Chapter Twenty-One
It wasn’t easy for Marco to walk on the shingle as his soft Italian loafers squelched in the boggy sand and water oozed over the top after a few minutes. He made a note to buy some walking boots when they found the high street.
Once he had Emerald in his sights he slowed down, taking time to think about her words and accepting that she was right. He’d given out way too many conflicting messages as he struggled with his remaining professionalism, while fighting down the attraction he felt towards her.
He would not allow people to gossip about his private life ever again, as they surely would if he was spotted with an employee on a distant shore. He knew to his cost that there was always someone lurking around, who would recognise him. He could of course rectify the problem by asking her to leave the company, leaving them both free to have a relationship if they wanted to — if only life was that simple. He smiled at the thought of how she would react to the idea of being dismissed. She’d probably thump him.
He broke into a jog, not wanting to lose her as she turned away from the beach. He spotted her entering a pub, its weathered sign creaking in the wind on rusty hinges, and made his way towards it, pushing the door open. He waited for a bit in the foyer, hoping she would reappear, having just used the facilities but minutes ticked by and he decided he needed to find her — assuming she hadn’t exited through a handy bathroom window and legged it.
With some relief he spotted her instantly, and strode over to where she was seated. ‘May I sit here?’ He indicated a vacant stool next to her.
Emerald looked up, her bottom lip trembling and her eyes red-rimmed, even as they sparked with defiance and anger. She looked vulnerable in her fury and a tenderness that made him want to fold her into his arms and soothe her rose in his chest. He pulled out the stool and straddled it, to sit opposite her, although she hadn’t even acknowledged his presence.
She looked hunted as she nursed a hot drink, both hands hugging it to her chest. ‘Come back with me, Emerald, please. We need to talk.’
‘I just want to go home, Mr Cavarelli. I don’t know why you wanted me here. I know I shouldn’t have come.’
‘What’s with this Mr Cavarelli all of a sudden? Call me Marco, for crying out loud.’
‘No, I would rather call you Mr Cavarelli.’
‘Emerald. What am I not getting?’ He shuffled his stool closer to her and she shrank away from him, holding her mug up to her chest like a shield. He wanted to take the mug away from her and fold her hands into his, but settled for barely tracing his finger over her knee, letting her know that he cared.
‘You’re after something from me and I don’t know what it is.’ She flinched and pulled her leg away. He sighed. ‘Emerald, I don’t need anything from you. I’m a successful businessman. I practically own an empire, for God’s sake—’
‘Whereas I have absolutely nothing — thanks for that,’ she interrupted, but her voice caught on the last word and tears filled her eyes. Marco exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘What I am trying to say is that I know how to run multiple businesses and compose myself like a gentleman, but with you . . . I swear to God that I have no idea how to deal with you. And I’m sorry, I don’t know what part of me thought it was a good idea to bring you over here.’
Except he did know. He wanted to be alone with her, without anyone judging him or watching them. He swallowed.
She suddenly turned to him. ‘Do you know I once fought a hyena?’
He blinked. ‘No, I didn’t know that. I’ve read your CV twice and I swear it wasn’t in there.’
She smiled grimly at his words. ‘It was trying to savage my stepmum’s dog. Hated my stepmum — loved her dog.’
‘Okay. That’s interesting.’
‘It was quite a small hyena.’ She wrinkled her nose ruefully. Marco laughed. ‘A hyena is a hyena in my book.’
‘And another time I rode off on Star, determined never to come back, and I survived for five days in the desert until they found me.’
She took a large gulp of her drink. ‘Of course, I was quite hungry by then and caved in when I smelled steak cooking. Bastards had lit a barbecue and were smoking me out — figuratively speaking, of course.’
‘Of course.’ He smiled. ‘I don’t suppose the smell of samphire would have cut it, if I hadn’t found you here?’
Emerald’s return smile almost reached her eyes and he braved another question.
‘What was Star like?’
She smiled. ‘He was quite wild, but I rode him anyway — he didn’t mind me.’
‘Wow.’ He had certainly underestimated Emerald when he’d first met her.
‘I was a bit of a tomboy.’
‘You don’t say.’ He rubbed at his forehead. ‘And here I was thinking a ginger and lemon facial scrub up at the hotel would be all it took to win you over.’
He was relieved to see the hostility disappear from her eyes, but she was still tense and wary, and it was his fault. She put her mug down and stood up. ‘I just wanted you to know that I’m not completely lacking.’
‘I never thought you were.’ He frowned. ‘You think this is a challenge — to prove your worth?’
Emerald’s face crumpled once more and she pressed her lips together as she held back tears. ‘I don’t know anymore. I just know I can’t compete with all the beautiful women in your life and I feel as if I should just cave in and call it a day.’
Marco shook his head. How had he given out such a completely wrong message to her? ‘What beautiful women?’
‘The ones Finbar’s told me about. They’re everywhere.’ Her voice rose a notch as she waved her hand around the pub.
Marco stupidly looked up to gaze at the locals, mostly men, and none of them were the slightest bit beautiful.
‘I just can’t do this.’ Her voice became muffled as she pressed her hand to her mouth and sniffed. ‘I’m sure it would be for the best if I caught the next flight home.’
