‘We’re going to the casino down the valley at San Daniele. There’s a big show going on and we’re booked into the hotel there for the night.’
Annie was impressed. The Grand Hotel was very, very expensive. ‘Just come into an inheritance, have you?’
He shook his head with an expression that could almost have been one of embarrassment. ‘Erm, I’m not paying. She gets the room free because she’s performing there tonight.’
Annie shot him a look. ‘Performing? Are we talking performing as in singing, dancing, or something more exotic?’ Annie was grinning at him.
‘She’s presenting it. You know, introducing the acts and so on. She’s a bit nervous about it and she wanted me to come along to hold her hand.’
Annie had little doubt that the girl’s hand was not going to be the only part of her body to be held by Matt at the Grand Hotel that night. By the dreamy expression on Karen’s face, she was also imagining the scene to come. Annie caught his eye.
‘So is it serious this time, Matt? Am I going to be hearing more about her in the future?’ It was unlikely. Matt’s list of conquests read like a phone book with the pages fanned by the wind. If he had ever started carving notches on his bed head, Annie felt pretty sure that there would be precious little left of the bed by now. He gave her a little smile.
‘I like Luisa. Did you recognise her? She reads the news on Torino Channel Seven.’
Annie didn’t watch a lot of television, but she suddenly realised that she did in fact recognise her.
‘Have you been together long?’ Karen was clearly interested. Matt’s expression returned to one of mild embarrassment.
‘Erm, no, not really. We met at a party in Turin last week and one thing led to another.’
‘Whose party was that, Matt?’ Although she and Steve had lived there for almost ten years, Annie hadn’t been back to Turin for some months now.
‘It was a company do. Her husband’s something big in the film business and I’ve been doing some work for them.’
Annie was more surprised by the fact that Matt’s translation business now had links to the Italian film industry than the fact that his latest girl was married. There was nothing unusual about that at all. Karen’s face, on the other hand, was now a picture; part disapproval, part awe. This came as a surprise to Annie. She had never thought of her big sister as being the type to be attracted to a bad boy, but then, Matt tended to have that effect upon women. She suppressed a grin as she saw the look on her sister’s face. Clearly, Karen thought Matt was rather nice. In fact, considering Karen was a happily married woman, it looked as though she was finding him rather too attractive. Annie coughed to attract her attention and grinned as Karen dropped her eyes guiltily and pretended she hadn’t been staring at him.
Luisa returned to the table and Matt stood up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get off.’ He held out his hand to Karen. ‘Goodbye, Karen. I hope I see you again.’
Karen also jumped to her feet. She wasn’t letting him off with a handshake. Annie grinned as her sister took two steps forward, grabbed him by the biceps, and kissed him on his stubbly cheeks. ‘Bye, Matt. I’m sure I’ll see you again before too long. I can’t wait to bring the family out here once Annie’s found herself somewhere to live.’
Matt stopped and turned towards Annie. ‘So where are you living at the moment?’
‘I’ve been squatting in the school, but now that I’ve got builders and decorators in there, I moved out last week. Do you remember Janet? Her husband Guido used to be one of your climbing pals. I’ve been staying with them at their B&B, but with the winter sports season about to start, I’m going to need somewhere of my own as soon as possible. They’re getting busy and they need my room, so it’s find a new flat as soon as possible for me or I’ll be out on the street.’
Matt nodded. ‘Of course I know them, although I haven’t climbed with Guido for a while. I’ve got my spies out, looking for a flat to live in just like you. Finding accommodation up here is bloody difficult. Everywhere seems to be rented out on a weekly basis to skiers in winter and walkers and climbers in summer. If I hear of anywhere, I’ll let you know.’
Annie nodded. ‘And I’ll do the same. I’m looking hard.’ She stood up and shook hands with Luisa, then gave Matt a kiss on the cheek. It had been very good to see him again. ‘Drive safely and be a good boy.’
He smiled down at her. ‘You know me, Annie.’
‘I do; that’s what worries me.’
‘So what about our Matt, then, Annie? You two going into business together at the drop of a hat sounds a bit cosy.’
Annie caught the waiter’s eye and raised a finger. As he made his way over to them through the maze of tables and chairs, she glanced across at her sister. ‘A drop of fizz wouldn’t hurt us, would it?’ After asking the waiter for two glasses of Prosecco she formulated her reply. ‘Hardly going into business together. I’m just talking about renting him a room. And it’s not as if we don’t know each other well. Matt’s great. I’ve known him for the best part of ten years although we’ve rather lost contact since the funeral. He and Steve were best buddies.’ Annie paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on her empty coffee cup, determined to keep her feelings firmly under control. Now, after over two years, it was still tough, but she was managing better as time went by.
She remembered the old days, when she and Steve had first started dating. Matt and one of his many girlfriends had so often been around. Annie could remember so many times when they had been up here in the mountains together; Steve and Matt doing some terrifying climb, while she and Matt’s latest sat down below and did their best not to worry too much. Dismissing the image, she returned her attention to Karen.
‘Although he’s got this translation business, he trained as a lawyer. He might be just the person I need to help me through a sea of red tape.’ She glanced up. ‘The Romans invented bureaucracy over here and Italy’s been getting worse every year since then. It’s a total bloody nightmare.’
‘Handy sort of chap to have around.’ Karen gave her a little grin. ‘But I was wondering if there might be anything developing between you two on a more personal level. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how utterly gorgeous he is. And he likes you a lot; that much is clear. Might it be time for you to start thinking about finding yourself another man?’
‘Me and another man? No way, Karen. As of now I’m concentrating on the school and that’s that. Even if I wanted, which I don’t, I haven’t got time for men at the moment.’
‘Not even him?’ Karen was grinning. ‘For a moment back there I was seriously considering divorcing Chris and throwing myself into Matt’s muscular arms. He’s irresistible.’
Annie was smiling by this time. ‘Oh, he’s a handsome devil, all right, but he’s got the morals of a tom cat. At least he always used to be like that and I don’t see him ever changing. Every time I saw him he’d have some other poor girl eating out of his hand, but they would never last. Use and discard would appear to be his motto and I fear our friend Luisa will soon discover that to her cost.’ She caught her sister’s eye. ‘Matt doesn’t understand the concept of monogamy, I’m afraid. He’s certainly not the man for me, even if I was in the market, which, like I say, I’m not.’ Her voice dropped. ‘I had Steve. I lost Steve. That’s it for me.’
‘Life goes on, Annie.’
‘Of course it does.’ Annie tried to sound as positive as she could. ‘And it is. That’s why I took the plunge and decided to open my own school.’
After taking Karen