‘Perfect.’ She smiled as he poured her a glass.
‘So how’s your week been?’ he asked, and Annie was surprised to find he actually seemed interested to know.Again, most guys she’d been with couldn’t be arsed with polite conversation –or indeed conversation full stop, she thought wryly. ‘How’s your friend after her accident?’
‘She’s great – taking it easy, but that’s no hardship in a spot like this.’ She was also touched that he’d asked after Colette. Just went to show that not only did he really listen to her, he also cared about what she said, and wasn’t just out for what he could get.
Though, she thought with a grin, she kind of hoped that he was interested in that too …
‘Must say I’m still impressed that you’re a solo traveller,’ he went on. ‘Though I can’t quite imagine taking off on holiday on my own, I can see the attraction in getting time to yourself. The boys are great, but can be a bit full-on …’ He shrugged. ‘It’s nice to get away and do my own thing for a bit.’
‘I get you. Though it’s been sort of the opposite for me. I came to Italy alone but I’ve made some friends since I’ve been here.’ She grinned. ‘Yourself included.’
‘I’m not surprised – you’re obviously the sociable type.’ Then he reached across the table to touch her hand. ‘And I’m very glad you chose to socialise with me, though I rather hoped you might consider me a bit more than a friend …’
A delicious thrill snaked up Annie’s spine at his touch, and she was sorry when shortly afterwards theirprimiarrived and the moment was broken.
Despite the hokey surroundings, the meal was incredible. Harry’s posh upbringing had obviously made him well-versed in food and wine, and Annie was enjoying the fruits of his expertise.
On his recommendation, she opted to forgo the Italian old reliables on offer and instead try a French cassoulet, enjoying the rich mix of white beans, duck legs, and melt-in-the-mouth pork. He, in turn, decided on tartiflette, a savoury potato dish with cheese, bacon and onions.
For dessert they shared chocolate mousse and clafoutis, a kind of berry-filled cake covered in a flan-like batter. Followed, of course, by two shots of limoncello, which, Annie noted, they pretty much handed out like water in these parts.
She guessed she was probably going to put on at least half a stone with the richness of this meal but for once she didn’t care.
Now she grinned as Harry fed her some of the clafoutis and she practically purred over the sweetness and the lightness of the crust.
‘Told you you’d like this place.’ He smiled as he watched her. ‘Now hurry up and finish that wine, there’s somewhere else I want to take you.’
She raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. ‘Where?’
‘You’ll see,’ he insisted mysteriously, calling the waitress over for the bill.
Annie looked at her glass. It was her second – or was it third? It was hard to tell when the waiter kept topping them up and it was still quite a way full.
With that and the limoncello, she was already feeling a nice buzz and didn’t want to run the risk of knocking it back too quickly – especially on top of all that rich food.
She was kind of sorry he wanted to rush off, too; she was really enjoying their conversation, and the opportunity of getting to know him properly without his mates in the mix.
‘Just going to nip to the loo while you finish that,’ he said,dropping a credit card on top of the bill. ‘If the waitress comes back, tell her I’ll just be a sec, OK?’
‘Grand.’ Annie wondered if she’d get away with just leaving the rest of the wine behind, but she suspected it was an expensive choice, perhaps even vintage, so she’d better not.
Actually … She idly reached forward to check the bill for the price of the wine, glancing at Harry’s Visa card as she did so.
Then Annie’s heart started to beat a little faster as she noticed something that made her pause and then look twice.
Strange …
‘Ready?’
But she had no time to think about it any further as Harry had arrived back at the table and beckoned for the waitress to take payment.
Annie’s brain was reeling a little, both from the wine and what she’d just seen. Had she been imagining it? Granted it was so dark in here but …
She shrugged. There was probably a perfectly good explanation, or else she’d just got things wrong from the get-go.
As he put his arm around Annie’s shoulders and led her from the restaurant, everything else was very quickly forgotten.
Once outside, his hand slid down to hold hers, their fingers intertwining, and she smiled involuntarily. ‘Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?’
