He remembered his childhood holidays, the cheap annual one-week breaks during summer when he and his mother would visit the seaside, explore the boardwalks, enjoy the ocean—only able to afford the places that were a bus ride away. Money set aside every week for that small break.
Now he could afford to buy all the boardwalks, but the quality of the holidays hadn’t improved because of it.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had any genuine downtime.
‘How did you do it? How did you make so much money?’ She laughed. ‘I obviously need some lessons from you and then I might not have to rely on cleaning houses and teaching kids to save for a deposit on a flat that’ll be the size of a shoebox.’
Alessandro was startled to find himself laughing along with her.
For a second, he really got it why his mother told him on a loop that he worked too hard, to which he would wryly respond that he was simply obeying what she’d taught him.
Flavia Barbieri spent most of her time in Italy now and he didn’t see her nearly as often as he knew he should. He brought her over twice a year so that she could see her granddaughter and, more often than not, he only occasionally participated in all the stuff they did together. Time was scarce and work commitments had no respect for leisure activities.
He felt a pile-up of guilt wash over him.
‘That’s beside the point,’ he said flatly. ‘The fact is that Sophia has thrown a curveball. She’s informed me that the only place Flora is interested in going is Disney World.’
‘Nice.’
‘Next week. Ten days in Disney World. Staying at a dedicated hotel in the park.’
‘Sounds terrific for a six-year-old.’
‘She expects you to accompany me on the trip.’
‘Any little girl’s dream holiday.’
‘Did you hear what I just said, Georgie? You’re expected to come with me.’
‘What?Why on earth would she expect something like that?’
‘Believe me, I don’t want this any more than you do.’
‘You’ll just have to tell her that it’s not possible for me to take time off for any kind of holiday, anywhere!’
‘Easier said than done.’
‘I have work! I have commitments here. I also don’t know you and I’ve never met your daughter!’
‘Like I said, Sophia has found the best place to put the spoke in the wheel and she’s grabbed the chance. She’s enraged that I’ve finally pinned her down to a timetable of visiting rights, that she won’t like the consequences if she fails to comply. She also loathes the possibility that this so-called relationship of ours might be more serious than anything I’ve had in the past, as evidenced by the fact that you were here, in the chalet, when we arrived, key in hand and clearly knowing the lay of the land.’
‘Women you date never have keys to your house? Flat? Penthouse apartment? Wherever it is you live?’
‘Never.’
‘Okay…and they also don’t have a clue where to locate a fridge?’
‘I don’t believe in encouraging any woman to get too comfortable in my territory.’
‘What a catch you are,’ Georgie said with thick sarcasm. ‘Women so love a guy who doesn’t want them to feel they can get comfortable in their territory. Do you think that if you let them through the front door and they manage to locate a bottle of water from your fridge they’re going to start putting down roots?’
‘I tried the permanent situation once. It didn’t work. I’ll never go there again. But, moving on from that, here we are and I wouldn’t ask what I’m asking now but, if you don’t come, it’ll be a door opened to my ex snooping around my private life, pushing paparazzi in my direction. Squeezing information out of Flora, who doesn’t deserve to be caught up in an ugly tug of war.’
‘But it’s not as though this is a relationship. I’m not going to be sticking around.’
‘No, but if Florida happens, then there’s a chance Sophia will accept that this relationship really might be serious and, when we break up, she’ll also accept that I’m never going back to her, that I’m in the right place for serious involvement with a woman I want permanently in my life. On top of all the legal requirements that are now in place, she will finally concede defeat sooner rather than later and life will return to where it should be. If the happiness and stability of my daughter weren’t an issue here, then there’s no way I would ever consider asking this from you. Trust me, I don’t take any of this lightly.’
‘And if I refuse? Because, actually, I do have a job here and I do have commitments. For all you know, I might have a partner who would go nuts if I decided to take you up on your offer.’
