Page 33 of In Italy for Love

After saying goodbye to Marisa, Jules took a deep breath and headed out of town. The path was steeper than she’d expected and she was puffing and almost regretted her decision, but a sudden glimpse of the plain and the distant, sparkling sea caught her interest and she kept climbing in earnest.

The speckled sunlight under the yellow leaves glowed warm, like breathing out before the cold of night, and she was struck by the notion that these few weeks of spectacular autumn were a gift, a cosy period of rest and plenty before the onset of winter.

In that reflective state, she stepped on something small and hard that made her thankful again for Davide’s sturdy boots.Peering down, she found a spiky case, split open to reveal the polished curve of a rich, brown chestnut.

She couldn’t help thinking itwasvery close to the colour of her eyes.

Reaching for it, she discovered the spikes were not joking and gasped at the painful prick, grimacing when she saw she’d drawn blood. But her curiosity was stronger and she tried again more carefully, tugging the sides of the case apart to reveal two shiny little nuts. They felt so smooth and gratifying in her hand that she kept them, twirling them along her palm like stress balls, as she wandered behind Arco under the canopy of trees.

It wasn’t long until she saw another little pouch. Tucking the first nuts into her pocket, she opened the next one, still pricking her finger, but not as badly as the first time. The next one she found was rotten, but around a corner, the path was suddenly strewn with cases – hundreds of them.

Remembering Alex’s comment about being able to live on them for two months of the year, she set to work. Within twenty minutes, her pockets were sagging, her fingertips were raw and she’d trained her eyes to seek out the freshest-looking cases.

Straightening, she had to press a hand to her aching back and she realised she’d been doggedly collecting on her haunches for a few minutes too long. Even after she told herself to stop, she looked longingly at each spiky little package she passed and she couldn’t resist opening a few that looked particularly plump. But she kept walking, only pausing occasionally to forage a few more.

By the time she emerged from the forest into golden vineyards and sweeping views of the plain before her, a looming chain of mountains to the west, the sun cast low rays over the landscape and her stomach was rumbling, despite the hearty meal at the restaurant at lunchtime. Even Arco seemed worn out.

But the walk had done her good. The forest had shared its bounty with her – and its autumn beauty – and it didn’t matter so much any more what Luca had thought of her, or how bad her Italian was, and what she was going to do with her life when she left this place.

She felt silly when she arrived back at the door of Alex’s house with pockets like a squirrel’s cheeks. She didn’t even know what to do with the chestnuts, since she did at least know they had to be cooked before eating them. Did people even collect the wild ones, or were they too dirty or poor quality?

Foraging was not something she’d ever done. She’d never known the right places in Parma and she’d only ever learned in Australia that anything she collected might be poisonous. Oh well, there was no way she’d just bin her forest treasure, even if she had to work out how to make a fire and roast them herself.

With that conviction, she turned the key in the lock and stomped through the door. Alex emerged from the kitchen immediately, his brow furrowed.

‘Where have you been?’

‘Hello to you too.’

Alex slowly blew out the breath he’d been holding and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He’d been worried sick and she looked bright and fresh and rosy with her hair coming out of its short ponytail and her eyes… It was best not to look at her eyes right now.

‘Sorry, I was cooking and then I didn’t know when you’d get back.’ He scratched the back of his neck. ‘I called Maddalena and she said you left after lunch.’ He’d started worrying in earnest when the first hints of dusk tinged the sky outside the window.

He’d pictured Alina’s car flipped and twisted, ambulances, police and… hospital beds.

‘I didn’t realise I needed to tell you when I’d be home.’

‘You don’t,’ he snapped, trying to clear his head now he could see she was clearly fine. ‘I hope you weren’t staying out because of me.’

‘I hope you weren’t staying out in the evenings all last week because ofme,’ she responded.

‘Of course not,’ he said gruffly as she shrugged out of the jacket and placed it on the hook.

‘It wasn’t anything to do with you. I was exploring the forest.’

He hadn’t expected that. ‘The… Did you get lost?’

‘I am capable of reading a map,’ she grumbled.

‘I wasn’t suggesting you can’t,’ he said with a tight sigh.

‘It was just a long walk.’

There was something she wasn’t saying and the strain between them frustrated him. It was growing unbearable, this housemate arrangement where so many topics were off limits – and so many feelings.

‘Come and eat, then.’

She looked about to protest – as usual – but her gaze slid to the jacket and a small smile touched her lips. ‘I actually brought something home to contribute to the household.’ The smile grew wider, her lips pressed together and he was charmed all over again, flummoxed by how easily he fell under a spell she didn’t know she was casting.

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