Page 82 of A Place in the Sun
‘Gone where?’
They shrug. ‘She doesn’t know. She just said it was time to move on. The house is being sold and we’re leaving so it was time for her to move on too.’
The one thing I know for sure is that we have to find her. ‘Stay here. Don’t go anywhere.’
‘Are you going to find her?’ Giovanni looks at me.
‘I’ll try,’
He nods.
‘Please,Mamma, get her to come home!’
And there it is: home. Not where we are, but who we’re with, and Stella, I know now, is a part of that. I have to find her.
‘Look after Bello,’ Giovanni tells the children.
‘And thenonnas! Don’t let them stand on any chairs!’
‘Let’s take my bike, much easier,’ says Giovanni, handing me a helmet. I don’t think twice, just put it on. ‘Here, climb aboard,’ he says, and holds out a hand to me. I grip it and swing my leg over the seat. He takes the bike off its stand and climbs on in front. He starts the engine,
‘Hold on!’ he says, and I don’t need telling twice. We head down the narrow cobbled street, swinging this way and that to avoid the big bumps. With every swing, my body shifts closer to his. My arms reach around him and my body is up against his, my head to his shoulders. My legs are wrapped around his thighsand there is nothing I can do except go with the movement, our two bodies moulded together as one.
‘Where are we going?’
‘She’ll be heading for the main road. It’s the only route out of here.’
We head down the lane and steer around the bend onto the main road, and there, just a short distance away, is a lone figure on the side of the road, sticking out a thumb. My heart rips in two just a little more.
We pull over.
‘Stella!’ I say, tearing off the helmet.
‘I didn’t think I’d see you riding a bike!’ She giggles.
‘Well, sometimes you have to take a little risk … maybe a big one to do what your heart is telling you,’ I say.
‘I didn’t take anything from the house if that’s what you’re thinking.’ She’s back on the defensive.
‘Of course not.’ I put up my hands. ‘That’s not why I’m here.’
‘Oh, it’s the kitten then. I know I said I’d look after him when you left, but maybe Giuseppe will, or even Francesco. He seemed to like him.’
‘Stella, it’s not the kitten.’ I know I need to get my thoughts together quickly. I glance at Giovanni, who gives me a reassuring nod.
‘Look, I don’t really know how this would work or where I’ll find a job. But how would you feel if we decided to stay on? Me, Luca and Aimee.’
She looks at me. ‘Stay on? For another week, amonth? Nice holiday.’ She’s back to her prickly self, all her barriers up.
‘For good,’ I say. Giovanni is gawping at me. This is news to him. It’s sort of still news to me, really. It settled as an idea after the storm blew through, letting me see things clearly.
She stares at me. ‘You, Luca and Aimee?’
‘Yes.’
‘But what about you and Giovanni? I thought you said you weren’t going to be together. We shouldn’t have tried to match-make you.’
‘No, you shouldn’t.’ I have no idea what Giovanni’s thinking.
