Chapter 4
ROMEO
Mr Bean?
As I stormed into my office and replayed my conversation with the new guest, Samantha, I ground my jaw.
I looked nothing like Mr Bean.
He was old enough to be my father. Maybe even my grandfather.
And Sheldon?
I did not mean any offence to either of those actors, because I knew both were very successful and popular, but the only resemblance we shared was that we were men.
Her comments were ridiculous.
I should not be surprised considering she had admitted that she had too much to drink on the plane.
Anyway, I had more important things to worry about than what a guest with a smart mouth thought about me.
Sì , it was a pretty mouth, but what came out of it was nonsense.
When I first saw her get out of the car, I admit that I thought she was attractive.
She had light brown skin, striking hair which was dark brown at the roots and pink at the ends and a beautiful, curvaceous figure.
But I was attracted to strong, intelligent women and someone who believes they could have jet lag after a short flight with a one-hour time difference did not fall into that category.
Perhaps I was being too harsh.
I pulled out the chair and sat at my desk. Some people may feel affected when flying even a short distance. Or maybe she was just nervous.
Ordinarily, I would have agreed that she was right about the wine on planes often being terrible, but she had caught me at a bad time. I had received some upsetting news just before she arrived, so I was not as friendly as I would normally be.
I blew out a breath then picked up my phone.
‘ Ciao , Mamma. Sorry I took so long to call back. I had to check in one of the new guests. How is Biscotti?’
Earlier our family dog, a beautiful chocolate Labrador called Biscotti was rushed to the vet and just before Mamma called, she told me that they were not sure whether she would make it.
‘She’s in surgery now. As soon as I have some news, I will let you know.’
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Biscotti was part of the family and Mamma was particularly close to her.
Ever since me, my brother and sister had left home, she spent all day with Biscotti. She was her best friend. Her companion. I was sure she preferred spending time with Biscotti to being with my father, so I knew this affected her the most.
‘If you want, I will ask my boss for some time off. I cannot promise, because the new guests arrived today, but maybe I can leave earlier and?—’
‘No,’ she jumped in. ‘It is better if you keep busy. It will take your mind off things. And you need to be careful after what happened before. You can’t give them any other reasons to get upset with you. I’ll be fine.’
‘You are sure?’
‘Certain. And thank you for the scarf. It arrived today.’
‘ Prego .’
When I took last week’s guests on an excursion, I saw an orange scarf in a shop window and knew that Mamma would love it. Orange was her favourite colour.
‘You will wear it the next time I take you out, sì ?’
‘Yes. I promise. It’s beautiful.’
‘I am glad that you love it. I will come and see you soon, okay?’
‘Okay. I’ll keep you updated. Try not to worry. I love you.’
‘ Ti voglio bene , Mamma. Ciao .’
‘Bye, son.’
As I hung up, I dropped my head in my hands. I hoped that Biscotti would be okay. She was strong. She was a fighter. And Mamma needed her. I wished I could be there at the vet with them now, but like Mamma said, I had to work.
After an unfortunate incident with a guest last month, the bosses were watching every move I made, so I needed to be the perfect employee.
Which meant that even though I did not feel like working and smiling, I had to do it anyway.
As the English liked to say: the show must go on.
* * *
‘Romeo. Edoardo è arrivato . Romeo?’
I snapped out of my thoughts. Thankfully, the operation had gone well but Biscotti was not out of danger yet.
I was at the hotel’s restaurant and Tommaso, the Dining Director, had just told me that Edward, Samantha’s match, had arrived at the restaurant.
Samantha.
The guest who thought I looked like Mr Bean.
I shook my head, thinking how ridiculous her comments were and a small smile touched my lips.
‘Edward, benvenuto .’ I stretched out my hand.
We had met briefly when he arrived, but he said he needed to get to his room, so we had not had time to talk properly.
‘Hi, Ronaldo.’ He gave me a weak handshake.
‘It is Romeo.’
‘Oh, sorry, mate. She here yet?’ He rubbed his hands together.
‘No. Would you like a drink at the bar whilst you wait?’
‘Yeah. Nice one.’
I escorted him over to the bar and pulled out a stool.
‘How are you settling in? Is the room to your satisfaction?’
‘All good, yep.’
‘ è arrivata Samanta ,’ Tommaso announced and I looked towards the door.
As I took in the sight of Samantha, I swallowed hard.
She was wearing a short white and gold dress which clung to her beautiful curves and had a deep V neckline which was incredibly sexy.
I was speaking objectively of course, not because I was attracted to her, because for the reasons I explained earlier, I was not. But I was certain that anyone would agree that she was a beautiful woman. Edward was sure to be delighted with his match.
‘ Grazie .’ I nodded to Tommaso.
‘Is that my date?’ Edward wrinkled his nose.
‘ Sì .’
‘Oh.’ His face fell. ‘She’s got pink hair. She’s a little on the large size too. There’s not much going on in the chest department either.’
I ground my jaw.
Was the man blind, stupid or both?
Samantha was stunning.
He thought she was large? Did the man not see the beautiful curve of her hips in that dress and how the fabric clung to them like it had been custom-made for her?
Her hair was very cool and not that I had spent too much time studying her because that was unprofessional, but from what I had briefly seen, there was nothing wrong with her breasts.
Naturally, different men found different things attractive, so he was entitled to his opinion. But real men knew that small breasts could be just as sexy and feminine as large ones. In any case it was the woman that the breasts were attached to that was important, not the size.
Samantha could be his soulmate, but he had judged her on her appearance before he had even greeted or spoken to her.
This was not a great start, but once they had dinner and got to know each other better, things would improve.
‘Let me introduce you to your beautiful match,’ I said, then regretted using the word beautiful.
Even though it was true and Edward clearly needed a reminder, I had promised Victoria that I would tread carefully with our guests, so I did not want Edward to get the wrong impression and think that I was interested in his match.
‘Hi!’ Samantha’s face lit up as we approached her.
‘ Buonasera , Samantha.’ This time I made an effort to smile. I knew it probably did not look genuine, but it was all I could manage right now. ‘Allow me to introduce you to your soulmate: Edward.’
‘Nice to meet you.’ She stretched out her hand.
‘Pleasure.’ He shook it limply.
Although my mother was English and I had been to visit her family several times in London and Kent, it always surprised me how formal the British could be.
Edward was here on a first date with a beautiful woman and instead of greeting her with a cheek kiss or taking her outstretched hand to kiss it, he shook it like they were at a business meeting.
With his derogatory comments about Samantha’s appearance and lacklustre welcome, this match had not got off to a good start.
But the night was young and my opinion was not important.
Although I had not warmed to Edward yet, it was what Samantha thought of him that mattered.
And judging by the smile on her face, she was happy with her match, which would make my job much easier.