“Last night.”
“Last night?” I gasp. Why didn’t he call me then?
“We were out when she tripped over a curb, poor thing. We iced it and got her comfortable as we waited for the ambulance. She’s a tough cookie, your grandmother. Took it all in her stride.”
I smile despite my worries. That’s Nona. She’s where I get my backbone. “Thanks for being there for her.”
“You know I would do anything for your grandmother,” he replies, which goes way beyond neighborly concern. But I don't have time to unpack that right now. I need to get back to Villadorata, and fast.
I hang up the phone. A warm hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn and look up into Max’s face, tight with worry. “What's happened?”
“My grandmother. She’s hurt and in the hospital back in Villadorata. I-I need to go to her.”
“Of course you do. I'll drive you to the station,” he says. “Rocco, can you and Dante hold the fort here?”
“Sure thing,” Rocco replies.
Max places his arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. “You’ll get to her.”
I dash back to my room where I hurriedly throw things into my bag, tearing back down the stairs and out the front door, where the rain that was threatening the sky earlier has now set in full force. Max and Toffee are already waiting for me in one of the Range Rovers, the engine running, and when I climb into the passenger seat, Toffee immediately climbs onto my lap, trying to lick my cheek.
“I can put her in the back,” Max offers.
I stroke her warm fur, and she reaches up to lick my ear. “No. Actually, she’s comforting.”
The tires spray gravel behind us as he takes off at speed.
“What happened with your grandmother?” he asks as the car burns down the long, winding driveway.
“She fell. My neighbor, Mr. Beckman, thinks she might have broken her ankle last night. She’s in the hospital.”
The windscreen wipers are going at full tilt, and the rain only seems to be getting heavier.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. She means the world to you, doesn’t she?”
My chest tightens. “She does.”
Max turns onto the main road, and we wind our way further down the hill toward Castelvino, where the train brought us only a day ago, perched high in the hills. “In that case, let’s get you to the station as fast as we can.”
“Thank you so much, Max. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course. I only wish I could do more for you.”
“Taking me to catch the train is more than enough.”
What almost happened last night hangs between us, but neither of us mentions it. What would be the point? He must feel rejected, and I feel…well, I feel a lot of things, none of which I can share with him.
Even though having to leave to see my injured grandmother isn’t ideal, at least it’ll give me some much-needed breathing space from him.
He pulls the car into an angled parking space outside the train station in Castelvino. Its station has a small, rustic platform that clings to the mountainside, with goats grazing nearby. Max kills the engine, and I hop out, immediately getting drenched by the downpour. Max materializes at my side holding an umbrella, but it's too late. I'mpretty sure I’m giving my best impersonation of a drowned rat right now.
“I'll come in with you. Make sure you get on the train okay,” he says over the sound of the rain landing on the car.
“You don't have to.”
“I want to.”
I nod. “All right.”
