The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop Part 4

They walked along the pebbled beach in the crisp winter sunshine, and she pa.s.sed her mother one of the pastries.

'How's it all going up there?' Anna said.

'Good, I think. Well, there's still a lot to do, but you know how the McAvoys are with pulling things together at the last minute. It's our forte.'

Anna laughed. 'Yes. There's nothing like a deadline. I hear Finn's almost done with the website design, though.'

'Oh, he's a wonder,' Jan said. 'I've had a look at an early version and it really brings the place to life. I'd want to stay there. And you know how picky I am about these things.'

Anna laughed. 'How's Dad doing?'

'Head in the sand a bit, I think. I've told him it's time he has a proper look round the guesthouse. There's only a month till it opens, after all. Your sister said she'd come on Sat.u.r.day afternoon, give a bit of moral support, just in case it's needed. Are you free?'

'Yes,' Anna said. 'I think so. I'll be there.'

'Your sister really has struck gold with Finn. He's so good for her. I'm just so happy that she's starting to grow up a bit, choose the things and the people that are good for her, at long last. Do you remember when she was out in Thailand the first time? Came back talking about some beach b.u.m or other. American he was, I think.'

'Luca,' Anna said. She'd never met him, but had seen photos of him dark and good-looking, with tanned skin. Imogen had come home from the trip full of mixed emotions brought back by Vivien's death and the funeral, kept at home by her concern about her father's health. There was so much that was unhappy in their lives at that time, and yet somehow Imogen had still had the slightest buzz of holiday around her. She had always seemed to come alive when she was far from home. It was only when she and Luca broke up permanently when Imogen heard that he was seeing a friend of hers that she'd come properly back down to earth.

'I nearly lost hope then,' Jan said. 'I mean your dad's always had an adventurous spirit, and he's travelled plenty in his time, of course. But he didn't miss his chance of something good, something long-term, when he met me. From what Imogen's told me, which I'll admit isn't much you know how she is I don't think she would have found that with any of the men she went out with before Finn.'

'She was only twenty-three back then,' Anna said. 'I don't think she was ready herself.'

'I was settled with your dad by then.'

'Imogen's very different from you. You know that, Mum. I don't know if she'd be much readier to settle down now, to be honest. Twenty-six is still very young, these days.'

'All this travel she's intent on doing I'm not sure I'll ever really understand it. I'm just glad we've always had you, Anna knowing that there's at least one of our daughters we can rely on to stay close by. Because it means a lot, that you'll understand, when Bella grows up, how much it matters.'

'Travelling makes Imogen happy, Mum.'

'For now, perhaps,' Jan said.

'Just like your work did,' Anna replied.

'Yes,' Jan said, glancing down.

'Do you miss it?' Anna asked softly.

Jan looked up and their eyes met. 'It sounds silly, doesn't it? But I suppose I do. I had these ideas of what being retired would be like: relaxing days in the garden, going out for strolls with your father, baking some wonderful creation or other. But instead, aside from the bits of publicity for the guesthouse, I feel like I've slowed down. Your father has his own things to be getting on with, and the truth is, Anna, if it weren't for Bella I think I'd be at rather a loose end.'

Jan squeezed her granddaughter's hand.

'Granny!' Bella called out. 'Mwah.' She blew a kiss. Her grandmother sent her one back.

'Well, we have an awful lot to look forward to this summer, don't we?' Jan said to her granddaughter. 'Sleepovers at Grandma and Granddad's house, our picnic up in the bluebell woods . . .' Jan turned to look at Anna. 'It'll be the first time Bella's really seen our annual get-together, won't it?'

'Yes, it'll be lovely,' Anna said.

Each year the McAvoys invited the whole family to join an outing up to the woods near Jan and Tom's house in Lewes, East Suss.e.x, at the time of year that the bluebells were out in bloom. Some of Anna's favourite childhood memories were of that time, and she wanted Bella to share those.

'Bella has a way of giving us all focus, don't you think?' Jan said.

Anna saw in her mum's eyes how much it mattered to her having her family close, being able to be the grandmother she wanted to be. After years of Imogen's living abroad, the McAvoys were all back together again, and all of them treasured that.

