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

on the top floor of the hotel near the station where Antonia and Silas, the third partner in the new company, were staying. Their table was by the window and they looked straight out over the old church of Santa Maria Novella, with its intricate marble façade. Conrad gave her a big grin when he saw her and apologised for not having said anything to her before, as the lawyers had been finalising all the intricacies of the contract. Alice spent an enjoyable hour with them and, although they invited her to stay for dinner, she declined – partly because she was sure they would have things to discuss privately and partly because she wanted to get home before dark. There was no question, however, that she came away confident that they were going to make a success of this new venture.

As she walked back to her car, she felt really happy with the way things were working out. The combination of this job and the guest appearances for Pals Forever meant she should have enough income to allow her to live anywhere and she could spend as long with Matt as she liked, assuming he felt the same way about her – which, of course, was still to be established with any certainty.

She got home as night was falling and she had just let herself into her little house, and was pouring herself a large glass of wine, when there was a knock at the door. This was the first time she had had a visitor, and she was surprised and even a bit apprehensive. For a moment, her heart leapt at the thought that it might be Matt making an early return, but her hopes were immediately dashed as she opened the door. Standing on her doorstep was a very unwelcome face.

‘David?’ She actually felt her jaw drop.

‘Surprise! I had to see you. How’re you doing, Alice?’ He held out his arms towards her and took a step forward, a hopeful smile on his face. As he did so, her befuddled brain kicked into gear and she held up a steadying hand to block the way.

‘Not so fast. How did you know where to find me?’

‘The lady at the bar told me. Millie said you’d taken a place here in the village, so I came to look for you. I’ve been hanging around for a couple of hours now. I just spotted you getting out of your little Fiat.’

‘Why are you here, David? Didn’t I make myself clear enough?’

‘Well, yes, but I knew I had to see you. I thought if we could talk, I could explain why I acted the way I did and, hopefully, you could think about forgiving me.’ She could see he was turning on the charm and giving her his most endearing, little lost puppy look. ‘It was a shameful thing to do and I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was just thinking of myself.’

Alice stood there, feeling completely stumped for a moment. She knew it was all over between him and her, but he had flown halfway across the world to see her after all. Should she let him in or tough it out? She took a deep breath and decided to stand her ground. After all, her decision was already taken and nothing was going to change that.

‘David, let me make it perfectly clear so there can be no confusion. You went off and dumped me for your own selfish reasons and there’s no way on God’s earth that I want anything more to do with you. Is that clear enough?’ She gave him the fiercest look she could muster.

‘Well, yes, but…’

‘No buts, David. It’s over, finished, finito. Got it?’ She saw what looked like resignation finally start to appear on his face. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I was having doubts about us anyway, and that’s what these few weeks in Tuscany were designed to sort out. Well, thanks to you, that got resolved sooner rather than later. So, we’re done. Now do you get it?’

‘But surely you don’t mean that…’ His voice tailed off helplessly, but she was running out of patience.

‘I do, believe me, I do. So please just go and enjoy the rest of your life. But it won’t be with me. Goodbye, David.’ And with that, she closed the door in his face, resisting the urge to slam it. She rested her back against the door and did her best to bring her breathing under control, hoping that he had finally got the message and was out of her life for good.

Chapter 26

At five o’clock on Sunday afternoon she ran herself a long, luxurious bath and, as she lay in the water, she knew that she was really looking forward to seeing Matt again. During the hours she had spent walking with him on Tuesday, she had felt him relax more and more in her company, and the handful of kisses they had shared – although interrupted – had been sublime. She wondered how long it would be before he decided to let her in on the secret of why he had been feeling harassed on social media. What on earth could have caused this? Also, how on earth had a former journalist managed to amass the considerable sum of money needed to buy a medieval tower in Tuscany?

She spent the best part of an hour in the bath, washed her hair yet again and slipped into her new underwear. It then took her a further fifteen minutes of trying different clothes to feel satisfied she had chosen a dress that was a suitable mix of alluring and relaxed – although by this time she was feeling anything but relaxed. Yes, she admitted in a moment of self-awareness, she was behaving more like a schoolgirl than an adult.

He and the dog arrived at six, and she almost threw herself into his arms. As she did so, there could be no disguising