Aged for Vengeance Page 3

  *

  By five p.m. when Olivia left, the evening had turned dark, cold, and misty. Stepping outside the tasting room, she looked back, appreciating the golden glow that streamed from the doorway, bright with the promise of firelight and hospitality.

  Then, to her surprise, a familiar silhouette materialized in the doorway.

  A moment later, Marcello joined her, pulling on a jacket. His dark hair looked rumpled from the stressful day he’d clearly had, but his gaze was warm, and so was his smile.

  “Olivia. I am glad you have not yet left. I was delayed in my office, making arrangements for the Platinum Tour. I had hoped to speak to you earlier.”

  Curious, Olivia said, “What is it?”

  She was certain that this would be something to do with the tour, but Marcello’s next words left her feeling surprised.

  “Can you travel with me to Chianti tomorrow? We will need to leave early, at eight-thirty, and should be back by mid-afternoon. I have something important to discuss with you.”

  Important? What was so important that Marcello had to travel into the Chianti region to tell her?

  Olivia’s mind raced. Impatience overwhelmed her and suddenly tomorrow seemed much too far away. Why couldn’t Marcello tell her now? She felt tempted to plead with him to give her at least a hint. Then she decided not to. It would be pushing their professional boundaries too far.

  “Can we spare the time away before the tour?” she asked, thinking of what a whirlwind tomorrow would be.

  “Yes. I have confirmed with Nadia and Jean-Pierre that they will handle the wine tasting as well as the preparation,” Marcello reassured her.

  “In that case, I’d love to go with you. What a treat,” she enthused, seeing from the mischievous gleam in his eyes that he’d sensed how curious she was, but wasn’t about to set her mind at rest.

  Sometimes Olivia wished that she and Marcello weren’t so much on the same wavelength. It was disconcerting how easily he could read her. It occurred to her that she and Marcello thought along similar lines more often than she and Danilo did. Were you supposed to be more in tune with your boss than your boyfriend? Olivia wasn’t sure about that!

  “I look forward to our journey,” Marcello said with an enigmatic smile.

  Olivia racked her brains for other leading questions but couldn’t think of any. She couldn’t ask how she should dress. She was going on an outing with a winery owner, in the Tuscan midwinter. It was perfectly obvious what her ensemble should include for smartness, warmth, and elegance.

  “Have a good evening,” she said reluctantly, abandoning her fruitless quest for information.

  “And you, too. Are you sure you do not want a ride home?”

  This was another traditional question, which Marcello asked whenever he saw her outside at closing time.

  “I love the walk,” Olivia said, and even on a cold, misty night it was absolutely true. The stroll along the quiet roads, shrouded in fog and with fine water droplets caressing her face while she gazed at the outlines of trees just visible in the darkness, felt like an adventure every time. It brought her no less of a thrill than when she walked the route in bright sunshine, enjoying every detail of the hills, forests, and patchwork fields that made up the rolling landscape.

  “I will see you tomorrow,” Marcello confirmed, before heading back inside.

  With curiosity still fizzing inside her, Olivia headed up the service road. She knew that even in the mist and darkness, Erba would hear her footsteps and be waiting. Sure enough, the moment she crested the hill, Olivia heard the patter of hooves from the goat dairy where Erba spent her daytime.

  Strolling along in the misty darkness, Olivia remembered that she had a special evening ahead with Danilo. Tonight, she would hopefully uncover one of the biggest mysteries in the old and previously dilapidated farm she’d bought.

  It had seemed like a crazy idea to invest in a twenty-acre piece of rugged, disheveled real estate in the hills of Tuscany, but Olivia had fallen in love with the farm. She’d since discovered it had been used for wine production long ago, before being abandoned and falling into disrepair.

  Olivia had been enthralled to discover an old, locked storeroom hidden in the forested hills. For months, she had searched for the key, unwilling to force the lock to find out what was inside the small, secluded building.

  Recently, Danilo had uncovered an old, antique-looking key. He’d found it near the bottom of the pile of rubble which had dominated the barn before Olivia had repurposed it as a winemaking room.

