The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop Part 26

Evie settled back into her chair and began telling the story.

'Luigi's life was complicated, and I knew that from the start. He'd been married to his childhood sweetheart, a woman from a well-loved local family. They had two young children. Then his wife died at just thirty-four. He was devastated, and so was his whole family they'd all been devoted to her.'

'Sounds like it would have been difficult to live up to that memory.'

'Exactly, and that's why we decided to keep it a secret. I knew who his family were I saw them around town, it wasn't a big place but they had no idea I was part of Luigi's life.'

'That must have been hard.'

'When you're in your forties, fifties, beyond, you accept that most relations.h.i.+ps are going to come with some baggage, something extra to handle, and I understood why he made the choice he was making. We agreed that, if things worked out, in time, we would tell people but he was really close to his daughter, and he didn't want her to think he was betraying the memory of her mother.'

'Then what happened? When you had to come home?'

'I came back to this rainy country, missing him desperately but hoping that after a few weeks the memories would fade and I'd be able to move on with my life. But I couldn't stop thinking about him.'

'Did you stay in touch?'

'Yes, we'd write. And the next summer I took a chance and went back over there.'

'How was it seeing him again?'

'It was wonderful,' Evie said. 'But, as the week drew to a close, his daughter started to ask questions about me. We decided together that he had to put his family first, concentrate on raising his children. So, after that trip, I never went back.'

'And you never wondered?'

'Oh, I've wondered every day,' Evie said. 'And your poor grandmother got the brunt of it. Which is what got her started with this meddling, I suspect.'

Chapter 38.

Matteo and Anna had agreed that she'd stay at home with Bella while he waited for more news on his sister's condition. But Anna couldn't stop thinking of the way he'd sounded on the phone his voice cut through with desperation and pain. Just after nine in the evening, Anna had a change of heart. She needed to be with him. She called Maria and asked her to babysit, and then got a taxi to the hospital on her own.

She walked the sterile corridors, looking out for Matteo. The first she saw was Elisa, cradled in Matteo's arms, the two of them sitting on plastic waiting-room chairs. Her usually strong, determined face was creased with anxiety, and Matteo was holding her so tight it wasn't really clear who was supporting whom.

'Anna,' her mother-in-law said. 'You're here.'

Anna bent to kiss her and then hugged Matteo. 'I couldn't bear to wait at home. I'm so sorry.'

Elisa shook her head. 'I warned her about that road,' she said. 'I said to her, "Stop being in such a rush, take the long route . . ." But she always was impatient, that is her way.'

'It's a dangerous road, notorious around here,' Matteo said. 'But I guess she thought she could handle it. They say a van caught her on the corner. The moped went off-road and she fell.'

'That sounds terrible,' Anna said. 'How serious is it?'

'It's bad, I think,' he answered. 'Bad enough for her to be in intensive care, damage to her internal organs.' Tears came into his eyes and he hurriedly brushed them away. 'The staff here are incompetent. We've been waiting here for three hours now with no information, not a word from anyone.'

The note of anger and frustration was something she'd never heard in his voice before, and she held his hand tightly, wis.h.i.+ng she could ease his grief.

'Did you know?' Elisa asked, looking up at Anna.

'No . . . I had no idea it was her-'

'I don't mean that,' she said. 'Did you know about the baby?'

Anna felt numb with shock. Of course, the doctors would have found that out, and told them. 'Yes, I did.'

Elisa nodded. 'I thought so.' Her expression was tired and pained.

'She was planning to tell you. She wanted time to get used to the idea.'

Matteo looked at his wife. 'You kept this to yourself?'

'I had to,' Anna whispered. 'She made me swear not to tell anyone.'

'Well, I'm glad she wasn't alone with it,' Elisa said, her voice tight with emotion. 'And from what Matteo's just told me about Filippo . . . well. I wonder what I knew about my daughter at all. Perhaps that doesn't even matter now,' she said, tears coming to her eyes.

Matteo put an arm around his mother's shoulders. But, instead of feeling as if they were in two camps, as she normally did, Anna had the sense they were all in it together now, with Carolina's wellbeing at the forefront of all their minds.

'I'll get some coffee for us all,' Anna said, checking for change in her purse.

She looked up and Matteo's eyes were fixed on hers. 'I'm glad you came, Anna. I needed you here.'

Anna made herself an espresso and got the ice cream shop ready for the early-morning customers, cleaning down the counters and putting the ices they would sell that day into the gla.s.s cabinet. Raspberry, strawberry, lemon . . . The bright colours and fresh fruit aromas offered a little comfort in their familiarity. She'd got a call from Matteo saying that Carolina was being taken in for surgery, and he was going to stay at the hospital until she came out. To think of her sister-in-law lying in theatre, unconscious and alone, gave Anna a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. But they'd decided that the best thing to do was to open the shop. They needed to retain some normality while so much was out of their hands.

