Second Chances in Chianti (Escape to Tuscany Book 2) Read online

  Chapter 5

  Millie appeared at Alice’s door just before eight, all dolled-up in a dress that must have cost a fortune – which she most probably didn’t have – and refused to let Alice go down to dinner in her dusty T-shirt and shorts. Under pressure, Alice reluctantly changed into a relic of her former life, a light summer dress by Stella McCartney which had been hanging at the back of her wardrobe for over five years. It felt really strange to be wearing something so pricey and, for that matter, revealing. She had completely got out of the habit of wearing the sort of clothes that young Carrie would no doubt have identified as ‘Polly’ clothes, and she found herself apprehensively checking her appearance in the mirrors in the hallway before walking through to the dining room. French windows at the end of this fine room opened onto the terrace, where a dinner table had been prepared outside, illuminated by a line of imposing silver candlesticks running all the way down the centre of the table.

  The atmosphere on the terrace when they got there was uncomfortable. Zoë was standing by the door, clutching a glass of champagne and greeting each of them as they emerged into the warm evening air. As Millie, Alice and David walked past, she raised her glass in a little toast, even summoning a smile.

  ‘Thank you for coming. Millie, you look charming. And you, David.’ Zoë’s smile even warmed a little at the sight of him, but she pointedly ignored Alice.

  Millie gave her a kiss on the cheek. As Alice had already been through these formalities, she just carried on out of the door and into the open air. The first person she saw was Layla, who had also changed and looked stunning – and knew it. She was wearing a silk dress that reassured Alice she wasn’t going to be the one with the most skin on display tonight. Yes, she reflected as she walked over towards Layla, those boobs were definitely bigger now. At her side, she caught an intake of breath from David and she almost giggled. If he had been feeling star-struck before, he was no doubt feeling blown away now.

  Next to Layla was Antonia, and Alice settled at her side. Benny and Harry were standing a bit further up the terrace, drinking bottled beer and, from the expression on Harry’s face, feeling no less uncomfortable than Alice herself. Benny had made an effort with his appearance, although Harry hadn’t changed and was still wearing the same jeans and polo shirt he had been wearing upon his arrival. Nevertheless, he was still the same handsome heart-throb he had always been in the Pals group. He wasn’t looking at Layla and she was studiously avoiding looking at him. Alice wondered if they had at least shaken hands.

  ‘Alice, what a delightful dress.’ Antonia sounded as if she meant it. Beside her, Layla proved that she had a good memory.

  ‘I know that dress. You wore it to the last of the end-of-series parties, didn’t you?’

  Alice accepted a glass of champagne from Paolo, thanked him and then nodded towards Layla. ‘And this is its first outing since.’

  By this time Millie had joined them. ‘Are you telling me you never wear smart clothes these days, Al?’

  ‘Smart, sometimes, but not this kind of thing. You don’t find many university students wearing designer clothes, at least not in Britain.’ She gave Millie a grin. ‘I’d have stuck out like a sore thumb. In fact, wearing something as open as this tonight feels positively weird. I keep looking down to check I’m not going to fall out.’

  She caught David’s eyes looking down her cleavage as she spoke and she choked back an attack of the giggles. Although he had seen her naked countless times, this was the first time he had ever seen her in such an expensive and revealing dress, and it was probably making him feel even more disoriented She caught hold of his free hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, as she saw him swig down the champagne he was holding in his other hand in one go.

  At that moment Carrie wafted along, clad in a diaphanous little number that could have come straight out of a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Alice had to admit she looked lovely. As Carrie walked past Harry, Alice couldn’t miss the look he gave her as he caught sight of her. It was not dissimilar to the look on a python’s face at the sight of an unfortunate little white mouse being dropped into its cage. Luckily, Richie was chatting to Benny and didn’t notice. Alice didn’t have time to dwell upon the possible ramifications of this, as the unmistakable sound of a knife tapping a glass attracted her attention and that of the whole gathering. Antonia was holding up a hand for silence.

