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‘I have more,’ he said as if reading my mind. He picked up the pot on the table and tilted it so that we could see inside. ‘Anyone like?’
I stared around the table, politely waiting to see who would take him up on his offer.
‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly,’ said Fran, rubbing her stomach. ‘It was lovely, but I’m stuffed, thank you.’
‘I wouldn’t mind a little more, thank you,’ I said. ‘It was delicious.’ He nodded at me in acknowledgment.
‘Go on, then, Luciano. I’ll have a few more spoons,’ added Grace, giving him a wink.
‘Lovely woman!’ he exclaimed as he scooped out extra into her empty bowl. ‘I love that you like my cooking.’ He gave her a warm smile and then squeezed her shoulder.
Er, hello? Favouritism much? Did I not also say I liked his food and that I wanted more? FFS!
As he moved towards my chair, his smiley expression changed to stone and he spooned out an extra portion for me in silence, then returned to his seat on the opposite side of the table.
Wow. What a dickhead.
By the time we were tucking into the panna cotta for dessert, the wine and conversation began to flow. And after a couple of hours had elapsed, you could tell that everyone was feeling much more relaxed, including the surly chef.
Flirty and persistent Fran didn’t miss her opportunity to get some goss and went in for the kill.
‘So, Lorenzo,’ Fran said, smiling cheekily, ‘tell me. Is there a special woman or evenwomenin your life?’
Go, Fran! Like a female Columbo, once she had her mind set on a line of enquiry, she didn’t give up.
Lorenzo started to blush and wriggle in his chair. ‘Um, is, it is complicated…’
Come on, Lorenzo. You know that Detective Fran won’t acceptthatas an answer.
Like a bulldozer, she continued: ‘In what way? Do you have a girlfriend, ormultiplegirlfriends? Have you just broken up with your girlfriend, or are you looking for a girlfriend?’ Bless Fran. She was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
More blushing and chair shuffling ensued. Everyone’s eyes were now squarely focused on him, itching to hear his response.
You could tell he wasn’t at all comfortable with talking about himself or his love life to a bunch of nosey English people he barely knew. However, sensing correctly that Fran would keep probing until she received an acceptable reply, he relented.
‘I am in a…I have been in a relationship a long time, but it is not working. I know things are not right, but it is…difficult.’
‘Tell me about it!’ screamed Dan. ‘Women are just a complete mystery, aren’t they!’
‘I beg your pardon, Dan. We are very simple creatures,’ protested Fran. ‘Well, Lorenzo, you’re a young man in your prime, so if something isn’t working, don’t waste your life. Get back out there. I’m sure there’d be women queuing around the block to get a piece of a hot man like you!’
He frowned, not initially understanding what she said, and then as the penny appeared to drop, he blushed.
‘Grazie, Francesca.’
‘Prego, Lorenzo. It’s a bit like Sophia,’ she added slyly.
What? Why is she bringing me into this?
‘You know, she’s newly single andtotallygorgeous, so Grace and I were telling her yesterday that she needs to get herself out there more. There’s a lot of guys that wouldloveto spend an evening with her too.’
‘Fran!’ I exclaimed. What was she doing? This wasn’t bloodyTake Me Out. Her attempt to matchmake à la Paddy McGuiness made me feel awkward. Particularly when it was so obvious he wasn’t remotely interested. It was safe to say that if I was the last woman on earth, he wouldn’t even spit on me, never mind snog me.
Seems like I wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable, as Lorenzo started squirming in his chair again and then jumped up.
‘It is getting late,’ he said, changing the subject. ‘I must go and tidy the kitchen.’
Wow, I hadn’t realised that the prospect of spending some sexy time with me would cause him to leave the room so quickly. As much as it shouldn’t bother me, no one likes to be considered undesirable, which is exactly how he made me feel.
‘Ah, yes,’ said Erica, glancing at her watch, clearly not enthralled about the suggestion of the man she obviously fancied potentially being paired up with another woman.
‘Tomorrow we visit Florence, so we leave early to make the most of the day. Perhaps it is better that we go to bed now. We have breakfast at eight and then leave by eight forty-five. Is fine with you?’ Everyone nodded in unison and also looked at their phones to check the time. It was fast approaching midnight. The evening had flown by.
We said our goodnights and headed up to our room. I avoided Lorenzo in the kitchen to prevent any further awkwardness. Yes, it was good to know that he was on the verge of singledom (well, good for everyone except his girlfriend). But at the same time, it was pointless even considering it could go any further.
He’d made it very clear that he didn’t fancy me. I just had to realise that I couldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea and get used to the fact that this was going to be a man-free, romance-free holiday.
What a damn shame.
