Page 77 of In Italy for Love

‘With certain benefits, I can see.’ Luca flashed his eyes from one to the other. ‘I knew you wouldn’t be able to support yourself, but I didn’t expect you’d solve that problem…thisway.’

The passports fell from her hand as the words landed like punches. She hadn’t made herself dependent on the men in her life, had she? That wasn’t how it had been with Luca anddefinitely not with Alex, but shehadaccepted help – more than she could repay. She’d let Alex feed her and Maddalena and Berengario take care of her and give her purpose. She’d relied on Luca for too long and perhaps she hadn’t broken that cycle.

‘Get out of here!’ Alex’s raised voice startled Jules out of her panic, especially when he added a foul Italian insult she’d learned from television. But he continued in English for her benefit. ‘Now! She doesn’t have to listen to thatshit.’ His clenched fist came into focus in her field of vision. He was breathing hard. Even Berengario and the others had frozen, watching the discussion in alarm. Siore Cudrig couldn’t understand a word of English, but her eyes were still huge.

Luca rose to his feet. ‘I still have business?—’

‘Not in my kitchen, you don’t. Take your lies and your delusions and get out!’

‘I think “delusions” might be more apt for your situation, hmm?’ He reached once more into his bag and turned to Jules. She recoiled, but forced herself to face him. ‘We’ve had a few viewings of the B&B. If we get an offer, I’ll need your procura – so I can act on your behalf. Unless you’re not leaving the country after all?’

‘My what?’ she asked, her thoughts a haze.

‘Power of attorney,’ Alex translated. ‘Leave the paperwork here,’ he instructed Luca gruffly. ‘She won’t sign right now.’

Why not?If they could sell the B&B, then she wouldn’t need help from anyone ever again – she wouldn’t need to rely on Alex.

‘I can sign,’ she insisted.

Alex’s grip on her sleeve grew tighter. ‘Do you trust him?’ he asked through his teeth, his body taut.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Jules shook her head. ‘No,’ she admitted. ‘But what else can I do?’

‘We’ll work something out.’

We… There was no ‘we’ unless she counted Arco, and the poor pup was just as wild and abandoned as she was.

‘Leave the paperwork,’ she forced herself to say to Luca. ‘You have my number and I have yours.’

‘You’d better not try to obstruct the sale.’

‘Why would I?’ she asked.

‘I know you were too attached to the place – your Italian dream,’ he said with an ugly chuckle. ‘It would have been kinder to let you down earlier.’

‘Out!Now!’

Jules had never heard such a wild edge to Alex’s voice.

‘Is he going to hit me?’ Luca asked, his voice high, but his tone still sneering. ‘Where did you find this caveman, Jules? You’ll have simply enormous children.’

She didn’t know if he understood how much his cutting joke hurt, but there was little else he could have said that could catch her straight in the heart. She’d been stupid enough to picture a family with Luca once – in the very distant future, they’d agreed – but with Alex – oh God, the picture was too real and so entirely impossible.

Arco gave a bark as Luca headed for the kitchen door. With a heavy sigh, he turned to the animal and gave him a perfunctory pat on the head. ‘Yes, goodbye, stupid dog.’ Alex gave a sharp gesture to hurry him along, following him into the hallway where the squeak of his loafers faded and then the door clicked firmly shut behind him.

Berengario was on his feet in an instant, grasping Jules’s upper arms and peering into her eyes. ‘Jules,’ he said firmly. When she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, he enfolded her in an embrace and she was mortified to feel the heat of tears on her face.

In a flurry of neighbours, Jules found herself pushed down into a chair, her shoulders squeezed and her back rubbed anda steaming espresso and a biscuit placed in front of her. Siore Cudrig tut-tutted and Jules heard muttered imprecations and a quiet conversation between Berengario and Alex in the garbled language that had become nearly as familiar as standard Italian to her sluggish ear.

Then the kitchen was quiet. Only Alex was left, leaning heavily on the door-frame, his legs and arms crossed in front of him as he stared at the floor with a troubled expression. His hair fell over his forehead and just looking at him brought on the smarting tears again.

There wasn’t anywhere to go from here – except away from him.

32

Blood rushed loudly in Alex’s ears, filling in the silence when everyone had left. He wanted to take Jules by the shoulders and shake her and tell her that everything her ex had said reflected on Luca and not her.

But he could see how deeply the words had affected her – how she panicked at the prospect of being dependent on anyone else.

---