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Aurora looked stunning. She wore a kingfisher-blue dress with killer heels and her hair was a tumble of raven curls as she waved and ran towards her friend. Gabe was all black curls too, and huge black eyes, and Antonietta simply melted when he smiled as she held out her arms to him.
‘See,’ Aurora said as her son went so readily to Antonietta, ‘he knows you.’
‘He really does.’ Antonietta beamed. ‘I didn’t think you were coming back until Christmas Eve?’ she said.
‘I wasn’t intending to,’ Aurora explained as Antonietta let them into the cottage, ‘but Nico has a friend in residence over at the hotel. They are having lunch so I thought Gabe and I could come and see you. I’ll join them for coffee afterwards and then we’ll head over to my parents’.’ She gave a dramatic eye-roll.
‘How are they?’
‘Still demanding that Nico gives my idle brother work. I have said no, but Nico has backed down. He’s going to tell him this afternoon he’s got him a role. God help us,’ she muttered. ‘He didn’t even move the logs from Geo’s house when there were those wildfires.’ Geo was Nico’s late father. ‘Instead he left it tome.’
‘That was a long time ago,’ Antonietta pointed out.
‘And he has grown fatter and lazier since. Honestly, families are—’ She stopped herself. ‘Sorry. That was insensitive of me.’
‘It’s fine.’
‘Has there been any progress?’
Antonietta gave a non-committal shrug. No, there had been no progress with her family—if anything, they seemed to be going backwards. But there had been progress in her life. She was making friends—real ones—and she was putting down roots too.
And as for Rafe...
That felt like progress too, because even if they could go nowhere he had taught her so much about herself.
‘I’ve brought your Christmas present,’ Aurora declared. ‘I’ll put it under your tree. No peeking...’ she said, and then looked at the little lounge, which was pretty much exactly as she had left it some weeks ago. ‘No tree!’
‘There’s only me here.’
‘But you love Christmas! Here,’ Aurora said, and handed her a parcel—only Antonietta had nothing to give her surprise guest in return.
‘I did have yours...’ Antonietta blushed. ‘Then I borrowed it. I have to get another.’
‘Well, hurry up.’ Aurora smiled. ‘It is only a few days till Christmas.’ She looked over at her great friend and gave a quizzical frown. ‘Since when doyouwear red lipstick?’
‘Who said I got you red lipstick?’ Antonietta attempted, but Aurora knew her too well.
‘You always do,’ Aurora answered. ‘Even when you were in France, and we were barely in touch, you sent the same present each year. So how come you borrowed it?’
‘I just decided to give it a try.’ Antonietta shrugged. ‘You’ve been nagging me to wear make-up for years.’
‘With no luck, though!’ Aurora’s shrewd eyes narrowed. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing,’ Antonietta said, and set about filling the coffee pot, even though Aurora said she didn’t want one.
‘Just water for me. Antonietta...is everything okay? You seem on edge.’
‘Of course.’
Antonietta knew she was holding back, but though she wanted to confide, in this case she felt she could not. Aurora might be her best friend, but her husband was Nico—the owner of the Old Monastery. He wouldn’t appreciate a maid fraternising with a guest.
Still, she was saved from explaining her sudden need for lipstick by the sight of little Gabe, tottering around the table on unsteady legs.
‘You didn’t tell me he was almost walking!’
‘Watch this,’ Aurora said, and held out her arms to Gabe. ‘Show Antonietta what you can do!’
Antonietta held her breath as Gabe turned from the table and took two tottering steps unaided, and then fell into hismamma’s arms.
