Chapter 26
‘I’m looking after the shop. My Uncle Domenico fell off a ladder down in the cantina, he’s recuperating at home with Luisa,’ Stella said, amazed that she could form coherent sentences with Gino standing in front of her.
‘So I heard,’ Gino said. ‘But what are you doing here? Here in the village?’
Stella eased herself onto the stool behind the counter, needing something solid beneath her. ‘I was just, umm, passing through.’
‘Passing through from England?’ His expression was incredulous.
‘We… I made a detour here for a night. I’m on holiday. I was supposed to be getting the train from Sanremo to Portofino.’
‘You were staying in Sanremo?’ The place they’d gone that day. Was he remembering the joy they’d felt before it all went wrong?
‘I almost went to the casino,’ she added.
‘Despite my mamma’s dire warnings?’ He raised his eyebrows.
‘I might have risked it.’ Stella laughed. Was she flirting? In Gino’s presence it seemed to come naturally, despite her heart-in-her-mouth nerves. ‘But what are you doing here? I thought you lived in Alassio now.’
‘It didn’t take you long to find out who’s doing what around here.’
‘I saw Amy, the girl who is staying with your mamma. And I saw Fernanda too, she came in buying light bulbs. Do you come back often and stay with her?’
A frown creased his brow. ‘I will visit her, of course, but I stay with my son, Leo, when I come here. He is a stonemason, creating the memorial plaque which will be unveiled after the return of poor Pietro Parodi’s bones. I assume you know about that.’
‘Yes. You must be proud. And the rest of your family?’ She held her breath. This was when she would hear about his wife. His contented life without a Stella-shaped hole in it. And that was a good thing. It would stop this crazy urge to vault over Domenico’s counter and throw her arms around him.
‘My daughter is between jobs, staying with my ex-wife. She’s been helping out at the English Library.’
‘We went there once on a school trip when it was in the old building. Do you remember?’ Stella said, trying not to show how the words ex-wife made her heart leap. Calm down, you fool! Just because he had an ex-wife didn’t mean he was single. And she’d just sworn off men, hadn’t she?
Those green eyes met hers. ‘I remember everything.’
Her breath caught in her chest. She tucked her hair behind her ears, trying to get a grip.
A strange look passed over his face.
‘Well, it was nice to bump into you again. I expect I’ll see you around, it’s a small place.’
With that, he turned and walked towards the door. He hadn’t even bought whatever he’d come in to get. The bell tinkled, incongruously cheerful, as he left.
Stella stood open-mouthed. What had she done to prompt his sudden departure?
Was there something hideous about her he’d only just noticed?
She reached for her handbag to retrieve her powder compact with its dinky mirror.
As she undid the clasp, she realised at once what had caused him to scarper.
As she’d fiddled with her hair, she’d brought something to his attention: Joe’s great big sparkling you’re-mine-forever diamond ring.