Chapter 23
Just after seven that evening Max gave a half-hearted woof, stood up and strolled across to the front door. Amy followed him to the door and opened it to find Pierpaolo with his hand raised, just about to knock. He stopped dead and took a step back, studying her closely before kissing his fingers and giving a theatrical bow.
‘Buona sera, Signora. Come sei bella!’ She was struggling to stop herself from blushing when he turned and reached behind him, emerging with his hand on Adam’s arm, tugging him forward. ‘I bet the senhoritas in Brazil weren’t anything like as beautiful as our Amy, were they?’
Adam stepped forward, an apologetic expression on his face. ‘You’ll have to excuse Pierpaolo. He has no manners.’ She was then delighted when he came closer, reached out to catch her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. When he kissed her – only a couple of chaste kisses on the cheeks – her knees almost gave way. Apparently unaware of the effect on her, he stepped back and gave her a smile. ‘Ciao, Amy. It’s really great to see you.’
Doing her best to regroup, she cleared her throat and replied in as normal a voice as possible. ‘It’s great to see you too. You had me worried for a while when you disappeared off the grid.’ As she spoke, she studied him carefully. He was looking fit and tanned, but noticeably leaner than the last time she had seen him and he had dark rings under his eyes.
‘I had me worried as well, but it could have been worse, a lot worse. Luckily Estevao, our guide, knew the jungle like the back of his hand, and he had an inbuilt natural compass. Even though we walked for days, when we emerged from the jungle we were right opposite the last village we had visited. Left to ourselves, Sammy and I would probably still be walking round and round in circles – if we hadn’t been eaten by something nasty.’ He grinned at her. ‘Do you still have snakes in your cellar? After some of the reptiles I’ve seen over the past weeks, I’d be quite happy to go down and clear them out for you with my bare hands.’
She repressed a shiver. ‘I might well take you up on that. I’m still scared stiff at the idea of going down there.’
‘You mean you haven’t inspected the contents of Martin’s cellar?’ Adam sounded surprised. ‘He had a nose for fine wines. You’ll be amazed at what you find down there. If you like I’ll accompany you one of these days and I’ll make sure you get back upstairs again unscathed.’
‘I might need a bit of Dutch courage first. Talking of that, what can I get you men to drink? I’ve got beer, wine, or gin and tonic if you like.’ As she headed to the kitchen to dig into the fridge for the drinks, Adam wandered around the living room, admiring the work that the builders had done. He then followed her into the kitchen and for a moment the thrill of having him all to herself was almost too much for her to bear, but the moment didn’t last long.
Barely a few seconds later, Pierpaolo appeared at her shoulder. ‘I know I said I’d have a beer, but I think I’ll have a gin and tonic if that’s all right, Amy.’
She suppressed a sigh of frustration. ‘Of course, the gin’s in the living room on the little table near the sofa. Here…’
She handed him out a cold bottle of tonic and some ice cubes, rather hoping that he would take the hint and disappear back into the living room, but no such luck.
Moments later Danny appeared with the two ceramic dishes she had made. Fully finished and glossy, they looked rather good and even her little Labradors around the edges looked sweet. She thanked him and was wondering how to get rid of him and his boyfriend so that she could have a few minutes alone with Adam, when Danny pointed towards the stairs and asked if she minded if he went up to take a look around. She was only too happy.
Unfortunately, as Danny turned and headed out towards the stairs, Adam opted to go with him, and a couple of seconds later Pierpaolo followed the other two, leaving her all alone in the kitchen – well, not quite alone. There was the ever-hungry Labrador sitting primly at her feet, his nose pointing into the fridge, and a look of longing on his face. She glanced down at him as she closed the fridge door.
‘I suppose if you can’t beat them, join them.’
