Chapter 14
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 to bed.
‘ 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.’
‘Luna hates country music,’ Rose said, frowning as she continued to admire the jewellery.
Ben turned and looked around, deciding to ignore the new black mark on Marco and Luna’s relationship.
‘I wonder where the owner is,’ he pondered.
The street was quiet aside from a flock of chorusing birds, but there was a café a few buildings along and someone was just opening up.
He considered going to get another coffee, but then Rose tapped on the door of the shop.
When nothing stirred, she knocked again and placed her ear to the glass.
‘Surely someone should be here by now?’ she said.
‘It’s still early.’ Ben eyed the coffee shop again.
A man wearing a white apron was now outside opening a large white umbrella above a cluster of wooden tables and chairs.
‘I thought we were in a hurry?’ Rose asked, knocking again.
But the shop remained silent.
Ben turned, fantasising that he could smell espresso.
The man who’d finished opening the umbrella was now openly staring at them.
He shouted something, but Ben couldn’t make out the words.
He was going to go and speak to him, but then the man started to point frantically at the pots by their feet.
‘I think he’s saying something’s down here.
’ Ben knelt so he could look between the terracotta pots and immediately spotted a small hessian sack tucked behind one of them.
Rose must have spotted it at the same time because she bent and picked it up.
‘It’s heavy,’ she said, weighing it in both hands.
‘Do you think this is it?’
Ben turned.
The man outside the café was now nodding.
‘I’m guessing the answer is yes.
’
‘There’s an envelope tied to the outside,’ she said, squinting at it.
‘I’m not sure what it says because?—’
‘It’s written in Italian,’ Ben guessed, drawing closer to her, getting a whiff of strawberries again which merged with the smell of coffee.
His heartbeat kicked up, but he ignored it.
Instead, he studied the envelope, translating the words written on the outside–
For the one seeking the gift of life.
‘Is it for us?’ Rose asked eagerly.
‘I think so.’ Ben tugged the envelope from the rough string attaching it to the bag.
‘I need to read it to make sure.’ He tore open the top and unfolded the note inside which had been written in black twisty handwriting on yellowing paper.
‘This is a bit ominous,’ he joked as Rose shifted the top of the hessian sack down until it revealed a curved female figure carved from shiny white stone.
‘It’s lovely, and the material is so smooth,’ Rose murmured, running a fingertip over the statue’s head.
‘What does the letter say?’
Ben studied the writing, taking his time translating the words in his mind, until he was sure he understood them.
He was fluent in Italian but a little rusty on the written word.
‘It starts with “For Isabella Marino”, so this is definitely for us,’ he said, watching as Rose twisted the statue around and studied its face.
It depicted a beautiful young woman with lush curves and long wavy hair.
‘You might want to put that back into the sack so it doesn’t get damaged,’ he said.
‘Why?’ Rose looked up and Ben pointed to the letter again before reading the first sentence aloud.
‘It says something along the lines of, handle very carefully, the magic is powerful.’
‘It’s just an ornament,’ Rose snorted.
‘Is there no room for superstition in your rules?’ he asked, keeping his voice gentle because he wasn’t trying to criticise Rose, but he wasn’t sure he agreed with the tight framework she’d wrapped around her world.
There was no room for impulse, or for making mistakes.
No room for happiness either, in his opinion.
Too many rules made life dull – you could follow all of them and still end up unhappy and alone.
Wasn’t she living proof of that?
Living for the day was the only way.
That and keeping things simple.
‘I prefer to stick with facts, they’re less open to interpretation,’ she said as she continued to run her finger over the smooth stone.
‘Go on, you feel it, it’s beautifully crafted.
Luna will love it, I know that.
’
Ben moved closer and stroked a finger over the statue, it was colder than he’d expected, but the sensation was so smooth it almost felt soft.
‘It’s very pretty,’ he said after a few moments.
He wasn’t sure what Rose expected him to say but wanted to please her.
He got the feeling not many people gained Rose’s approval, and he wanted to be one of the few.
He wasn’t ready to examine what that might mean, though.
‘What else does the letter say?’ Rose asked, turning the statue over so she could study it, looking intrigued.
Ben shook his head, trying to push away his attraction to her.
She was so obviously immune to his looks that he didn’t really know how to act.
He read the next paragraph.
