Whereas Jess would have been happy to throw on a clean pair of jeans and tug a brush through her hair for a night at the local with Adam, her date with Luca had turned into a mini makeover. On Thursday after work, she’d had to do repairs to her nails with Maisie’s varnish and blow fresh life into her new haircut. That was even before she spent half an hour deciding what to wear. In the end, she’d unearthed an as-yet-unworn pair of heeled boots from their box, squeezed into her slightly too small skinny jeans and plumped for a leather bomber jacket that she’d bought in a sale and hardly used.
Normally, her only make-up indulgence was moisturiser and sunscreen: she ordered that by the bucketload from the internet and never stinted. As for the rest of her bag of tricks, it wasn’t too hard to stick with a natural look since her highlighter wand and mascara had dried out long ago. She resorted to sneaking her mother’s best YSL from her room and adding a slick of natural lip gloss from a rather nice gift pack Maisie had given her for Christmas.
She gazed at herself in the mirror on the back of the wardrobe door. Another activity she wasn’t in the habit of doing. She was quite tall at five feet six and as she spent her days on the go, even if some of it was in the office, she didn’t need to diet. She had to admit the jeans, boots and new jacket went well with the silky vest top underneath.
She checked her watch and realised Luca should have been here by now, but a quick glance out of the window showed no sign of him. Jess took her chance for a final check in the mirror. Having spent the past few months in overalls, wellies and waterproofs, it was weird to see this alternative version of herself. The outfit was probably still too smart for the Gannet, but she guessed that coming from London, where everyone seemed to dress up all the time, Luca probably wouldn’t even notice she’d made an effort.
When he’d first suggested they meet at her local pub, Jess had almost suggested changing the venue. She was sure he would have done if she’d asked, and she’d wrestled with the dilemma. What if Adam saw them together?
So what if he did? She owed him nothing. She owed him even less now he’d returned with another woman and a little girl and not given her any explanation or warning. She had every right to be here with Luca. It would probably be the best thing that could happen.
Through the open window she heard the gate open and shut, and saw Luca strolling up the drive … and Will marching to head him off at the pass. Oh no, by the way Will was hurrying, Jess half expected him to whip out a shotgun and threaten to throw him off his land. That was partly a joke but she didn’t want him to scare Luca off. She snatched up her bag and flew down the stairs, bolted out of the door and trotted over to them.
Was that relief or pleasure on Luca’s face when Jess reached them, breathing heavily.
‘Hi there. Sorry, I’m running slightly late …’ Luca said. The comment was aimed at Jess but Will cut in.
‘Don’t worry. She hasn’t gone without you. She’s still up at the staff house,’ he muttered.
‘Oh?’ Luca glanced from Will to Jess, as if Will had made the most random statement and Luca was hoping someone would enlighten him. In an instant Jess realised what had happened: Will had thought that Luca had come to pick up Gaby.
‘Luca’s taking me for a meal at the pub and we’re going to see the band at the Gannet,’ she said, moving closer to him.
Luca gave a beaming smile. ‘Ciao!’ he said, holding her shoulders and kissing her on both cheeks. ‘You look fantastic.’
Will gawped like someone had slapped him in the face with a wet haddock. Jess braced herself, determined not to put up with any hostility.
‘You and Jess are going out?’ Will sounded incredulous.
‘Yes. Me and Jess,’ said Luca, slipping his arm around Jess’s back.
‘We’re off to the pub.’ Jess could have kicked herself for not warning Will but also rather enjoying his amazement. ‘Sorry I forgot to mention it. See you later.’
‘Bye,’ said Luca.
Jess took his arm and practically dragged him away. ‘Come on, it can get quite busy in the Gannet on a band night,’ she said, lying through her teeth.
While Luca walked ahead of her to open the gate, Jess risked a glance over her shoulder. Will had stopped halfway up the yard and was watching them with a dour expression. She held up her hands and mouthed ‘Sorry.’ Then, to her surprise, his scowl turned into a smile and he lifted his hand in a little finger wave.
‘Coming?’ Luca asked.
‘Yes.’ Jess smiled to herself and not only because she was excited about the evening ahead. Will had a face like thunder until he’d realised that Luca had come for her. He must be very jealous of Gaby if he was that relieved that she wasn’t seeing Luca, which actually made Jess’s life a whole lot easier. Now all she had to do was try to relax and enjoy the night.
