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‘More?’ Anna held up the coffee pot.
‘Please. It’s just what I need.’
‘What you need is breakfast, young lady. You have to keep your energy levels up for running around after this little one. Bread rolls or fette biscottate? I have prepared both.’
‘Biscottate, thank you.’ Nothing like a sweet rusk to start the day. ‘But let me get it. You don’t have to look after me.’
‘It’s nice to have someone in the house. Mattia’s rarely here, always working late, and at the weekends he has his other work.’ Anna slid a plate laden with breakfast onto the counter. ‘Enjoy.’
‘I will.’ But not the whole mountain of rusks. Just a couple. ‘Mattia has another job outside the hospital?’ Wasn’t he busy enough? It wouldn’t be for the money.
‘Ask him about the Napoli Charity Hospital some time.’ Anna’s friendly open face suddenly closed down. Said too much? Remembered who she worked for?
Elene didn’t press her, despite the intense need to learn as much about Mattia as she could. Knowledge about what made the man tick might come in handy when they got down to discussing where Aimee would live and with whom, but quizzing a reluctant Anna would create an enemy and lose her the chance of a friend. ‘I will.’
Later she pushed the stroller with Aimee belted in down Strada Statale towards the town centre, where tourists were meandering through the shops or enjoying coffee and wine at the many cafés. Wandering through the crowds, hearing many languages, the overriding one Italian, made her feel at home in a way only Italy could. She was a Kiwi through and through, yet there was something about her mother’s country that warmed and excited her. Growing up had been a mix of New Zealand and Italian cultures.
After getting her fix of shops and food she took Aimee down to the beach to get messy in the sand before heading home in preparation to front up to Mattia.
It didn’t happen. She waited to have dinner with him, but at nine o’clock she conceded defeat and, disappointed, heated up a bowl of pasta to eat curled up on the couch in front of TV. When exhaustion got the better of her she headed to bed.
Over breakfast next morning Mattia apologised. ‘I had hoped to get home so we could talk but there was an accident. A man walked across the train track without looking. I was in Theatre for hours.’
Elene shuddered. ‘No wonder you look tired.’ She could cut him some slack. ‘I’m beginning to think I should’ve phoned to tell you I was on my way and why.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘It seemed too impersonal for something so huge. Plus Danielle made me promise to come and see you without warning.’ It was something she hadn’t got to the bottom of before it was too late. ‘There’s a lot to sort through. Face to face must make it easier.’ She was watching him and not once did he shrink from anything she said. ‘I promise I haven’t come here to cause trouble.’
Mattia’s phone beeped. He was on his feet as he read the message. ‘I’ve got to go. Last night’s patient has suddenly lost consciousness. Talk to you tonight.’
Again Mattia didn’t come home for dinner. Elene started getting frustrated the later the night got. Mattia could not do this to her, to Aimee. Avoidance wouldn’t solve a thing. But was she being fair? Turning on the TV, she flicked through channels looking for a diversion.
‘Elene, wake up.’ A firm hand shook her shoulder.
She blinked and shrugged Mattia away before that heat could unravel all her determination to keep her distance. ‘So you’re finally home.’ Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she glanced up at him, swallowed the longing pouring up her throat. Why did he have to be so good-looking? ‘What time is it?’
‘Nearly eleven. Why are you still up?’
‘You said we’d talk tonight.’
‘Unfortunately it didn’t work out. Again.’ His hands gripped his slim hips, his fingers marking time.
‘What was it tonight?’
‘A child who’d fallen down two flights of stairs breaking both legs.’
‘I wish I’d known.’ Then she could’ve stopped griping at him in her head.
‘I’m here now.’ Mattia left the room and moments later a plate was banged onto glass and the microwave started up.
When Elene entered the kitchen he was pouring a glass of wine. He waved the bottle in her direction. ‘Want one?’
‘No, thanks.’ She put the kettle on. Fruit tea was what she wanted. And a discussion with Mattia. It was suddenly imperative they talked. Almost as though because he’d stayed away she had to get moving on it. Yes, that was it. They could talk, work out what was going to happen with Aimee, then she could go and visit her family in Firenze, taking Aimee with her. ‘I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible.’
‘Stay here until you leave for New Zealand.’
‘That’s hardly fair on you.’ Or me.
‘You’re arguing for the sake of it, Elene. The town’s busy with tourists—you’re not going to find a hotel with a room available for as long as you’d require. At best, you’ll be moving from one to another every few days. That’s not good for Aimee.’
He was right. On all counts. The water boiled and she concentrated on filling her mug, remembering another night filling a mug before feeling Mattia’s hands on her waist, his face so close.
‘I’ll take your silence as agreement.’
‘Might as well. I’ve run out of arguments. Thank you. I do like it here, and it’s easier with Aimee being able to run around as she wishes.’ Her tired smile was a truce. If these last two days were anything to go by, she’d hardly ever see him, though that wasn’t why she’d come this far. ‘Do you work weekends as well? All of them?’
‘Sometimes. Okay, mostly.’ Mattia sipped his wine.
Didn’t he have a life outside being a surgeon? This didn’t compute when the man she’d seen in Wellington had spent hours having fun, always with a pretty female on his arm. Anna had hinted something about his weekends being busy. ‘Not all your time is spent at th
e Sorrento hospital.’
‘No.’ The microwave pinged and he retrieved a plate of linguini.
‘Mattia.’ Elene wrapped her hands around her mug and watched him moving around the kitchen collecting cutlery and the pepper grinder, his movements defined and confident. He was a man who demanded attention just by being himself. Would he forgive her for dropping in as though from another planet, bringing life-changing issues with her? ‘This is awkward.’
The stool legs squeaked across the tiles as he pulled one out from the counter. ‘If you’re still worrying how I feel about not knowing about Aimee before you turned up, then don’t. Allowing for your promise to Danielle, I think you also went for high impact. I’d have done the same.’ He lowered that gorgeous butt onto the stool, holding his plate in one hand, a fork in the other, his eyes fixed on her.
‘Yet so far, when it comes to Aimee, we’ve basically discussed heated milk and dirty nappies.’ How could she expect complete and utter frankness from him when she wasn’t handing it out herself? ‘Even in our drollest discussions Danielle and I didn’t see that coming.’ Damn, Danielle, I’m making a right mess of this.
Suddenly Mattia was standing directly in front of her, his hands reaching for her. ‘I’ve already said it but I’m telling you again. I am so sorry about Danielle.’ His hands covered her shoulders, engulfed them. Warm, strong, kind. ‘She was a beautiful lady, inside and out.’
‘She was,’ Elene hiccupped. ‘I miss her so much. We’d been friends for years and some days I don’t how I’ll get by without ringing her up and chewing her ear off over some silly thing that’s happened.’ Or about her daughter and how cute she is, and how she’s learned to crawl and say Ma-ma-ma-ma.
‘Maybe you’ll never completely get over that, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Good friends are to be treasured, and you’ve got a store of memories to draw on. Not the same as a real conversation, but they’re there.’ His thumbs were rubbing back and forth on the front of her shoulders, soothing, calming. Unbelievable.
