouse, Jacopo was leaning against the whitewashed wall of the building smoking,again. He raised his hand in a wave and smiled.
She racked her brain, trying to remember how to say hello. ‘Bog jurno, signor. Bella cornetto… erm… I mean… gee… or… nata?’ She cringed and felt her cheeks flaming.
Jacopo pursed his lips, clearly trying not to laugh. ‘Ciao, signorina. It is a beauty day.’ She felt a little less silly on hearing his English, but he had certainly done better than she had. The little dog she had spotted came trotting out of the gatehouse and Jacopo immediately stubbed out his cigarette. ‘Merda, vieni qui, Nerone!’ He lurched for the dog and scooped it up in his arms.
‘Oh, it’s okay! He’s sweet. May I?’ she gestured at the dog.
‘Sì, naturalmente.’
Ruby reached out and scratched the dog under his chin. The dog closed his eyes and his little tail wagged frantically. ‘You’re so cute, yes, you are,’ she told the little bundle of fur in a silly voice kept only for those of the four-legged variety.
‘This is Nerone… erm… I think, Nero, in English?’
Ruby had to stifle a giggle on hearing that the fluffy, cute, black and tan canine was named after a Roman emperor known for tyrannical behaviour, debauchery and murder. ‘Hello, Nero. You remind me of Granny Dot’s dog, Sprinkles, yes, you do,’ she cooed.
‘I think he like you, Miss Locke,’ Jacopo said with a grin.
‘Well, I like him. He’s lovely. He’s bell… bell…’ She frowned and shook her head, trying to remember the correct version of the word.
Jacopo nodded in encouragement. ‘Bellisimo.’
She wagged her finger. ‘Yes, that! He’s definitelyallkinds of bellisimo.’ Too embarrassed to speak further, she waved and turned to dash off towards the main house again, but the little dog, who had been placed back on the ground, followed her.
‘Nerone! Dai!’ Jacopo called after him.
‘Oh no, it’s fine! He can keep me company if that’s okay with you?’ Ruby said to Jacopo, who shrugged and then nodded.
‘Sì, grazie.’
Thankfully, she located a bottle of red wine in the kitchen and decided to drink it with dinner. She hadn’t eaten steak in ages, but tonight was to change that. She couldn’t wait, and she got the impression Nero was keen too, by the way he followed her around the room, his tiny nails clicking on the tiled floor.
‘Guess what, Nero? There’s gelato in the freezer too. I may be in prison, but I’m going to enjoy getting fat and drunk while I’m here, and no one can stop me.’
The little dog tilted his head as if hanging on her every word.
She was currently on hiatus from her career and although she had spotted a room set out as a gym on her tour, she had also found a library with English books in, so she figured, what the hell, she was staying skinny for no one.
Another tour of the house with her furry companion revealed many derelict rooms, one of which had a mattress on the floor complete with clean bedding. Her stomach sank at the thought of perhaps the builders staying over. Although she didn’t relish the thought of being alone, she didn’t like the idea of strange men being here either. Especially ones she couldn’t really communicate with.
* * *
Later that night, after devouring a juicy steak and yet more salad, followed by a huge bowl of gelato and a whole bottle of red wine, she lit a fire in the living room and sat watching TV shows she couldn’t understand, with Nero cuddled on her lap. The little cutie was snoring his head off and she smiled down at him, stroking his soft fur. He’d enjoyed his little sneaky bit of steak but hadn’t liked the gelato; that had made him sneeze.
A knock on the door startled her and Nero woke, jumped from her lap and began barking and running around in circles. With trepidation, she made her way to the door.
‘H-hello? Who’s there?’
