Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance) (16 page)

Dino frowned and leaned forwards to see Rachel's averted face. He couldn't have heard her correctly. "What did you say?"

Rachel turned an anguished expression on him, her lips trembling. "Don't hate me, Dino."

"Why would I hate you,
cara
?"

"Freddy and I found Maria and her sister in your dressing room at the Met."

Cold trickled through Dino like ice water. "Maria came to New York. When?"

Rachel sobbed and wiped her eyes. "The day before you opened in
La Bohème
."

Dino braced a hand against the door as if he were falling. That was six days ago. "What happened to her? Where did she go?"

"I don't know. Freddy sent me back to the hotel and told me not to tell you."

Maria must have felt so lost in New York when she didn't see him, so hurt and disappointed. Thank heavens Chris had been with her. He scraped a hand back through his hair, angry, so angry. "Did Freddy tell you anything else?"

"He told her you were busy. That's all I know."

"Is she still in New York?"

Rachel shrugged.

Dino pressed a hand to his forehead, tried to work out if he had time to fly back to New York and still make his performance in Toronto the following night. He had a television interview in a few hours. He could miss that, but he couldn't miss the concert. Nearly twenty thousand people had paid for seats at the Air Canada Centre. He wouldn't let them down.

The taxi arrived at the hotel. Dino climbed out and grabbed his bag from the trunk himself. He paced on ahead of Rachel to the reception desk and checked in, his mind turning over and over, so furious he wanted to shout. This was the final nail in the coffin. He and Freddy Short were finished.
Finito
. Done! Dino had intended to let Freddy handle his record deals, but that would not happen now.

He rode up in the elevator, his cheeks hot, his pulse racing. After seeing Rachel to her room, he found his own. As soon as the door closed behind him he pulled his phone out. He dialed Freddy and paced back and forth, his fist tight at his side.

Freddy picked up. "Dino, mate. Are you in Toronto?"

"Why didn't you tell me Maria came to see me?"

Silence answered his question. Then he heard Freddy clear his throat. "I was thinking about your career, Dino. The last thing you need is some lovesick bird tagging around after you."

Dino rested a hand against the wall and hung his head. When he'd learned of his son, he'd felt cold, empty, shocked, but this anger was flaming hot. If Freddy had been there he might have hit him. "You had no right to interfere," he grated out between clenched teeth. "No right. Where is she now?"

"She flew back to London a few days ago."

Everything inside Dino collapsed like a punctured balloon. He flopped into a chair. She was gone. He hadn't realized how much he'd hoped she was still in North America, still within reach. Resting his forehead in his hand, he tried to think.

"Dino, mate," Freddy said. "What're you thinking?"

Frustration tightened his muscles. Every time he'd wished Maria was there with him, she could have been. She'd been so close, and he hadn't even known.

"Where did she stay?" he demanded, praying that Freddy had looked after her and not abandoned her to fend for herself.

"That sister of hers said they had a hotel booked," Freddy said defensively. "I did ask."

Dino broke the connection and tossed his phone on the bed. He'd thought he heard her voice by the stage door on Saturday but persuaded himself it was wishful thinking. She must have been there in the crowd. He pressed his hand over his eyes, feeling utterly helpless. Maria had been hurt, and it was because of him.

***

After fifteen hours of traveling, Maria and Chris arrived at Truro train station and trudged out dragging their cases. In all Maria's life, she had never felt this tired. Not just physically weary, but mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Eric's car was parked outside. He climbed out to greet them, pulling Chris into a long hug. "You didn't run off with an American hunk, then?" he said, smiling.

"None of them are as hunky as you, my darling."

Eric kissed Maria on the cheek and opened the back door for her to climb in while he hefted their suitcases into the trunk. Chris hopped in the front and released a long sigh of relief. "Wow, am I glad to be home."

"Me too." And she was, even though Maria had huge challenges to face, namely finding a new job and somewhere to live.

Eric climbed in, started the car, and pulled away. "How are my babies?" Chris asked.

"Tina's babysitting the girls. We took them out and kept them busy, but they missed you."

Maria stared out the window at the familiar scenery as Eric negotiated the traffic out of Truro and headed into the country. Although she'd promised herself to be positive, it was difficult. Right now, all she wanted to do was climb into bed, curl into a ball, and sleep for a week. But even the Crow's Nest was no longer the sanctuary it had been. She rested her forehead against the side window and stared blankly outside. Her hopes and dreams for the future were impossible now her parents had decided to sell. Suddenly the fruitless trip to see Dino felt like the final straw.

Eric turned up the private lane leading to the guesthouse and cut the engine outside the front gate. Maria released a long, pent-up sigh. Chris reached back and patted her arm. "Forget him, Mari. Just forget him. It'll hurt for a while, but the pain won't last forever."

Wiping all memories of Dino from her mind might be wise, but it just wasn't going to happen. He owned part of her heart.

Her dad hurried down the path, and she climbed out to meet him. "Good to have you two back safe and sound." He gave her a hug, then leaned in the car to kiss Chris. He lifted Maria's case out and carried it inside.

Maria's mother was waiting at the doorway as she went up the front path. The welcoming smile on her mother's face fell as she watched her approach. "Oh, dear. What happened, darling?"

She walked into her mum's open arms and wished she was a little girl again when hurts could be put right with a kiss and a cuddle.

"I went all that way and didn't see him."

Her mother led her through to the kitchen, sat her down, and made a cup of tea. "Tell me what happened," she said.

The whole sorry tale poured out. Maria told her how Dino had turned up on the doorstep after they left for the cruise, and how she had fallen for him. She ended with a description of the frustrating time in New York.