  Tonight, Danilo was coming around after work. They planned to hike up to the storeroom and see if the key worked. Olivia was nervous about what they might find inside, and felt glad that Danilo would be there so that they could open it together. At least, if it proved to be empty, they could cheer each other up afterwards.

  So far, her farm had yielded two incredible finds. The first was an unopened antique bottle of wine, which was currently at a specialist store for the label to be restored, and the second was a far more ancient shard of glass, identified as being from a priceless bottle originally from a local winery.

  What further treasures, if any, were hidden away? Olivia was excited to find out.

  She couldn’t wait to see Danilo again! How lucky was she to be dating a man who was handsome, kind, funny, and great company? And, although they’d only been on a couple of dates, she was starting to realize Danilo was also very romantic.

  The downside was that their time together had been limited. In fact, it had been a full week since they’d seen each other, which Olivia hadn’t expected at the start of a new relationship. But Danilo, a carpenter and woodworker by trade, had recently been snowed under with urgent orders. Yesterday, he’d told her that his in-tray was finally clear and everything had been delivered.

  What to do first? Mulling over her evening’s plans, Olivia stopped for a moment to admire the small vine plantation near the driveway. The young plants were thriving, despite the colder weather, and thanks mostly to Danilo’s help and advice. Thinking of him, she smiled.

  Would Danilo want to see the small batch of wine fermenting in the barn? Even though there wasn’t much to see, Olivia was sure he’d be interested in the progress of the ice wine she’d made after harvesting the grapes that had been frozen on her farm’s wild vines. It was her very first vintage as an independent winemaker, and she felt a mixture of excitement and nerves whenever she thought about its progress.

  They could go past the barn on the way to the storeroom, inspect the fermenting wine together, and then come back to the farmhouse for food.

  In which case, dinner was her next priority. Olivia had better get cooking!

  But, as she opened the front door, her phone beeped with an incoming message. Quickly, she grabbed it. Was Danilo going to arrive early?

  As she read it, her heart plummeted into her shoes.

  “Sorry! We will have to postpone tonight, I cannot make it. D,” the terse and unloving message read.

  Staring at the words, Olivia let out an anguished sigh as discouragement filled her. Why could Danilo not make it? He knew how important tonight was. It was no ordinary dinner date, but the night that they were going to try out the key!

  He hadn’t even given a reason in that short message, Olivia realized, feeling uncertain about things all over again. What was the reason? Why wasn’t he telling her? Why hadn’t he called? Or, at the very least, added a row of X’s or a heart emoji? Perhaps she had gotten the wrong impression of him, and he didn’t have romantic feelings about her at all.

  Olivia had been cheated on in the past, and she had trust issues. Logically, she knew that a relationship couldn’t progress from “friends” to “deeply committed” in one wild leap. But in her heart, she feared that the unexpected cancellation meant things weren’t working out.

  Perhaps she was fooling herself, and this wasn’t a real relationship, Olivia thought despondently, trudging into the kitchen.

  Her adopted black-and-white cat, Pirate, jumped onto the counter, meowing excitedly. He didn’t care that Olivia’s plans were canceled. All he cared was that she should serve him his dinner immediately.

  Despite herself, Olivia felt better. It was impossible to remain downhearted around Pirate. He was always doing something entertaining. But as she reached for the kibble container, ready to pour some into his bowl, Olivia changed her mind.

  She had to try again to get Pirate into the carrier. As a previously wild ex-feral, he was unneutered and hadn’t had his shots. Taking him to the vet was becoming an urgent priority. The problem was that Pirate didn’t want to go to the vet. Or get into the carrier.

  It was confusing how such a gentle and affectionate feline could turn into a deadly people-shredding machine in an instant, but Olivia had seen it happen. Never mind that, she’d personally experienced the results! She still had the Band-Aid on her wrist to prove it.

  “Come, Pirate!” she said, trying to infuse her voice with calm authority.

  Hoping that her gentle but firm touch would soothe the cat, she picked him up.

