Her gaze rested on a certificate on the wall, Leonardo Sanchez. She read through, picking up the worddentista. ‘You were a dentist?’ she asked. Then added. ‘Oh, you trained in London. So that is why your English is so good.’
‘Si, I retired a few years ago.’
‘Leonardo, it’s a nice name. But you prefer Leo?’
‘It is easier to say.’
She nodded. ‘My name is Patricia, but I prefer Patti.’
‘Patreecia,’ he said slowly. ‘It is pretty.’
Their eyes held for a moment then Leo turned. ‘Come, let us get those drinks.’
The kitchen was huge too, again with dark wooden cupboards, a gas stove and a wooden table and six chairs.
‘It’s very spacious.’ Patti gazed around, imagining Leo, Elena and their children gathered around the table eating and chatting.
‘Too big now, but when the children were little we needed the space.’ He opened the fridge and took out a jug of pomegranate juice, put ice in two glasses and poured the drink over it. ‘Would you like tapas? Bread and cheese?’ he asked.
‘No, thank you. I’m fine.’
He took out two bowls and filled one with olives and the other with a mix of nibbles anyway, then placed it all on a tray. ‘Let us sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.’
Both dogs were lying in the shade when they went back out. Leo put the tray down on the table on the terrace, taking the glasses and dishes off and placing them out.
‘Please, sit down, help yourself.’
Patti sat down on the nearest chair, picked up one of the drinks and took a long sip. ‘This is delicious. Just what I needed.’ She gazed around in admiration. ‘It must be wonderful to live here and drink juice from your own trees. And eat fresh vegetables and eggs.’
‘It is, yes.’ Leo sat down beside her. ‘Life is good.’
They sat and talked more, Leo told her about Elena who had died in a car accident almost ten years ago. ‘The bends here, they are so dangerous.’ And his son and daughter who now lived in Barcelona and Madrid. ‘They need to be where the work is. I don’t see them often now, but we keep in touch.’
‘Have you thought of moving nearer to them?’ she asked.
He took a long sip of his juice before replying. ‘They have asked me, but my life is here.’
She thought about Sandra, and Don trying to persuade her to move to Cambridge. She told Leo about it. ‘So you are glad that you didn’t move to be by one of your children?’
He leaned back, gazing out over to the mountains. ‘The city is not for me. When you are young you are always chasing things, but when you are older it is different. You want a slower life. It is good to go out, to do things, but it is also good to come home to peace and quiet.’
Patti reached for a handful of the nibbles then leaned back to enjoy the view too. There weren’t many places more peaceful than this. She didn’t blame Leo for wanting to stay here. She wished she could stay here, with him.
The thought took her by surprise and she blinked. Wow, talk about getting carried away.
‘Will you be sad to go back and leave all this?’ Leo asked quietly. His eyes were fixed on her face, as if her answer was important to him.
She bit her lip as she considered this. ‘I will miss it. And Keith and Mary and…’ she stopped herself from adding ‘and you’ but as if he knew what she was going to say he reached out and placed his hand softly on hers. ‘And I will miss you. You are…’ he paused as if searching for the right word. ‘Una luz– a light in the room.’
Was he saying that she lit up the room? She stared at him, wondering what to say.
‘Maybe you will come again to visit your brother very soon?’ His voice was soft and his eyes were still on her face.
She nodded. ‘Yes, definitely.’
He sat back and smiled. ‘I will look forward to that.’
45