Her mum sat beside her, gripping her hand. "Oh, darling, Chris told me it was Dino Rossi you were going to see. I should have warned you not to bother and saved you all this heartache. Men like him aren't interested in girls like you."

"What's the matter with me?" Maria asked indignantly, even though she knew what her mother meant.

"Nothing, darling. Nothing at all. But Dino Rossi lives in a glamorous jet-set world. I'm sure you've read the articles about him on the internet. He has women throwing themselves at him all the time. You don't want to get involved with that sort of man."

"I really liked him, Mum."

Her mother slid her chair closer and put her arm around Maria's shoulders. "You'll get over him just like you did Tom. The next few years will be exciting for you, darling. You have the world at your fingertips. With no ties, you're free to choose any job you want. Just think, with your qualifications you could work for a tour company anywhere in the world. Isn't that exciting?"

Maria nodded obediently, even though traveling to another country was the last thing on earth she wanted to do right now.

***

Dino was desperate to call Maria, make sure she arrived home safely, and explain that he hadn't known she was in New York. He wished he had given her his mobile phone number before he left Cornwall. He couldn't even remember why he hadn't.

He calculated the time she would arrive home and rang the Crow's Nest at eight a.m. from Calgary, the next stop on the Canadian leg of his tour. Pacing nervously back and forth across the hotel room, Dino waited for the phone to be answered.

"Hello, the Crow's Nest," a woman's voice said. He guessed it was Maria's mother.

"I wish to speak to Maria, please."

Silence.

He rubbed his lips nervously. "Hello. Are you still there?" he prompted.

"Yes. Is this Dino?"

He winced at her chilly tone. Of course she would know what had happened to Maria. "Yes. May I explain please, Mrs. Gardener? I did not know that Maria visited New York until after she left."

She sighed. "Whether you knew or not is beside the point. Maria was devastated when she arrived home. She's in bed now recovering from jet lag. I'm sure it's hit her extra hard because of the stress. I don't know you, Mr. Rossi or Rossellini, or whatever you like to be called, but I do know this relationship you have with my daughter is bad for her. I don't want you to call her again."

Dino halted his pacing, heart racing as her words sank in. "I am sorry for what happened in New York. I wanted very much to see her."

Silence.

"Please," Dino said, "let me speak to her."

"No. Maria might be twenty-four, but while she's under my roof she's still my little girl. I won't see her hurt like this. Please don't ring again." Then the line clicked and the dial tone sounded in his ear.

Dino stared at his phone with disbelief. Maria's mother had forbidden him from calling as if he were a delinquent teenager! He cursed in Italian and jammed the device in his pocket. Then he paced angrily in front of the huge picture window, barely noticing the magnificent view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

Respect for his elders had been instilled in him at a young age. He would not disobey Mrs. Gardener's request. But she had asked him not to phone. She had said nothing about writing. He sat at the desk in the corner of his room, selected some sheets of hotel paper, and poured out his heart. He included his phone number and e-mail address and asked Maria to call him so he could arrange to see her again. Then he sealed the envelope and prayed she would forgive him for hurting her.

***

Maria spent a week recovering from her trip to New York. Then she made a promise, she would not mope around and feel sorry for herself. She needed to take control of her life, find a job, and create her own future.

She tried not to think of Dino. But she still rushed downstairs every morning to check for another postcard. When her mother assured her no postcards had arrived, she had to accept that the New York card must have been a one-off that he'd sent on a whim.

After she realized this, she resisted googling his name every day to follow the news about his tour. Instead, she used the Internet to search for jobs. She made a few appointments, requested application forms, and got a lucky break when she called a new spa hotel only eight miles away that was looking for an assistant manager.

Ten days after she arrived back from New York, she drove down the country lanes to the Eden Bach Hotel and Spa. She turned between tall, granite pillars to a manor house and followed the private drive through beautifully maintained gardens bright with primroses, crocuses, and daffodils.

Maria parked and made her way into the building. The entrance hall had been converted into a tasteful lobby with a reception desk along one side manned by two staff members. She approached the nearest receptionist and smiled. "Maria Gardener for Mr. Calder."

"Take a seat, please. I'll let him know you're here."

A few minutes later, a nice-looking man with brown hair and gray-blue eyes emerged from a door nearby and held out his hand in greeting. "Miss Gardener, good of you to come at such short notice." He had a firm handshake and a pleasant manner. Hope and expectation bubbled inside her. This might be the answer to her prayers. A place she would enjoy working not far from her family.

Mr. Calder ushered her into his office and directed her to a chair. "I've reviewed your resumé. I can't fault your qualifications or experience. We're all about customer service here. The Eden Bach group prides itself on providing the personal touch. Every guest must feel as though they are the most important person in the hotel. Your philosophy on customer service fits in well with that. In fact, you could have written our mission statement." He laughed and Maria smiled with him.

"Let me get someone to show you around, Miss Gardener. Come back and see me in thirty minutes and we'll discuss the details."

Did that mean she had the job? Maria's heart leaped as Mr. Calder summoned a receptionist to be her guide. Everything about the place was top quality. She even liked the staff uniform, a classy burgundy blazer and navy skirt. Maybe getting out in the world was a good thing. She would meet single men. Perhaps her dream of marrying and running a guesthouse with her husband was not impossible. In the midst of her enthusiasm, an unwanted memory of Dino sneaked into her mind. Her heart hadn't caught up with the reality that Dino was gone forever. But it would. One day.

"Very impressive," she said, as Mr. Calder ushered her back in his office.

"That's what I like to hear." He indicated she should sit down and tapped his fingers on some forms. "I took the liberty of ringing our head office to confirm your employment. If you want it, the job's yours."