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

last five years, the lure of Hollywood was still there, lurking in the background, and these few days here at the villa had brought it back to the forefront of her mind. The sixty-four thousand dollar question was whether she was prepared to endure another spell of tongue-lashing from Zoë, which was looking inevitable. Maybe the sensible choice would be to stick to art history but, deep down, she had a feeling she might end up regretting that decision. What to do? Maybe David would be able to help her make up her mind.

Finally, around six o’clock, the rain stopped and, minutes later, David reappeared, looking sheepish.

‘Hi, Alice, I got marooned in the summer house. I went for a walk and then the heavens opened.’ He pointed across the room to the bedside table. ‘Stupidly, I left my phone here so I just had to sit it out.’

She held out her arms and gave him a hug. Now that she had successfully banished the man with the fair hair from her mind and Richie from her life, she was feeling more secure of her feelings for David – at least for now. She kissed his lips and clung to his arm.

‘What would you do if you were in my position?’

‘As far as Pals Forever is concerned?’

‘Yes, considering that it now looks definite that Zoë’s going to be calling the shots.’

He didn’t hesitate. ‘If I were in your shoes, I’d jump at it. How many people get a second chance to do something as amazing as starring in a show that’ll be seen by half the population of the world?’

Although this was a glaring exaggeration, she let it go. ‘But it would mean working with Zoë… You don’t know what it was like towards the end. She was unbearable.’

He gave a dismissive snort. ‘So what? You’re a strong woman. You could cope. And remember, Zoë’s a star in her own right. So much of the success of Pals is down to her. She’s entitled to be a bit awkward.’

‘A bit awkward? She was a right cow!’ Alice shook her head slowly. ‘I can be strong if I need to, but I’m not so sure I could put up with it.’

‘Of course you could. Besides, I’d be there to support you.’

Alice looked up in surprise. They hadn’t discussed this eventuality yet and she hadn’t really expected him to offer to give up his job in Bristol so readily to accompany her to the other side of the world.

‘You’d come to Hollywood with me?’

‘Of course. I’d love it.’

‘And your job?’

‘I’d find something. Don’t worry about me.’

Well, Alice told herself, that answered one fundamental question. He was prepared to follow her to LA. This immediately raised an even more vital question – for her. Did she want him to come with her? Was he The One? Hopefully, she would be able to decide that one way or another before they left Chianti. She glanced at her watch and then stretched up to kiss him.

‘We’ve got a bit of time before we need to go down for dinner. I can think of a few ways we could occupy ourselves.’

To her surprise, he shrank back. ‘Sorry, Alice, but I need to have a hot bath. I got really cold in the summer house. No, let’s save it for later.’ He pecked her on the cheek and headed for the bathroom.

What had Richie said about romance being dead? Alice decided to leave him to his bath and went outside for some fresh air, her head still churning with all the different ramifications of the decisions she had to make. The buzzing of the bees had now been replaced by a symphony of drips, accompanied by the gurgling of little streams that had spontaneously appeared among the flower beds. The plants were all bowed down as a result of the battering by the rain, with petals strewn all around, but she could almost feel the collective sigh of relief from all the vegetation after the arrival of the long-awaited water. The tracks and paths were sodden and muddy, but she went for a short stroll along the drive to the main gate and then decided to continue down the hill towards the village.

All the way down the road she turned over and over in her head what Richie and David had said. As far as Richie was concerned – yes, he was a nice guy. Yes, she still liked him, but could she ever see it going any further? The fact that he had opted to do a degree course was interesting, as maybe this meant there could be a ‘normal’ life for the two of them, far from Hollywood, if she and David were ever to split up. But nevertheless, her conviction grew that any relationship with Richie was long dead in the water.

She then spent a lot of time thinking about David’s advice to take the acting job and his offer to accompany her. Maybe having him in Hollywood alongside her would provide the support she would need to weather the Zoë storm, but she had her doubts. She also had her doubts as to the viability of her relationship with David going forward. Might she end up unhappy at work and unhappy at home? It could be the sort of double whammy that would ruin her life. Besides, was he offering to come with her out of love or out of a desire to experience the glamour of Hollywood for himself? After all, there had been his rather offhand response to her suggestion of a bit of intimacy. She hoped this wasn’t because he was feeling ignored while she was renewing old friendships and going through all the negotiations about the new show. Mind you, she told herself, what better way of showing him she cared than by leaping into bed with him? Men could be strange animals sometimes.

The tarmac was awash with water and her trainers and socks were damp by the time she