Page 38 of Under A Sicilian Sky
Three weeks into Ruby’s stay and it was mid-March already. Mitch, just as he had promised, had stopped interfering in her budding friendship with Clark and things felt a little more relaxed. She was seeing a fun side to the serious property developer and being there with him was feeling less like a forced isolation.
Although she was enjoying her time at Villa Vista Mare, thanks in part to the rapidly improving weather and her little canine companion, Ruby was increasingly concerned at the lack of progress being made by Valerie. Phone calls with her agent had been turned around on Ruby, and she had been accused of being too impatient and told that she didn’t understand the intricacies of finding the culprit whilst simultaneously trying to remove the sticking mud from her reputation. She felt thoroughly chastised and she mentioned this in conversation over a cup of tea with Mitch when he took a break from renovations.
He had listened with that clear expression of concern she had come to know. ‘Look, I know someone who is… who could… Never mind.’ He shook his head and continued to drink his tea.
Ruby tilted her head. ‘What? What were you going to say?’
Mitch cringed. ‘I know I tend to interfere, and we’ve been getting on so much better since I stopped all that so…’ He shrugged.
Ruby placed her cup down and fixed him with a stern stare. ‘Come on, Adair, out with it.’
He sat up straight and held up his hand. ‘Okay, but there’s no pressure. I have a good friend back on Skye who’s a bit of a whizz with the old technology stuff. I could ask him to look into things for you, you know with Valerie not getting very far.’
She smiled. ‘That’s really kind of you. I appreciate it, really, I do. I just… I have to tread so carefully. I already made a mess of things once and I don’t want to do that again. Valerie has my best interests at heart. And she’s been in the business so long… I think I’ll give her a little longer. I mean, I really have no clue about any of this stuff. I have to believe her experts do.’
Mitch nodded. ‘Aye, no worries. But the offer’s there, you know…’
She was incredibly grateful to him. ‘Thank you.’
* * *
Ruby had visited Clark a couple more times with Nero, who continued to growl at her friend, and on the occasions when Nero was left at the villa, the pair had snuck into Cefalù for lunch and a dance again at one of the ristorantes in the square. They sat at the same secluded table each time, meaning Ruby could enjoy the ambience and relax. When she was with him, it almost felt like life was normal. Her deception preyed on her mind, however, and sometimes she drifted off into a melancholic trance, only to be tugged from it by the handsome American as he regaled her with funny stories from his record shop.
The last time she and Clark had gone for lunch, he had spun her around the makeshift dance floor like a professional and she was so swept up in the moment that when he pulled her close as the music ended, she didn’t stop him when he lowered his face to hers and kissed her. She hadn’t been kissed by anyone but Tyler for so long that the feeling of his lips against hers was alien. It wasn’t unpleasant, but there was no spark of passion, no lust. Nothing. The fact made her sad. But she brushed the sadness aside, sure that perhaps she just wasn’t readyyet.
He’d gazed into her eyes and rubbed his nose down the length of hers. ‘I’ve wanted to do that since the first day we met.’
Unsure what to say, she’d mumbled, ‘It was… it was lovely.’ Inwardly, she’d berated herself for sounding so incredibly lame, but Clark had seemed delighted with her response.
Before they climbed onto the bike, she’d placed a hand on his arm. ‘Clark, I don’t want to rush things. Is that okay with you? I mean… I know it sounds so cliché, but I’m recovering from a break-up and I don’t want to jump into another relationship without giving myself time to heal. I don’t want to hurt you.’
He cupped her face in his palm and smiled. ‘We go at your pace. You’re worth the wait.’
His reply gave her some relief, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty at her lack of desire for him. She hoped that it would build. After all, he was such a lovely man and it was rare to find someone who liked her forher, rather than her star status. Eventually, however, she would have to come clean and tell him the truth. She could only hope he wasn’t angry when she did. But the time wasn’t right. Not yet.
* * *
Ruby awoke early on a bright Thursday morning in the fourth week of March, showered and dressed in a long dress with a cosy wrap. Jacopo had promised to walk her down to Clark’s again, but this time they were going to stay at his villa and sit in the garden for breakfast, then possibly lunch, so Nero was going to tag along.
Clark was dressed in board shorts and a loud shirt, with flip-flops on his feet. He looked like a character from a surfing movie but somehow it suited him.
When Jacopo left without taking the dog, Clark glanced down at Nero with a look of disappointment. ‘Oh, you brought your little bodyguard,’ he said with a small, forced laugh.
Ruby picked up Nero and waved a paw at Clark. ‘I pwomis to behave, Mister Cwark,’ she said in a silly voice that seemed to appease her friend.
He handed her a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, complete with umbrella. ‘You’re looking mighty fine today, Rebecca.’
‘Why thank you, Clark, you look rather handsome too. I like the surfer dude outfit,’ she replied with a smile.
He did a three-sixty turn on the spot, his arms out wide. ‘I had a feeling you’d like it.’
She sat at the outdoor dining table on the covered terrace and Clark went inside, returning moments later with a tray filled with pastries, fruit, juice and a bowl of scrambled eggs.
Nero sniffed the air and licked his lips and Ruby whispered, ‘I’ll sneak you something, shh!’ before returning her attention to her host. ‘Wow, you’ve gone to such a lot of effort, Clark. This looks amazing.’
‘Thank you. And you’re definitely worth the effort. Come on, eat.’
She selected a crumbly pastry and a handful of fresh grapes, placing them on her plate, and took a large mouthful of the juice. They chatted for a while about general things until Ruby eventually asked, ‘So, you’ve never been married?’