‘No, it wouldn’t. Emerald — you are more beautiful than any of the socialites I mix with. You must believe me.’
He’d said more than he should and there was no undoing it, but in for a penny in for a pound, he thought, deciding to level with her. It was time for honesty and candour and hopefully a chance to make amends. He held out his hand offering a truce.
She stared at it, ignoring the offer.
His intentions took a nosedive. He tried again. ‘We are both strong people, I know that, but our emotions are all tangled up. Let’s try to sort this out, shall we?’ He reluctantly dropped his arm back to his side, his voice pleading. He paused, trying to frame the words he wanted to say. Leaning forward he took her hand once more, gratified that this time she didn’t pull away. ‘I said earlier that I need nothing from you, and I am wondering if, maybe that’s not true. I think I do need something.’ Should he say more? He could not lose her now. He took a deep breath and said the words he couldn’t retract. ‘You. I want you. I want to be with you .’ He hardly dared to breathe as he gazed at her face trying to gauge her reaction.
She blinked rapidly and looked down at her hand now intertwined with his. Inhaling sharply she widened her eyes as if only now registering what was happening.
Marco hoped he hadn’t said too much — to make her bolt.
Slowly she lifted her green eyes up to meet his. They stared at each other for a long beat before she nodded her agreement, a measured smile growing.
He heaved a sigh of relief. It was enough for him — for now, anyway.
She dropped his hand, put her mug on the table and hoisted herself upright before raising her eyebrows, as if to say come on then, let’s do this thing .
Slightly confused but taking her reaction as a positive one he fell into step with her and they started out back along the beach, towards the cottage. Emerald was soon shivering again. Any heat the sun had bestowed before the fog closed the airport and drizzle cooled the island was now eaten up by a chill wind blowing across the beach and scouring them with grains of sand. ‘I don’t think I brought the right clothes with me. Remind me again, what season are we supposed to be in?’ She wrapped her arms around her chest. ‘You have to bring me to two of the most unpredictable places in the country, don’t you?’
Marco was bewildered. She was acting as if he hadn’t just given the speech of his life. He watched her carefully and played along while his mind whirred. ‘I guess I am learning the vagaries of a British summer season rather too late in the day. At least I’ll be prepared for winter, having already braved Scotland, and now here.’ Marco laughed and threw his arm casually around Emerald’s shoulders, drawing her to his side, ostensibly to warm her up. He inhaled the scent of her hair and enjoyed the intimacy of her body next to his. He half expected her to pull away, but she stayed in his embrace although she looked at him warily, as if wondering what was coming next. But he was winging it himself and would let her know his intentions when he had worked them out himself.
They walked along the beach in companionable silence side by side as if they were just a regular couple on a break — albeit a regular couple who had no idea about the clothes to pack for the Isles of Scilly. ‘I really need to get some better shoes than these,’ he said as they headed for the high street. ‘This will do.’ Marco ducked into a hiking shop, pulling Emerald inside.
While she wandered around, he spoke to the sales assistant, who glanced at Emerald and then produced a cream woollen jumper, chunky and long. ‘Perfect. Don’t bother wrapping it, she’ll wear it now.’
He turned. ‘Emerald, come over here.’ He held up the jumper. ‘Here you are, put it on.’
Emerald rolled her eyes and he apologized. ‘Sorry, don’t mean to boss you around — again.’ She gave him big eyes as she slipped off her thin cardigan and he nodded his satisfaction. As an afterthought, he picked up a woollen bobble hat and popped it on her head, pulling it down over her ears. ‘We’ll take this, too.’
She laughed as she looked in the mirror. ‘I look as if I’m going on a trek to the North Pole, not a walk along the beach.’
‘At least you’ll be prepared for every eventuality,’ Marco said, adding, ‘Pretty as a picture.’ She blushed and he felt another tug on his heart, pushing it away, quickly.
He added a pair of boots to the pile of merchandise, merely glancing at the size. ‘They’ll do nicely,’ he said and handed over his credit card, taking off his old shoes and stamping his feet into the boots.
Emerald continued to browse finding interesting knick-knacks that were pretty, but unnecessary. She picked them up, inspected them and put them down again, enjoying the mindless occupation while she waited for Marco to inspect the food, check that she would eat lobster tails, and add vegetables and sundries to the stash of purchases before settling up.
He joined her and when he brushed her hand accidentally as he added a soft scarf that would match her eyes to the pile, he was not surprised to feel the tingling of expectation, of a sexual attraction he no longer tried to dismiss. He looked at her fingers, delicate and long as she pointed out interesting-looking food, her fingertips a perfect shell pink. He was lost to her and there was no point in trying to fight it. He longed to touch her and kiss her — and more.
Cautiously he reached for her fingers, folding them into his hand. Her head shot up and she searched his face, apprehension turning to a question as he held her gaze. He turned her hand over and traced his thumb over her palm, enjoying the moment of deliberate contact. Looking into her eyes once more, he couldn’t tell if he saw fear or desire in them. ‘Okay?’ It was one small word, but it was all that was needed.
Emerald tightened her grip on his hand and nodded. ‘Yes.’ Her voice was small and tentative but it was enough for Marco.
He let out a breath of relief as he squeezed her hand briefly and towed her out of the shop. ‘Come on, let’s get back.’