‘You did a fabulous job on that place,’ Roxanne said. ‘No wonder he liked it. You really have a way with old buildings, Scarlett. I’m sure that’s why he’s asked you to oversee the Arlington.’
‘I can’t do it without you,’ Scarlett said. ‘It’s a huge project, and I’m starting to suspect the devil will be in the details.’
‘We can handle it, Scarlett,’ Roxanne reassured her. ‘You just have to keep your head when you’re around him.’
‘That’s the whole trouble,’ Scarlett confessed, and dropped her head into her hands. ‘I can’t think straight when I’m anywhere near him.’
‘Look, why don’t you get your mum or Sophie to babysit Matthew, and we can go out and have a drink to celebrate landing this contract? We need to think positively about this, instead of dwelling on the negatives. We could go to Dylan’s in The Rocks. Everyone is raving about the place since we did the makeover for him. It’s one of the most popular restaurants down there now. Besides, we haven’t seen him since he broke up with Olivia.’
Scarlett dragged her head up out of her hands. ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘I do need to take my mind off the negatives, and seeing Dylan would be nice. I’m probably being paranoid about Alessandro anyway.’
‘Did you tell Alessandro about Matthew?’ Roxanne asked.
‘Yes, but I got the same response. He still refuses to accept the possibility he could be his child.’
Roxanne rolled her lips together, her brow creasing into a frown as she looked at Scarlett.
‘You’re giving me that look again,’ Scarlett said with an irritated scowl.
Roxanne sat bolt upright. ‘I’m not doing any such thing.’
‘Yes, you are,’ Scarlett said. ‘I can see it in your eyes. You don’t believe me any more than he does.’
‘That’s not true.’
Scarlett angled her head pointedly.
Roxanne blew out a breath. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘I confess—I did harbour the thought that you might have somehow got it wrong. For a while there I thought you and Dylan might have had a bit of a holiday fling back then, as even now he always seems to prefer your company to mine. But Matthew is a dead ringer for Alessandro, don’t you think?’
‘I don’t think—I know.’
‘Have you told your mum yet?’
‘No.’
‘Don’t you think it’s time you did?’
Scarlett released a long-winded sigh and reached for the phone. ‘I just know what she’s going to say.’
‘But, darling, how could you have lied to me for all these years?’ her mother cried. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t trust me enough with the truth.’
‘I wanted to avoid this sort of reaction, that’s why,’ Scarlett said. ‘He’s not interested in being a father to Matthew.’
‘Not interested?’ Her mother’s voice was sharp with disapproval. ‘Why on earth not?’
‘Because he doesn’t believe Matthew is his.’
There was a short but telling pause.
‘Mum?’
‘Darling, you can be straight with me, you know,’ her mother said. ‘I am your mother after all.’
‘Of course I’m being straight with you. There’s no possibility of Matthew being anyone but Alessandro’s son.’
‘None at all?’
Scarlett could hear the doubt in her mother’s voice, but this time chose to ignore it. ‘No, Mum, there’s no doubt at all.’
‘Well, then.’
‘I know what you’re thinking.’
‘I’m not thinking anything.’
‘Yes, you are,’ Scarlett said, mentally rolling her eyes. ‘You’re thinking what you thought when you said goodbye to me at the airport four years ago—that I would fall in love like you did with a totally unsuitable man and ruin my life.’ Which is pretty much what I did do, she thought ruefully.
Lenore let out a sigh. ‘It’s just I can’t help worrying about you,’ she said. ‘You’re not streetwise like Sophie.’
‘You make me sound like a naïve infant.’
‘In many ways you are, Scarlett,’ Lenore said, her tone softening with maternal concern. ‘You are so trusting of people. I think that’s why you ended up with a child out of wedlock. You and I are alike in that sense. We think the best of people when they’re not worthy of it. You have to toughen up, love. I’ve had to—I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t.’
Scarlett let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘I know.’
‘Have you told Sophie about this…this horrible man?’
‘Alessandro’s not a horrible man,’ Scarlett said in his defence. ‘He’s Matthew’s father.’
‘He doesn’t want the role, Scarlett, so there’s no point in thrusting it upon him. Some men are like that, your father being a case in point. You’d be better to move on without him, for Matthew’s sake.’
Scarlett knew her mother was right, but a part of her—the part where her pride was stored—wanted Alessandro to accept his son as his own. She felt as if she couldn’t move forward until he did. It was like a wrinkle in a carpet—it was going to be a tripping point until it was smoothed out.
‘I know how hard it’s been for you,’ Lenore said. ‘You were in a terrible state when you came home from Italy.’ Her voice broke as she continued. ‘I sometimes think if it wasn’t for Roxanne’s support in getting your business up and running you would have given up all hope and…done something drastic…’
‘Mum…’
Her mother sniffed. ‘It’s true, darling. You were so thin and run down. But we all assumed you were grieving.’
‘I was.’ And I still am, she added silently. ‘It felt like a death at the time.’
‘Break ups are like that,’ Lenore said. ‘The only difference in this case is there’s still a body to deal with.’
And what a body, Scarlett thought, recalling how Alessandro had felt under the touch of her hands.
‘Will you be all right dealing with this man on a day to day basis?’
Scarlett felt her stomach tremble again at the thought. ‘I think so.’
‘I’m worried about you.’
‘I appreciate your concern,’ Scarlett said with heartfelt sincerity. ‘But I can handle Alessandro Marciano. He’s a part of my past—he has nothing to do with my future.’
‘He might have more to do with your future if he suddenly realises he has a son,’ Lenore pointed out. ‘What if he meets Matthew some time in the future?’
Scarlett pressed her lips together. ‘He doesn’t want to meet him, and to tell you the truth I’m starting to think he doesn’t deserve to, for what he’s put me through.’
‘It’s understandable that you’re angry with him,’ Lenore said. ‘But think how dreadful it would be if you still felt something for him.’
There was another short but loaded silence.
‘You don’t still care for him, do you, Scarlett?’ her mother asked with an anxious