‘Something about the owner of the shop not being able to be here, after all, due to a family emergency. She’s apologising.
’ Ben nodded. ‘She said as she promised Isabella but only found out she couldn’t be here a few hours ago, she wasn’t able to let her know.
She wanted to make sure we got it today, though.
Marco said payment has been taken care of, so we don’t have to worry about that.
’
‘Is that it?’ Rose asked, sounding disappointed.
‘I thought there’d be a story with it.
’
‘I’ve not finished reading.
’ He took in a long breath and scanned forward.
‘Okay. Apparently, if this is given to a couple who care for one another, it’ll help them to get pregnant.
’ He squinted as he tried to translate the next paragraph.
It was difficult. ‘Some of the Italian is in an older dialect, but the gist is—’ His heart thumped hard and he took a sudden step away.
‘If you touch the statue, it could make you more fertile. Which means you’re more likely to get pregnant, or in my case more likely to get someone pregnant.
’ Oh boy. He flexed his fingers.
‘I’m not sure how long the magic lasts.
Perhaps we should put it away?
’ He looked up and saw Rose’s hand had stilled over the statue’s head.
‘More fertile?’ she checked.
‘That’s ridiculous.’ Despite her words, she abruptly righted the statue and pulled the hessian bag up and over its head.
‘I think you should take it.’ She held it out, transferring her weight from foot to foot as if she were standing on hot coals.
‘Marco asked you to collect it. I’m not superstitious but?—’
Ben waved his hands feeling flustered.
‘Neither am I.’ He took another big step towards the car.
‘Besides you’re already holding onto it.
’
‘Go on,’ she muttered, holding it out again, but Ben shook his head.
‘Don’t be a coward.’
‘Nope.’ He wasn’t going near the thing.
His fingertips were still tingling from where he’d already touched it.
Rose pursed her lips and cocked her head, narrowing her eyes.
‘Why not, if you’re not superstitious, surely there’s no reason not to?
’
She held the bag closer to him, a slight smile playing at the edge of her mouth and Ben shook his head again.
He’d been around the Marino family enough to know he wasn’t going near it anytime soon.
Or ever, in fact.
When he was younger, before his wedding, he’d dreamed of having a family, of living an ordinary life, but since the almost wedding, he’d realised some things weren’t meant for him.
Children were one of them.
He’d be the best godfather in the world, if he was lucky to be asked, but that was all.
He wasn’t interested in having a relationship and nothing, not even magic, would fix that.
‘It’s probably better if neither of us touches it again.
Just to be safe.’ He pointed towards the Citroen, feeling unsettled.
‘Why don’t we put it into the boot of the car and cover it with something.
We can get Marco to get it out when we get back.
After all, it’s a gift for him and Luna,’ he said wickedly.
Rose sucked in a breath but didn’t argue, instead she headed for the car and indicated he should open the boot quickly.
When Ben did, she quickly placed the statue in the back, pulling her hands away as if it had suddenly grown hot.
‘There’s nothing here to cover it with,’ she said.
‘Where’s the cornetti bag?
’ Ben asked.
‘In the footwell. I was waiting until I saw a bin.’ Rose went to collect it.
It was just big enough to slide the statue into and Ben helped, taking care not to handle the hessian bag for long and making sure he didn’t touch the stone at all.
Why take the chance?
‘If anyone sees it, they’ll assume it’s filled with litter,’ he told her.
Rose scraped her hands over her hips as if she were trying to clean away the feel of the stone, and Ben found himself doing the same – until he caught Rose watching him.
‘Shall we go to that beach you mentioned?’ she asked, scrubbing her hands over her hips again, making Ben wonder if she was trying to peel off her own skin.
‘I think I might want to go for that swim, after all.’
‘Salt water’s good for breaking spells,’ Ben teased, giving Rose a knowing look.
‘Is it?’ she asked brusquely, avoiding his gaze.
‘I’ve no idea what you mean.
’
The beach looked empty and as Ben followed Rose from where he’d parked the car, he took in a deep breath.
Marco had brought him here when he’d first visited the Marinos a year after they’d met.
Ben had been staying in Bristol for the summer holidays after completing the first year of his degree while his friend planned to spend the time in Tuscany.
With both of his parents dead, he had nowhere else to go.
On impulse, Marco had bought him a ticket and asked Ben to join him on the trip and their friendship had been cemented during that summer.