  Pirate draped his light weight in her hands, purring vigorously. Olivia felt hopeful that this time, her efforts would succeed.

  “What a beautiful kitty you are,” she cooed, jouncing him gently in her grasp as she headed purposefully across the kitchen to the carrier.

  Why did they make the doors so small? she wondered, kneeling down and trying to keep Pirate’s paws off the floor while she aimed him at the narrow doorway.

  “In, sweet kitty! Nooo!”

  With a hiss, Pirate reverted to his feral roots, wriggling out of Olivia’s grasp and swiping angrily at her. She snatched her hand away just in time. She really didn’t want another flesh wound. They stung!


  Growling, Pirate ran into the living room. Olivia grabbed the kibble bag and ran after him, shaking it enticingly even as frustration surged inside her.

  “Foodies! Foodies!”

  But Pirate had changed his mind, clearly deciding freedom was more important than dinner. He darted into the hallway and headed upstairs, his paws thudding on the wooden steps. There, Olivia knew from experience, he would take refuge under the bed with his back against the wall. She would have to crawl under the bed if she wanted to try and grab him again, but Pirate’s strategic position would mean he could stay safely in place, while delivering devastating right hooks with his claws bared.

  “All right,” Olivia capitulated. “You win.”

  Discouraged, she returned to the kitchen and poured the kibble into his bowl. She knew he’d sense she’d given up and would be back in no time at all, munching contentedly as if the dramatic capture scene had never played out!

  As she put the bag away, her phone started ringing. Hoping that Danilo had changed his mind, Olivia grabbed it. It wasn’t Danilo, but she was comforted to see that the caller was her best friend, Charlotte, from back in the States.

  “Hey,” she greeted her.

  “What’s up?” Charlotte asked immediately, clearly sensing Olivia’s mood.

  “Everything’s good.” Olivia pressed her lips together in annoyance as she watched Pirate trot confidently down the stairs again.

  “I meant, what’s wrong?” Charlotte said patiently.

  “Nothing! I’ve just gotten in and I’m about to enjoy a lovely evening at home,” Olivia said, deciding to put a brave face on her lonely predicament. There was no need to burden Charlotte with her relationship worries.

  “Oh. I thought you sounded sad.”

  “Not at all,” Olivia said firmly.

  “Well, I just got back from the hairdresser. She put more red highlights into my hair and I’m loving it.”

  “Send a picture! I want to see,” Olivia said, feeling better as she thought of her cheerful friend’s russet-hued locks.

  “I will. Are you preparing dinner now?”

  Olivia glanced at the fridge. It was packed full of delicious ingredients, and she’d bought fresh gnocchi yesterday. She could make a garlicky tomato sauce to go with it, and cover it in grated Parmesan for a decadently delicious result.

  Firmly, Olivia told herself to have some discipline. It was too early to start preparing food. Instead, she decided to spend an hour on a tedious but necessary chore.

  “Pirate’s eating his dinner after refusing again to go into the cat carrier,” Olivia updated her friend with a sigh. “But mine will have to wait. For now, I’m heading upstairs. I’m busy tiling the bathroom walls, and I need to get it finished.”

  “I remember they were in a horrific state. I thought you’d have to pay someone to fix them up. And you’re doing it all yourself?” Charlotte’s voice rang with admiration.

  The original bathroom, though spacious, had been badly plastered and then, at some stage, somebody had glued thick blue wallpaper onto the walls. In a bathroom! The place had been filled with peeling fronds of paper and crumbling plaster, and Olivia had grown used to bathing in what felt like a building site as she’d scraped and chiseled layers of the old coverings off the walls.

  Now, section by section, she was retiling the walls in a soft cream shade, with a few mosaic tiles providing a sparkly green highlight. Olivia didn’t fool herself that she was in any way talented at the task, but she was proud of her homemade efforts.

  “I’m not a natural tiler, and it’s very hard work,” Olivia admitted. “Still, I’m saving money, and it’s something to do in the evenings. There’s only so much studying Italian a girl can do.”

