Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,55

the dog, he spotted them and made his way across to their table.

‘Ciao, Daniela, ciao, Pietro.’ He shook them by the hands and turned towards Lucy, as ever the big toothy smile on his face. ‘And, Lucy, you look lovely. Has your boyfriend left?’

Lucy shot an admonitory look across the table towards Daniela and replied sweetly. ‘Ciao, Tommy. Good to see you. Yes, he’s just left.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘You’re leaving it a bit late for dinner tonight, aren’t you?’

‘They’ll make me some pasta, I’m sure.’

He stood there, showing no sign of leaving, quite possibly waiting to be invited to join them. Lucy didn’t know what to do, but help was at hand. Daniela knew that Lucy had turned down his dinner invitation and she must have realised the situation as she pushed back her chair and stood up, grabbing the table for help as she did so.

‘Well, Tommy, enjoy your meal. We’ve just finished.’ She glanced down at Pietro who was looking surprised. ‘I think I’ll skip dessert tonight. It’s terribly hot and I think I need a breath of fresh air.’

Lucy waved them away as she went to get the bill. By the time she had paid it, Pietro had collected his car and was waiting outside. Lucy saw Daniela into the passenger seat and kissed her goodbye, whispering into her ear as she did so. ‘Thanks a lot, Danni. I owe you. I’ll call you later.’

As Pietro set off downhill, she turned to walk home and found she had company in the shape of Bella the Labrador and, holding the end of her lead, Tommy. He grinned at Lucy and she distinctly felt him undressing her with his eyes – not for the first time.

‘While my uncle’s making me something to eat, I said I’d take Bella for a quick walk. I’ll see you back to your house.’

Accepting the unavoidable, Lucy fell in beside him and they set off. He kept up a constant stream of conversation and she soon realised there was a common theme to it – her mysterious neighbour. He was evidently very interested to discover just who now owned the villa and she had to endure a serious grilling as Tommy the journalist did his best to wheedle any information out of her as to the mystery man’s identity. By the end of the inquisition she was fairly sure she hadn’t given away anything compromising, but he had been like a terrier, snapping at her heels and it had started to annoy her. This made it easier for her to tell him another little white lie when they got back to her house.

‘I’ve been feeling a bit off all evening and I just need to go to bed. Goodnight, Tommy.’

And that was that. It wasn’t as clichéd as saying she had a headache, but he didn’t need to be Hercule Poirot to work out that his company was not required. To her relief, he told her he hoped she would feel better soon, and went off. She rather hoped this would be the last she would hear from Tommy.

Chapter 16

In spite of the clouds, it rained very little during the night and on Monday morning the sky was once again clear, the roads dry, and the temperature if anything even higher. It was a busy day, with a tricky bowel operation that took several hours. This was on an opera singer who was renowned internationally as much for his appetite for gourmet food as for his voice. She couldn’t help comparing him to her average patient in the Congo, reflecting that a love of exotic food was a luxury few, if any, could afford over there.

When she got home from work that evening, feeling quite weary as well as uncomfortably sticky and hot, she was cheered to find a gift on her doorstep. It was a healthy rose bush, covered with beautiful pink and white blooms, in a hefty terracotta pot and there was a note with it.

Hi Lucy. This is a present from Armando (and me). We both hope you like it. David.

She opened the door and carried the heavy pot through the kitchen and out to the spot beside the back door where she intended to plant it. The scent of the roses was intoxicating and she breathed deeply. Coming back inside, she poured herself a large glass of cold mineral water from the fridge and debated what to do to say thank you. She didn’t have David’s number,