Page 39 of A Very Italian Wedding
‘So the tree is dead,’ Rose said slowly.
‘Yep,’ Ben agreed. ‘And Isabella thinks that means their marriage is too.’ He shook his head. ‘She’s very superstitious, thetree was symbolic, and no one can convince her otherwise. She’s furious, angry, hurt – even though it was an accident.’
Rose pulled a face. ‘Are you sure there isn’t more to it than that?’
‘What do you mean?’ He paused. He’d been expecting Rose to say Marco’s grandmother was being unreasonable. That she should talk to her husband. Suggest some kind of rule.
‘I mean a sixty-year marriage is unlikely to end just because of a tree – or a lie. My guess is she will have known he was still smoking. That can be difficult to hide,’ Rose said. ‘Perhaps there’s more to this story?’ She looked so serious Ben took a moment to reassess.
‘You think so?’ he said slowly, thinking about how Sophia had told him how excited she was about marrying him, how perfect they were for one another, but all the time she’d been having doubts. She hadn’t told him that until the last minute. Was Isabella hiding something too? If she was, none of the family were aware.
‘Is that why she’s living separately from him?’ Rose asked.
Ben nodded. ‘After the fire, Isabella moved into one of the houses the Marinos keep for guests, and he followed. He wanted to stay close to her so he could put things right, but she won’t talk to him.’
‘It’s difficult to fix something if you don’t talk,’ Rose said softly. ‘If they don’t get to the bottom of whatever the real problem is, how are they supposed to work on it?’
Ben shrugged. ‘I’m not sure Isabella wants to fix anything.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Rose said, frowning.
‘What would the Love Doctor do if she could?’ he asked hopefully.
‘I didn’t think you believed in what I did?’ Rose muttered.
‘I never said that,’ Ben said. ‘I just.’ He frowned. ‘This isn’t the same as what’s happening between Marco and Luna.’
‘It could be their future, though.’ Rose’s lips pinched. ‘I’d like to help, but I’m not sure there’s much I can do unless Marco’s grandparents are prepared to talk about what’s happened. This goes beyond rules, it’s about communication and honesty.’ She frowned. ‘It’s also about being willing to admit if you’re wrong and, in my experience, few people are.’ Rose sighed, plucking another pastry from the bag and biting into it, keeping her eyes firmly on the road. Was she thinking about her parents again? From what he’d seen, she hadn’t stopped trying with them.
‘So we should give up?’ Ben asked, feeling oddly disappointed. Then again, he’d done nothing but tease her since they’d met and contradicted her each time that she’d mentioned her concerns about Luna and Marco’s rushed marriage. Perhaps he should have listened to her more?
‘I didn’t say that,’ Rose said, shaking her head. ‘I’ll see if I can talk to them. If they’ll admit whatever the real problem is, perhaps I can help. If they want me to…’
‘Thank you.’ Ben watched Rose out of the corner of his eye as she turned to stare out of the window looking thoughtful.
She might have some odd ideas about love. But for the first time since they’d met, he realised he trusted her. He just wasn’t sure if he was happy about that.
14
BEN
‘I think we’re almost there,’ Ben said as he took a right, following the sat nav down another narrow avenue with a row of quaint-looking shops on one side and multiple leafy trees with angular shadows on the other. It was boiling outside and the sun was high, even though it was only just past nine. Which meant they had plenty of time to pick up the statue and stop at the beach before they made it back to Villa Paradise.
Rose had fallen asleep for the last half an hour, overcome by the stress of being in the car and the early morning – and Ben was beginning to feel tired too. He needed another coffee and to stretch his aching limbs before they started the return journey. He pulled over to the side of the road and parked alongside a row of cars, just as Rose woke up.
‘Are we here?’ she asked, blinking as she looked around. The green dress had ridden higher on her leg, exposing a new patch of creamy skin, and Ben forced himself to avert his eyes, although the rest of his body still responded.
‘The shop’s along here somewhere,’ he said roughly, wagging a finger at the buildings. ‘It’s called—’ He stopped and checked his mobile. Marco had texted him the details after he’d gone tobed. ‘Negozio di curiosità.’ He looked up. ‘That means curiosity shop.’
‘Well, everything looks shut. I think we might have come too early,’ Rose murmured, opening the door and getting out before walking along the pavement. She stopped when she reached the third shop down which had wide blue shutters covering half of the window at the front and a row of pots bursting with pink and white flowers on the ground.
Ben got out of the car too and took a moment to stretch, groaning as his back and legs complained about being squashed into such a tiny space.
‘I think it might be this one,’ Rose said, approaching the doorway and cupping her eyes so she could peer inside. ‘I wish it was open. There’s some gorgeous jewellery inside.’
‘Marco said someone would be waiting for us, so it’ll probably open soon,’ Ben said as he strode to stand beside her. There was a large cabinet just in front of the window which Rose seemed to be drooling over. It was filled with various necklaces adorned with green, blue and red stones. Further into the shop he could see a record player and a pile of vinyl – some by a country singer he recognised.
‘I need to tell Marco to visit,’ he said, pointing to the records. ‘He loves that artist.’