  ‘Welcome everybody and thanks for coming. On behalf of Conrad and all our colleagues at AAATV, I hope you have an enjoyable, restful and productive few days here. Tomorrow morning I’d like us all to sit down together so Zoë and I can run through what we have planned for Pals Forever. We’re all very excited about it and we hope you will be, too. We’re going to leave the afternoons free for you all to relax or maybe visit some of the lovely places around this part of Tuscany. But, for tonight, just take it easy and catch up with each other. I’m looking forward to hearing what you’ve all been doing since I last saw you.’ Antonia glanced across at Paolo, who had changed out of his porter’s waistcoat and was now wearing a plain white shirt with a black bow tie, a spotless white napkin folded across his forearm. Clearly, he was a man of many talents. ‘Paolo, would you be so kind as to tell the cook we’re ready to eat?’

  As he bowed and disappeared back through the French windows, Antonia directed them all to their seats. Little handwritten cards indicated where they were all expected to sit and Alice breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that she and David were going to be at the opposite end of the table from Zoë, although she had a feeling he might have preferred to be closer to the director he idolised. The not-so-lucky candidates for that honour turned out to be Layla on one side and Millie on the other, while Alice and David were next to Antonia who was at the other end of the table.

  The meal was excellent. Paolo was assisted by a young waitress in a white blouse and short black skirt who blushed every time she came near Harry. He gave no sign of noticing her, but clearly his presence alone was enough to keep her cheeks permanently glowing. Alice concentrated on chatting to Antonia and Benny, and tried to involve a visibly shell-shocked David.

  They were served a sumptuous selection of antipasti, ranging from freshly carved Tuscan ham with fresh figs to a cold seafood salad of mussels, prawns and baby octopus – all accompanied by typical Tuscan bruschetta made with wonderful crunchy unsalted Tuscan bread loaded with chopped tomatoes and dripping with thick green olive oil. To drink there was excellent local Chianti Classico or white wine from a producer only a few kilometres down the road.

  The antipasti were followed by another traditional Tuscan dish – pappardelle al cinghiale. These broad strips of pasta in a rich wild boar sauce were delicious, but Alice did her best to resist temptation when Paolo came round with seconds. Five days of eating like this could seriously affect her ability to fit into her clothes, if she wasn’t careful. She was quite proud of the fact that, as a result of eating sensibly and taking a decent amount of exercise while at university, she was still able to fit into her old clothes, like the dress she was wearing, and she didn’t want to have to invest in a whole new wardrobe.

  After the pasta came some of the biggest steaks Alice had ever seen – and when living in the USA, she had seen some pretty massive slabs of beef. Fortunately, they were not expected to attempt to eat a whole one each. Paolo cut the meat vertically into strips, sprinkled the slices with scales of Parmesan and rocket leaves, drizzled olive oil over them and gave the guests as many pieces as they felt they could manage. The result was delicious. Alice was mildly surprised to see Layla eating meat again. The last time they had dined together, Layla had been on a celery-and-carrot diet and had wrinkled up her nose as the others ordered real food. Tonight, at least, it looked as though she had let herself off the leash a bit. Thoughts of leashes reminded Alice of the black dog she had seen earlier, and she queried this with Paolo.

  ‘He belongs to our neighbour. He’s often out working on his estate and the dog’s alwa
ys with him. The place was really run-down before he took it over, but it’s coming on well now.’

  ‘And does he live in the woods?’

  ‘He lives in the old tower. He bought it a couple of years ago and he’s been working hard since then. He’s a nice guy but we don’t see a lot of him.’

  ‘Well, at least he’s got a nice friendly dog for company.’

  At the end of the meal Paolo brought in a fine porcelain dish laden with profiteroles covered with warm melted chocolate, while the waitress – whose name was Rosanna – added scoops of smooth vanilla ice cream for those who could find space. David had by this time consumed a considerable number of glasses of red wine, as he sought to come to terms with the luxurious surroundings and being in the company of so many celebrities. After what she had already eaten, Alice felt full, but the profiteroles and what tasted like home-made ice cream were so good, she couldn’t resist. As she finally set down her spoon, she sat back with a contented sigh.

  ‘That was wonderful, but tomorrow morning I’m going for a run.’

