“Are you sick? Shall I take you back to the hotel?”
“No, I’m okay. Just needed to lay down. The sun is really powerful in the valley, and I forgot my hat.”
He wasn’t convinced that was all that was wrong but couldn’t challenge her here. Chet and Leslie were about five meters away. “I have a surprise for you. Are you sure you are all right to keep going?”
She smiled, a faint replica of her usual full mega-watt grin. His chest tightened again.
“Feeling better, darling?” Leslie’s saccharine endearment made his skin crawl.
“Yes, thank you, Leslie. Luca has a surprise for us. Are you all done here?”
“Yup. It’s going to be the most amazing hotel in my portfolio. Your husband is a visionary, Sophia. If this turns out half as good as he says, I see a bright future for our two companies.”
Sophia swallowed at Chet’s announcement. “Yes, he’s brilliant. He sees the potential in things that others miss.” She put the chair back into its upright position and exited the vehicle. “I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.”
She resumed her seat in the back and Chet climbed in the front. Luca tried to check on her through the rear-view mirror but she kept her head turned to the side, looking out the window. He wished he hadn’t arranged for the surprise now. Sophia looked like she could do with some downtime away from Leslie … and he could do with some private time with his wife.
The road grew more rutted as he drove. There was no way a regular car would make it down here. He made a mental note to order some gravel before construction got underway. After twenty minutes he finally pulled up in front of a two-story stone cottage, set against the hillside. He shut off the engine and the only sound to be heard was the trickle of a waterfall and birds singing in the trees.
“What’s this?” Leslie asked.
Luca turned around in his seat to see Sophia’s face. “This is the house I rented, in case Chet and I were able to come to an agreement. One of the restaurants in Teramo has prepared a meal for us. Come, this is my surprise.”
Sophia stared out the windscreen at the house then did a long, slow blink. The kind of blink that said she wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. After two months of marriage, he was finally learning her tells. He could almost see her acting mask slip back into place.
She got out of the Land Rover and stood beside him. Luca tried to see the cottage through her eyes. It was a bit sad looking, not having been lived in for over a year. But the gardeners and cleaners he’d hired had tidied the place nicely. The curtains and windows were clean, and the bramble had been cut back from the path. With a fresh coat of paint on the shutters and a little maintenance here and there, it would be a cozy home for the two of them.
“What do you think?” he finally asked, unable to bear her silence any longer.
“It looks charming,” she said, with only a slight hitch in her voice.
“Did you say there was food? I’m starving.” Leslie’s voice grated down his spine.
“Yes, of course. Please follow me.” Luca led them around the side of the house to where a picnic table had been set up. A white-coated man stood at attention, sweeping away the lids covering the food as they arrived. A young woman appeared from inside the house, carrying a tray with glasses of chilled Prosecco.
“I’ll say one thing about you Italians, you sure know how to eat,” Leslie said as she snagged a glass of the sparkling wine.
Sophia declined the wine when offered and asked for a glass of water instead.
“Are you sure you are all right?” Luca put a finger under her chin and examined her face. She was a little pale, but the smile she gave him was a bit more real.
“Yes, of course. I just don’t feel like wine so early in the day,” she said quietly, her eyes darting toward Leslie.
“Chet, Leslie, do you mind starting? I want to show Sophia the cottage.”
“Of course, go right ahead,” Chet answered. He picked up a plate and loaded it with olives, pickled mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and cheeses.
Luca took Sophia’s hand in his and led her into the cottage. Sheltered by the mountain behind, it was cooler than outside. He glanced around, pleased that the place appeared neat and clean. The cottage had a rustic charm he was sure the designer in Sophia could appreciate.
“I know it is tiny compared to the villa. As it is just the two of us, I did not think we really needed a lot of room.” He stared at her face, waiting for some indication of what she was thinking.
“It’s very pretty. It’s nice how they’ve kept all the original features.”
“One family has owned it for 200 years. They do not want to sell, but neither does anyone want to live here, so it is available for as long as we want.”
She pulled her hand out of his and wandered over to the stone sink, running her finger along its bumpy surface in a long caress.
“If you want, I can hire a cook and gardener to come from Teramo.”
She raised her eyes to his but still didn’t say anything. A shimmer of dampness appeared and she quickly blinked it away. He was such an idiot. She wasn’t well. He should have taken her back to the hotel, not sprung this surprise on her.
“Come upstairs, I think you will like the view from the bedroom.”
He took her hand in his again and led the way up the narrow stone steps. If he carried her to bed he’d have to be very careful not to bump her head. Of course, with no one around for miles, they didn’t necessarily have to wait until they made it to the bedroom to enjoy each other.
Sophia stuck her head through the doorway of the two small bedrooms. The furniture upstairs had been in such bad shape that he’d had the owner’s permission to get rid of it. He figured Sophia would enjoy finding new pieces. Even though it was only a temporary home, she’d probably feel better if she could stamp some of her own personality on it, as she’d done with the villa, which now had the heart and soul it had been lacking before she’d come to live there.
“This is the master bedroom,” Luca said as he flung open a door at the end of the small hallway. It had probably been two or even three rooms originally, judging by the ceiling. But at some time in the past fifty years, it had been turned into a cozy room with attached bathroom. “Come look at the claw-foot tub. I thought you would enjoy that.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered at last.
Luca pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and rubbed his hands up and down her back until he felt her relax.