Ben had never met a family like the Marinos.
They’d been so open and friendly, and he’d been absorbed into the fold like a second son.
Until Ben had met them, he hadn’t understood how close families could be.
It had given him hope and ultimately it had made him believe he could have the same.
Much later, he’d realised not everyone got to have the happy ever after – and he was okay with that.
He really was.
‘Are you hungry?’ Ben asked Rose, working hard to keep pace with her as they marched down the final bank of glittering sand onto the flat of the main beach.
‘There’s a café down that way.
’ He pointed right. He was famished but wanted to swim some of his energy off first.
‘Not yet,’ Rose said, looking around.
‘It’s not very busy, is it?
’
‘It’s mid-week and it’s still early.
This place will be heaving in a few hours,’ he told her sliding his bag from his shoulder and dropping it onto the hot sand.
Then he lifted his T-shirt over his head and saw Rose’s eyes widen as she took him in.
She swallowed and Ben saw a pulse throb at the bottom of her throat, tried not to get pleasure from it, or to react to her obvious awareness of him.
Until this moment, he hadn’t known if she felt the same pull as him.
‘You’re going to get undressed here?
’ she squeaked. Ben had to fight a smile.
It was the first time he’d seen the Love Doctor so flustered and he liked it.
Liked that he could do that to her.
‘You don’t have to look,’ he said, slowly unzipping his shorts, intent on teasing her.
‘Seriously?’ Rose yelled as Ben dropped them, revealing his navy swimming trunks.
He bit down on a grin as he slid the shorts off and watched Rose’s eyes widen as she tried to muffle a gasp.
Someone behind them began to clap and when Ben turned, he saw two women wearing bikinis lying on a towel staring at him with obvious interest. He hadn’t noticed them before, too focused on Rose.
A few weeks ago, he’d have waved and gone to speak with them, but he wasn’t really interested now.
‘Are you his girlfriend?’ one of the women – who was obviously a native English speaker – asked Rose, raising an eyebrow.
‘Because if my man looked like that, I wouldn’t let him strip in public for fear of a stampede…
’
‘Oh, he’s not my boyfriend.
He’s just someone I bumped into in the car park, thinks he’s Magic Mike, apparently,’ Rose said mildly.
She turned back to Ben, and as he began to apply sunscreen to his chest, folded her arms. ‘Are you hoping someone will drop money into a hat for you?’ she hissed.
‘I’m sure if you take the trunks off too, you’ll make enough for lunch.
Yours anyway…’
‘Ouch.’ Ben laughed as one of the women whistled.
‘Your friend’s right, you should take them off.
I’ve got some change unless you take credit cards?
’ The woman heckled, giggling and signalling that he should continue.
Ben shook his head and flashed them a smile before turning to Rose.
‘You said you wanted to come in,’ he said as she shifted from foot to foot.
She was wearing sandals and the emerald-green dress and looked more beautiful than Ben had ever seen her.
More uncertain too.
‘That was before you started to draw a crowd,’ she whispered.
‘I might wait until your fan club loses interest.’ She nodded pointedly towards the two young women who were still staring openly.
‘I know they aren’t looking at me, but…
’
Ben sighed. He hadn’t intended to make such a spectacle of himself.
He was just trying to unsettle Rose, but he didn’t normally show off.
What was it about her that made him behave so out of character?
‘I’m going in. They’ll forget me once I do.
See you in there,’ he said and then took off.
The water was cool and refreshing as Ben ran in, relishing the splash against his thighs as he got deeper, trying to forget that Rose was watching, hoping she’d relent and join him.
She needed to loosen up.
He’d never met anyone so uptight.
But there was still something about her that called to him.
Perhaps it was because of how determined she was to protect Luna?
Or maybe it was because she wanted to fix everyone’s relationships – while tying herself up in so many rules it made it impossible to have one of her own.
She was vulnerable underneath all those serious edges, but it was clear few people saw that.
Ben wasn’t sure why he could.
He only knew that Rose was the first woman he’d met in a long time who’d made him question his desire to stay emotionally single.
But whether that was the result of too much sun, a magical statue or his reaction to being part of a wedding again, he wasn’t sure.
When Ben turned, he saw Rose.
She stopped swimming and stood, her chin resting above the waves as she floated both arms at her sides, helping herself to stay balanced as the sea lapped around them.
