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‘Mattia?’
‘Go get ready,’ he growled, reaching for a toy truck, rolling it back and forth, his gaze still somewhere other than in the room. ‘Please.’
‘Sure.’
After slipping into her dress Elene brushed out her hair so it fell over her shoulders, then pulled on her happy face along with her make-up. If she was going out to dinner with Mattia then she intended having a good time, no matter what they talked about. Which would be about Aimee’s future, surely? What else was there? They weren’t close friends wanting to share a meal and a bottle of wine in a relaxed atmosphere. He certainly wasn’t attracted to her. Nor am I attracted to Mattia. She was not thinking about that heat nearly flooring her the night before. Not, not.
‘You look lovely.’ Mattia watched her step across the family room to pick up Aimee for a goodnight cuddle before tucking her into bed. He sounded genuine, but it had been a while since a man had paid her a compliment so she might be imagining it.
‘Thank you.’ Her mouth watered and another bout of heat tapped places best ignored as she glanced at Mattia. He’d changed into casual dark grey trousers and an open-necked white shirt which highlighted the sun-kissed tone of his skin. Good start to the evening. Not attracted, remember. Not, not. ‘I’ll take Aimee to her cot. Aimee, say goodnight to Papà.’
‘Ma-ma-ma-ma.’
‘Nice try.’ Mattia kissed Aimee’s cheek, then said to Elene, ‘Good luck.’
‘You can say that every time I need to put her down,’ Elene told him ten minutes later. ‘She’s sound asleep.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘That’s a first. Let’s go while we can.’ He took her elbow. ‘Anna, call me if there’s a problem,’ he said to his housekeeper-turned-babysitter.
‘Sì. Have a nice time.’ Anna’s smile was endearing.
Elene nodded. ‘Thank you for doing this.’
‘No problem.’
* * *
‘This is the locals’ favourite restaurant. I’m sure you’ll like it,’ Mattia told her when he held her chair out at the ideally situated table overlooking the harbour with the lights of Naples in the background.
‘I’m sure I will.’ If she could swallow anything, because suddenly this felt like her first date as a teenager—butterflies in her stomach, fingers fidgeting with the napkin the waiter placed on her lap.
‘The menu is limited, but superb,’ he continued, seeming totally relaxed for the first time all night. Not for him any awe of the setting, or excitement about his companion.
Why feel like this when they had important issues to resolve? Looking around the restaurant, Elene let the warmth slide under her skin and tried to relax. It had been a long time since she’d last gone out with a devastatingly handsome man. Tonight she longed to enjoy Mattia as a date, forget he was a possible adversary.
‘This is wonderful,’ Elene sighed. ‘Being in Italy, being Italian for now, it brings my two halves together. If you know what I mean,’ she added on a whisper. He probably thought she was crazy and not suitable to mother his daughter.
‘I can’t imagine what it’s like to have parents from two different countries. But I’d say it must broaden your outlook on most things.’
‘Food especially, and wine.’ She laughed before picking up the menu.
‘Ah, wine. What type would you like? Red or white?’ Mattia asked.
‘You choose.’ She wasn’t up with the local wine. ‘I’m having the shrimp salad.’
‘Then we’ll go for the Pinot Grigio.’
‘Does your family live in Sorrento?’ she asked after the waiter had taken their orders.
‘My parents and two of my brothers and their families are in Napoli. My other brother lives further north, where he oversees the family vineyards. The house I’m living in has been in the family for five generations, and therefore not strictly mine. Any of the family can, and do, arrive to stay whenever the whim takes them.’ Love softened his face.
‘Obviously that doesn’t bother you.’
‘Why would it? It’s how it’s always been. My grandparents, their parents before them. Sometimes I think it’s ridiculous I rattle around in such a large home on my own, but everyone’s got their own place and likes their independence.’
‘Think of the family history. Not everyone has that, not so openly anyway.’ Elene thought back to her childhood. ‘I can’t remember a time when my family hasn’t always been there for each other either, but there isn’t the depth, the same house steeped in family history.’ She sighed. ‘That’s special.’
Mattia nodded. ‘You’re right. I never gave it a lot of thought, mostly took it all for granted: the houses, the comfort, the businesses that provide so much—the past, with its ups and downs, the people who came close to losing everything and those that lifted the company back to greater heights every time.’ His gaze had wandered to the view beyond the window and a thoughtful expression tightened his face. ‘After what Sandy did I came to fully understand and appreciate how lucky I am, and that I’d fight to keep it that way for all my family if necessary.’
Elene watched him, refraining from talking, letting him have this moment, and thinking about her situation. Had she just been issued with a warning? Or was Mattia telling her these things because of the custody problem? It didn’t matter how relaxed she became or what they talked about, everything always came back to that. Aimee’s future and her role in it.
Returning his attention to her, Mattia asked, ‘You have siblings?’
‘Two younger sisters. The one I mentioned before who manages the vineyards my father and his brother began many years ago, and the other a lawyer at a major firm in the city.’ The firm who’d drawn up the papers for Danielle about the guardianship.
‘Growing wine’s something we have in common.’ He leaned back in his chair, an elbow slung over one corner. ‘You’ll know your wines then.’
‘The Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, definitely, but not the Italian varietals. Though I put some effort into learning about them last time I was here.’ She cracked a smile, determined to keep on the upside of happy. ‘Too much
effort.’
Mattia’s laugh was sharp and unexpected. ‘Go you.’
Inside she melted a little. When she wasn’t worrying about why she was here she felt free and happy, as if there was a future to look forward to involving a man she might love. Careful. No, caution could take a back seat while they were getting on so well, when she was having plain old fun. Nothing to do with letting go the restraints on her heart.
‘This shrimp is delicious.’
‘Glad you like them.’
‘What’s not to like? Thank you for bringing me here. It’s special.’
‘You’re welcome.’ His chest rose, fell, and he asked, ‘Have you ever been in a serious relationship?’
Her smile slipped away. ‘Yes.’
‘It didn’t work out?’ While she was trying to decide how to answer, he continued. ‘You used to say you weren’t interested in relationships.’
Tell him. He told you about his fiancée. They needed to know these things to understand each other better, and she had nothing to lose. Craig had already taken her pride. ‘I lived with a guy for three years, got engaged, was about to be married, then I left him.’ Her finger picked at the tablecloth. ‘Craig liked to control everything about me. Everything. I succumbed because it was easier than fighting him, plus the guilt was horrendous whenever I let him down.’
Mattia sat back, his gaze soft, non-judgemental.
‘Looking back, I can’t believe I let him do that but it was like water dripping on stone; one drip doesn’t alter a thing, many make an impression.’
‘Yet you found the courage to leave.’
‘You talk about your loving family. Well, mine and Danielle saved me. They didn’t storm in and snatch me away, knowing that would probably make me draw up the barriers. Instead they refused to stay away, despite Craig telling them to, and if I didn’t turn up for family dinners Dad would drive around to collect me. It was Danielle who told me I had to leave Craig because it was only going to get worse. She helped me pack while he was out at the dentist one morning.’ She’d left most of her belongings behind, wanting nothing to do with Craig’s choices of clothes and make-up, books and music.
