A Legacy of Secrets(24)

‘No.’ Firmly Ella shook her head. ‘We’ve just spent the day and night in bed.’

‘Which makes it a perfect time for talking.’

‘For you, perhaps’ was Ella’s swift retort. ‘I’ll speak to you about this at work.’

‘Ella, I don’t want you taking that job.’

He didn’t know how thin the ice was that he was skating on, because so many times her own father had used those very words to her mother.

‘I choose where I work.’

‘If you could just listen—’

‘I mean it, Santo,’ she interrupted. ‘We will talk about this at work. You have a say in my career when we’re there and that’s the only place that you do.’

‘You’re being ridiculous.’

Not to Ella. Her mother had worked in a factory until Ella was born, but had given it up to help out in her father’s shop.

Occasionally Ella could remember her mother asking her father if she could take an outside job—heaven knows they had needed the money—but her father had liked his wife close by, liked that she could speak little English, liked the lack of friends in her life.

‘I don’t care if you think I’m being ridiculous. I’ll talk to you about this on Tuesday.’

‘Can you hold off from responding to him till we’ve spoken though?’

‘Santo!’ Ella warned.

‘Okay!’ He wasn’t at all used to being told no to anything but he conceded and gave her a very nice kiss on her mouth. ‘Thank you—I never thought it possible, but you made yesterday a good one.’

‘And you.’ She smiled back at him, conflicted. She wanted him gone, yet she did not want to let him go, did not want him heading off to the film set without her. She could feel little snaps of doubt biting at her, because, really, Ella wasn’t so sure that she could handle this. Santo was big league—no matter how much she told herself that this wasn’t going to hurt, there was the sensible part that was starting to realise that it was.

Any day soon.

She looked into his eyes, perhaps for the last time like this, because with Santo’s track records he could be in Taylor’s arms tonight.

‘Good luck with the first day of shooting.’

‘I’ll need it...’ Santo rolled his eyes.

‘What are you going to say to Taylor about the photos?’

‘What’s the point saying anything?’ Santo shrugged. ‘I told her to behave. I told her how much the film was relying on her to stay out of trouble. Really, it might be easier to just stitch her knees together.’

Ella laughed as she said goodbye to him, but her heart wasn’t in it—because even with her knees stitched together Taylor was still breathtakingly beautiful, and Ella wouldn’t put it past Santo to be ringing her at midnight with an urgent call for scissors!

Except, Ella remembered, she was turning off her phone.

It was bliss to climb into bed and to know that nothing would disturb her, except she hadn’t counted on her thoughts. The panic that had gripped her in the hotel bathroom was back now.

It wasn’t just sex.

She lay staring up at the ceiling, still trying to tell herself that it was, that she could do this. Ella had long since guarded her heart well, so she certainly wasn’t going to start holding out hope for Santo. She smiled at the very thought of him reformed, but then it faded, because even if the reformed Santo came tied up with a bow she’d never be able to trust him.

Ella slept well into late afternoon, but of course as soon as she woke she checked her phone—presuming, because she knew how he operated, there would be an awful lot of calls and endless texts from Santo. To be in his spotlight was intense.

Nothing.

She checked and checked again, trying to batten down her disappointment before it properly took hold. Surely she should be pleased he hadn’t bombarded her, except...yes, the high she had been floating on was starting to disperse. Without her propping Santo up, there were no flowers arriving at her door bearing cards filled with overused sentiments. Ella even managed a wry smile as she recalled one of their recent conversations.

‘What should I put?’ She’d checked when he’d told her to send some flowers.

‘You decide.’

He’d clearly had second thoughts about leaving this particular note to Ella, because he’d buzzed her a few minutes later. ‘What did you put?’