‘Ah, I think that’s enough butter, don’t you?’ Nat laughed as Julian drenched the popcorn.
‘Spoilsport,’ Alessandro teased, and then gave his son a wink. ‘Come on, matey, let’s go watch the movie.’
They brushed past Nat, who was momentarily paralysed by the teasing note in Alessandro’s voice and the way his sex appeal boosted into the stratosphere when the smile went all the way to his eyes. The fact that he seemed to have adopted the endearment ‘matey’ for his son was also rather… touching.
The doorbell rang, momentarily distracting her from her ponderings, and she absently called out, ‘I’ll get it.’
Quite who would be calling on a Sunday afternoon she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the little boy next door? He and Julian were the same age and she had told his mother that he was welcome any day for a play.
The entrance hall was warm and welcoming now with a large colourful rug breaking up the glare of the all-white tiles. Two large paintings decorated the walls on opposite sides and a hall mirror that had come from the ceramic ovens of the Amalfi coast hung by the door.
Last night Julian had helped his father hang a wind chime they’d bought in Noosa. He had passed tools to his father like a scrub nurse would to a surgeon and afterwards they’d stood, necks craned, Alessandro’s hand on Julian’s shoulder, admiring their handiwork.
The beautiful baby-pink mother-of-pearl discs, brittle and fragile, had cost a small fortune. But Julian had loved how they cascaded like a chandelier. And they certainly gave the entranceway a touch of mystique.
Nat opened the door. The person standing there was far removed from a little boy and very definitely Italian. He was tall and bronzed and so like Alessandro in his looks – a relative perhaps? – with an easy grin that emphasised killer dimples and a wicked glint to brown eyes that would have put a pirate to shame.
The grin didn’t last long, fading quickly as he stared at Nat with a developing frown.
‘Can I help you?’
As if he knew he’d been caught staring he recovered quite well and shot her a dazzling smile. ‘Er… hi? I think I might have the wrong house. I’m looking for Alessandro Lombardi.’
The accent was like Alessandro’s too, which only helped solidify her thinking about this man being some sort of relation. She tried to ascertain his age. His face was smooth, unlined save for a few tiny crows’ feet around his eyes and, unlike Alessandro’s, his hair was totally devoid of grey.
A younger brother, maybe? Did Alessandro have brothers?
Bad time to realise she knew nothing about him. For crying out loud, she still didn’t even know his wife’s name. And the framed photographs they’d talked about for Julian’s room still hadn’t appeared.
Some online stalking would probably easily provide that kind of information but with Alessandro tight-lipped about her, it felt like going behind his back and for what? What did it matter what her name was or what had happened?
Nat was just… the nanny. With benefits.
Her role here was to look after Julian’s needs. Looking after Alessandro’s was a bonus. And the rest was none of her business.
Nat returned the smile. ‘No, you’ve got the right place. I’m Nat.’
The man, smile firmly in place, studied her face intently. It wasn’t creepy but it was disconcerting. Maybe he was surprisedto find Alessandro shacked up with a woman so soon after his wife’s death?
She opened her mouth to explain. But what exactly could she say? She turned her head and called, ‘Alessandro!’ He could explain.
Maybe he knew what the hell they were doing.
Alessandro appeared in a few seconds, his face lighting up like she’d never seen before. ‘Valentino! Il mio cugino! Che piacere vederti!’
Nat understood enough to know the stranger’s name was Valentino and they were cousins. She watched as the men embraced and Alessandro kissed both of his cousin’s cheeks. It was surprisingly sexy. She’d always loved that about Italian men. The way they so openly expressed their affection, no matter which gender.
That didn’t happen very much in Australian society and she couldn’t help but feel it was the poorer for it.
They laughed and clapped each other on the back and then embraced again. Was it ridiculous to feel jealous of their easy affection?
‘Valentino, I’d like you to meet Nathalie.’ Alessandro glanced at her and smiled. ‘Nathalie, this is my cousin, Valentino Lombardi. All the way from London via Roma.’ He clapped Val on the back again. ‘He emailed last week to say he would be in town sometime in the next month for an interview but I hadn’t expected him so soon.’
‘Nathalie.’ Valentino reached for her hand, turned it over and, very gallantly, kissed the back. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
Nat blinked at the old-fashioned greeting. She got the feeling that Valentino Lombardi was an incurable flirt. Had she not been totally immersed in Alessandro, she might have even been charmed. But Valentino seemed like a boy in comparison. Morelike Julian than Alessandro. Too… carefree. Too… casual for her tastes.
‘Nat, please,’ she murmured, still a little surprised at this development.
