The fact that his heart felt as if it had done an anatomically impossible backflip every time she smiled or he looked into her blue, blue eyes—well, he’d have to learn to ignore it.
CHAPTER FOUR
ON THURSDAY, MARIANA finished photographing the paintings, and Angelo had pretty much finished putting everything into the boxes.
‘We could,’ Mariana suggested, ‘go to the Pitti Palace.’
‘And see the Macchiaioli paintings,’ Leo said, looking animated.
‘Provided we get a taxi, Nonno,’ Angelo cut in. ‘We’re not walking from here, not on a hot afternoon. It will tire Mariana too much.’
For a second, she looked as if she was going to argue, but then she clearly realised what he was doing. Giving his grandfather an excuse to keep his dignity. ‘Being English, I find the heat too much,’ she said. ‘But a nice quiet afternoon in a cool art gallery...’
Angelo gave her a grateful smile, appreciating the fact she was putting his grandfather first.
At the Pitti Palace Angelo let most of their chat about the art go over his head, though he enjoyed seeing his grandfather so lively as they looked round the gallery. Mariana, too; she held the old man’s arm and supported him while making it look as if she was the one who wanted support, and she and Leo were almost gleeful as they talked about details of each painting. Every so often, she caught his gaze and her eyes crinkled at the corners. How could she have no idea how gorgeous she was?
Well, he knew the answer to that. Her ex had clearly damaged her confidence. But the more Angelo saw of Mariana, the more he liked her. The more he felt drawn to her. And when they’d held each other for that brief moment yesterday... Had it been simply the thrill of discovery carrying her away, or did she, too, feel that draw between them? Could they take a risk on each other? Or would he just be setting himself up for heartache?
On Friday, after the van arrived, Mariana checked out of her hotel and came to pick up her equipment, and she helped to load the van with the boxes.
‘You will come back again to see me, Mariana?’ Leo asked, holding her close.
‘Of course. And I’ll send you daily updates about the work I’m doing,’ she promised.
‘But I don’t have a computer,’ he said.
‘But I do,’ Lucia said. ‘Send the updates to me, and come back soon.’
‘Thank you for looking after me so well,’ Mariana said.
Angelo hugged his grandfather. ‘I’ll be back soon,’ he promised.
And please, please let the excitement about the art stay with Leo for a little longer. Keep him going. Keep him alive. Angelo wasn’t ready to lose his grandfather yet.
‘I did wonder if I was going to have to navigate,’ Mariana said as Angelo drove them out of Florence.
‘Don’t speak too soon. If anything goes wrong with the satnav, then you might have to,’ he said.
‘You’d trust me to map-read?’ she asked.
He glanced at her in surprise. ‘Of course.’
‘Thank you.’
It was obvious that her ex had dented her confidence, but Angelo didn’t want to make her feel awkward about it. ‘You strike me as being a very capable woman,’ he said.
‘That’s kind of you.’
‘It wasn’t meant to be kind, more a statement of fact,’ he said. ‘Talking of kind—Nonno’s really brightened, this week, thanks to you.’
‘I’m glad. I know how it feels when your grandfather is sick and it’s not something that can be held at bay for long, and the only thing you can do is try to make their days a bit happier. I’m just glad I can help—though I admit I’m also really thrilled to be working on paintings that nobody except your grandfather has seen for years.’
‘The thrill of discovery?’
‘That—and also Carulli is my favourite painter.’
‘The best of both worlds, then.’ He paused. ‘Forgive me for asking—but how did you cope when you lost your grandfather?’
‘Pretty badly,’ she said. ‘Grandad was the only one who saw through Eric—my ex—and wasn’t hoodwinked by his charm. And I miss him. I miss chatting to him. I miss him singing the Beatles and the Beach Boys songs he taught my sister and me when I was tiny. I guess he’s still here, in a way, because he’s always in our hearts, and those memories will always be here. But I wish he was still here in person to see that I’ve come out the other side of my—well,’ she said. ‘That I’m not letting what happened with Eric drag me down and I’m getting on with my life.’