‘How did Antonia respond to that?’ Sarah asked.
‘She refused the money, of course. It’s not the Fiorellino way.’
‘That would have infuriated Silvia to no end,’ Sarah said.
Matthew bit down on his lower lip so hard that the flesh whitened behind his teeth. ‘Grazie, Angelo. We will be down for lunch soon.’
‘Mi dispiacetantissimo,’ Angelo said quietly before he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Matthew could have raged. He could have cursed. All he did was walk to the broken window and look across the valley to Fiorellino. His eyes met the large rectangular pool shell which had been delivered and was set to be installed later that week. Beside it, at least twenty piles of Petunia-regulation approved sandstone pavers to complete the pool decking. There was so much work ahead of them. Literally hundreds of hours of backbreaking labour. Sensing a twinge in his lower back, he exhaled. His fists were knotted balls of fury by his sides. ‘It wasn’t meant to be like this,’ he whispered.
Without thinking, Sarah sidled up next to him and attempted to stroke his upper back. Matthew flinched and pulled away.Give me space. It was the first time he had rejected her, and it bruised her spirit.
‘Sorry, if I . . . I forgot,’ she started, trailing off as Matthew made his way across the semi-demolished bathroom. ‘It will all be ok,’ she tried again.
Matthew exhaled an exaggerated petulant breath, noting how Sarah stiffened abruptly in response. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t intend that for you.’
‘It didn’t feel that way.’ Her gaze returned to Fiorellino.
In a raspy whisper, Matthew began pacing. ‘Well, Sarah, I’m sorry, but mywholelife has been building to this and I know it’s difficult for you to understand, but I have the weight of my entire family’s history bearing down on my shoulders.’ The veins in the side of his neck dilated under his newly-reddened skin. ‘The sacrifices I’ve made . . . all the work . . . If I’m a little on edge, I apologise. There’s literally nothing more I can do. The control I once comfortably had on every facet of my life is gone. It’s all out of my hands.’ He wanted to punch a hole through the patchy plasterwork. Instead, he dropped his weight against the closest wall and unfurled his knotted fists. ‘And nowthisbullshit.’
Sarah’s voice held a gentle tremble. ‘I leftmyjob.Myhome.Myfamily. I’m here soyoucan have it all, remember?’ She shook her head. ‘I’m here to helpyou, Matthew. Don’t push me away. Please. I struggle when people push me away.’
Matthew looked up and the two locked eyes as the air continued to thicken between them. This was new territory; tension and discord.
Watching her brush away a tear, the reality of the moment hit him. ‘I’m sorry, Sarah. So very sorry.’ He sighed. ‘You shouldn’t have been dragged into this. It’s all just one giant fuck-up. It was meant to be one clean transaction. Business.’ He fiddled with his wedding band. ‘The fact that you’re still here at all is a miracle.’
Transaction. Business.The words burned. Mustering all the strength she could, she asked, ‘Is thatreallywhat you think of this? Ofme? Just “business”?’ She folded her arms defensively.
Matthew joined her by the window. He took a moment to choose his words wisely. ‘Initially, yes. If I’m honest. But now that we’re here, and we’re working together, it feels more real than that.’
‘Don’t ever callthisa business transaction again, Matthew.’
‘I’m sorr—’
‘Because when you do, you reduce me to a commercial entity. A thing. A means to an end.Yourend.’
‘That’s certainly not what I think of you.’
‘I get that this whole production is life-changing for you, either way it goes, but please never minimise whatI’vedone to be here.’ The lustre had vanished from her eyes. ‘Different, yes, but just as important. You don’t know half of what it has taken for me to get here.’
‘Of course. I’m sorry. My word choice was insensitive.’ He placed a hand over hers, and the encapsulating warmth was reassuring for both of them. ‘You’re not just a partner in this, Sarah. You’re a friend. A very special friend. And I’m so grateful for you, and everything that you are, and what you’re doing for me.’
‘They,’ she gestured in the same direction that Angelo had just moments before, ‘are going to be difficult. We know that. Saverio is a supreme arsehole. We know that. Let’s not turn on each other. That’s what they would want. Ok?’
‘I think it all just hit me. I shouldn’t have let it get to me.’
‘You’re entitled to feel it, and express your frustration and anger. Just don’t bite the helping hand that’s married to you.’ She forced a wry smile. ‘We have the better part of a year still ahead of us.’
Matthew nodded and welcomed Sarah into his arms, which felt the most appropriate thing to do in the moment. As she wrapped herself around him, Matthew was relieved to feel Sarah soften and drop her defensive front.
Though she could never have known it, Petunia’s bellowing wail of, ‘CAZZO!’, followed by a series of crashing noises coming from the ground floor, was all Matthew and Sarah needed to clear some of the tension in the room.
Sarah was the first to laugh. ‘I can only guess what that meant.’
‘Words not fit for the ears of a classy lady such as yourself.’ Matthew pulled away from their embrace and looked down hopefully into her eyes. ‘Are you ok?’
‘Yes. I’m fine. Areyouok?’
