Kate Fitzroy - Dreams Of Tuscany

‘I am seriously interested in making an offer on the Villa Sognidoro. Would you be able to check out the details for me? I should particularly like confirmation that there will be no new building permitted in that superb view.’

Zoe forced herself back to the work in hand. ‘If you are serious, then the next step would be to go to a notaio and draw up a preliminary contract. Of course, I’ll check out local planning permissions, that’s part of my job. My boss did tell me that the area was a designated site of natural beauty so there should be no possibility of new building.’

‘Your boss?’ Alex looked at her for a moment as though confused and then hastily continued. ‘Yes, of course. I’m sure he knows his locality but I mustn’t let my heart rule my head…although it usually does!’ He smiled at her ruefully.

She gave a small smile back but felt a slight and irrational touch of anger. If he was so ruled by his heart couldn’t he have attempted to take her hand across the lunch table? Made the very smallest of first moves? All that talk of her smiling lips. Hadn’t he shared her strong sense of it all being so right between them? She shook her head at her own stupidity. Usually men were accused of going too fast and being impatient.

They walked out into the sunshine and over to their cars. Zoe made a last effort to act in her usual businesslike manner

‘Why don’t you take the plans with you – they’re only copies that I made at the office. They’ll give you something to think over.’ She reached into the back seat of the jeep and pulled out the long roll of plans and gave them to him.

‘I certainly have a lot to think about!’ he said, his grey eyes holding her gaze for a moment longer than necessary. ‘I shall be back in England late tonight. I live and work in Bath – I’ll ring you tomorrow.’

‘Bath, my parents live near there!’ Zoe said in surprise as yet another coincidence linked them together.

‘Really – it’s a small world!’ he said and his voice sounded suddenly sad.

Then he got into his car and, with a wave that was almost a salute, he drove away.

CHAPTER TWO

Back once more at the office, Zoe made herself the coffee she had refused at the restaurant. She needed the caffeine to help her through the rest of the day. She sorted listlessly through some files of properties and made a selection to take with her in case the Partridge couple found the mill house not to their liking. She still had half an hour to kill before she needed to leave to meet them. She idly turned on the computer and scrolled through her in-box of emails. The list was long and she was only halfway through when the door flew open and Paolo, in his usual way, burst into the office.

‘ Ciao, bellissima – come stai? How you going?’ He threw his jacket onto a chair and flung himself full-length on a leather sofa that made up the reception area of the small, front office. ‘Me, I could sleep for three hours! Tell me, why do the mad dogs of English always want the appointments in the middle of the afternoon?’

‘I suppose they try to make the most of the time they have in Italy. Mr. Knight, my client for Villa Sognidoro, is already on his way back to the airport.’

Paolo sat up abruptly. ‘Gone! Gone already! What you say to him to scare him away, carissima !’ He burst out laughing.

Zoe smiled despite herself. ‘It really was as though I scared him away, Paolo, you have hit the nail on the head!’

‘He hit his head on a nail – you mean he hurt himself in that old ruin?’ Paolo looked at her anxiously. ‘Is he hurt very bad?’

Zoe began to giggle and then to laugh until tears ran down her face.

‘Oh Paolo, don’t worry, it wasn’t like that…it’s an idiom…you see…’ But it was no good, she was laughing too much to explain the intricacies of the English language.

‘Idiot – who is idiot – me or this Mr. Knight?’ He looked at her with a pretence of hurt on his face as he clutched his heart.

‘Don’t – oh don’t!’ Zoe was trying to stop laughing as suddenly she had a strange desire to cry. She wiped her eyes and smiled at Paolo. ‘All men are idiots, you know that quite well, Paolo!’

‘My wife she say the very same thing to me at lunch …tutti gli uomini sono pazzi …imagine that…my own wife!’

‘What did you do to deserve it, Paolo? Confess!’

‘Well, we talking about you, cara !’

‘Talking about me – whatever for?’

‘I telling her how you look very, very sad this morning and she say is because you are lonely. That I am big idiot not to see that you are lonely.’

Zoe looked up sharply. ‘Lonely? Am I?’

‘Yes, you are – but you not to worry because I have solved it all. Two ways I have solved it. I am a genius!’

‘You are…you have?’ Zoe looked at him anxiously. She had worked with Paolo long enough to know that his sudden inspirations were usually disastrous.

‘My first big idea is you come to family lunch on Sunday.’

‘Well, thank you, Paolo, that would be great.’ Zoe looked at him in puzzlement. As she often spent Sundays with the Santini family this did not appear to be a big idea by Paolo’s standards. He was nodding and smiling a stagey, secret smile and tapping the side of his nose knowingly. Obviously very pleased with himself.

‘And your second big idea?’ Zoe asked.

‘Is in your jeep!’ Paolo leapt off the sofa and rushed out of the office, shouting, ‘Follow me, vieni vieni! ’

Zoe obediently followed Paolo outside. He was already across the square and standing by her jeep, practically jumping up and down as he pointed to the back seat. Zoe glanced in and gasped. A very large and silky red setter looked up at her then stretched and lazily wagged his tail.

‘A dog! Paolo! A dog for me?’ Zoe said in amazement.

Paolo smiled happily and rubbed his hands with satisfaction.

‘His name is Fidele, he is son of my dog. Is very good race…very aristocrat. He very sweet, molto gentile , and very how you say, fidele …’

‘Faithful! He’s very faithful. Oh Paolo he’s so beautiful. Thank you, grazie mille! ’ Zoe opened the jeep door and the dog gracefully jumped out. Zoe rested her hand on the dog’s smooth forehead and stroked him gently. They walked back to the office and Fidele trotted happily between them. As soon as they were in the office, the dog jumped onto the sofa and stretched out again. He raised his big, brown eyes to look at them, then sighed happily and fell asleep.

‘That is one very spoilt dog!’ Paolo shook his head in mock despair. ‘My wife, Serena, she spoil him from the moment he is born.’

‘But won’t you miss him – he looks like a hunting dog. Don’t you need him?’ Zoe had to ask, although she had already lost her heart to the big, gentle creature.

‘Well…tell you the truth. Fidele is very scared of the gun noise. When the gun it goes bang then Fidele he goes galloping home.’ Paolo shook his head sadly. ‘He has a very good nose…wonderful nose…but is not a good gun dog. I give him to you for not to be lonely and you no like the guns. You two happy together. Perfect result! Any time you not want him or go on holiday then you bring him back to me and Serena. OK?’

‘Very OK, Paolo, thank you and Serena.’ Zoe looked at Paolo and could tell he hadn’t quite finished.

‘And another thing is…’ Paolo hesitated and examined his nails. ‘My wife she say I am big idiot for another thing too.’

‘There’s more?’ Zoe sat down on the sofa beside Fidele, stroking him as she looked anxiously up at Paolo.

‘Is not my fault, Zoe. I worry about you like I am your father and I not like you go to meet clients all alone in the old country houses. Now you take Fidele and I feel you are safe.’