‘Yes, that sounds good to me, too,’ Malcolm said, fingers drumming against his belly.
‘I have somepane al farrofrom a local bakery. It’s made with spelt and a sourdough base. Does that appeal?’ Tad said.
Amy almost choked on her coffee as she twisted around to be able to see his face. ‘Sourdough, Taddeo?’
He grinned, then allowed an expression of astonishment to claim his features. ‘Even I appreciate sourdough in this particular bread. Plus, the ancient grain in it gives it a chewy, nutty flavour…’
‘Chewy and nutty – sounds perfect for you, Billie,’ Malcolm said, grinning at his own joke. ‘Not to mention the ancient quality of the grains…’
‘Wait a minute – why are you calling him Taddeo?’ Billie said, annoyance fleeting its way across her features as she stared at Amy, then Tad in turn.
‘It’s really delicious with jam – maybe raspberry, or strawberry?’ Tad said, ignoring the question.
‘Tad is short for Taddeo,’ Amy said, unable to help herself, enjoying her special knowledge. ‘As it turns out, Taddeo is half Italian. Far more to work with than you thought, Billie.’
‘What the hell is going on here?’ Billie said, her tone overdramatic. ‘Have I slipped into an alternative universe or something? How come I’m only now finding this out?’
‘Or I have some lemon jam if you prefer?’ Tad said.
Billie’s laser gaze cut into Amy, her voice taking on an enforced calm as she said, ‘Lemon sounds perfect, please,Taddeo.’
‘I’m on it,’ Tad said.
Before she could think better of it, Amy scraped back her chair. ‘I’ll come and help you.’
She followed Tad into the kitchen. With the room empty of other staff, all thoughts of bread and jam were forgotten as Tad gathered her up in his arms and they kissed in the alcove in front of the cold storage room.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he said, the gentle morning stubble he hadn’t had time to shave off an added sensation against her skin.
She laughed. ‘It’s been about twenty minutes.’
‘Felt like hours.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Cheesy, but I’ll take it.’
‘What are you doing later today? Can you get away from Billie after lunch? We could go and get ice cream, or something.’
‘I’m not sure. We’ve got a boat trip booked up, seeing some of the lakeside castles from the water. It might be tricky.’
Tad inclined his upper body away from her, one hand threading its way softly around her face and into her hair as his gaze deepened and his smile became difficult to misinterpret.
‘I’ll try,’ she said.
‘I’d love to spend more time with you,’ he said.
‘Me too.’
Amy did her best to ignore the thought that every second they could find to spend together would need to count, because she only had a couple of days left in Italy. Instead, she tried to concentrate on the way his fingers feathered through the soft lines of her plait.
‘Have I told you how awesome your hair is? It’s like a sheet of gold.’
Amy frowned, an action Tad misinterpreted, as he withdrew his hand.
‘No, don’t stop,’ she said, smiling as he rethreaded his fingers and kissed at her neck. But a thought niggled at Amy, another Billie anomaly. Because Amy remembered clearly how insistent Billie was about Tad’s preference for short hair. She’d thought it a strange thing to focus on at the time, but now it seemed as though that hadn’t been the whole truth either – in fact, if the way Tad had complimented her said anything about hair, it was the opposite.
Why had Billie made such a point of it?
Amy allowed the thought to fall away, concentrating on the far more enjoyable way Tad was pressing himself against her as they kissed again.
