‘Because don’t. You know my life is amazing—’
‘I’m glad you have this place back now,’ she interrupted him. ‘Your parents would—’
‘I know,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s the one place I won’t part with. Never.’
‘No.’
His heart was here. Deeply hidden and huge.
‘I guess you feel this way about White Oaks,’ he said gruffly.
Not quite. When she thought of her home now it was tinged with sadness. She realised how suffocated she’d felt there.
‘I feel that way about Susan,’ she said. ‘White Oaks is beautiful, but it’s also been a prison—like you said. Full of rules. And I was always afraid I was going to get sent away.’
She understood why Alessandro had helped her now. Because he understood so much more than she’d realised. He presented this carefree playboy façade, but beneath that was a hurt guy who’d lost everything that mattered to him most.
‘What are you going to make with all that stuff?’ he asked, pointedly looking back into the basket.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Well, you’ve got to do something with it. It can’t all go to waste now you’ve picked it.’
‘Okay, I accept the challenge.’
Slowly they walked back along the path to the main house together and she desperately tried not to think about touching him. But she ached to hold him again.
‘I thought you said you leased out the island, but Vassily told me you don’t.’
Alessandro laughed, and cursed beneath his breath. ‘In the early years I did, to help make it pay. I don’t have to do that any more. I didn’t quite lie to you.’
‘No, you just didn’t want to tell me how important it is to you.’
He paused and looked at her.
She turned to face him. ‘Is it so hard admitting how much things might mean, Alessandro?’
The tension swelled between them again and he sent her a long, considering look. Then his gaze dropped to her basket.
‘Go and concentrate your dangerous thinking on the contents of that basket, Katie. I think we might both prefer the results of that.’
She actually did as he’d suggested. Working in the kitchen had always been a kind of therapy for her—a displacement activity, a distraction from difficulties.
She lost track of time as she toyed with the assortment she’d gathered, trialling different herbs both in baking and in making something decent for dinner. But she couldn’t quite shake her sadness for what he’d lost.
‘You don’t want a rest?’
She looked up as he walked back in, his face one big frown.
‘It’s been hours,’ he added.
‘It’s been a good distraction,’ she said with a rueful smile. ‘It always is. Work is for you too, right?’
‘Stop thinking you need to figure me out, Katie. I’m not that complicated. Work hard, play hard—every bit the cliché you said.’
‘Really?’ She gestured to a tray of lemon curd tartlets and tried to make a joke. ‘So, you want to sample my wares?’
There was a pregnant pause and she glanced back and caught his eye.
‘You know I do,’ he muttered ruefully.
She knew he’d bitten back worse banter. She shot a look at him and laughed.
For a moment he joined in, but his laugh soon ended on a rueful sigh. ‘The trouble is I know how good they’re going to be already. I think that once I start I’m not going to want to stop.’
He rubbed his hand through his hair and looked at her with that old, wicked amusement.
‘That is a problem,’ she agreed with a light laugh.
He bit into one anyway, and closed his eyes briefly before nodding. ‘Yeah, I knew it. These are even better than that sauce the other day. You’re very talented, dolcezza.’
‘No—’
‘Take the compliment.’
She fell silent, pressing down on her smile.
‘You tried to tell me it’s all about those heritage fruit trees. It isn’t, Katie. You’re not reliant on the orchards at White Oaks. You can make amazing creations no matter where the ingredients come from. Have more faith in yourself. Your stuff is good because it’s yours. Trust your taste. Your judgement. Make other things yours too.’ He leaned over the bench, energy suddenly radiating from him. ‘You know, I could launch a bid for Zetticci Foods...’
She stared at him in amazement.
‘A hostile take-over. They’re in a bad way. With you at the helm we could turn it around.’
She gaped for another second, then laughed. ‘You’re kidding?’
‘Maybe it’s time for Naomi to retire.’ His energy somehow seemed to increase. ‘You make a premium product, Katie. You could make a huge success of it.’
‘You’re crazy.’
‘You just made me the most delicious thing I’ve eaten using little more than a few leaves from the garden. You know taste. Flavour. I believe in you, Katie. You should believe in you too.’
‘I couldn’t run a whole massive company.’
‘I’d put in a management team to support you.’
She couldn’t take her gaze off the fire in his. ‘You want the company back? The way you have your home here back?’
‘Actually, no.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s only one option for you. You could expand White Oaks if you don’t want to take on Zetticci. Or you could start something completely new. Whatever you choose, you need to make the most of your gift. You need to do something, dolcezza, you’re too talented to go to waste. And I can help you.’
He truly meant it and she was truly touched. The fact that he believed in her gave her a lift that no one had ever given her.
But she knew what would happen. As soon as she was established and the company was viable he’d get bored. He’d sell and move on... He was always able to walk away because he never became emotionally involved in anything. He’d
locked what heart he had into this place—where his history was.
‘All of those options would take months, maybe years, to really become something,’ she said. ‘You don’t want to be tied to me for that long,’ she added bravely. ‘We shouldn’t complicate this even more.’
‘I’m good at separating my business life from my personal life, Katie.’
He didn’t have a personal life. At least, not a meaningful one.
‘Yeah? Well, I can’t compartmentalise as well as you can.’ She paused. ‘I appreciate your support, but I’m not going to be your latest business project. You’ve done enough for me.’
He watched her for another moment, then seemed to withdraw. ‘Okay. Then we should go back to London. Check on Susan...face Brian. I don’t think there’s any point delaying any longer.’
She maintained her slight smile with all the control she could muster, but she’d frozen inside.
‘It will remove us from temptation too.’ A lopsided smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘We’ll figure out our living arrangements. I travel a lot. You won’t have to see me all that often. I just ask that you stay at my place through the week. Weekends with Susan. Something like that?’
‘Of course,’ she readily agreed. ‘Anything.’
He shot her a look and they both laughed, that newly forming ice thawing a fraction.
She only just bit back the apology she knew he’d hate to hear. Smiling, she looked up into his face. For a moment they faced each other, frozen for a beat of time. She just knew he was thinking about kissing her. For a moment she wanted him to. He would be so easy to have an affair with, but even easier to fall in love with.
But that was the last thing he wanted, and she thought she understood why a little now.
‘Old habits are very easy to fall into,’ he said softly.
‘And very hard to break.’ She nodded.
She made herself look away from him. He was too handsome, too tempting. Smart, funny, loyal, kind...but emotionally contained.
He wasn’t the wild playboy she’d once thought he was. He was private and hurt. And actually as isolated and as alone as she.