Second Chances in Chianti (Escape to Tuscany Book 2) by T.A. Williams (online e reader .TXT) 📕

to their rooms, so she and David set off by themselves. Paolo gave them the combination which would open any of a handful of locked pedestrian gates set in the perimeter fence and pointed them in the direction of one a few hundred metres along from the main entrance. He told them that beyond that they would find a track between a vineyard and an olive grove that led down the hill. They found the gate easily and it only took twenty minutes or so to stroll down from there to the village. It was a charming walk: they saw nobody, and the only signs of life were a few lizards and a pair of magpies that flew off as they approached. The village was a pretty little place, predominantly composed of red-brick or stone houses, many of them clearly ancient. There was a quaint square in the centre, with a fine old church at one end and a bar at the other. They decided to get themselves ice creams and eat them at one of the tables on the piazza.

Leaving David at a table outside, she went in to see what the cafe had to offer. Inside, the first thing she saw was a familiar face. It was none other than the fair-haired fence-mender from this morning and she felt an immediate shiver of what could only be attraction. She was still giving herself a mental kicking as he collected his change, thanked the lady behind the bar and turned for the door. As he passed Alice, she saw recognition dawn on his face and he gave her a friendly wave but, before she could think of anything meaningful to say, he had left. As for her, she knew it would take more than ice cream to calm the confusion this brief encounter had set swirling inside her.

When they got back to the villa, she was ready for a swim, but David decided to stay in the room and check his emails. She felt pretty sure this was just him being unwilling to expose his pale English body to the eyes of honed Hollywood stars used to perfection. She did her best to persuade him to come, but he just shook his head so, in the end, she changed into a bikini, picked up a towel and left him to it. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she ran into Richie, who was standing in the hall. She had hardly spoken to him since yesterday afternoon, but now that she knew he had brought Carrie and was no longer pining for her, she went over to say hi. He looked happy to see her.

‘Hi, Al, you’re looking gorgeous.’ She felt his eyes run across her body and rather wished she had stopped to wrap the towel around her before coming downstairs. She almost did it now but then discarded the idea as being too obvious and too lame. After all, he had seen her in a whole lot less than a bikini, even if it had been five years ago, so she did her best to tough it out.

‘Compliments are always welcome, thank you, and I told you yesterday you’re looking good, didn’t I? So, how’s life? We haven’t had time to talk. What are you doing these days?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘A bit of this and a bit of that. If you’re heading for the pool, I’ll walk with you. Carrie’s down there.’

As they stepped out into the sunshine, she threw him a question. ‘Talking of Carrie, how long’s that been going on? Are your intentions honourable towards the poor girl?’

‘My intentions are always honourable, Al – at least nowadays.’ He stopped and turned towards her, his expression serious. ‘Listen, I’ve never had a chance to apologise properly, to tell you how sorry I am for treating you so poorly. All the bad blood on set really got to me and that was a tough time in my life. I was in a really dark place.’ He looked directly into her eyes. ‘Seriously, Al, I’m really sorry.’

She felt remarkably touched. ‘Thanks for the apology, but you didn’t really treat me badly. You were never nasty to me, nor were you rude or, God help us, violent. No, you were just distant, and so unbelievably grumpy and uncommunicative. I tried and tried to get you to open up to me. I would have done my best to help you, but you just clammed up. In the end, it was the silence that did it for me. I just couldn’t handle it.’ She reached over and gave his arm a little squeeze. ‘But thanks for the apology. It’s all in the past now and I’m happy to see you’ve moved on as well. So, tell me about Carrie. Is this serious?’

To her surprise, he shook his head. ‘Not really. I like her a lot but, to be perfectly honest, I only met her a few weeks ago. I felt sure you would all turn up with companions and I didn’t want everybody – you in particular, Al – to think I was a loser, so I asked her if she’d like to come with me and she said yes.’

Alice shook her head incredulously. ‘You idiot, Richie! Of course you’re not a loser. But Carrie seems like a nice girl. Maybe this could be the start of something good for you both.’

‘Maybe… Anyway, what about you and David? Is that serious?’

‘Um… yes.’

He must have noticed her hesitation. ‘So yes and no?’

‘No, I mean yes of course it’s serious, Richie.’ She ensured there was a stronger note in her voice, even though it maybe belied the way she really felt. Hopefully, the next three or four weeks would sort that out once and for all. ‘We’ve been together for a couple of years and we get on well together.’

‘You get on well together? And who says there’s no romance left in the world?’ He caught her eye and