Leaving the beer and the wine on the kitchen table she climbed the stairs in her turn. Behind her she could hear the click of the dog’s nails on the wooden stairs but she didn’t have the heart to tell him he shouldn’t be following her. As she climbed, she thought for a moment about Lucy’s plan A. Adam was now definitely on a tour of the house and would probably end up in her bedroom, but in this scenario he would be accompanied by two other men and a Labrador. This probably wasn’t quite what Lucy had had in mind. Despite her frustration, Amy felt a smile forming on her face.
She found the three men at the end of the corridor at the door of her father’s study, all of them looking serious. Adam turned towards her as she came up to them. ‘This was where he worked. It was his inner sanctum. He only brought me up here once.’
Amy nodded. ‘Apart from the new radiator, I’ve kept it exactly as it was. It makes me feel a little bit closer to him somehow.’
Adam reached out and took her hand for a moment, giving it a little squeeze. ‘That’s a lovely thought. It’s such a pity you never met him; he was a great guy.’
Although the feel of his hand in hers was good, Amy relinquished it and turned away, knowing she was about to burst into tears. She walked back down the corridor, surreptitiously wiping away the tears that had sprung to her eyes. By the time she reached the top of the stairs again, she was able to turn back and address them in a reasonably even voice.
‘Take your time and have a look around by all means. I’m going to get the antipasti ready. Drinks are on the kitchen table when you’ve finished your inspection.’
Her culinary efforts were well received – at least that was what the three men told her – and by the time they reached the summer pudding and ice cream everybody was looking happy – in particular the dog, who had stationed himself alongside Pierpaolo and had received a steady stream of titbits from the table, in spite of Amy’s protests. Adam had told them more about his ordeal in the jungle – and it really did sound like it had been an ordeal – and Amy found herself thinking once more about the risks of his job. Could she see herself hitched to a man who might go off somewhere and never return? The thought was too sad for words. Mind you, he probably wouldn’t want to have a girlfriend who did nothing but work all the time either.
It was only ten o’clock when he stood up and stifled a yawn. ‘Sorry, guys, but I think I need to get some sleep. I’ve no idea what time my body thinks it is.’ He came around the table to Amy and she jumped to her feet. ‘Sorry to be a party pooper, but I’m worn out.’
‘I’m sure you must be. Come on, I’ll walk you home. Max needs a walk, and a breath of air will do me good.’ She glanced across at Danny and Pierpaolo. ‘If you two want to stay here, please do.’ Sadly, they didn’t take the hint and the four of them – plus the dog – ended up walking back together through the darkened streets to Adam’s house. As they walked, she made sure she was right beside him, rather hoping he might take her arm or her hand, but he didn’t.
When they reached his house, once again the other two didn’t follow the script and, instead of carrying on to their own house a little way up the road, they just stood around as Adam unlocked his door. Accepting the inevitable, Amy decided not to prolong the agony. She went over to him and caught hold of his hand.
‘Sleep well. I’m sure you will. I’m here for the rest of this week and then I’ll be going back to London. Hopefully we can meet up before I do.’
He looked down at her with a gentle smile on his face. ‘Thanks a lot for tonight. I was very impressed with your cooking and with what you’ve done to the house. I still owe you that dinner; how about tomorrow night?’
‘That would be great if you’re not too tired. Give me a call tomorrow.’
He nodded and then kissed her softly on the cheeks before disappearing into his house. Amy was just turning away after saying goodnight to the other two when she heard Pierpaolo’s voice. ‘You’ve missed a trick there. You should have gone in with him.’
She turned back and pointed an accusing finger at him, smiling in spite of herself. ‘I have no intention of carrying on my relationship with Adam – such as it is – under your scrutiny, young man. Tomorrow night it’ll just be me and him. Don’t you dare come along and suggest you join us. Capito?’
Undaunted, he grinned back at her. ‘Has anybody ever told you you’re oh so sexy when you act tough?’
Amy looked down at the dog who was sitting beside her, scratching his ear with his back leg. ‘Max, kill!’
All she got back from him was a lazy wag of the tail and Danny’s promise to do his best to keep Pierpaolo’s curiosity on a leash.