English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

‘You’ve made a fantastic job of it. It’s beautiful.’ She would have liked a guided tour, but she suspected that Matteo would rather spend his time showing her the sky and the sea.

He put her shopping bag onto the countertop in the kitchen. ‘I’ll put your shopping in the fridge. Would you like some coffee?’

‘Yes, thank you.’ He bent and took a moka pot out of the cupboard, shooting her a querying look as he put it onto the stove. ‘Whichever way you take it is fine with me.’

He smiled. ‘Strong with no milk. Sure?’

‘Yes, I’m sure.’ She would have been quite happy with a cup of instant, but if Matteo could take it, then so could she.

She took William out onto the patio, rubbing sun cream into his face, arms and legs, and taking his sandals off in favour of a pair of canvas beach shoes. Matteo had left the kettle to boil and disappeared, reappearing in a T-shirt and a pair of cut-off jeans, just in time to fill the moka pot.

Bringing two small espresso cups, one for him and one for her, he put them down on the table in front of her, walking over to a box in the far corner of the patio and producing a football. William left her side, running over to him.

‘Tufnell Park Cheetahs vs The Palermo Panthers.’ He grinned down at William, bouncing the ball.

‘Yes-s-s.’ William grabbed the ball, tucking it under his arm, and ran down the steps onto the beach.

‘I’ll be there in a minute.’ Matteo walked over to the table, chuckling, and picked up his coffee. ‘Are you playing?’

‘No, I’ll just...drink my coffee, if that’s okay with you.’

‘Sure.’ He downed his coffee in two mouthfuls, putting the cup back onto the saucer. Rose smiled at him, deciding to sip hers when he was safely out of sight, down on the beach.

He waited for a moment and she stared back at him. Finally, she gave in.

‘I know you’re off duty, but if I choke, you will slap me on the back, won’t you.’

‘Yes. Full resus procedure. No holds barred.’

No holds barred sounded like something she’d like to try with Matteo. Rose raised the cup to her lips, savouring the smell, and then drank it down.

‘Oh... That’s...’ She closed one eye, wrinkling her nose.

He chuckled. ‘That’s the essence of good coffee.’

‘What, thinking your head’s about to explode?’

‘An exper

ience you can’t quite put a name to, until the taste triggers the pleasure response.’ He turned, leaving her to deal with the promised pleasure response on her own, running down the steps to where William was waiting for him.

She watched for half an hour while he and William played football on the beach. Her beautiful son, running in the sunshine, shouting with glee when he kicked the ball across the line in the sand that Matteo had drawn. It was a perfect picture.

Not a complete one, though. If she joined them, and tried to complete the illusion of a happy family, it would all break apart. It was best to let them play alone.

Lunch was a leisurely affair, which involved Matteo throwing things into pans in a seemingly quite random manner, letting William taste the ingredients as he went. It turned out to be delicious, a warm spinach salad with Sicilian sausage and potatoes, which was served with a glass of red wine.

When they’d finished their meal William started to yawn and Rose laid him down to sleep on the wicker sofa at the far end of the patio. Elena usually let her own children sleep after lunch, and it seemed that he was getting used to that routine too. She cleared the table, helping Matteo carry the plates and glasses into the kitchen.

‘Coffee?’ He grinned at her. Suddenly, with William asleep, the barrier between them seemed to have been lifted.

‘Well, they do say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ She grinned back. ‘Go on. I think I might be getting a taste for it.’

‘Go and sit down. I’ll bring it out.’

‘Can’t I stay and watch? I might learn something.’

‘You want to learn how to make drinkable coffee? Might take a while...’