Page 65 of A Very Italian Wedding
‘What upset you?’ Surely, it was her turn to ask a question again?
Isabella put the glue down. ‘I am sad the tree is dead, but I am sadder my husband is gone,’ she confided, her cheeks flushing.
‘Gone where?’ Rose asked. Cesare was living next door.
‘He has replaced me.’ The older woman’s voice was flat.
‘With whom?’ Rose asked. Surely, he hadn’t had an affair? He didn’t seem the type. Then again, her father didn’t and he’d had them over and over again.
‘He left me for his phone,’ Isabella declared, her lips stiffening. ‘There is no room for me in his life now.’
‘Ah…’ Understanding finally dawned.
Hadn’t Marco mentioned he’d got the mobile for his grandad? And hadn’t the family joked about his crossword obsession? Cesare had been on his phone when the tree had burned down. The link was obvious. Isabella had mentioned it enough times, Rose should have picked up on it before.
Rose grabbed the glue from the table and sucked in a breath, telling herself to be brave. She carefully plucked up the statue’s foot before fixing it back on. ‘You’re right, some things can and should be fixed,Nonna. You just have to know when to try and when to walk away.’
After leaving Isabella, Rose went to speak with Cesare about Isabella’s revelations and what he might need to do to put things right. He listened and nodded, but she wasn’t sure if he’d do what was necessary, but for now it was out of her hands.
After that, she searched the garden, olive grove and half of the house before she finally found Marco. He was sitting on the stairs she’d found Luna on earlier with his head in his hands. Beside him on the step she saw a steaming mug.
‘Marco,’ Rose said as she approached and saw him look up and blink a few times. ‘Do you know where Luna is?’
‘No.’ He picked up the full cup and stood. ‘I thought she’d left with you.’ He turned and gazed up the steps. ‘Is she still here? I’ve checked all the bedrooms…’ He turned back to Rose and frowned. ‘Not that I expect you to tell me.’ He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. ‘Luna told me what you’d overheard. I’m sorry.’ He shook his head, and a flop of brown hair fell onto his forehead, making him look less polished than usual. More vulnerable. ‘It was all me, not Ben.’ He winced. ‘I’m the imbecile.’
‘Seems to be a theme,’ Rose said dryly.
‘You can’t blame Ben for what happened,’ Marco insisted. ‘I know I’ve messed everything up with Luna.’ His forehead creased. ‘The irony is, I was trying so hard not to lose her that I ruined everything.’ He took a small step closer. ‘I love her so much; she’s perfect, kind, an incredible businessperson and she always knows the right thing to say.’
‘She does,’ Rose agreed.
‘I don’t have enough words in my head to explain how much she means to me. I was afraid if we delayed getting married, if you talked her into postponing, that she’d have time to realise I’m not really good enough for her.’ He sighed, sounding sad. ‘I can be uptight and boring. She’s so easy to be around, so much fun – I wanted to marry her from the first day we met. I wantto make her happy and I can’t bear the idea of not being with her for the rest of my life.’ He pushed the strands of hair from his eyes, which were filled with emotion. ‘I suppose I have to get used to it now.’
He grimaced. ‘I knew the wedding was rushed, but once I got the idea and she said yes to my proposal, I couldn’t let it go.’ His shoulders sagged. ‘I just—’ He sighed. ‘The date doesn’t really matter. I shouldn’t have pushed, and I definitely shouldn’t have asked Ben to keep you out of Luna’s way. Especially since I know you only had her best interests at heart. Blame it on me being an idiot – please don’t blame Ben,’ he pleaded. ‘For what it’s worth, he told me he wouldn’t distract you. I honestly think whatever happened between you was genuine. I’ve never seen him as upset as he was when you argued. Not even after Sophia.’
‘I think I saw what I wanted to see,’ Rose admitted. A lifetime spent watching her parents’ toxic relationships had taught her to look for problems. Ben had been right. ‘Rather than seeing what was there.’ She sighed and watched Marco sip some of the liquid from the mug and wince.
‘It’s tea,’ he said when she raised an eyebrow. ‘I think I’m learning to like it.’ He sipped again and shuddered.
Rose smiled. He was trying; he really did love her friend. How could she not have seen that? ‘Do you still want to get married?’ she asked and watched Marco’s eyes light up.
‘Of course I do,’ he said emphatically. ‘But Luna’s determined to call off the wedding.Nonna’s refusing to attend, Luna’s mother is going to miss her flight because she’s lost her grandmother’s necklace. It’s hopeless. You might be the Love Doctor, but I’m not even sure you can fix all that.’
‘You just worry about getting everything ready. The rest you can leave with me,’ she promised.
Marco jerked his chin, looking less than convinced. But instead of commenting, he took another quick sip of tea and pulled a face.
24
ROSE
Ben was right. She’d got everything wrong.Everything. Rose paced across the garden shaking her head as she searched for Luna before checking her watch. It was almost midday, and she had a lot to get sorted if the wedding was going to go ahead tomorrow. As Isabella had said, some things could and should be fixed, and Rose was going to do everything she could to make sure they were.
But the first thing she had to do was call Luna’s mum.
She stopped by the swimming pool and quickly dialled Deborah Kennedy’s number while she watched sunlight throw multicoloured sparkles across the water.
‘Rose?’ Deborah answered swiftly. ‘Is everything okay with Luna? She told me the wedding’s been cancelled.’ She sounded miserable.
