‘You look shocked,’ she told him. ‘Was it something I said?’
Another laugh. Just as false as the last one. ‘I’m fine, honestly. Why don’t we go back into the library? You can work on your play, and I can finish reading that damn book. That way you won’t think I’m avoiding you any more.’
She nodded. Her jaw was starting to ache from the way she was grinding her teeth together. ‘Yeah, I should get back to it, I guess.’ She turned around and headed back to the office, feeling him following close behind. Not too close though. It was as though even the distance between them was a measured decision.
By the time she sat back down at the desk her whole body was tense. He was lying, that much was clear. He was avoiding her.
Maybe it was time for her to show him what he was missing.
20
She’s beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is a woman, and therefore to be won
– Henry VI Part I
‘I’m going out tonight.’
At first he didn’t hear the words. Or at least they didn’t go in. They were out in the gardens, taking a rare moment off to sit beside the ornate fountain that sat at the centre of the patio.
‘What?’ He turned to look at her. She was lying back on the sunbed, her hair fashioned into a messy topknot. Though the swimsuit she was wearing was modest – at least by Hollywood standards – he couldn’t help but let his eyes linger on the way the red fabric clung to her skin. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, as he realised exactly what she’d just said.
‘You’re going out? Where, who with?’ He frowned, sitting up. Like Cesca he was dressed for the sun, wearing a pair of trunks and not much else. His skin had already taken on a deep colour, his ability to tan quickly an inheritance from his Italian mother.
‘With Cristiano,’ Cesca said quietly. ‘He wants to take me out to dinner. I bumped into him in the village this morning. Apparently there’s a restaurant he’d like to look at.’
‘The guy next door? What restaurant is he taking you to?’
Cesca shrugged, flinging an arm over her eyes to block out the sun. ‘I don’t know, some place on the lake. I’m not even sure if I want to go.’
‘Then don’t.’ The words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. The thought of her going on a date with that smooth bastard from next door made him feel physically sick. Sam wondered if it was simply protectiveness, the same sort of emotion he’d get at the thought of one of his sisters dating. That had to be it, didn’t it?
‘I already said yes. And he’s been nothing but kind to me, it would be rude to turn him down now.’
‘And last time you went out, he got you drunk,’ Sam pointed out. He was trying to keep his voice even, but it was getting increasingly difficult. ‘What if he does it again and . . . takes advantage of you?’ He spat out the last words. ‘Jesus, Cesca, don’t you even know how to take care of yourself?’
She sat up suddenly. Her face was screwed up, turning a deep shade of red. ‘Of course I know how to take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years. And for your information I wasn’t intending to drink at all. Not that it’s any of your business.’
‘Of course it’s my business.’
She swung her legs around. He tried to ignore their leanness, the way her skin glowed beneath the scrutiny of the sun. ‘Seriously,’ she said. ‘What’s it got to do with you?’
‘We’re friends, aren’t we?’
‘Are we?’ She looked confused.
‘Well, after spending weeks cooped up here together, I thought we were more than acquaintances.’ For some reason her denial of their friendship cut him deep.
‘I know that . . . ’ She trailed off, looking down at her feet. Her nails were painted an eye-catching pink. ‘It’s just I never really know what we are. Boss and employee, combatants, friends. You seem to swing from one to the other without giving me any kind of advance notice.’
‘I do?’ His voice was softer now.
She shrugged. ‘It feels like it.’ A piece of hair had escaped from her topknot and was curling around her neck, reflecting the sun. ‘Maybe I’m not sure how I see you, either. It’s not that long ago that I hated your guts. Every time I heard your name mentioned I wanted to throw something.’
He laughed. ‘That’s understandable. I wasn’t that impressed by you the night we met, either. It’s not the first time somebody’s been disappointed I’m not my father, but it was the first time it annoyed the hell out of me.’
‘I wasn’t disappointed you weren’t your father. I wasn’t exactly keen on meeting him either. And now I’m even less inclined to make his acquaintance.’
Sam turned until he was sitting opposite her. Their knees were almost touching. ‘I thought we weren’t talking about that.’