‘You made it,’ he said, grinning.
‘Your audience got distracted by someone selling ice cream,’ she told him, flicking a piece of wet hair from her face.
‘I’m afraid they didn’t leave you enough coins for lunch.
’
‘I must be losing my touch,’ he joked.
‘Could be the statue’s energy interfering with my own.
’
She fluttered her fingertips above the waves before swiping seawater from her eyes.
‘You don’t think there’s any truth to the statue story, do you?
’ For the first time since they’d met, Rose looked concerned for someone other than Luna.
‘No, but are you—’ Ben had to stop himself from asking if there was someone special in her life.
She’d mentioned there wasn’t a boyfriend on the scene.
It seemed unlikely, but he still felt a twinge of jealousy at the idea.
‘I’m single, so I’m not worried about me.
’ Her eyes fluttered over his face.
‘But what about you? I’m assuming there’s no one significant.
’
‘I don’t really do serious,’ he murmured, but the words were a reflex and left a bad taste in his mouth.
She didn’t look surprised.
‘After today, you might want to be extra careful with your…acquaintances,’ she said, her tone serious.
‘Obviously, you’re welcome to do whatever you want, but…
’ She pulled a face.
Ben nodded. ‘I’m not looking to get anyone pregnant.
’ Something inside his heart lurched.
He hadn’t said those words aloud before, hadn’t quite acknowledged what they might mean.
Rose stared at him and her face changed – he saw sympathy in her eyes and wished he could wash it away.
‘Which is the right decision,’ he said, trying not to snap.
‘I’m not looking for serious.
’ There was that bad taste again.
Rose nodded and didn’t push.
She stared at him a little more, floating her hands on the water, letting the lull of the waves push them from side to side.
Ben watched her silently as she drifted back and forth, which meant when the wave hit his shoulders, he wasn’t expecting it.
It propelled him forward, right into Rose.
‘Sorry,’ he said as his body hit hers.
He might have flattened her, if she hadn’t immediately placed the palm of her right hand flat against his chest, making his insides go haywire.
The wave subsided, but instead of taking her hand away, Rose left it resting on his skin.
Everything inside Ben began to hum, as every molecule of his body reacted to her touch.
He hadn’t felt this turned on in years, and it shocked him.
Was this the statue’s doing or was his resolve of the last two years wavering?
Rose must have realised she was still touching him because she gasped and abruptly withdrew her palm.
‘That’s not me, it’s got to be the fertility statue,’ she murmured, reading his mind.
‘Looks like I need to spend some time in the salt water until the effects wear off.’ She took a wide step backwards, just as another wave crashed onto Ben’s shoulders shoving him forward as if nature itself were trying to push them together.
‘Or it could just be the tide,’ he croaked, wondering if she was right because all he wanted to do right now was pick Rose up and bury his face in her neck before licking her senseless.
He carefully eased backwards, trying to move sideways as awareness continued to course through him.
‘We shouldn’t stand like this or I’m going to end up pushing you over.
’
Rose moved until they were facing again, only this time with their shoulders towards the waves.
She took in a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
He watched as she absorbed the sunlight, wondering if he’d ever seen anything more beautiful.
‘I haven’t been to the beach for years,’ she confided.
‘I’m guessing you come here often to pose?
’ She opened her eyes again and gave Ben a look that was someway between serious and amused, making him feel ashamed.
‘You really think I’m shallow, don’t you?
’ he asked.
‘Of course I don’t,’ Rose said, flushing.
‘I’m sorry, I was just teasing.
I’m not very good at it,’ she admitted.
‘I?—’
‘It’s okay…I’m wondering if perhaps you’re right.
’ The realisation, on top of the acknowledgement of his growing feelings, was unsettling.
‘I’m not,’ Rose said, stepping a little closer to him, holding up a palm again and dropping it just before it touched Ben’s chest. She looked like she was going to say more, but then someone shrieked as they dived into the water and a crowd – including the two women from earlier – were suddenly swimming around them, splashing and laughing.
‘We should probably get out, you don’t want to be late for your party favours and I want to eat before we go…
’ Ben pointed towards the beach, feeling a sudden need to retreat.
He wasn’t used to having these feelings, wasn’t ready – but for the first time in a long time, Ben wondered if with Rose, he could be?