‘My parents were happy,’ Sophie said wistfully. ‘I think it pretty muchisthe be-all and end-all even when the chips are down. I just wish I could tell them that now...’ So he had grown up in poverty, and she could picture him, fiercely ambitious, contemptuous of the sordid business of never having enough, putting the learning curves in place that would make him the man he was now. But was that the whole of his story? He professed to have no time for love, but what about his wife? Maybe that was where his disillusionment stemmed from. She thought that when you lost the person you loved you probably lost your faith in happiness, and yet he had his daughter. Did he blame a childhood of having nothing for the fact that he was emotionally out of reach, or was that just a way of not dealing with the real reason, which lay in love that had been lost? He aspired to be untouchable, but really, how reasonable was that when you had a child to consider? Was that why he seemed sometimes so awkward around Annalise?
Had he ever thought to replace his ex with someone else...someone who could be a mother to Annalise?
Speculation rattled around in her head, spreading tentacles everywhere, making her wonder about him, turning him into a three-dimensional man, complex and full of depths she could feel herself wanting badly to explore.
‘But moving on...’
Sophie blinked, focusing on him, wondering if she had imagined that brief lapse when he had let her past whatever iron gates he had built around himself.
‘Yes.’ Her voice was brisk. ‘It’s late.’
‘There’s a reason I returned home earlier than expected.’
‘Oh?’ She hovered, unsure whether this was a prelude to a long conversation or a brief, winding-up remark.
‘I said it’s been problematic getting various people together for a deal I’ve spent the past eight months working on.’ He pushed the plates to one side and abruptly sat forward, crowding her so that she drew back a little, eyes widening.
‘You mentioned that,’ Sophie said vaguely.
‘To expand, there’s a great deal of secrecy surrounding this arrangement. It involves a family business, and my takeover has to be presented as a fait accompli to ensure that there’s no loss of confidence in their market share, which would happen were there to be months of speculation about a takeover. Public knowledge that they were ready to sell would also open the door to a possible hostile takeover, which they don’t want. Everything has had to be handled delicately but I have finally found a solution to all parties being present at the same time and in the same place for the details to be finalised. You might think that it’s unimportant for everyone to be physically present, given the speed and efficiency of the internet and the convenience of video calls.’
‘That thought hadn’t crossed my mind,’ Sophie said politely. ‘I’m just wondering where this is all going, although, of course, I’m very happy that your deal is now finalised. That must be...er...very rewarding for you.’
‘Very rewarding, and extremely lucrative,’ Niccolo added drily. ‘I also had no plans to disperse the hundreds of employees who currently work at the various offshoots, which is the main reason the family decided that I was the buyer they wanted.’
‘That’s wonderful.’
‘I know what it’s like,’ Niccolo mused, half under his breath, ‘to live at the receiving end of a company that thinks it’s acceptable to get rid of someone who’s given a lifetime to them because they think he’s outstayed his welcome...’ He frowned, then continued without allowing room for interruption. ‘At any rate, there has been insistence on the part of my client that everyone meets for the closure.’ He shrugged eloquently. ‘Call it an old-fashioned Italian thing...or a general mistrust on the part of an eighty-two-year-old in the workings of the internet...’
‘Sometimes when you see people face to face you get a completely different opinion of them.’
‘Possibly. At any rate, various family members, all of whom have shares in the company and are scattered in various parts of Europe, need to meet along with the discreet team of international lawyers I have put in place, and the financial and tax accountants who have done their job with admirable discretion over the months. Co-ordinating diaries has been a nightmare and more so when Evalina disappeared to Italy because there was no one to look after Annalise.’
‘That’s fine.’
‘Say that again?’
Sophie thought of a few days without Niccolo around, during which she could work on getting her nervous system to a place where it didn’t hive off on a dangerous tangent every single time he was around. A peaceful few days. She and Annalise could busy themselves during the day and have lovely, relaxed evenings, uninterrupted by her heartbeat picking up speed the closer to his possible arrival back at home.
She could devote her time to reminding herself just how disillusioned she was when it came to men. She could answer all those nagging emails she had tried hard to focus on before being ambushed by thoughts of her over-sexy employer.
‘I’m more than happy to stay here with Annalise while you go abroad on business.’ She smiled with warm reassurance. ‘I hope I’ve proved that I’m one hundred per cent trustworthy and capable of looking after your daughter. You needn’t fear that I’ll be having wild parties at your house the second you board a plane!’
‘No,’ Niccolo murmured. ‘I actually have no fears in that direction at all.’
‘Good!’ Sophie marvelled that he could simultaneously compliment her on her reliability and trustworthiness while in the same breath making her sound like a crashing bore with no social life.
‘But I think you may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick...’
Sophie was still smiling, although there was a little thread of apprehension filtering through her as he continued.
‘I won’t be leaving my daughter behind with you. Far from it. You’ll both be coming with me.’ He paused, giving her time to digest what he’d just announced. ‘You can consider it a mini-holiday of sorts. Yes, you’ll be looking after Annalise, but you’ll be on board my superyacht and there will be other people around for company.’
‘On board...’
‘My superyacht, which is currently moored off the coast of Sardinia. I’m surprised it didn’t occur to me that it would be the perfect spot to host this very private gathering, far from the reach of any snooping eyes.’ He delivered a smile of complete satisfaction. ‘Don’t look so alarmed, Sophie; all you need is your passport, some clothes for very hot weather and, of course, as many swimsuits as you can stuff into your suitcase. My yacht comes with several extremely pleasant swimming pools...’
CHAPTER FIVE
