I moved around the room, taking in all the different pieces. It was a feast for the eyes – and even better that we didn’t have to compete with a roomful of tourists to stand and stare. It was like running free in a dream. I watched Tony as he took a video of the ornate ceilings. He’d gone to so much trouble to arrange everything, I was genuinely touched.
‘I’ll never forget this moment, you know,’ I called over to him. ‘Thank you for bringing me here. I was convinced it wasn’t going to happen this time.’
‘No worries,’ Tony said, with a nonchalant air. ‘Access-all-areas-Almagno – that’s what they call me.’ This guy was unbelievable. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Josh had hand-picked him and sent him to me.
Fourteen
Saturday 17thAugust
I made a couple of tweaks to my model of Sophia Loren and stood her on the dressing table. I’d fashioned her together using olive wood, and her mini bikini and headscarf were a dotty handkerchief in disguise. She needed a couple of finishing touches, but nothing Mia’s paints couldn’t help me sort out. The invisible drone was back, and I tried to follow the buzzing to see if I could find it. Were Amazon trying to deliver an emergency package?Ping. An email hit my inbox and I tapped to see if it was what I’d been waiting for.
From:[email protected]
Dear Ms Mason,
I am delighted to confirm your seats for this evening’s classic film showing ofHouseboat. I attach two tickets and the film starts at 7.30 p.m. We look forward to welcoming you.
Yours sincerely,
Martina Lucenzi
Fantastic.She’d managed to fit us in. I’d been racking my brains to think of a way to thank Tony for his amazingly thoughtful day at the Uffizi, and even though this was in the little leagues in comparison – it was something. It had been Holly’s idea; one of their trainee chefs was from Siena and he’d pulled some strings to connect me with Martina; then it was down to me to hustle. The tickets were like gold dust. My phone pinged again.
Stella:Hey stranger! Thanks for the update – I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Enjoy Tuscany, you lucky cow.
Hmm, that sounded suspiciously like:Don’t call me, I’ll call you.I wandered down to the pool, which was nice and empty, and laid my stuff across two loungers – one in the sun and one in the shade. I planned to tan myself on a timer, like a rotisserie chicken, for the ultimate golden glow. Ten minutes in the shade, ten minutes in the pool, twenty minutes in the sun. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
‘Would you like a drink, Abi?’ Mia walked through, a flurry of puppies around her ankles, Nero at the front. He was still too small to jump up, so he sat at my feet and tapped me with his paw.
‘A sparkling water would be great, thanks,’ I said, picking him up and kissing his little head. Mia nodded and disappeared, leaving me with my tiny fluffball friend to contend with. He lay in my arms, while I tickled his belly.
‘Now what have you been up to? Hmm? How are you finding life on Earth? It’s a strange place, isn’t it?’ Nero smiled, his pink tongue just visible, his brown eyes sleepy.
‘He looks happy,’ Tony said from behind me, striding through to the pool in a pair of budgie smugglers, a rolled-up towel under his arm.
‘What man wouldn’t be,’ I replied, taking him in from behind my sunglasses. He looked every inch the Italian man-about-town. How was he maintaining such a firm physique while mainlining Paolo’s pancakes with syrup each morning?
‘Very true,’ he said. ‘Can I join you?’ He gestured to the sunbed next to me – step two in my rotisserie tanning system.
‘Erm… sure, go for it,’ I said, moving my book and bag as he unfurled his towel and lay down. His hair was getting fluffier by the day, and he was now sporting a Jack Grealish-style headband, which worked well with his mirrored Aviators. It was quite the transformation. ‘You’re looking very… at home,’ I said, holding my stomach in. The pancake diet wasnotworking for me.
‘When in Rome…’ he shrugged and stretched out on the bed, making his body even more taut. It was all his swimming trunks could do to contain themselves.
Mia returned with a large bottle of sparkling water and a bowl of olives. ‘Water for you, too, Tony?’ she asked.
‘Si,grazie,’ he replied.
‘While the two of you are here – is it my ears, or is there an annoying buzz in the air in the mornings?’ I asked. ‘Is there a wasp nest somewhere I need to avoid?’
‘I hope not!’ Mia said, looking around in concern.
Tony piped up. ‘That’s my drone,’ he said. ‘I’ve been taking some aerial shots for the website. I promised Paolo I’d revamp all the footage while I’m here.’
Mia nodded. ‘He was on the phone to the bank this morning, organising the papers for signing,’ she said, pouring out the water. ‘They should all be ready next week.’
My stomach sank. Did that mean Tony would be going home? That it would just be a flying visit after all?
