“I’m not in a sound emotional state. Also you think I’m a terrible person because I lied to your friend. I admire your loyalty, by the way. Evie is lucky having a friend like you.”
“I think you’re a person who has been dealing with a difficult situation.” He reached for the bowl of soup and pulled it closer. “Did I think you should tell Ev the truth? Yes. But am I judging you for what you did? No. I know what it’s like trying to please a demanding parent. I know better than anyone what parental pressure feels like. For the record, I definitely don’t think you’re terrible. I think you’re brave, and not only because you jumped into the water to save a child.”
“If I was brave, I would have told my mother no when she asked me to go under-cover.” She picked up a piece of toast and nibbled the corner.
“Decisions are rarely as easy as they seem to other people.”
The last thing she’d expected was empathy. “I try and please her. I always want to please her.”
He nodded. “Because it’s work as well as personal. Everyone wants to please their boss. When family ties are involved—it becomes a step more complicated. I could bore you for hours with some of the dilemmas I’ve faced. Have you always worked with her?”
“Yes. It was just the two of us and I don’t remember a time when she didn’t talk to me about the business.”
“She has built an impressive company.” He handed her the spoon. “Eat a little soup. A couple of mouthfuls.”
She didn’t have the energy to fight him so she took the spoon and tried a mouthful of soup. And then another. “It’s good.”
“All our food is good. Not Luca’s standard of course, but wholesome and comforting.”
“Your fish pie is the best I’ve tasted anywhere.” She ate half the soup and then put the spoon down. “I still have to call my mother back.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“I’m not in a habit of putting off difficult and uncomfortable tasks. It’s not responsible.”
“Says the woman who dived into the ocean known for its rip tides.” He shrugged. “My point is that the right decision isn’t always the one that is the most responsible.”
“If I don’t call her, she’ll be displeased.”
“Maybe that will be a first for her. And it’s good for people to experience firsts.”
Even the way she was feeling, he could still make her laugh.
“She’s already displeased, so it won’t make much difference, will it? You’re right. I’m going to switch my phone off and I’ll call her tomorrow in my lunch hour. That’s if Evie still wants me to work at the hotel. I suppose today might have been my last day.”
“Evie told me she’d give you a job if she could, so I would think the job is yours for as long as you want it.” He loaded the bowl back onto the tray. “Will your mother want you to go straight back to Boston?”
“I have no idea.” The thought of it depressed her more than it should.
He stood up and picked up the tray. “If you decide to hangaround here for the summer you can stay here. Maybe take some time to decide whatyouwant for once.”
His offer surprised her and also touched her.
What did she want?
She had no idea. It wasn’t a question she asked herself.
But she was asking it now.
16
Evie
“I feel terrible.” Evie scrolled through the report on her laptop. Beyond her kitchen window the sun was setting over the cliffs, but for once she wasn’t looking. She’d had one of the worst days at work she could ever remember having, and it showed no signs of improving. Even the glass of red wine by her laptop wasn’t helping. “I feel officially terrible.”
“Why?” Luca put a pizza on the table between them, along with a couple of plates.
She glanced at it and then at him.
