Page 53 of Under A Sicilian Sky
He closed the newspaper and placed it down. ‘No. It’s fine. It will be good to catch up with Reid, and I suppose there’s a chance they haven’t figured out who you are. And we can explain that we’re just friends.’
She nodded and sipped at the steaming drink in her mug, letting the citrusy fresh flavour trickle onto her tongue. ‘Okay. I just thought I would check.’
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. ‘Look, I’m only trying to protect your identity, you know. I had to explain things to Archie, but the fewer people who know, the better, or at least that’s what I thought.’
She gave a brief smile. ‘I know and I do appreciate that. But I can’t live as a prisoner. Hiding out will only make me look guilty. Obviously, I don’t want the word to spread that I’m here, the last thing I would want would be for hundreds of people turning up baying for my blood. This is a lovely, peaceful village and I don’t want to do that to the people here. But I don’t want to live like some kind of recluse either. This is hard on me. I’m not used to any of it. But If you would rather I left then—’
‘No, don’t be daft. I’m not asking you to leave. Just to be cautious, that’s all. For your own sake.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’ She cringed. ‘I’m not very good at this hiding away lark.’
He laughed. ‘No, I’ve noticed.’ His eyes locked on hers for a brief moment and her stomach flipped. He broke the gaze and stood from the table. ‘We’ll have a good night.’
‘Yes, I’m sure we will. They seem like lovely people.’
He nodded. ‘Aye, they do. I mean… Reid’s changed, but he seems so much more settled. And Jules seems great. She’s obviously good for him.’
Ruby made a fresh pot of Earl Grey and sat down at the table again. ‘So, Morag at the shop sounds like the fount of all knowledge for the village.’
Mitch laughed lightly. ‘Aye, you could say that. She’d probably fit right in with yourPontefract Gazettecrew.’ He shook his head. ‘Seriously though, she’s a grand lady and she can be very discreet when necessary, so don’t worry about… you know.’
Ruby sipped her tea. ‘I’m not worried at all. I’m looking forward to meeting her.’
Mitch looked deep in thought and fell silent for a while. Eventually he narrowed his eyes at her with his head cocked to one side. ‘I’m intrigued to know… if you don’t mind sharing, that is… how did you get into acting? Has it been something you’ve always wanted to do since being a bairn?’
She placed her mug down on the table. ‘Strangely enough, no, it wasn’t what I wanted to do at all. I had every intention of being a dancer and singer in musical theatre. Preferably Broadway or the West End.’
‘Wow, that’s some difference. What changed?’
She inhaled deeply, ready to tell her story. ‘I studied dance from a very young age and won lots of trophies and medals. I was obsessed. I went to performing arts school and then studied performing arts at Becket University in Leeds. There was this film crew who came to the uni to hold auditions for a short film they were making. Just something about a girl who wanted to be a dancer and all my friends auditioned. They encouraged me to go too, so I did. Only I got the part. The film was shown at loads of UK indie film festivals and that’s when I caught the eye of my agent. She was over in the UK with one of her clients and attended a film festival. The next day, I was called into the office at uni and there she was, Valerie Montez, agent to the stars. She signed me up and the next thing I knew I was auditioning for a part in a movie to play a nanny.Nanny Always Knows Best. It was a huge hit. And the rest…’ She held out her hands.
He wagged a finger at her. ‘That wasyou? I’ve seen that film.’ He held up his hands as if defending himself. ‘Years ago, and I have to say not by choice. It was played on a long-haul flight.’ He laughed and shook his head. ‘Who’d have thought that all these years later the nanny who always knows best would be sitting at ma kitchen table.’
Ruby laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘You lucky man.’
After a pause he asked, ‘Do you miss dancing?’
She sighed and nodded her head. ‘I really do. I’ve especially missed it while all this crap has been going on. Right at the start I said to Kitty that this would never have happened if I hadn’t attended that stupid short film audition.’
‘Aye. I’ve often wondered what life would’ve been like if I had taken the job at the pub that summer instead of the fishing boat. I went for the money. Stupid mistake.’
Ruby lowered her gaze to her cup. ‘I went for the possibility of fame. Now I’ve got it, I feel sometimes that I’d happily swap it.’
He leaned across the table and touched her hand, an involuntary shiver travelled up her arm. ‘You do know this mess will get sorted though, eh? This isn’t forever. You’ll be leaving this wee little village soon and you’ll never look back.’
‘Oh, I think I’ll definitely look back. Hopefully with a smile.’
* * *
After looking through her clothes, Ruby realised she hadn’t really got anything suitable for dinner at Reid and Jules’ house. Shopping by herself was out of the question. She was aware she needed to address the conversation she had overheard Shelby having, but that would have to wait.
She knocked on Shelby’s door. It was opened as if the young woman was waiting behind it. ‘Hey, is everything okay?’
Ruby smiled and nodded. ‘Oh yes, absolutely fine. But I need a favour.’
Shelby grinned. ‘Absolutely. Shoot.’
Ruby felt a little silly for asking. ‘Could you possibly head over to the mainland and find me something to wear please? I’m heading out for dinner with Mitch to his friends’ house this evening, and I don’t really have anything suitable. In fact, I could do with a few warmer items. It might be spring, but it’s a lot colder here than in Palermo and I didn’t really have time to prepare for that. I can give you my credit card.’