  She was surprised to hear Harry respond, ‘I’ll come with you. I need the exercise.’

  Alice had been studying him surreptitiously during the meal and it looked as though he, too, had been working out. He was still undeniably an extremely handsome man, but his predatory eyes were as scary as ever. From time to time throughout the evening she felt his gaze on her and struggled not to shiver. Still, it was unlikely he would try anything during an early-morning run, so she gave him a little smile and they arranged to meet up at eight.

  Layla’s voice came from the other end of the table. ‘David, do you run?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, I’m more of a lounge lizard. Alice is always trying to get me to come out with her, but I’m happy as I am.’

  ‘And you look just fine.’ At receiving a compliment from the actress once voted one of the five most beautiful women in the world, David’s already ruddy cheeks started positively glowing and Alice found herself fighting back the giggles once again.

  It had been a pleasant evening and a very good dinner. Nobody at her end of the table talked about work, but she knew that would all change the following day. For now, at least, the atmosphere was remarkably relaxed and, as she sat back with a little cup of coffee at the end of the meal, she reflected that there were worse places to be than in a gorgeous old villa in Tuscany.

  Chapter 6

  The following day, she woke up early and lay there for a while, enjoying the relative cool of the morning. They had gone to bed with the window open – but with the mosquito screen closed – and she had slept pretty well, in spite of the snores from her inebriated boyfriend beside her. She didn’t blame him for overdoing it last night. Suddenly finding himself effectively catapulted onto the set of a world-famous romcom must have been a real shock to the system.

  Just about the last thing she had found herself thinking about before drifting off to sleep had been a handsome big black Labrador with a scruffy leather collar. Clearly, he had made a considerable impression on her.

  As it happened, she was soon to be reunited with her four-legged friend.

  She got up just before eight and, leaving David still dead to the world, she changed into her running clothes and let herself out as quietly as she could. She was mildly surprised to find Harry already in the hall, waiting for her. Together, they went out through the gardens and jogged up past the vineyard until they came to the line of the fence. As they ran up the hill alongside the wire, there was suddenly a joyful woof from the woods, as the big black Labrador reappeared and came running along with them on the other side of the wire, barking excitedly. But this morning, the Labrador wasn’t alone. As they reached the top of the ridge near where she had sat and sketched the previous evening, she spotted two figures ahead.

  An elderly man leaning on a walking stick was chatting to another man who was on his knees, hard at work. The older one had a friendly, weather-beaten face, while his companion was a lot younger, with broad shoulders and fair hair. This man looked a few years older than Alice – maybe in his mid-thirties – and was wearing shorts and trainers, but no top. He had been sweating and the early morning sunshine glistened on his well-honed body. Once she and Harry reached him, Alice slowed, got a closer look and was mildly surprised to find she liked what she saw.

  Surprised because – with the exception of that little frisson of attraction she had felt for Richie last night, before discovering he was with Carrie – she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt any particular interest in any man apart, she reminded herself, from David. This realisation was immediately followed by a stab of guilt at the thought of her boyfriend of two years lying in her bed while she was eyeing up some random man, and she did her best to nip any feeling of attraction in the bud. But it wasn’t easy. The man on his knees looked fit and he was undeniably good-looking – not in an airbrushed front-page-of-Cosmo way, like Harry, but in a rugged outdoorsy sort of way.

  As she approached the two men, she realised what they were doing. Something big had ripped a piece of the fence out of the ground and the wire mesh had been torn wildly out of shape, creating an opening. As the Labrador reached the gap in the wire, he didn’t hesitate. Seeing his new friend so close by on the other side, he dived through and came charging up to Alice, tail wagging. She slowed to a halt and looked down at him affectionately, confident his intentions were not belligerent.

  ‘Ciao, cane.’

  He reared up on his hind legs and stretched his front paws up to her waist, poking her with his nose and making contented little whining noises as he did so. Alice was vaguely aware that Harry had suddenly accelerated away and disappeared down into the vineyard, and she remembered he had always been afraid of dogs. In one of the episodes he had had to handle a toy poodle and he had been petrified throughout. Ruffling the Labrador’s ears with both her hands, she glanced across at the older man, who was smiling affably at her, while his younger companion wrestled with the wire mesh. She gave them both a little wave of the hand.