Anna closed the shop early that afternoon though, and took Bella with her to the hospital. The taxi pulled up outside the entrance.

Matteo was outside on the edge of the car park, smoking a cigarette and staring into the distance. She'd never seen him smoke in all the time she'd known him. He'd told her he'd given up at thirty. He looked older, and she could see the strain on his face.

She kissed him h.e.l.lo briefly and he reached down to take Bella into his arms; she gurgled as he lifted her up and cuddled her. 'Papi,' she said, delighted to see him again.

'I've missed you, sweetheart,' he said, putting her gently back down onto her feet.

'Have you seen Carolina?' Anna asked.

'Yes. I saw her an hour ago. G.o.d, Anna, she looks terrible, her face all bruised, and all these wires.' He motioned to the veins on his hands and arms.

'But . . .?'

He bit his lip. 'She's conscious. It's amazing. I talked to her. She talked back.' Tears sprang to his eyes.

'Sad,' Bella said, pointing at her father's eyes.

He shook his head. 'No, love. Happy.'

Anna took his hand and squeezed it.

'She's out of intensive care. They think she's going to be OK.' He choked on the words.

'That's wonderful news,' Anna said, a wave of relief coming over her.

'And there's more,' he said.

'The baby?' she said quietly.

He nodded. 'The doctor told me she hasn't lost it.'

'They've told her, too?'

'Yes.'

Anna and Matteo walked with their daughter through to the ward Carolina was recovering on. In the room, Anna saw instantly what Matteo had been talking about. Carolina looked like a shadow of herself, her body seeming more frail somehow. Elisa was at her side.

'Let's play outside,' Elisa said to her granddaughter.

'Is it too much for me to visit her, do you think?' Anna whispered the question to Matteo.

'No,' he said, firmly. 'You're family. You go in and visit her. She'll want to see you.'

They closed the door, leaving the two women alone in the room.

Anna stood for a moment, taking in the scene. Carolina, normally so immaculately made up, was barely recognisable, dark bruises all over her face and chest.

'I look a mess, right?' Carolina said, a trace of her familiar warm smile on her lips, the skin around them swollen.

'The swelling will go down soon, I'm sure,' Anna said, attempting to comfort her.

'It sounds like they did quite a job on me. My lung had collapsed. Urgh! Anna, when I think about it if my fall hadn't been broken by that tree . . .' She shook her head but only a millimetre, and even then the movement made her wince in discomfort.

'You're here now,' Anna said. 'That's what matters.'

'And the baby is still here, too.' Carolina's expression softened.

Anna held back, giving her s.p.a.ce to continue. After a pause, she did.

'We both got a second chance,' Carolina said.

'You're feeling more ready?'

'Yes. I know it's going to be difficult. And the whole thing is crazy, really. But I've never felt more certain about anything. I'll make it work.'

Anna looked at her sister-in-law, bruised but stronger, and felt honoured to know her.

'I should leave you to rest,' Anna said, touching her arm gently. 'But we're all so happy to see you getting well, and we'll be here for you every step of the way.'

'Thank you,' Carolina said. 'And thank you, Anna. For listening.'

Chapter 39.

It was a hot August day and Evie and Imogen were sitting together eating lemon sorbets in the ice cream shop. The morning rush had pa.s.sed, and there was only one regular there, an older man immersed in his newspaper.

'What on earth am I going to write to Luigi?' Evie said, quietly. 'His letter was lovely. But it's been such a long time.'

'Just tell him what you're doing,' Imogen said casually. 'Talk to him about this place. Or tell him about the last book you read, the swim you went for this morning. It doesn't really matter he'll just want to hear back from you.'

'Do you really think so?' Evie said, smiling with a hint of shyness.

'I know so,' Imogen said.

'Well, he says he's still running the restaurant, so perhaps he doesn't expect me to've changed the world too much.' She fell silent for a moment. 'What did you think of him, Imogen?' she asked softly.

'I liked him. Warm. Funny. Honest.'

'That's just how I remember him. Devoted to his family, of course.'

'Let's put some photos in. He loved seeing the one of you and Granny.'

'Oh, I'm not surprised: that one was ancient. But I'm an old lady now. I don't think I even have any photographs of me from the last few years.'

'Well, perhaps it's time we fixed that.'

Imogen tidied a lock of Evie's hair and s.h.i.+fted the chair she was sitting on slightly so that her face caught the light.

'There we are,' Imogen said. She stepped back and set up her camera. It hadn't taken long to get her equipment, and the post-lunchtime lull afforded them the perfect opportunity.

'Think back to Italy,' Imogen said. 'Let's try and capture some of that same Evie.'

Evie laughed. 'Oh, Imogen, I was so much younger then.'

'That's it perfect,' Imogen said, snapping photos.

Sensing some action, Hepburn bounded over to Evie and leaped up into her lap.

'Hepburn!' Evie reprimanded him. Unconcerned, he settled into her lap comfortably.