‘My pleasure,’ he said, pouring the batter into the sizzling hot oil.
I stood and watched as he made the biggest pancake I’d ever seen. Thick, fluffy, American-style pancakes, but supersized. It looked like a Spanish tortilla.
‘Ecco,’ he said, presenting it to me. I eyed it with caution as he clanked the frying pan down.
‘Tonnnyyyyy!’ he shouted over my shoulder.For the love of God.
Tony and Viola walked arm in arm into the restaurant, in a chatting frenzy, and Paolo jumped on them both in a three-way hug.
‘Ciao, Paolo,’ Tony said, his face between the two of them. He looked over and smiled. ‘My brother and myzia.’ He shook his head and corrected himself. ‘My aunt.’
I was even more confused. How was this happening? I wasn’t supposed to ever see him again and now here he was, post-yoga, about to sit down and have breakfast next to me. He did look good though. I took my pancake pillow out into the sunshine, while they carried on their cuddle.
‘Coffee?’ Mia appeared with a tray full of cups and her gaggle of puppies.
‘Morning. Yes please,’ I said, as a particularly loud laugh emanated from Paolo. Mia looked over fondly and smiled.
‘Paolo hasn’t seen his brother for months. He is visiting from America,’ she said. Nero nuzzled into my ankle and then cried to be picked up. I lifted his little body into my lap and took a sip of coffee.
Tony came marching over and kissed Mia on the cheek. ‘Bella.’
‘Ciao, Tony,’ she said, looking surprised as he pulled out the chair next to me. ‘This is Abi, one of our guests.’
‘I know, we met last night,’ he replied, stroking Nero’s head. How did he still smell so good?
‘AtLavedrine X,’ I said, in explanation.
‘Ahhh of course!’ Mia replied. ‘Tony was supposed to arrive today, so we weren’t home to welcome him. Paolo suggested he eat at Xavier and Holly’s.’
‘I got an earlier flight,’ Tony said. I wasn’t used to this level of noise and activity over breakfast. All this unnecessary information. I nodded and ate a mouthful of my Yorkshire pudding pancake, Nero watching my every move.
Mia handed Tony a coffee and left us to it.
‘So, you’re staying… here?’ I croaked, hiding behind my sunglasses and avoiding eye contact.
‘Yes. Sorry about that. I probably should have mentioned it,’ he replied, coyly. ‘I didn’t mind you kicking me out this morning as my bedroom is only over the corridor from yours.’
‘Is that what you call serendipity?’
‘I’m a big believer in it,’ he said, straight-faced.
‘I see.’
‘Even ifyou’renotthe romantic type,’ he added, pointedly.
‘Sorry about that little outpouring,’ I said, suddenly flustered. I pulled my hair out of its plait, and ran my fingers through it, fluffing it forward to cover my face.
‘Not at all. I quite enjoyed it,’ Tony said, with a cheeky smile.
I didn’t know where to look as he arched a knowing eyebrow. I thought back to us tangled up in bed together only a few hours earlier and my cheeks went hot. He was completely disarming. ‘You took me by surprise, that’s all,’ I mumbled, desperate for the conversation to end.
‘Well, you took me by surprise last night, so that makes us even,’ Tony replied, stirring a sugar into his espresso, then drinking it down in one.
‘I don’t want it to be awkward with us both staying here.’
‘Not awkward at all. If that’s your MO, then fair enough,’ he said, then whispered to Nero, ‘Don’t get too comfortable, buddy, I was where you are last night.’
*