That evening, Matteo and Anna settled down to dinner at their kitchen table, Bella asleep in her bedroom.

'This is good,' Anna said, pointing to the pasta bake he'd made.

'Thanks.' His dark eyes were cast down.

'You OK?' she enquired gently, putting a hand on his arm. 'You seem miles away tonight.'

'Me? I'm fine,' he said, shaking his head. 'It's . . . it's nothing, really.'

'Come on.'

'It's just something today got me thinking, I suppose.'

'Yes?'

'It's not worth talking about,' he said, dismissing it.

'Is this something to do with that older guy you were talking to in the shop today?'

'Yes. Sort of.'

'Who was he?'

'He's from Siena originally, but he's been running a fish-and-chip shop in Hove for years,' he said. 'Heard about the cannoli and came to try one. I gave him a few free samples of the ice cream and you should have seen him. So happy. He was in another world.'

'That's lovely,' Anna said. Seeing customers light up at the taste of one of their ice creams was what made her feel so pa.s.sionately about what they did.

'We got caught up talking about Siena and the food back there. He said how much he missed the place.'

'What brought him here?'

'He fell in love. Thirty years later he's still here. He always meant to go back, but he said the years just pa.s.sed.'

The tone in his voice unsettled Anna. 'You've been thinking about home a lot recently, haven't you?' Anna said. She felt a tug at her heart as she asked the question. She knew she was opening up a conversation perhaps the only conversation that could drive a wedge between them.

Matteo nodded, not saying a word.

In his silence, Anna saw that his feelings ran deep. In their early days he'd joked about what he was missing in Italy reciting his favourite meals from Florence's restaurants wistfully, his nostalgia a playful, amusing thing. This was different.

'You can be honest with me, you know that,' Anna said.

'I miss so many things,' Matteo said. 'Being able to talk in my own language, for a start I still get in a muddle with English sometimes, even when I'm talking with you. Then there's just that sense of connection. I feel it here sometimes, but others . . .'

'You want us to go there,' Anna said, the realisation hitting her with a jolt.

He shook his head. 'You and Bella are what matter most to me, and when I came here I made you a promise: that we would live here, where you have your family, the shop. I won't break that commitment to you, Anna. I wouldn't ask you to leave this.'

'But how can we stay, when I know that, deep down, you're not happy?' Anna asked, her voice cracking.

'I am,' he said. 'I'm so happy, Anna.' He paused and she could see he was holding something back.

'But . . .?'

'The truth? I feel torn.' In his eyes was a deep sadness. 'I don't want to be that man, Anna.'

Chapter 4.

On the Friday evening, Finn and Imogen were in the living room at their beach house, relaxing on the L-shaped sofa. The sea, unsettled and stormy, was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the large white rug, scatter cushions and prints of Imogen's photos from Thailand softened the room's minimalist look.

Finn was showing Imogen the website he'd put together for the Elderberry Guesthouse. He pa.s.sed her his tablet so she could see it clearly. 'I've kept the home page simple, but you can click on each of the doors here to take a look at the guestrooms. See here, in the Roman Holiday-themed room . . .'

He clicked on the white door and started the virtual tour of the room that Tom and Martin had filled with prints and Italian-inspired memorabilia from Vivien's favourite Audrey Hepburn film.

'Then, here, the Prohibition bar, and you can see how it leads through to the Great Gatsby room . . .' On screen, he led Imogen through what had once been her grandmother's kitchen and lounge.

'It looks great,' Imogen said proudly, giving him a squeeze. 'Thanks for putting it together. Dad and Martin are going to absolutely love it.' She couldn't wait to show it off to her family. 'I'm going round there tomorrow. Dad's going to have his first proper look round the whole place, so I told Mum I'd come and be there when he does. Anna said she'd join us, too. There's only a month till it opens, so I think Mum's told him quite firmly that he needs to get used to how things are, and voice any objections now, while there's still time to change things. I think Martin's getting a bit nervous that he's going to hate it.'

