Page 36 of Under A Sicilian Sky
Ruby was once again confused and perturbed by him. ‘Thanks again for the flowers!’ she shouted and then mumbled, ‘I thought this chatty version of you was too good to be true.’
15
Ruby sat on the covered terrace, where she had discovered the signal was better, holding her phone to her ear.
‘Hi, love! It’s good to hear from you. Me and your dad were so worried. How are you doing?’
The sound of her mum’s voice made her chest tighten. ‘I’m not too bad, Mum. Just trying to get on with things, you know?’
‘It’s all you can do. Have you heard anything from Valerie in New York? Surely she has sorted it all out by now?’
Ruby sighed deeply. ‘Sadly not. But she says they’re working on it.’
‘I just can’t believe people think so badly of you. Why can’t they see through the lies?’ Her mum sounded on the verge of tears.
‘That’s social media for you. You make one small mistake, or in my case someone makes it on your behalf, and it’s out there forever. Nothing on the internet can be completely erased. And I suspect that even if they do clear my name, I may be seen differently by people who choose to still think the worst of me.’
‘I just wish we could do something. Or you could come home.’ Her mum’s voice wavered.
Ruby’s eyes stung and she fought to sound calmer than she felt. ‘Me too, Mum.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But the house I’m staying in is beautiful. So, it could be worse. I’m surrounded by blue skies and trees… Oh, and I’ve made a new friend.’
‘Oh? Who’s that then?’
‘My neighbour. Well, when I say neighbour, he lives around half a mile along the road. But he’s really nice. His name is Clark. We’ve chatted a lot and he took me out for lunch into Cefalù. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.’
There was a pregnant pause. ‘Does he know who you are? I just worry, that’s all. I don’t want people taking advantage of you.’
Ruby forced a laugh. ‘He hasn’t a clue. I feel a bit mean, to be honest. He thinks I’m in witness protection, so he knows I can’t really talk about certain things. He’s more of a music buff than a movie fan so he doesn’t keep up with red carpet things. It’s been good to have a small sense of normality, even if it won’t last forever.’
Her mother sighed. ‘That’s nice. You need friends just now. But be careful, sweetheart. I do worry so very much.’
Ruby smiled and imagined her mum’s face crumpled with concern. ‘I know you do. But there’s nothing to worry about, honestly. Anyway, tell me what weddings you’ve got coming up. Anyone I know?’
* * *
Later on, Ruby decided it must be her turn to make dinner. Mitch was still out so she would need to make something that could be warmed up in case he didn’t return until late. She riffled through the cupboards and the fridge, looking for ingredients. Finding everything she needed to make a vegetarian lasagna, she set about preparing the meal.
It was just after seven in the evening when Mitch arrived home and she met him at the door. ‘Hey, I’ve cooked and it’s ready if you’re hungry.’
He inhaled and smiled. ‘Mmm, it smells great. Thanks for doing that,’ he said breezily as he kicked off his boots. ‘I’ll grab a bottle of wine from the cellar.’
She widened her eyes. ‘You have a wine cellar?’
He frowned and held out his hands. ‘What good Italian host doesn’t? Come on, I’ll show you.’ He headed along the corridor and opened a door that she hadn’t noticed before, probably because it blended into the panelling. He flicked a switch, and a set of steps came into view, descending into a stone basement. Cool air floated upwards and made goosebumps rise on her arms. Mitch walked down, and she followed until she was in a room surrounded by rack upon rack of dusty bottles.
She gazed around in wonder. ‘Blimey, you weren’t kidding. This is like something from one of my movie sets.’
He gave a small laugh. ‘Aye, it’s taken a while to build up the stock and it’s nowhere near full. But I do like my wine.’
She ran her fingertips along a bottle, leaving a clean trail through the dust in her wake. ‘So I see. There must be hundreds of pounds worth down here.’
He cringed. ‘More like tens of thousands of euros.’
‘Wow! Shouldn’t you save it for special occasions then? Surely dinner on a Tuesday with me isn’t that special?’
He grinned. ‘Are you fishing for compliments? And by the way, it’s Wednesday.’
She tilted her head and eyed him with annoyance. ‘Really?’
