She shrugged. ‘When I first walked into the villa I just...just...felt her. You know? It doesn’t matter that she’s been gone two years. When Miranda walked up the stairs of the villa and opened the door of the wardrobe, revealing her spectacular clothes, it was like being five again. I kept expecting Sofia to walk in behind us and offer us a piece of her jewellery to match her clothes.’
‘You were wearing Sofia’s clothes?’ He looked puzzled.
Portia nodded. ‘Sorry, yes. Miranda got married on the beach below the house. It was kind of short notice. There was no time for bride or bridesmaid dresses. We all just picked something out of Sofia’s vintage wardrobe.’ She finally took a bite of the fish—it was delicious.
‘You did?’ He seemed genuinely surprised. ‘I thought the wedding dress was a big thing for you girls.’
‘Oh, it is.’ She nodded. ‘If you want it to be.’
She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. A smile crept across her lips.
‘What? What is it?’ Javier’s eyes were sparkling.
She shook her head. ‘I’m just thinking about some of the celebrity weddings I’ve covered.’ She leaned across the table conspiratorially. ‘Honestly, you have no idea. If an average woman can turn into a bridezilla, what do you think a Hollywood star with a million dollars can do?’
He wrinkled his nose. ‘Bridezilla?’
She waved her hand. ‘You know—a crazy lady. Thinks the whole world revolves around her, and her wedding.’
He nodded and smiled. ‘Okay, I’ve got it.’
‘Let’s face it. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on a wedding—or where it is. It’s the person you marry that’s important.’
He gave her a thoughtful glance. In the dimming evening light those grey eyes were mesmerising. People always said that every photo of a star these days was edited. And for the majority of them that was true.
But for some reason, right now, Portia had never seen a more handsome man in her life. The exposed skin on her arms prickled at the mere thought. The white shirt showed off his tan perfectly. She could see the hint of stubble on his jaw. Her fingers wanted to reach across the table and brush against it. The edges of his lips started to hint at a smile. ‘So, what you’re telling me is that you’re a romantic at heart.’
She gave a conciliatory nod. ‘I guess I am. I’ve never seen Miranda look happier. Cleve too. I guess a year ago he thought he’d never be happy again.’
‘Why, what happened to him?’
‘He lost his wife in an accident.’ She ran her fingers up and down the stem of the wine glass. ‘Grief can be a horrible thing.’
Javier was watching her closely. ‘Do you think that people can have more than one big love in their life?’
She was surprised. Not many guys she knew would ask a question like that, and she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. She nodded. ‘If you’d asked me before, I would have said no. I would have said that I thought there’s probably only one true love out there for everyone. But now? When I watched Miranda and Cleve say their vows together I could see the love in their eyes—their devotion to each other. I think they’re lucky that they’ve found it.’
Javier gave a slow nod. ‘So, Portia—no big love in your life?’
She shifted a little in her seat. This conversation was getting very personal. Wasn’t the shoe supposed to be on the other foot—wasn’t she supposed to be getting information from him instead?
She sighed. ‘In LA? Not a chance. Most of the time life feels unreal there. You must get that. I’m so busy with work most days that I don’t really have time for dating. I cover all the parties but I don’t actually go to them.’
She didn’t want to seem too cynical, but the truth was her experience of Hollywood was a sham. After all she’d witnessed in the last few years she’d completely shied away from dating anyone around Hollywood. It all seemed so false. Why risk your feelings or your heart when it would end up broken anyway?
Javier laughed. ‘Oh, come on. You’re telling me that none of my fellow actors have ever invited you into one of the parties?’
She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Of course they have. And I don’t need to tell you who they were—you could probably list them. But I’m not that kind of girl.’ She took another sip of her wine. ‘What about you? You get photographed often enough. Who is your latest flame?’
Are all your relationships fake too? That was the question she really wanted to ask.
He shook his head. ‘No one—much to my agent’s disgust. If I’m not photographed every few weeks with a different girl he seems to think my star will fade.’ It was clear from the way he said the words that he wasn’t at all bothered. That surprised her. She’d always thought there was a hint of arrogance around Javier. But here, in Baia di Rose, he didn’t seem like quite the same person. Her curiosity was piqued again. He’d mentioned being at a funeral. Maybe the loss had affected him?
She filed the thought away and stuck to the conversation. ‘So, how many of those photographs have actually been real?’
He winked. ‘Let’s see how good you are. How many do you think were real?’
She leaned back in her chair and tried to remember who he’d been seen with. After a few moments’ contemplation she met his gaze. There was a twinkle in his eye. She counted off on her fingers. ‘Okay, your co-star in the action film, Olivia Burns—no way. The comedy actress, Linda St John—’ she waved her hand from side to side ‘—maybe. The female wrestler Jill Cacanna? No way, and last but not least, the up and coming Ms Ruby Delaware? Yes, I think that one might have been real.’
Javier started laughing. ‘Oh, dear. Olivia, yes. But that was never going to last. Linda? No. We’re just friends. Jill? Best blind date I ever had. She’s one of the coolest human beings on the planet—but it’s impossible to have a relationship when you never see each other. And Ruby?’ He looked thoughtful for a moment and tapped his fingers on the table. ‘That was odd. I think I might have been played.’
Portia was astonished. She thought her instincts were usually pretty good. But not with Javier Russo it seemed. What was it about him that just seemed to boggle her senses?
‘What do you mean “played”?’
It was clear he was a little uncomfortable, and that reassured her a little that he wouldn’t normally be indiscreet.
He reached for the wine bottle in the cooler at the side of their table and topped up both of their glasses. ‘I’m not really a “drop a note to the press” kind of guy.’
She understood instantly what he meant. Lots of celeb photos on the beach, or coming out of restaurants, were staged—everyone in their industry knew that.
‘But I think my agent is.’
She racked her brain trying to remember who Javier’s agent was but came up blank.
‘You think your agent was involved?’
He sighed. ‘I’m not entirely sure. I think there may have been chat between my agent and Ruby’s. All our time together felt kind of stage-managed. I didn’t notice at first. But after a while, you realise that every time you go somewhere—even if it seems spontaneous to you—there are paparazzi waiting. It just didn’t sit comfortably with me.’
Portia was amused. Ruby was a pretty enough actress. ‘You think she wasn’t actually interested in you?’ It just seemed ridiculous. Javier was one of the hottest guys around. She just couldn’t imagine that. But even more surprising was the fact that all his relationships hadn’t been fakes. It seemed she didn’t know everything about Hollywood after all.
‘The truth is I don’t know. She was nice enough but I always got the impression that underneath that sweet smile there was a streak of ruthless ambition. Once we started dating and had been photographed a few times she landed a couple of roles in upcoming blockbusters. It wasn’t that she wasn’t already being
considered.’ He stopped for a second, obviously trying to find the right words.
Portia finished the sentence for him. ‘It’s just that the exposure probably helped boost her up the list a little?’
Javier visibly cringed. ‘I think so. It made me stop and take stock. Well, that and other things.’
He was doing it again. Fixing his gaze on the horizon while his thoughts obviously went elsewhere.
She didn’t think she was boring him.
Please don’t let me be boring him.
Javier Russo was more contemplative than she would have guessed. She’d only scratched the surface but was sure there was a whole lot more going on underneath.