Page 75 of A Place in the Sun
‘And what about you?’ I ask.
He lets out a long sigh. ‘I know I don’t want to go back to where I was, who I was, who I was with. This place has been good to me. But who knows? Maybe it’s not the end of the journey.’
‘Mamma, can we go to bed now? Snowy is sleepy,’ says Aimee, coming in with the kitten under an arm.
‘Of course, sweetheart.’ I stand up and, as I do, Stella arrives back at La Tavola. ‘All safe and sound,’ she says and, with her free arm, Aimee clasps her waist.
‘You were great today, Stella,’ I say. ‘Really great. You have a career in hospitality if you want one. Although it’s a hard life,’ I add.
‘I enjoyed it,’ she says, beside Aimee, her hands on my daughter’s shoulders.
‘Can you tuck me into bed?’ says Aimee, gazing up at her pleadingly, and Stella looks at me.
‘It’s getting late,’ she says, surprising me. From what I’ve experienced of Stella so far, she acts first, asks later. ‘Maybe another night, if it’s okay with yourmamma.’
‘Is it,Mamma?’
‘Of course!’
‘Er … where are you staying, Stella?’
She waggles her head from side to side. ‘I’m sofa-surfing right now.’
I frown, wondering again what will happen to her when we go. ‘But you must have had somewhere to live when you were here.’
‘I did.’ She raises an eyebrow.
‘Of course! You were staying at Casa Luna.’
She lifts an eyebrow. ‘I said I’d keep an eye on it for Marco. Be an unpaid caretaker, so to speak. Just until he got back …’ She trails off.
‘And now?’ I say.
She shrugs. ‘I’m not sure. Back to sofa-surfing, I guess. I’ll be fine.’
Although it was never Stella’s house, for a time it was her home. A place to come back to, anchoring her. And now it’s gone. The estate agent will be here tomorrow. And I’m worried about where she will go, despite her assurances that she’ll be fine.
Aimee yawns. ‘We’d better go,’ I say.
‘Buonanotte, Aimee,’ says Stella, bending to kiss her on each cheek.
‘Buonanotte,’ Aimee says, and I do too. Stella ruffles Luca’s hair. He pulls away from her, laughing. Then he and Pietro perform an extravagant handshake and hug, making me smile.
‘Buonanotte,’ I say, to Giovanni, who smiles, making my stomach flip in a way that Sebastian doesn’t. I wish he did …
34
‘Ping!’ It’s a text the following morning, from Giovanni, making my stomach flip again,. Why can’t Sebastian do that? He’s asking me to meet him early at La Tavola.
I push open the wooden gate and move into the small courtyard. The bunting from last night has already dried out and is looking much perkier. The smell of pizza hangs in the air. The morning is fresher, not so intense. Clearer and cleaner somehow.
I walk across the courtyard to the kitchen door. It’s ajar. I open it wide.
‘Ciao?’ I call. But I can’t see anyone. ‘Ciao?’
A table is laid just outside the kitchen door at the back of the building with just enough space for two.
‘Giovanni, are you there? Did you want to talk to me?’