Five minutes later, Jess and Luca made their entrance into the pub.
Jess had expected heads to turn when they walked into the bar together and a few glances – and greetings – were directed their way but most were more interested in their pints. The Thursday folk evening had attracted a few new faces, who were probably guests from the hotel, but the other half a dozen customers were islanders, all of whom she knew and nodded to. More people would surely arrive later when the band started up. Their speakers were already waiting on the makeshift stage in the far end of the bar.
Luca rested his hand on her back as they waited to be served. There was nothing wrong with that and she guessed that several of the women in the bar were probably longing to be in her place, but it was strange. It had been eight months since she’d been in there as part of a couple: Adam had been gone a long time and no one would have blamed her for starting afresh with someone else. No one seeing them this evening could have mistaken them for ‘just good friends’.
Even so, Luca’s hand on her back felt weird, however lightly it rested. She couldn’t quite explain why. It was like waking up to find familiar fields carpeted in an exotic new flower you’d never seen before – but a change was what she needed, right?
They ordered a bottle of local Prosecco and took a couple of menus over to a table in the corner. The conversation was all light-hearted, about the rowing gigs, Luca’s impressions of Petroc and how the flower farm was going. After they’d ordered their meals, their chat turned to Gaby and Will.
‘It was so funny when I realised Will thought you’d come to take Gaby out,’ Jess said. Even funnier, she thought, because she’d expected Luca to come looking for Gaby at the farm the day he asked her out.
‘Gaby’s a great person, but we’re definitely only friends,’ he said, pouring fizz into their glasses. ‘And besides, I think Will would fight any man who dared to come within six feet of her. I felt like I’d entered the lair of a guard dog who hadn’t been fed for a week when I saw him heading across the yard for me tonight.’
‘I’m surprised he wasn’t foaming at the mouth. Sorry,’ said Jess, trying not to laugh. ‘I maybe should have mentioned we were going out this evening, but somehow I never seemed to find the perfect moment. It’s none of his business really, but he is my brother and I thought he should hear it before reports of tonight reached him on the island grapevine.’
Luca glanced around him and lowered his voice. ‘A baptism of fire for a first date. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea.’
Jess shrugged. ‘There has to be a first time.’
Luca raised his eyebrows and his glass. ‘You can say that again. Are you and Will very close? It can’t be easy living and working with a sibling.’
‘It’s not always ideal.’ She smiled. ‘There are some positives: I’d trust Will with my life and we both know we’re always acting in the farm’s best interests but it’s hard to live on top of one another and the personal lives can get tangled up with work life. When there’s conflict within either aspect of your life, there’s no escape.’
Luca gave a little grimace then smiled. ‘He’s not my biggest fan, that’s for sure.’
Jess laughed and she realised it was becoming a habit with Luca. It had been a long time since she’d laughed so genuinely, so often.
He topped up her glass with Prosecco. ‘Shall we have another bottle? This really isn’t as bad as I expected.’
‘The wine or the company?’ Wow, where had that come from, thought Jess the moment the words were out of her mouth.
‘The wine, of course.’ He leaned in closer, over the table, so that no one could overhear, treating her to a subtle hint of some expensive cologne. ‘The date is everything I’d hoped for and a whole lot more. You look great if you don’t mind me saying.’
‘I think I can allow it.’ He looked pretty good himself, dressed down in jeans, boots and a long-sleeved T-shirt that nonetheless showed off his physique. Jess was pretty sure the jeans were more Armani than Primarni.
After a glass and a half of fizz on an empty stomach plus a long day at work, she was finally starting to relax. Only now did she fully realise how tense she’d been since finding Adam’s letter and seeing him return with Keri and Emmy. She wondered what they were all doing now, but instantly tried to refocus on Luca who was telling her about the lemon grove at his parents’ villa in Amalfi. It sounded wonderfully exotic.
The landlady’s son brought over their meals, a plain steak for Jess and less exotic fish and chips for Luca and they fell to it. Easy, relaxed chat continued while they ate, although Jess felt she was talking way more than Luca, who definitely had a gift for drawing people out. Or perhaps for drawing her out.
After a few mouthfuls of his meal, he nodded in appreciation. ‘You know, this may be only a pub, but the food’s great for what it is. The Rose & Crab attracts all the plaudits, but I haven’t had a bad meal in Scilly since I arrived. Apart from the ones I’ve made myself of course.’
