Hold On to Me (33 page)

‘You and Stella are going into business together?' Anna almost spluttered out the words.

‘Maybe. What's wrong with that?' Luca straightened his shoulders.

‘Nothing. It's just a surprise, that's all.'

Luca tried to judge his sister's reaction. He'd been hoping for her normal, over-the-top emotion and excitement, but he wasn't seeing it. In fact, she was acting in the exact opposite way. She took in a deep breath, as if she was preparing to tell him some bad news. He'd been hoping for a cheer squad.

‘With her ideas and business skills and my muscle, I reckon it could work,' he explained.

‘Have you put this to Stella, like officially?'

‘No, not yet. I've been going over and over it in my head. I'm going to talk to her about it this weekend. I'm heading down tomorrow night.'

‘So are we.' Anna found the gold medallion on the chain around her neck and twisted it around and around in her fingers. That was not a good sign. It was what she did when she was thinking or panicking or about to unleash.

‘You don't think it's a good idea.'

She shook her head and thought for a moment. ‘It's not that necessarily, Luca; it's just that this is a big step. Mixing business with pleasure can be risky. Remember when Uncle Rocco hired his son to be his apprentice plumber? They nearly killed each other.'

Luca chuckled. ‘Uncle Rocco's mad.'

‘And so is Rocco Jnr. They deserved each other,' Anna added with a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘But my point, Luca, is that if things don't work out in the bedroom, it'll affect the business. And, you know, it goes the other way too. If things don't work out with the business, there'll be no more bedroom. You get my meaning? What if you have to choose between the two? Could you do it?'

‘That won't happen.'

‘Because …?' Anna raised her eyebrows.

Luca finished his beer. ‘Because this is the real deal with Stella. I'm in deep with her.'

She leant in. ‘How deep?'

‘Deep. Like the rest of my life deep. Like you and Joe deep.'

‘Oh, Luca.' Anna began to cry, fat tears welling in her big brown eyes.

Luca shook his head. ‘You're a big sook.'

‘Of course I'm a big sook. I never thought I'd see the day.' She reached over and slipped her arms around his waist, lavishing a bear hug on him. ‘I'm thrilled for you. She's amazing and I'm not just saying that because of her shop. But what happened to taking it slow?'

‘I don't want to wait.' Luca couldn't tell her that Stella's secrets had changed everything. He couldn't tell her that he didn't want to wait one more day to make sure Stella knew that she was loved. ‘What do you think Mum and Dad and Nonna will say about her being older than me?'

‘Don't worry about them,' she laughed as she wiped her eyes, ‘I've warmed them up for you. Remember what I put them through? I was cheated on, got divorced, got pregnant and had a baby. And I'm still not married to Joe and they don't care one bit.'

Luca raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe just a little bit.'

Anna shrugged. ‘Yeah, maybe they do but they love me and they love Joe and their world revolves around Francesca. And that's what comes first.' She wiped her tears away with a napkin and sniffed. ‘They'll love Stella. I already do.'

‘She's the bravest, smartest, most incredible woman I've ever met.' Luca looked up into the swaying trees and breathed in the cool breeze. It felt good to say it. It felt good to share it with his sister. But there was a limit. He would never reveal why Stella was all that to him and more. There were things he'd never tell Joe or Anna or anyone. Stella's secret was safe with him. It was in the most secure part of his heart. Protected by bulletproof safety glass.

Anna patted his cheek. ‘There's only one more thing I'll say.'

Luca pretended looking taken aback. ‘Only one? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?'

‘Is a business partnership really what you want with Stella? I think you might be hedging your bets. You're only going halfway. If I know you, and I do, you want the ring and the family.'

Luca didn't respond. When they'd talked about having kids, when Stella had asked him if that was what he wanted, he'd said of course. But she'd been clear about not wanting kids. And now, knowing what he knew about her, he could guess her past was the reason.

‘You've always been that kind of guy, Luca. It's what we do in this family. So why aren't you making her that offer instead, huh?'

The back door closed with a squeak and Joe re-joined them.

‘Why do you two look so serious? Have we run out of wine?' Joe sat down on the long bench seat next to Anna and slipped an arm behind her.

