Page 28 of Under A Sicilian Sky
‘You were brave to wear a white shirt though.’ He laughed as sauce dripped down her front.
‘Oh bugger! Dammit.’
Mitch grabbed a damp cloth from by the sink and passed it over. ‘You’ll have to wash it tonight or you’ll have a stain.’
She nodded as she dabbed at the red splodge and inwardly cursed herself. How much more could she do to make herself look ridiculous?
They ate in silence for a while and Ruby sipped at the Chianti. She felt herself relaxing and the tension that had tightened her shoulders before she came downstairs began to ebb away.
‘So, you’re clearly Scottish but speak fluent Italian. How come?’ she eventually asked.
‘My dad is Scottish, and my mum is from Sicily. They met when my dad was on a business trip on the island. I grew up mainly in Scotland, but my mum made sure I knew Italian because we spent our summers over here.’
‘Oh wow. You must’ve loved that. Has the house been in your family long?’
He nodded. ‘Aye, although it wasn’t always this big. It’s been extended over the years.’
‘Do you have brothers and sisters?’
‘I did. I had a sister, but she… erm…’ He cleared his throat. ‘She passed away when I was a teenager.’
Ruby gasped and covered the damp patch of fabric over her heart. ‘Oh no, I’m so sorry.’
He nodded and took a large gulp of his drink. ‘Aye, thanks. It was a long time ago. When she passed away, the property was neglected. My folks couldn’t bear to come over.’
Silence fell between them again and Ruby struggled to find something to say, anything that would lift the heavy cloud that had descended upon them.
Finally, Mitch spoke again. ‘So, you’re escaping the public just now, eh?’
She paused and placed her slice of pizza back on her plate. ‘I’m guessing you know the whys and wherefores,’ she said, without making eye contact.
He shrugged. ‘I don’t judge folk.’
‘There’s nothing to judge. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was hacked.’
He widened his eyes. ‘Shit, that’s bad. You see that’s why I avoid social media like the plague.’
She nodded. ‘I can completely understand that after what I’ve been through recently.’
‘Aye, no one needs to know what I’ve had for my breakfast, or that I’ve been shopping for new shoes.’ He chuckled.
She smiled. ‘No, true. But for me it was a lifeline. It can be quite a lonely life being famous. You’re very limited to where you can go and with whom. Online I had so many friends. So many people who I thought had my back, others in the business. We didn’t get to meet often, but just knowing there was someone there who I could chat to about things, and they’d understand, you know? People were so kind. It made me feel less lonely. Then it all went wrong, and I was dropped like a hot brick, regardless of whether I was innocent or not. It was all so fast I almost got whiplash.’
Mitch sucked air in through his teeth. ‘Ouch. Sounds shitty.’
‘It was. It still is.’ She swallowed hard. ‘It’s difficult not knowing who I can trust any more.’
Silence fell again.
Nervously, she broached the subject that had been intriguing her. ‘Have you had issues before? I mean, the security at the gate is pretty intense.’
His cheeks coloured. ‘Erm… I’m afraid that’s all for you. It was a guest house before. But I was told there had been threats to harm you physically, so it was necessary. They’ve assured me it will all be put back to normal once this is over for you.’
Ruby’s heart sank; he had sacrificed so much for someone he didn’t even know. ‘Why on earth did you let me come here?’ she asked with a deep sigh and a shake of her head.
He shrugged. ‘I was told that a friend of a friend was in danger and needed a place to crash for a while.’
‘Did you know who I was?’