'I'm sure he won't,' Finn said. 'It looks great, and your dad is a reasonable man. But, in any case, that's nice that you'll both be there.'

'One thing I am certain of is that Granny would've have loved it,' Imogen said with confidence. 'You remember what she was like always welcoming in waifs and strays, inviting friends in. She wouldn't have wanted to see the house empty.'

Imogen recalled the times they'd spent together at the house when she and Anna were little playing in the garden and chasing each other up and down the stairs. As she and Anna had grown up, their relationship with their grandmother had changed, and they talked with her more. Imogen had always loved their chats. Her grandmother had always been full of wisdom and positivity, urging her to follow her dreams no matter what. Imogen bit her lip to stop herself crying. Two years after her grandmother's death, the sadness still caught her out from time to time.

'I guess with this trip to the Amazon I might not be here to see the launch,' she said. 'I'm sad about that.'

The next day, Imogen stopped by at her uncle's guesthouse. 'Hi, everyone,' she said. Her dad was standing in the hallway, looking a little uncomfortable. He seemed uncertain of his own footing in the house that had once been his home, now that it was being transformed into something else. Imogen went and kissed him h.e.l.lo.

'Anna here yet?' Imogen asked.

Her mother shook her head. 'She said she was coming, but I'm not sure where she is. Her phone seems to be switched off.'

'Weird.' Imogen tried her, but got through to answer-phone too. 'I expect she's on her way. In the meantime, look I've framed some of my prints to decorate the hallway.' Imogen took them from her bag to show her parents and Martin. 'To brighten the place up.'

She held them up against the wall, to see how they'd look. 'And, well, I've put prices on them, too. Hope you don't mind.'

'I'm sure some of the holidaymakers will take a shine to them,' Tom said, softly.

Imogen laughed. 'Never one to miss an opportunity, Dad.'

Imogen watched as her father looked round at the home he'd grown up in. His eyes came to rest on the places his mother's trinkets and furniture had been, and a sadness seemed to settle into his features.

'Let's go for a walk round,' Imogen suggested. She led him up the stairs, round the guestrooms, and then back down.

When they returned, Martin looked on nervously as his brother took in the changes. Imogen glanced over at him. They were all conscious that Tom, who had been so devastated at the loss of his mother, might find it difficult to accept that the house was now entering a new era.

He turned round to them after what had felt like an endless wait. 'I think it looks good,' he said.

Tom soberly shook his brother's hand, before hugging him too. 'You've done a wonderful job, Martin. I think Mum would like it, don't you?'

'Well, I must say that's a relief,' Martin said, breathing out. 'Now all we need to worry about is getting the guests in.'

'You'll be fine,' Imogen said calmly.

Jan nodded. 'We've had lots of local interest.'

'It's exactly what we need round here,' Imogen said, 'an affordable home from home cla.s.sy, not touristy. The launch party next month's going to be great for building a buzz, too.'

'Oh, absolutely,' Jan said.

Tom left the room quietly, and Martin and Jan looked at each other, uncertainly. Imogen followed her father out into the front garden.

He was placing his sculptures of birds around the pond. He turned and saw her there, watching.

'What do you think?' he asked her, pointing at the arrangement.

'They look great, Dad.'

'I want to get this bit right. The garden. The first thing that guests see. It would've mattered to Mum.'

'Is it strange for you, all this?' she asked.

He nodded. 'I know it's for the best but it still feels a little odd, the idea of people paying to stay here. That's the truth of it.'

Imogen stepped closer to her dad and they hugged. 'I just have to deal with things one step at a time,' he said. 'It'll be OK.'

'Of course. It's what she would have wanted, you know people in here, enjoying her house.'

'I know,' he said. 'You're right.' He looked at her proudly. 'You're becoming quite wise in your old age, Imogen.'

She nudged him playfully. 'Less of that, eh, Dad? I'm only twenty-six.'

'Here, there's something else I want to show you,' Tom said, going over to his bag. He took out a circular ceramic plate, with the words ELDERBERRY GUESTHOUSE on it in pale green. 'I fired it over the weekend.'

'That's beautiful,' Imogen said.