‘I thought Italians were meant to be great cooks,’ she teased.
‘Not this one. Luckily, I’m almost always being wined and dined while I’m here.’
‘Can’t be too much of a hardship.’ Jess liked his easy self-deprecation even if she wasn’t totally convinced by it. She had a feeling he was probably a much better cook than she was, no matter what he claimed.
‘Petroc’s definitely a very comfortable place. I can see why the business is doing so well.’
‘Are you still staying in one of the holiday cottages?’
‘Yes. It’s much better to have my space rather than lodging in the hotel. The cottage gives me a little more privacy, not that there is much of it on Petroc.’ He nodded at the bar where a new group of customers were giving Jess and him the once-over.
‘You get used to the scrutiny after thirty years,’ said Jess.
‘Hmm. Maybe. It’s weird how we met in the garden restaurant isn’t it?’ he said, pouring some more wine into his glass. ‘I was horrified when Maisie tripped over my bag. I’d never have forgiven myself if she’d fallen.’
‘All’s well that ends well, eh?’ said Jess, her already warm cheeks heating up further at the reminder of Maisie’s subterfuge.
‘She seems like a good friend. Patrick too.’
Jess’s cheeks were burning now. Luca was far more generous towards Patrick than the other way around. She wished he and Will wouldn’t call him a ‘tool’. Maybe she’d tell Will later, not that she dared say too much or Will would start to read more into their relationship. It was only one date, after all but she did like Luca and she would definitely repeat the occasion, if asked. Or perhaps she should ask him?
She drained her glass faster than she’d wanted to.
‘Finish it off?’ Luca waggled the bottle and poured more in before she could even protest. ‘I think I’ll order a brandy with coffee. It’s great never having to drive and the Petroc water taxi’s picking me up later.’
Jess was enjoying herself too much to think about the end of the evening at this stage but there was still plenty of time before Luca had to leave. As darkness fell outside, the band came on stage and started their set. They were a Cornish band who also occasionally played at the Driftwood too and they weren’t bad at all, mixing folky stuff with mellower chart hits. Luca’s arm snaked around her shoulders and Jess settled against him happily enough, although she still kept thinking how strange it was to have another man’s arm around her and that it felt like wearing a coat that didn’t quite fit, even though everyone said it looked great on you. Or was that her simply readjusting to the new ‘normal’?
During the band’s break, they had a couple of coffees and Luca had his brandy. Jess had turned down a brandy herself, feeling she was mellow enough. They chatted easily about anything and everything. The farm, life on Scilly, Luca’s parents’ villa and his grandparents’ place on Sardinia. He told her a little about his work in London and with the Petroc Resort but didn’t mention a significant other or any recent relationships. If Luca knew about Adam, he didn’t let on either. Talking about ex-partners was meant to be a no-no on first dates anyway, and Jess was certain neither of them wanted to sour the mood.
After the band had done their final number, Luca suggested they leave before last orders. Jess was feeling chilled and hopeful. If she could have a good time after the shock of seeing Adam with Keri and Emmy, she must be more resilient than she’d thought.
As soon as they were outside on the pub terrace, Luca turned to her, his face lit by the light spilling out from the windows.
‘I hope you’ve enjoyed this evening … And if you can bear to repeat it, there’s an Italian Gourmet evening at the Rose & Crab on Saturday night.’
Jess’s stomach fluttered, as she realised how much she’d subconsciously hoped there would be another date. ‘Sounds great.’
He gave a wry smile. ‘I expect it’ll be about as Italian as a chicken tikka pizza but if you fancied joining me for dinner, that would be great.’
Funnily enough, she couldn’t think of a single reason to say no to a handsome, fit Italian asking her for a gourmet dinner at one of the islands’ top restaurants.
‘OK,’ she said boldly. ‘But I’m not letting you pay.’
He grinned. ‘Oh, I’ve no intention of paying. I’m the marketing manager. I’ll put it on expenses. And you can take this any way you want to, but please stay over if you want to instead of worrying about rushing to get the boat home. I can get you a room at the hotel,’ he added.
‘The hotel?’ She wasn’t quite sure what he meant but his next comment made it clearer.
‘If you’re more comfortable with that. Although there’s always the sofa bed in the cottage …’
She went shivery. Wow. This handsome, sophisticated man was asking her to stay the night … in his own subtle, charming way. All she had to do was say yes.
