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

descendant adopted the coat of arms and settled in Chianti some years later. If I find anything else, I’ll be in touch.’

Alice beamed at him. Her academic interest had been tickled by this mystery and she decided to do her best to discover the truth of it. It occurred to her that Conrad Chesterfield, as an American, would no doubt be fascinated if it emerged that his Tuscan villa had such a connection with the origins of his home country.

It was a lovely afternoon and she enjoyed Claudio’s company and had a great time talking about her chosen subject. When the time came for him to leave, she accompanied him up the road to the piazza where he had left his car, gave him a warm hug and kissed him on the cheeks, wishing him well for the future.

There was just one problem.

As she stood there, watching him drive off, she happened to glance back in the opposite direction and saw the unmistakable shape of an old Land Rover pull out of a parking space outside the bar and disappear around the corner. Although it was a hundred yards away, she got the distinct impression that the driver’s eyes met hers for a second before hastily looking away. She stood there blankly, wondering if Matt had seen her kissing Claudio – albeit chastely on the cheeks – and whether he had jumped to any conclusions. The rational part of her brain told her it didn’t matter anyway, but the less rational side was immediately seized with frustration that she might, unwittingly, have convinced him that she had found another man. She shook her head in annoyance.

That evening there was another storm, complete with spectacular flashes of lightning and deafening claps of thunder, and she sat in her lounge, reading the book that Millie had left her – the misogynistic The Playboy and His Women. She couldn’t avoid the uncomfortable parallels she found herself drawing between the behaviour of the selfish hero, Justin – with his cynical and predatory attitude towards women – and so many of the men she had met in her life, starting with David and Richie, not to mention Harry. Grudgingly, she had to admit that the book was well-written and, while the subject might be unpalatable, it was a fair reflection of much of her experience so far. But now, she told herself with a flash of self-awareness, was she maybe behaving just like that towards Matt? She knew she had been obsessing about him, just like the character in the book, so might this just be lust? Was the fact that she felt her heart flutter every time she saw him just a hormonal reaction or could there be more to it than that?

The question continued to occupy her mind on and off all night. The noise of the storm kept waking her up and, whenever she did, she was almost immediately assailed by these same thoughts. Finally, somewhere around the middle of the night, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had started and she fell asleep, not waking until almost nine o’clock.

She rolled out of bed and glanced out of the window. Puddles filled the back garden, and she could hear the persistent sound of water dripping from the eaves and the gutters, which had overflowed. The patch of sky directly above her, however, was now cloudless and bright blue once more. It felt blissfully cool in comparison to previous days, so she went downstairs, made herself a cup of tea and set off on her morning run before the temperature climbed once again.

As she crossed the piazza, she looked over towards the bar but saw no sign of Matt and his dog, so she headed up past the villa, constantly having to swerve from side to side to avoid the streams of water running down the road after last night’s downpour. It was a sparkling clear day after the rain and she relished the relatively fresh air at this time of the morning. It felt good to be alive. The only downside was the fact that she saw no trace of Matt or Guinness on her way up and, even though she jogged along the gravel track at the top as far as the gates to the tower, it was without success. She wondered whether he had been put off by the scene involving her and Claudio or if, quite simply, he had just not felt like coming out.

But then, as she was almost back home again, just where the road entered the village, she heard a vehicle behind her and turned to see the Land Rover coming towards her, with man and dog in it. Her heart gave that same flutter of attraction, lust or whatever it was, as he came to a halt alongside her.

‘Good morning, Matt. I’m a bit later than usual today. Hi, there, Guinness.’

The jubilant Labrador, proudly sporting his new collar, stood with his front paws on the top of the door to say hello, while his master looked up at her.

‘Couldn’t sleep because of the thunder?’

‘Pretty much.’ She didn’t tell him about the thoughts of him that had been plaguing her. ‘But it’s cleared the air wonderfully.’ That’s the way, girl, she told herself, talk about the weather. That’s what we English do, after all.

‘All I can say is I’m glad I had a lightning conductor installed. The tower’s pretty exposed up there. Feel like a coffee? Guinness and I would enjoy your company.’

The idea of a coffee with Matt did sound good, although dripping with sweat wasn’t necessarily the look she would have chosen. Then a sudden thought struck her and she shook her head, patting her thighs to highlight the lack of pockets in her running shorts. All she had was a tiny pouch with just room for her house key.

‘I can’t, I’m afraid. I’ve come out without any money.’

‘Leave that to me. A cappuccino and a doughnut, isn’t it?’

‘Well, thank you yet again,