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But she’d rounded the corner now, and Zac had seen her and was standing politely. She couldn’t fault his chivalry.
She forced a smile. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that. It must have been like carting a sack of stones into the villa.’
Zac just looked at her, with something flickering in his eyes that sent an illicit zing of sensation deep into Rose’s solar plexus.
‘It was no trouble at all.’ Then he frowned. ‘But are you sure you’re feeling all right? Is it normal to sleep like that? I was almost tempted to call the doctor.’
Rose’s step faltered just as she reached her chair. He’d been worried? She shook her head. ‘No, it’s perfectly normal, according to my doctor. Fatigue in pregnancy can be quite debilitating, but I feel fine now.’
In fact her blood was fizzing, and she felt more alive than she’d felt in months. The doctor had also told her with a wink—knowing nothing of her personal life—that she might feel increased sexual urges once she’d got over the first trimester. Needless to say that had been the last thing on Rose’s mind at the time, but now she could appreciate the advice. For all the good it would do her...
Zac poured her a glass of sparkling water. He sat back and took a sip of his wine, watching her. Thankfully Maria came out with their first course, dissipating some of the tension.
While they ate the delicious starter—simple but delicious soup and bread—Rose told herself that she was being ridiculous to think she’d seen anything in Zac’s eyes when she’d arrived. It was just her rogue pregnancy hormones and stupid wishful thinking. Dangerous thinking.
In due course Maria came back and efficiently removed their starter plates and replaced them with a main meal of deliciously tender cutlets in a light sauce.
As the food restored a sense of equilibrium in Rose, she recalled Zac finding her by the pool earlier that day, and the way he’d been looking at her so intently. Again she’d had that sense that he was waiting for her to do something.
She felt embarrassed now to recall the daydream she’d been indulging in, of a family living in this beautiful house, its walls and paths alive with the sounds of laughter. She hated that he’d observed her in those private moments. Moments she’d never reveal to anyone... And just like that, her appetite fled. She put down her knife and fork.
Not missing a thing, Zac said, ‘You aren’t hungry?’
Rose held back the urge to be defensive. She’d only left a couple of bites on her plate, and forced herself to be civil. ‘Maria’s cooking is sublime...but I don’t think I’ve eaten so much or so consistently since before my mother died.’
‘How old were you when she died?’
Rose kept her face blank, feelin
g the familiar tug of grief that never left. ‘Fourteen. She battled cancer for four years...’
The truth was that their health insurance hadn’t been enough to guarantee her mother the best of care, and even though she’d been well taken care of there had been time spent on waiting lists that had meant her illness had taken hold and triumphed.
Which was why Rose had had such a panicked reaction to her father’s illness, imagining the same thing happening all over again...
Zac brought her back to the present. ‘And your father?’
Her insides tensed. She hated this ongoing deception. Truthfully, but vaguely, she answered, ‘He’s in upstate New York.’
‘And no brothers or sisters?’
Rose shook her head, avoiding his eye. ‘No, just me.’
‘That must have been rough after your mother died.’
She looked at him again, surprised, and said quietly, ‘It was. My parents were devoted to each other...it nearly destroyed my father...but he had me to think of.’
Her father had lost a part of his soul when his beloved wife had died, and Rose hadn’t begrudged him that.
Feeling raw, and realising they were straying far too close to danger areas, Rose desperately tried to think of something to divert Zac’s attention. She seized on what she’d noticed in the village the previous day. ‘When I went to the market with Maria yesterday I visited the local church.’
Zac sent her a dry look. ‘To repent for your sins?’
Rose fought the urge to scowl, or to rise to Zac’s bait, even as a part of her quickened at this chink of dark humour.
She ignored the comment, saying, ‘My mother was religious and I got used to going into churches with her, where she’d light candles for different friends’ various ailments and worries.’ She continued quickly, in case Zac was inclined to make any more barbed comments. ‘There’s a pretty graveyard by the church, so I went in to have a look, and I noticed that Valenti seems to be a very prominent name here... It was all over the graveyard, actually—easily the most common family name.’
Rose stopped talking when she saw Zac’s hand tighten on his wine glass. He was still looking at her, and she saw him pale slightly under his olive skin. Suddenly he stood up, his chair making a harsh sound on the stone terrace.
