A Life Sublime (18 page)

Everything replayed in his mind. The lift of her lips when she smiled, the sound of her laughter, and the screeching tone of her voice when she was telling someone off. Rather inappropriately, a grin tugged at his face before he controlled himself. For a woman who proclaimed to be too old to do, well, everything, there was such vivaciousness in her. All muffled by what she believed was the right thing to do. He could tell that she was the ‘almost’ girl. She’d almost done everything she wanted, but fallen short—with her husband, not having children, not fulfilling her dreams. Was it so very wrong that he wanted to share that with her? Help her to live while she still could, before it was all stolen from her whether by disease, by God or by time? But she had asked for space and he would honour that. He didn’t really have a choice about it.

It had only been a scant few days but he missed the woman fiercely. Missed the way she fitted to him perfectly, her touch, her smell, her bizarre way with words. It should have worried him how much he enjoyed the way she ordered him about but he knew it came from a place of affection. It was adorable and very amusing. Another smile was fighting its way free and he just about controlled it.

He glanced up from the order of service to see Arlo Vitale looking at him, red rimming his eyes. Massimo sent him the smallest smiles of sympathy. Arlo quickly turned his back and faced the front. Regrettable, he realised, but inevitable. And he’d promised himself no more of those.
Just eleven more days to go then.

Seated behind his desk, Massimo tapped the wood with the tips of his fingers, hating the sudden indecisiveness that was plaguing him. He’d bought the gift with the intention of turning up at Belinda’s home with an order cloaked in suggestion that they should go together. On his way home, the intention turned into a nightmare of Belinda laughing in his face and telling him to get lost. Or asking him why he couldn’t follow a simple instruction.
Leave me alone until I am ready
. He didn’t like sitting around waiting for things to happen. It wasn’t at all natural to him. Just as he got to his feet, as if God himself was protecting Belinda from his advances, his son and daughter-in-law bounced into his office smelling like a beach. He was smothered in hugs and kisses.

“How was the honeymoon?”

“Bliss,” Gina beamed. “I love Sicily, not as much as Naples, obviously. But the peace and quiet was awesome.”

“All right Pads?” Nick asked, giving him two kisses. “We didn’t interrupt did we?”

“Nothing at all. Did you drive all the way back?”

“We did and I never want to look at a car again.”

Gina grinned. “Oh really?”

“Stop that,” he said softly. Her grin widened and Nick indulged her with a kiss to her forehead.

“Come,” Massimo directed, edging them to the kitchen. “You must be hungry.”

He laid out a spread of cold meats, bread, cheese, and lemonade for Gina and ice tea for Nick. “I’m not going to eat too much,” Gina mumbled through a mouthful of ciabatta. “I’m meeting my aunt in a bit.”

Massimo glanced up. “You have spoken to her already?”

“Called her as soon as we hit English soil.”

“All I could hear was screeching,” Nick yawned. “Pads, do you mind if I have a shower? I’ll pass out otherwise.”

“You trying to say I smell?” Gina demanded. He pressed his mouth to her neck.

“Beautiful.” He got up and left them to it.

Massimo topped up her glass of lemonade, thinking how beautiful she did look. “Pads,” Gina said gently.

“Yes my girl?”

“I know you think you and my aunt is all my idea…”

He raised his eyebrows, “The idea was there long before you started making rather obvious bridal demands.”

Her eyes widened, “Oh really? Knew it.”

He caught her hand, “What is concerning you?”

Gina took in a deep breath. “Being with Nick has been the best thing that’s ever happened. But it’s put me in a place I didn’t want to be. Ever. And even though I’m so glad and relieved I’m pregnant again, there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about the first baby or my dad.”

Massimo squeezed her fingers. “I would never—”

She covered his hand with her other. “I know you would do your best, but no one, not even a Da Canaveze has that much control. I know I moan about my aunt but I do love her.” She tapped her fingers lightly on his knuckles. “You are going to be serious about her, aren’t you?”

“I am not a monster, Georgina. Your aunt is very precious to me. But she has asked me for distance.”

Gina’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

“Nothing as bad to warrant such an expression,” he frowned.

“What?”

He gave her hands a kiss. “I remember when Nicholas first introduced me to you.”

“What…?”

“My dear girl, no interrupting.”

“Yes Pads.”

“You were barely nineteen years old, you sang like Ella Fitzgerald and you are the only person I have ever allowed to beat me at chess. I had a feeling, a very good one, that you would become my daughter-in-law. I did not comprehend what else you would give me or my family.”

“Oh, Padre,” Gina whispered.