  ‘Buongiorno, signori.’

  ‘Buongiorno a lei.’ The elderly man’s accent was unmistakably local. ‘Are you staying at the villa?’

  ‘Yes, just for a few days.’ Alice read comprehension on his face, so she assumed her Italian wasn’t too bad. ‘What’s this lovely dog’s name?’

  ‘Guinness, but he answers to food like all Labradors.’

  As the man on his knees looked up and gave her a wave of the hand, she noticed, for the first time, how light blue his eyes were – and how strangely appealing. No sooner did the thought occur to her than she hastily reminded herself she was here with David, so she would do well not to start checking out other men. She transferred her attention to the dog, who was happily nibbling at her fingers. ‘Well, hello, Guinness, my friend. I’m pleased to meet you.’ He also appeared to understand her Italian and she took that as a little triumph.

  ‘What happened to the…?’ She didn’t know the word for ‘fence’, so she pointed.

  The fair-haired man carried on working and left it to the elderly gentleman to reply. He leant on his stick and sucked his teeth in annoyance. ‘Wild boar. They’re a real pest. They do so much damage every year. Ripping a hole in a fence is the least of it. They can destroy a whole vineyard by uprooting the vines with their tusks. We’re going to have to organise a hunt to get rid of at least some of them.’ His face cracked into a grin. ‘Besides, they taste so good.’

  ‘They certainly do. I had pappardelle al cinghiale last night. They must be very strong to tear a hole as big as this. Were they coming into or out of your property?’

  ‘In from your side, we think, judging from the direction of the footprints – although, God knows how they got into your property in the first place. And they’re strong, all right, however many of them there were.’ He pointed vaguely towards the ground at his feet with his free hand and Alice could clearly make out the faint impression of trotters in the dry soil. ‘W
e’re closing the gap so that the dog doesn’t get out. He’s still young and he’s always keen to explore.’

  ‘I’d better tell the people at the villa about this. There has to be some way the animals got in. I wonder if they did any damage over this side.’

  Alice remembered the surveillance cameras by the main gate. Wild boars were unlikely to have got in that way, so presumably there had to be another hole in the fence somewhere. She stood there for a few more seconds, finding that she was enjoying watching the fair-haired man at work, in spite of her scruples. He pulled the bent wire back into shape and began to crimp it together again. She could see the muscles of his chest flexing along with his arm muscles as he worked and it was a most appealing view, but then she told herself to snap out of it. She decided she had better return the dog to his own side of the wire and leave the men to their work.

  ‘Off you go, Guinness. Back into your territory.’ She gave his head a final pat and he dropped back onto all four paws and obligingly squeezed through the gap in the fence to the other side. ‘Well, I’d better carry on with my run.’

  The elderly man gave her a knowing look. ‘You don’t want to keep your boyfriend waiting! Goodbye.’ He gave her a half-wave of the hand, before returning to supervising the repairs once again.

  ‘Arrivederci.’

  As she jogged away, she wished she had specified that Harry was nothing to her and then spent the rest of the run wondering why she should have felt it mattered to either man that she and Harry weren’t an item. After all, Harry or no Harry, she was here with her boyfriend and she reminded herself sternly that she shouldn’t be thinking about strange men with their shirts off – and she would do well to remember that.

  Back at the villa, she found David nursing a headache and with the sort of morning-after breath that could probably kill at ten feet. Even so, she went over and gave him a kiss, reminding herself that he was her boyfriend and that she loved him… or at least liked him a lot. They both showered and changed, and came down to a sumptuous breakfast. This was again served outside on the terrace and it was pleasant to sit there, looking out over the rose beds, the wonderful scent filling their nostrils, while colourful butterflies flitted about their heads. Beyond the gardens the ground sloped upwards towards the old stone tower. She wondered how long it would take the two men to fix the hole in the fence and she found herself revisiting the view she had had of the fair-haired man with the bare torso. She hastily dismissed him from her mind but, interestingly, she omitted to mention him to David.