their best to warm him up, he thought.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of going with her before. Of course, she had made it clear to him that this wasn’t a holiday for her but he should have read between the lines. If an English professor couldn’t read between the lines then who could? She’d probably wanted him to be more forceful and he wasn’t very good at that. If a woman told him that she was happy to go alone then he believed her. He wasn’t used to being dominant and taking control but Elena had definitely said she’d wished he was out there with her.
There was only one small problem. He didn’t actually know where Elena was staying. He’d been very lax in not making her write down the details for him but he really hadn’t considered following her so he’d let it go. All he could remember her saying was that she was in the residential area. She’d mentioned The Island of the Dead being fairly close by too. His knowledge of Venice was pretty sketchy but it couldn’t be that big, being an island, and they were bound to run into each other sooner or later if he frequented the right area, and he could always ask around. His Italian was a little rusty but he could ask if anyone had seen two stunning sisters recently.
Reaching home, Prof opened the door and put the lights on, once again admiring his new-look home. He had to admit that Mrs B had surpassed herself. He’d never seen so many shiny surfaces in his life and, after her big clean up, he felt it only fitting that he had a big tidy up, and had collected seven boxes of books which his sister and niece were going to sell at a car boot fair. This meant that you could actually get in the front door without having to lift your arms above your head.
He’d bought new bed linen, had all his curtains dry-cleaned, ordered a new three-piece suite to replace the two-seater sofa which had seen him through his bachelor years and had even bought a few pot plants to make the house seem a little more inviting. Mrs B had suggested some scented candles and potpourri but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go that far.
Yes, he thought, walking into the living room, he was very proud of his new-look home. The stage was set. All he needed to do now was to find the other player.
Chapter 18
‘ You must like one better than the other?’ Rosanna said, clattering around the kitchen as she prepared breakfast the morning after the arrival of the fiancés.
‘ I’ve told you, it isn’t that simple.’ Elena put her head in her hands at the breakfast bar and sighed. ‘I thought you understood that.’
‘ But you must - you know - gel with one of them more?’
‘ That’s crazy, Rosanna! Are you seriously telling me that there’s only one perfect person out there for us?’
Rosanna stared at her. ‘Yes! I guess I am!’
‘ That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard! That would mean you could be wandering around forever trying to meet them! And what if you missed them? What then? Say if you got on the bus five minutes before they arrived at the stop or if you spent your entire life shopping at the wrong supermarket because you liked Waitrose and your perfect partner preferred Sainsbury’s? Does that mean you’d have to spend your life on your own?’
‘ You’re getting hysterical, Elena. Keep your voice down! Or do you want to wake Mark?’
Elena bit her lip. Mark was still sleeping and it had given her a chance to talk things through with Rosanna but she was beginning to wish she hadn’t asked for her advice.
‘ I guess I just don’t believe that there’s only one perfect person,’ Elena started again. ‘I think there are lots of people you could be happy with - dozens, hundreds maybe.’
Rosanna’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. ‘Dio mio!’
‘ There has to be! Think of all the potentially life-changing decisions we make each day. We take a certain route to work, we choose a shop for our groceries, we decide to go to a
He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of going with her before. Of course, she had made it clear to him that this wasn’t a holiday for her but he should have read between the lines. If an English professor couldn’t read between the lines then who could? She’d probably wanted him to be more forceful and he wasn’t very good at that. If a woman told him that she was happy to go alone then he believed her. He wasn’t used to being dominant and taking control but Elena had definitely said she’d wished he was out there with her.
There was only one small problem. He didn’t actually know where Elena was staying. He’d been very lax in not making her write down the details for him but he really hadn’t considered following her so he’d let it go. All he could remember her saying was that she was in the residential area. She’d mentioned The Island of the Dead being fairly close by too. His knowledge of Venice was pretty sketchy but it couldn’t be that big, being an island, and they were bound to run into each other sooner or later if he frequented the right area, and he could always ask around. His Italian was a little rusty but he could ask if anyone had seen two stunning sisters recently.
Reaching home, Prof opened the door and put the lights on, once again admiring his new-look home. He had to admit that Mrs B had surpassed herself. He’d never seen so many shiny surfaces in his life and, after her big clean up, he felt it only fitting that he had a big tidy up, and had collected seven boxes of books which his sister and niece were going to sell at a car boot fair. This meant that you could actually get in the front door without having to lift your arms above your head.
He’d bought new bed linen, had all his curtains dry-cleaned, ordered a new three-piece suite to replace the two-seater sofa which had seen him through his bachelor years and had even bought a few pot plants to make the house seem a little more inviting. Mrs B had suggested some scented candles and potpourri but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go that far.
Yes, he thought, walking into the living room, he was very proud of his new-look home. The stage was set. All he needed to do now was to find the other player.
Chapter 18
‘ You must like one better than the other?’ Rosanna said, clattering around the kitchen as she prepared breakfast the morning after the arrival of the fiancés.
‘ I’ve told you, it isn’t that simple.’ Elena put her head in her hands at the breakfast bar and sighed. ‘I thought you understood that.’
‘ But you must - you know - gel with one of them more?’
‘ That’s crazy, Rosanna! Are you seriously telling me that there’s only one perfect person out there for us?’
Rosanna stared at her. ‘Yes! I guess I am!’
‘ That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard! That would mean you could be wandering around forever trying to meet them! And what if you missed them? What then? Say if you got on the bus five minutes before they arrived at the stop or if you spent your entire life shopping at the wrong supermarket because you liked Waitrose and your perfect partner preferred Sainsbury’s? Does that mean you’d have to spend your life on your own?’
‘ You’re getting hysterical, Elena. Keep your voice down! Or do you want to wake Mark?’
Elena bit her lip. Mark was still sleeping and it had given her a chance to talk things through with Rosanna but she was beginning to wish she hadn’t asked for her advice.
‘ I guess I just don’t believe that there’s only one perfect person,’ Elena started again. ‘I think there are lots of people you could be happy with - dozens, hundreds maybe.’
Rosanna’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. ‘Dio mio!’
‘ There has to be! Think of all the potentially life-changing decisions we make each day. We take a certain route to work, we choose a shop for our groceries, we decide to go to a
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