‘I recently came into some money,’ Arturo said smoothly, ‘and I can’t think of a better way of spending some of it than on bringing you here.’
‘I’m not dressed for this place.’
‘Do you care what other people think?’ He swung out of the car and walked around to open her door.
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘I don’t.’
‘Maybe it’s a legacy from when my mum went away.’ Rose was agog as they were shown into the splendid hotel and then escorted like royalty to the most impressive dining room she had ever been in. She was hardly aware of what she was saying. She was way too focused on trying to take in everything around her.
‘You were saying...?’ he said as soon as they were seated, a corner table with a bird’s eye view of the richly ornate interior.
‘I was saying that my eyes are popping out.’ She swivelled to look at him and her breathing became shallow. What money, she wondered, had he come into? But then, hot on the heels of that thought, came another—her mother had been the recipient of an equally surprising inheritance. Stranger things happened in life. It certainly explained how he was footloose and fancy free...and able to indulge his interest in saving the countryside.
And if he was generous by nature, as he clearly was, then he would probably travel around until the cash ran out before returning to whatever job he had had before. That was a small detail he had never filled her in on.
He’d warned her off reading anything into this dinner invitation but he was crazy if he thought that she wasn’t going to be impressed to death by his generosity and by the time and effort he’d put into sourcing this place for them. God only knew how he’d managed to wangle a table but she had seen, in his interactions with the people on the site, that he could charm the birds from the trees.
‘And you were telling me why it is that you care about what people think...’
Rose looked at him. He’d shaved but still managed to look darkly dangerous. There was a stillness about him that made her nerves race and brought a fine prickle of perspiration to her skin. Something about the lazy intensity of his eyes when they focused on her.
‘And how long did your mother go away for?’
‘Two years,’ Rose admitted, flattered at his interest.
‘Twoyears?’
‘I know in the big scheme of things it doesn’t seem like a lifetime but, believe me, when you’re a kid and you’re waiting by the window itfeelsnever-ending.’
‘In the big scheme of things it bloodyisnever-ending, Rose, and to a kid... How oldwereyou?’
‘Eight.’
* * *
‘Eight.’ Art was shocked. His father had lost the plot for very similar reasons, which pretty much said everything there was to say on the subject of love, but abandonment had not been an issue. ‘Where did you stay...at the age of eight...while your mother vanished on her soul-seeking mission?’
‘You shouldn’t be too hard on her. She was screwed up at the time. I stayed in the village, of course. Where else? I lived with the neighbours. I’m not sure whether they thought that they’d be hanging onto me for as long as they had to but they were wonderful. That said, I knew there was gossip and that hurt. I was saved from a much harsher fate when my mother started acting up because I happened to live where I did. In a small village that protected its own. I owe them.’
‘You owe them...the entire village...a sizeable debt. So...’ this half to himself ‘...that’swhy this fight is so personal to you.’
‘Something like that. But you must be bored stiff listening to me rattle on.’
‘The opposite.’ Art forced himself to relax. All problems had solutions and he was solution-orientated. ‘I’ve wandered through the village,’ he said, adroitly changing the subject as he perused the menu without looking at her. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t thought to use a little bribery and blackmail with the developers who want the land you’re occupying...’
‘Sorry?’ Rose’s head shot up and she stared at him with a frown.
‘You recall I asked Phil to have a look at the paperwork? Not because I’m any kind of expert, but I wanted to see for myself what the legal position was with the land. Some of the protesters out there have been asking questions...’
‘You never mentioned that to me.’
‘Should I have? Passing interest. Nothing more.’ Art paused. ‘The land is sold and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.’
‘You’d be surprised how public opinion can alter the outcome of something unpleasant.’ Rose’s lips firmed. She wasn’t sure whether to fume at his intrusion or be pleased at his intelligent interest in the situation.
‘People might be open to alternative lines of approach,’ he implied, shutting his menu and sitting back.