“I promise, if I warrant an expression of disappointment from you, I will allow it, because you are loved. And because you are loved, I would never do anything to upset your aunt. One moment.” He left her to collect the gift for Belinda. “Here. Please give this to your aunt.”

Gina looked at him, an unreadable emotion in her eyes. “Call her.”

“Georgina.”

“Call her. Or better, why don’t you go and see her?”

“Out of interest, why are you happy for this to grow?”

Gina smiled, resting her chin on a raised fist, “You’re good for one another. I think you’ll both learn there’s no need to be alone. So my vote is call her. My aunt’s really stubborn.”

“Er, Mrs. Soprano?” Nick’s voice sounded sternly from the doorway of the kitchen.

Gina blinked, her eyes wide with guile. “Why are you calling me?”

“You’re cheating.”

Gina tutted, “I am not.”

Massimo looked between his son and daughter-in-law, suspicion heavy in his eyes. “What are the two of you talking about?”

“Don’t let her sweet little face sway you,” Nick warned, lifting his wife bodily from her chair. “She’s doing it for personal gain.”

“Oi, I’m a woman of the heart.”

“You want my car.”

“I’m getting your car,” she corrected, stabbing his breastbone with a finger. “Pads, I’m going to clean up then meet my aunt. I will pass on your gift.”

“Say hello for me,” Massimo requested gently.

“Is that all?”

“Gina Da Canaveze!”

She sent him a rather stern look. “Don’t you take that tone with me. I’m the mother of your child.”

“For which I am eternally grateful. But stop cheating.”

She pouted at him and received a kiss for her troubles. “Excuse me Padre.”

“Nicholas, take a seat. I take it coffee is the order of the day?”

“Please,” Nick breathed out and ran a hand through his hair. Massimo still wanted to take a pair of scissors to his son’s locks. “Need to keep sharp, because my wife wants to rob my car.” Massimo laughed, turning to make the coffee.

“Oh we got you something. Two somethings. Just to say thank you for the wedding.”

Massimo frowned. “I did say not to worry.”

“Well we did.” He handed over a box of Massimo’s favourite lemon cakes from a special café in Palermo. Another smaller box held gold cufflinks engraved with his initials. He embraced Nick for a long time, touched by their thoughtfulness.

“Sit, sit.”

Nick did as he was told and asked, “Did you want to talk to me about something?”

Massimo placed the coffee in front of Nick before sitting down. “How do you feel about my… relationship with, another woman?”

“I think you’re brave,” Nick drawled, pouring the coffee into a huge mug. “Belinda doesn’t mess about.”

“Be serious.”

“I think, good for you.”

“You have no problem? I was married to your mother for a very long time.”

“I did for a bit, then Gina made me see the error of my ways.” Nick sighed, “All the more reason for you to enjoy a normal relationship. Look Dad, I know you’re lonely. I know you felt that way long before Ma even died. I know you hate rattling around in this big house by yourself. I don’t know why you haven’t thought about moving. Belinda will keep you on your toes at least. Besides, the one person you should really worry about adores Belinda.”

“Paul?”

“She’s missing a halo in his eyes,” Nick mocked.

“And what of you, what do you make of her?”

“Still scary as fuck, but she loves my wife, who hasn’t got a lot of family because of me. For that, I love her too. She’s very kind under all the headmistress clobber. I get the feeling people have taken advantage of her in the past and she’s wary. We’re probably the family she should have had. Even if she does think I’m a trouble maker.”

“You
are
a trouble maker.”

He smiled. “Genetics, dad. We’re happy. Me and Gina, Paul and Sofia. You don’t need to worry about us. And if certain things are holding you back, you should know that you don’t need to hold my hand any more. I’ve got it.”

There was nothing in his son’s actions or words to make him feel it wasn’t concrete fact.

“Thank you, son,” he said quietly. Nick lifted his cup in salute.

Belinda, my sweet, your time is almost up
.

“Okay Auntie, am I going to expect a wedding invitation?” Gina demanded, sitting across from her in the cafe opposite the clinic.

“What for?”

“You and my father-in-law.”

Belinda’s face flamed with heat. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Gina cleared her throat and extracted what looked like a tablet. “This is my iPad. And these are the photographs emailed over by the photographer. What caught my eye was this picture, here.”

She flipped it over for Belinda to hold. It was a picture of Massimo and Belinda dancing and whomever that photographer was, needed to be shot, point blank with something large and preferably Russian. They had captured the look that had passed between them, that they more than just understood one another. Just before Belinda dismissed the very idea of a mutual attraction as fanciful.