She sat bolt upright in the bed. Matteo was lying beside her fast asleep. Beautiful even asleep. She’d slept with him. She hadn’t been drunk. She’d agreed. She’d kissed him. She’dwantedhim. ‘Toni,amore,’ said a voice.
‘Matteo, I don’t know what to say,’ Toni said. ‘I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve only had four lovers in my life.’
Why was she explaining this? He was not the keeper of her personal code of conduct. But it felt engrained into her, in some infuriating way: women felt obligated to apologise for having sex with the abandon that men could.
‘Only four?’ Matteo said, raising an eyebrow. ‘That is not enough. Now that you have had me, we must do this again. Come back to bed. It is early.’
Toni looked at her phone which was lying on the floor. It was nine o’clock. Nine o’clock in the morning and she was in a strange person’s house with a strange man in bed.
‘No,’ she said firmly, taking back control. She would not apologise for going to bed with him. She did not need to empty her thoughts out of her head in apology. They’d had sex. It had been great. But it was a one-time gig.
‘This will not be happening again, Matteo. Is this your bedroom or my bedroom?’
‘It isourbedroom,amore.’
She laughed. He was fabulous but his mind was on one track – a dirt track.
She blew him a kiss, grabbed her clothes, raced into the bathroom, locked the door in case Matteo came in and slowed her down, and showered. She let water run over her face, washing off make-up and sun cream and any stray feelings of having done the wrong thing.
She came out fully dressed. Matteo was still lying in bed, eyeing her up, his fabulously muscled chest on view. ‘You’re not coming back to bed?’
‘No,’ she said, admiring him. ‘Thank you, but no. It was lovely knowing you.’
‘I will see you again,’ he said.
Toni shook her head, smiled and shut the door quietly behind her. As soon as she turned around, of course, she bumped into Lou.
‘There you are,’ said Lou. ‘I was so worried. I couldn’t find you. What have you been up to?’
Her sister looked rested but was wearing an unfamiliar T-shirt, her hair wet too.
‘Sssh!’ Toni said, gripping Lou’s arm and walking her back towards the stairs. ‘You won’t believe what I’ve done.’
‘Slept with that good-looking guy?’ said Lou.
Toni nodded. ‘Yes!’
‘He was nice?’
‘Gorgeous,’ said Toni. ‘Utterly gorgeous. He should set up a company to get women back on their feet after a shock but...’ She paused in spite of herself. ‘I am having an attack of the guilts. I’m still married to Oliver.’
‘Oliver who has bankrupted you?’
‘Yes, that Oliver. But surely it’s better to get rid of one man before clambering into bed with another.’ Toni sighed. ‘I don’t know how to feel. I won’t say it was a mistake, but ...’
‘It’s complicated,’ Lou finished for her.
They met up with Angelo and Renata in the kitchen and Toni grabbed a quick espresso before they left.
At the door, Angelo hugged his daughter tightly.
‘I will see you again before you go?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’d love that.’
‘I have something for you.’
He gave her a tissue paper package and she opened it to reveal a heavy gold necklace, like a lariat with an exquisite profile beautifully carved in gold at the knot of the lariat.