  She switched her phone to speaker and put it on the edge of the bath, before adding water to the dry mix that was waiting in the container. Mixing it well, she picked up one of the smooth cream tiles and pressed it into place, enjoying the clayey smell of the mortar.

  “Talking of studying Italian…” Charlotte’s voice dropped, sounding curious. “Have you studied any good Italians lately?”

  Olivia snorted with laughter.

  “If that’s a question about my love life, the truth is that it’s not much different from when I was single,” she admitted sadly, placing another of the cream tiles carefully into its spot.

  “What about Danilo? I was imagining you’d be preparing a lovely dinner for him.”

  “I was supposed to, but he canceled on me.” Olivia knew Charlotte could pick up on the disappointment in her voice.

  “So that’s why you sounded sad. Don’t worry. I’m sure he must be busy this time of year,” Charlotte soothed.

  “I’m wondering if I rushed into this.” Olivia scooped up another chunk of mortar and pressed another tile into place. She was well over halfway now. It wouldn’t be long before this tedious task was behind her.

  “Of course you are. You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t. Being in a new relationship isn’t easy. So much uncertainty. You must be wishing you could skip ahead a little while, to when things are more settled.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel.” Charlotte had summarized all Olivia’s angst. She felt comforted that her friend knew her so well. “I was thinking thirty years might do it.”

  “Thirty years? You’ll miss out on all the fun parts. Be brave! Remember from what you told me, he’s also been on his own awhile, and probably doesn’t want to rush or crowd you.”

  “You’re right. I just have to try not to panic,” Olivia agreed reluctantly.

  “And Marcello? Is he still single?” Charlotte’s tone was loaded with meaning.

  “Yes, but we have an agreement, remember. No romance in the workplace.” Olivia chose another sparkly green tile for contrast. They were her favorite. She always felt excited when it was time for a green tile.

  “Hmmm. Does Marcello know about Danilo?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell him. I mean, what am I supposed to do? Walk up to him and say I’m dating someone? If Danilo and I are actually dating. We’ve only been on two dates!”

  Scraping up more mortar, Olivia knew she sounded defensive. Another “Hmmm” from Charlotte didn’t help at all.

  “We’re going on an outing tomorrow,” she said.

  “You and Danilo?”

  “No. Marcello is taking me out. I’m not sure where. It’s a business trip, but he said he has something important to tell me. Not that a business trip is any hardship, as it’s likely to be to a vineyard,” Olivia said.

  “Have you thought that he might have romantic intentions? Perhaps that’s the something important? What if he confesses that you’ve made him rethink the whole no-more-dating-staff rule?”

  Olivia almost clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Just in time, she remembered her fingers were smeared with gray, sticky mortar.

  Charlotte could well be right, she realized. In which case, tomorrow’s outing would become an embarrassing disaster.

  Suddenly, Olivia was dreading it.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  As Olivia headed to the winery the following day in the cold but sunny morning, she was brimming with mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was worried that Charlotte’s hunch was right, and Marcello was going to tell her he’d changed his mind, and romance was on the cards.

  On the other hand, she felt relieved that today would include an outing, and a chance to get away from the mad preparations for the Platinum Tour that everyone at La Leggenda would be embroiled in.

  When she rounded the corner and joined the path that led to the front of the winery, she saw Marcello was already there. He was examining the flower beds that flanked the entrance door. At this stage of winter, the beds contained mostly greenery, but Marcello was gazing hopefully into them.

  “I see some buds,” he told Olivia, turning and smiling. “Perhaps spring is not as far away as we think! Around the corner, new energy will bloom. I love spring!”

  Olivia found her heart fluttering at the use of that word “love,” and not in a good way. Her fears surged again. It felt as if Marcello were setting the tone upfront for this trip, or even foreshadowing its purpose.

  He greeted her in the traditional Italian manner, with a kiss on each cheek. As he bent forward, a lock of his hair brushed hers, gently tickling. She smelled the fresh scent of shaving gel, and the woody aroma of his leather jacket.