‘She asleep?' Anna asked.

Joe placed the baby monitor on the table by the bottle of red. ‘Like a baby. Like the most beautiful baby in the world.' They exchanged loving glances, the way new parents do, glances that said, Aren't we lucky? Aren't we blessed?

Anna was right. This was what Luca wanted with Stella. This was the kind of future he wanted. A loving family. Children, yeah, he wanted kids. And a safe haven for them all. Would Stella change her mind? Was it fair to ask her to? He didn't have a clue. But he knew one thing for sure: he loved her. And because he loved her, maybe his future would look different from the picture he'd always imagined.

‘This suits you two,' he said. ‘You're good at it.'

Anna's eyes shone with tears once again. ‘It took us a long time to get here, Luca. Sometimes things are complicated. But it's worth it.'

‘Damn right,' Joe added. ‘Listen to your sister and your brother-in-law.'

Luca chuckled. ‘You're not my brother-in-law.'

Joe looked into Anna's eyes. ‘I would be if she ever said yes.'

‘Anna, c'mon,' Luca urged with a grin. ‘Put the man out of his misery.' Then he turned his attention to Joe. ‘You still asking her?'

Joe grinned across the table at him. ‘Every damn day.'

Luca shook his head. ‘I don't know who's more stubborn.'

‘I keep telling her that I'm never giving up. She's gotta make an honest man out of me one day.'

‘In your dreams.' Anna laughed.

Stella watched the delivery truck drive away up The Strand and then she turned her attention to the two big cardboard boxes on the floor of her shop. It had been a hectic week with bumper crowds in the tourist town. It was now Friday lunchtime and she was pleased some new stock had arrived just in time for the weekend. She glanced around for her new part-time assistant.

‘Molly?'

The young girl popped her head out from one of the change rooms. This week, her hair was crimson and she was wearing a floral vintage dress, one of a dozen items Stella had rescued from her wardrobe and given to her new shop assistant. The wardrobe clean-out had kept Stella's mind occupied a couple of nights before, after a long phone call with Luca. The decluttering had also benefitted Molly. Stella had loved the girl's reaction on Thursday when she'd arrived with a couple of bags full of pieces. When Stella had handed them over, she thought Molly might collapse with excitement. She managed to utter a disbelieving, ‘Cool!' before hugging Stella fiercely.

Everything was cool with Molly. Stella liked that about her. As well as her enthusiasm and her initiative, she was friendly and chatty with customers and had no qualms about explaining her choice of hair colour to whoever asked. She told them that once school began again, she'd have to stop being so creative and revert to her mousy brown, so she was making the most of the holidays to have a little fun and to express her individuality.

‘I'm in here,' Molly called from a dressing room.

‘What are you doing in there?'

‘The light globe in the lamp blew and I'm putting in a new one.'

Stella smiled to herself. Molly was turning out to be an inspired choice.

‘When you're done, could you unpack these boxes and see what's inside?'

The light in the dressing room flicked on and off and then Molly joined Stella. ‘Sure.'

When the bell over the front door announced the arrival of Summer and Duncan, hand in hand, matching smiles and sideways glances for each other, Stella grinned. She couldn't have been more pleased at this turn of events. Summer had been looking for love for a long time, and Duncan had been too, just in the wrong places.

‘Hey, Stella,' Summer said. Duncan waved a hand in greeting.

‘Hi, Summer and … is that really you, Duncan McNamee? I mean, look at you!'

He was wearing boardshorts and a surf T-shirt, Ray Bans and thongs. Duncan grinned. ‘Summer convinced me to take a couple of weeks off. I'm sure the world of human resources can live without me for a little while.'

‘She's right,' Stella replied, leaning her elbows on the counter.

‘Whoa, who sent these?' Summer sniffed the scent of the enormous bunch of flowers that was sitting in a squat vase next to the cash register.

‘Nice,' Duncan said with a wink.

Summer looked impressed. ‘Are these from Luca?'

Stella nodded. They'd arrived the day before with a simple message attached:
Until Friday
.

‘Aren't they beautiful? What a lovely thing to do. So, it's all guns blazing with the young hottie, is it?'

