Page 33 of Never Too Late
‘You tell me.’
Chapter 15
The flight got into London at nine thirty that evening and by the time Steph got home it was gone eleven. It was lovely to see her mum again and they sat and chatted until long past midnight. She had broken the news of her break-up with Ethan to her mum a few days earlier and there was no need to say more. She knew how her mum felt about him. In the course of their conversation, Rob’s name came up and she told her mum about the concert and the drive home to his house. Her mum subjected her to careful scrutiny.
‘So much for him being a Casanova. It sounds like he behaved perfectly.’
‘Or he just didn’t fancy me.’
‘Rubbish, he’s just showing you he’s not the man you think he is. Now you’ve had dinner at his house with him, what’s the next step? Has he asked you out again?’
‘No, and I doubt he’s going to – and it’s best that way.’ Steph went on to repeat what Faye had said about her making Rob feel comfortable. ‘And comfortable doesn’t mean interested, at least not interested in an emotional way.’
Her mother shook her head. ‘I know exactly what Faye meant. I always felt comfortable with your father, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love him. In fact, I loved him all the more because of it. I’d have hated to have one of those stressful marriages with sudden outpourings of emotion, constantly breaking up and making up. Passion’s all well and good but comfortable is better; it really is.’
‘I don’t know… He lives in Italy, I’ll be leaving soon, it could never work.’ Steph hesitated before voicing her deepest fear. ‘Besides which, what if this biopsy of mine throws up something sinister? Romance would be the last thing on my mind.’
‘The biopsy will be fine. They do them all the time. And the doctor told you it could be just a cyst, didn’t she?’
‘But what if it isn’t just a cyst?’
‘Then they’ll treat it. They can do amazing things these days. Try not to worry and don’t start imagining the worst. As for Rob, if he really likes you…’ She held up an admonitory hand to stop Steph from protesting. ‘If he really likes you, he’ll be there to support you through anything. Like I’ve always told you, you need to be positive and don’t overthink things.’
‘I know, Mum…’
Steph didn’t sleep very well that night and she was up early; so early in fact that she had time to borrow her mum’s car and drive over to Ethan’s apartment. It took her well over an hour, but she managed to collect all her things from there and load them into the car. At least this way she wouldn’t need to come back here again. Taking one last look around, she closed the door on that flat and on that chapter of her life.
The biopsy was remarkably quick and painless, and she was in and out of the hospital in less than an hour. The doctor who did the procedure reassured her that this was just to double-check and told her there was no cause to worry. Even so, Steph knew she would be on edge every day until the results came through, supposedly within a week or ten days. She had lunch with her mum in the local pub and then it was time to take the train back to the airport. As her mum kissed her goodbye, she repeated her mantra about being positive and not worrying about things she couldn’t control. Steph nodded dutifully.
The flight was uneventful and on time and when she got back to Pisa there was a surprise in store for her. When the automatic doors parted and she walked out into the Arrivals area she saw a familiar, but unexpected, face waiting for her.
‘Rob? What are you doing here?’
He gave her a welcoming smile. ‘I’m on chauffeur duty today. Cesare told me you were flying back so I thought I could repay my debt by drivingyouhome this time.’
She went over to him and came close to throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss but restrained herself at the last moment and settled for a simple handshake.
‘That’s ever so kind of you. But aren’t I taking you away from your rehearsing?’
‘That’s fine. I’ve been putting in a lot of practice, thanks. Besides, it’ll be nice to have a bit of company for a change.’
While it was nice to be considered ‘company’ it wasn’t exactly an outpouring of emotion but then, she reminded herself, she hadn’t been expecting anything else. The car was parked in the short-term parking area close to the terminal and it was barely nine o’clock by the time they set off. All the way up the autostrada they chatted, and he revealed that his mother had told him why she had been in London.
‘I’m sure it’ll be fine. The doctors always want to make sure, to double-check.’
‘Thanks, Rob, I hope you’re right.’ She reflected that this time he was the one acting as a comfort blanket and it felt good.
They reached Lerici just after ten, and he made a suggestion.
‘I don’t know about you, but I could eat something. If you’re hungry, there’s a great pizzeria just down here. What do you think?’
‘I’d love a pizza. I had a Scotch egg and salad in the local pub at lunchtime, but I haven’t eaten since. If you’re sure you can spare the time, let’s have a pizza.’ The chances of being spotted with him and photographed by the paparazzi in a random pizzeria were very slight, after all. A thought occurred to her. ‘What about Waldorf? He won’t be chewing your place to bits by now will he?’
‘If he’s chewing anything, it’ll be Mum’s Persian rugs. I left him with them. He’s fine.’
The pizzeria was close to the waterfront, and they were lucky enough to find a parking spot right outside. Inside it was lively and still crowded, but the proprietor, who clearly recognised Rob, found them a table in a corner and took their order. On Rob’s recommendation she opted for aSpecialitá della Casapizza and wondered what it was going to have as a topping. When it arrived, barely ten minutes after they had sat down, it turned out to be a sort of Surf and Turf topping with the usual cheese and tomato but also smoked ham and sausage along with octopus and prawns. It tasted every bit as good as it looked. They both ordered cold beers and she thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the company. By the time she had finished her bowl of meringue and apricot ice cream and was sitting back with a little espresso, she knew Rob a lot better, even though they had stayed well clear of anything too personal.
Back at the villa they found Keith, Johnny and Ben still up, sitting in the lounge chatting. Stretched out at their feet was the Labrador. As he heard their footsteps, the dog jumped to his feet and came rushing over to greet first Rob and then Steph. As she patted Waldorf with one hand she gave the three men a little wave with the other.
