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

Up at the top of the hill there was no sign of Matt or the dog, even though she ran along as far as his gates, so presumably he had already left and she felt another little twinge of regret. She had learnt by now that there was a path along this side of the fence that circled the villa grounds and led back into the village by another road, so she carried on along this, rather than risk running the gauntlet of the paparazzi again. Her talk to Fliss last night had reawakened memories of the discomfort of being recognised, and now that she had hopefully achieved a certain degree of anonymity, she was determined to keep it that way.

In the afternoon she took the car and followed a winding wine route through the Chianti hills, admiring the old villas and farms among the vineyards and olive groves, and stopping off from time to time to visit fascinating old churches and picturesque villages. Everywhere she went, she searched for signs of the Vespucci coat of arms but without success. She bought a pecorino cheese from a roadside stand, along with some delicious-looking peaches and a couple of bottles of red wine from a producer selling direct to the public outside his cantina. It was a quiet, restful day and all that was missing was a bit of company – but he was away.

She didn’t feel like a run next day so she showered, got dressed and then went across to the cafe for her morning cappuccino and a doughnut. It was another hot day, with no rain forecast for the days to come. While she was sitting outside in the piazza, her phone started ringing. She didn’t recognise the number and wondered if it might be Matt, only to discount the idea straightaway, as he only had her email address. She swiped green and answered.

‘Pronto. Chi parla?’

‘Alice, is that you?’ Alice recognised the voice immediately.

‘Fliss, how great to hear from you.’

‘I was wondering if you were doing anything today? Feel like a swim and a chat?’

Alice was impressed. An invitation to chat with a Hollywood icon wasn’t something that happened every day and, besides, she had genuinely got on well with her. She immediately said yes, and they agreed she would walk up to the villa and come in through the same side gate as before, at eleven o’clock.

When she got there, Paolo met her at the door and told her that Felicity was down at the pool with ‘the others’. As Alice walked through the gardens, she wondered who might be there – maybe Zoë? As it turned out, she was relieved to find only Felicity and Silvia, Conrad’s elder daughter, with her family. Her two little girls were splashing about in the shallow end, while her husband was swimming lengths. After greeting both ladies with kisses, Alice dropped her bag on a sunbed alongside Fliss and slipped out of her clothes into her bikini. Fliss gave her an appraising look.

‘You’ve still got it, Polly. You look great.’

‘Polly, who’s Polly? I think you must be confusing me with somebody else, madam.’ Alice gave her a wink and read comprehension on the big star’s face.

‘Of course, Alice, that chapter of your life’s finished now. Still, I’m impressed to see you’ve been looking after yourself so well.’

Alice headed for the water. She swam up and down a few times before playing beach ball catch with the two little girls for a while and then finally coming back out again. As she dried herself off, she sat down beside Fliss and pointed to the familiar cover of the book the film star had been reading.

‘The Playboy and His Women – I’ve just finished reading it. What do you think of it?’

‘It’s okay – quite interesting, actually. Thankfully, it’s more psychological than Fifty Shades and there’s far less of the kinky stuff.’ She pushed her sunglasses up onto her forehead and gave Alice a wink. ‘Seeing as I’ve just heard I’m starring in the screen version, I’m relieved about that.’

‘Wow, congratulations. The book has been an amazing hit. I’m sure the movie with you in it will break all records. When’s it all happening?’

‘Shooting starts in LA in the late autumn. I thought I’d better read the book first, before I learn my lines, so I picked up a copy at LAX as I was getting on the plane and I’m glad I did. It’s extremely well-written and there are insights into my character’s personality that don’t immediately leap out from the screenplay.’

Alice was impressed at Fliss’s professionalism – but she was one of the greatest living actresses, after all. ‘So is that your homework for the summer?’

‘Pretty much, and then I’ll have to decide what to do next.’ She glanced across at Alice. ‘Do you ever wish you’d tried cinema? You’re a great actress and you’re so photogenic.’

‘There was a time when my agent was pushing me to try movies, but I was so busy with Pals I never took it any further. Anyway, that was years ago and now I’m pretty much set on a career in art history.’

‘Have you got a job lined up?’

Alice shook her head. ‘Not yet, but it’ll come. I’m in no hurry.’

She saw Fliss hesitate. ‘The thing is, Alice, if you were thinking about making a move into cinema – even temporarily – there’s a script my agent’s been telling me about. It’s a sort of Thelma and Louise road-trip movie with two women, both desperate to get away from their humdrum lives. If you like, I could put your name forward. It would probably start filming next summer or early autumn.’

Alice was truly flabbergasted. ‘Me working alongside you? That would be amazing.’ Apart from anything else, it would no doubt provide the sort of massive financial buffer she needed to take a history of art job and still live in comfort.