Stella didn't want to discuss that in front of Duncan and particularly not in front of Molly, who'd bounced back to the counter with an enthusiastic smile.

‘Shall I unpack those boxes now, Stella?'

‘Sure.' Stella found a pair of scissors in the top drawer and handed them to her. ‘Get to it.'

When Molly had dragged the boxes to the rear of the shop, Summer said, ‘How's she working out?'

‘She's learning fast and she's great.'

‘She's so lucky you gave her this chance,' Summer said.

‘It was time I got the help. So, what are you two lovebirds up to?'

‘We're on our way to lunch, actually.' Summer and Duncan exchanged glances. ‘We wondered if you might join us.'

Stella hesitated. Could Molly handle the shop on her own, so soon? She decided to throw caution to the sea breeze. Half an hour. She could leave her for half an hour. She had her phone with her and she was only around the corner if there was a problem.

‘Molly,' she called with a wink at Summer.

‘Yeah?'

‘Do you think you could mind things here while I grab a bite with Summer and Duncan?'

‘Cool!' came Molly's reply. Stella grabbed her purse and the three friends walked to a local café.

After lunch was ordered, Stella considered Summer and Duncan and how happy they seemed. Gushingly in love, in fact.

‘So, you two. I want to officially say how happy I am for you both.'

‘That's lovely of you to say,' Summer said with a hitch in her voice. ‘We didn't know if it would be weird …'

Stella held up her hands. ‘Not for me. It's not weird for you, is it Duncan?'

‘Not a bit,' he said with a long look at Summer. ‘Sometimes things work out the way they should for a very good reason.'

‘That's very true.' Stella nodded.

‘And what about you?' Summer asked with excitement in her voice. ‘You and Luca. That's all fantastic, isn't it? Isn't it amazing that things are working out for both of us, both at once? It's as if the angels were looking down on us and willing us to be happy.'

Stella noticed Duncan nudge her with his shoulder. Summer blushed.

She laughed. ‘You and your angels.'

Her own angel was just hours away. The thought both exhilarated and terrified her. Something had been growing, deep and fast, between them, but her revelation about her childhood had catapulted whatever that was into something else. Perhaps sooner than it should have. And tonight they were supposed to be having dinner with Anna and Joe and the others and so she would see firsthand what Luca's sister's reaction to the whole thing really was.

Their sandwiches arrived and they sat in silence for a while as they ate.

‘Stella, there's a particular reason we wanted to catch up with you today.' Summer took Duncan's hand. ‘We've got some news.'

Stella stopped mid-chew. News? Her mind raced. A secret elopement? Engagement? Pregnancy? A puppy?

‘We're moving in together,' Duncan announced.

‘Wow.' Stella put down her sandwich. ‘You two don't waste time, do you?'

‘We can't see the point,' Summer said.

‘Are you sure it isn't a bit fast?' There was more that Stella would have said to Summer, but not in front of Duncan. There were questions only women would ask each other. Are you sure? Is he kind? Is he really the one? Sure, the sex might be great but does he love you, really love you?

Summer shook her head. ‘We've both had long, lonely years, so we figured, why hang around and pretend we don't want each other? Because we want each other.' She looked up into Duncan's eyes and he leant down for a lingering kiss.

‘We do.'

‘I'm giving up the rental on my house at the end of the month and I'm moving into Duncan's. Which means we'll be neighbours, Stella.'

‘Congratulations, you two. I wish we had some champagne to toast this.'

Stella found a smile for her friends. She'd meant what she said: she was happy for them. But she couldn't shake the feeling that their relationship was moving way too fast. There was so much potential for things to go wrong, really wrong. What if they didn't know each other? What if it was loneliness talking and not really love?

Her heart and her head began to niggle at each other.

And then she realised they were the exact questions she should be asking herself.

After lunch, Stella walked back to the shop feeling disoriented. Her footsteps were heavy and slow and she almost got bowled over by a car when she failed to stop at the curb. Summer and Duncan. Moving in together. They barely knew each other. She knew how enticing great sex could be, how it clouded your judgement about what was best for you.