‘Thanks. I’d love to come to dinner.’ Let him make of that what he would. It let him know she was interested in taking things further but not how far. She wasn’t certain herself yet.
‘Great. I think I have to leave. Keith the boatman texted me to say he’s on his way and if I miss the tides, even he can’t get me back to Petroc. I had a great time tonight. It was fun, even with the eyes of a whole island on us.’
‘So did I.’
Smoothly and before she’d even realised it, he leaned in for a kiss and she was in his arms. She tried to relax into the kiss: no peck on the cheek this time but the full-on variety.
Her first kiss in eight months.
It was so different. So expert but maybe more insistent, more demanding, than she’d expected. He even cupped her face with his hands like they did in the movies. He made no attempt to end it, but pulled her closer against him. Jess tried to relax and enjoy the moment as much as she ought to have done: being kissed in the moonlight by a gorgeous Italian wasn’t a hardship after all. Just as she thought she needed time to breathe and think, his phone beeped.
He swore softly, let her go and glanced at the screen.
‘That’s my carriage,’ he said with a rueful smile. ‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t want you turning into a pumpkin,’ she said, still reeling from the kiss, but trying to keep things light. She didn’t know how she felt about the way things were moving and she definitely didn’t want Luca to know.
‘I’ll be in touch about times when you’ve decided whether you want to stay over or not? Is that OK?’
‘Fine.’ She sounded far more blasé about the decision than she felt.
‘Goodnight then.’
He walked swiftly off, but Jess lingered on the path that led up to the pub. The wine was wearing off as the cool night air hit her lungs and made her feel as if the whole situation was slightly more surreal than before. She doubted she’d sleep that night as she tried to make sense of the evening. The highs, the lows, one new experience after another, the kiss and the offer: come to my place, stay over, no pressure but I’d really like you to sleep with me. He may not have used those exact words but she wasn’t naïve.
She had to think about it and even if she did stay, maybe he really did mean she could sleep on the sofa bed.
Hey, get real, Jess. That’s what Maisie would say to her. For God’s sake, they were way more than grown-up and he was absolutely gorgeous. What possible reason could she have for not staying over with him? Or sleeping with him? She certainly didn’t care what anyone thought: it was none of their business. Not even Adam’s, not that he could have any idea how her evening had gone.
She zipped up her jacket as the cool air chilled the exposed flesh of her cleavage. She deserved a bit of fun and Luca Parisi was surely the man to provide it?
The clouds had parted to reveal the moon over the sea, laying a silver pathway to the other islands. The wind rustled the branches of the trees and a bird called from the shadows. Jess quickened her step, hoping to clear her head with the brisk walk home. She heard footsteps behind her and thought Luca had come back down the path or someone from the pub was out, but when she turned, a figure detached itself from the shadows.
She’d lost count of the times she’d rehearsed what she was going to say to Adam if she ever came face to face with him again. She was going to be casual, relaxed, polite and as normal as it was possible to be. She was going to be fine with him having left without a reason and arriving back on the island with a woman and child in tow.
All her resolve flew away in an instant to be replaced by an anger that seethed through her and made her feel like a stranger to herself. Why did he still have the power to upset her like this, even after a lovely evening with a new date? She barely allowed herself a second’s glance at him before she almost ran off in the opposite direction.
‘Jess! Wait!’ Adam caught her up and took her arm.
She was shaking and felt sick – and shocked too. My God, he was thinner and diminished somehow. She was almost too shocked to speak. Almost.
‘Please get out of my way,’ she said.
‘Jess. Please don’t do this. Let me explain.’
‘I think it’s a bit late for that. I’ve nothing to say to you and I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me. I’m going home.’
Adam stayed put. A shadow on her path to a new life.
‘Move out of my way,’ she said.
‘OK. OK. But you must understand I never—’
‘Please don’t say you never meant to hurt me. Please don’t be that disappointing. You did hurt me, but now I’m over it. Keep away from me.’
He didn’t say anything and it was hard to see his face in the twilight. The moon slipped behind a cloud and only the lights from the pub cast any light at all. Jess hurried away, hoping she wouldn’t trip in the darkness.
‘I saw you with him.’ Adam’s voice followed her down the path.
Jess’s chest tightened and she turned back. The moon came out again, illuminating him in silver light.
‘And I saw you with them, Adam.’
Before he could answer again, Jess was off, running down the road, by the light of the moon, towards home.