Page 22 of All Mine (The All Mine #1)

Isabella

The restaurant was starting to look like a restaurant.

The walls were plastered, the floorboards laid.

It needed decorating and styling, but it was coming along.

Isabella left Tutto Mio with a smile, feeling the need to stretch her body after a morning poring over forms and paperwork.

She ignored the flash of disappointment as she glanced at the empty doorway of The Bistro and headed towards The Lit Lounge.

Wren gave her a wave from behind the counter when the doorbell jangled and Rosie glanced across from her position at a bookshelf where she was talking to a family, her expression downcast as she pulled one of the children in for a hug.

Some customers seemed to be happy browsing, taking their time to choose their next read.

Others had already chosen and purchased their books and were now curled in the armchairs, with or without a cat on their laps.

The Keyboard Corner had a smattering of people on their laptops.

Barney sprawled over one whole desk space to himself.

‘Espresso?’ Wren asked, already reaching for a tiny cup to fill.

The coffee was hot and strong and they chatted over their drinks. Wren was excited about a play she was taking Rosie to see that evening. Isabella was equally excited about some opening publicity she was planning for Tutto Mio.

Rosie suddenly appeared with the family beside her. They shuffled anxiously and the woman wiped her red eyes, holding one of the children tight to her front, as though frightened to let her go. An older girl, about sixteen, looked at her trainers where the toe dug into the carpet.

‘Isabella might be able to help!’ Rosie said with forced hope in her voice.

The man was sandy blond and it was only then she noticed his firefighter uniform T-shirt. He had shoulders that looked like he could lift a car off a child if needed.

‘Isabella, this is my friend Walker,’ Rosie said, ‘and this is the Malone family.’

Aha, Walker. Etienne’s friend. Well, they say like attracts like, and they were both equally gorgeous. Isabella lifted a hand in hello but was conscious of the grave expressions on their faces.

‘There was a house fire at the Malones’ last night,’ said Walker in a soft Scottish accent.

‘Luckily, we got everyone out, including the dog.’ He threw an encouraging smile at the youngest child.

‘But Millie’s bedroom was badly damaged, being directly next to the kitchen where the fire started.

’ He nodded towards the older girl, who still hung her head.

‘Oh, my goodness, how awful,’ Isabella said, wondering immediately how Rosie thought she could help.

‘They’re staying with friends for the moment, until the house is made safe and the insurers have visited,’ Walker continued.

‘But I’m trying to make sure they have everything they need for the immediate time ahead.

We don’t know how long it will be before they can move back in.

’ Isabella nodded respectfully, wondering if the fire service usually went this far above and beyond.

‘And Millie is finding year eleven tough already with GCSEs next year,’ the mum said, wringing her hands together and throwing an anguished look at her older daughter.

‘That’s stressful enough for her, without the house burning down on top.

’ Rosie passed her a tissue as fresh tears threatened to fall.

‘All of Millie’s revision books were in her bedroom. All her work from the last few years. She has nothing to revise from.’

‘Walker has already contacted the school and they are pulling together spares for all the textbooks,’ Rosie said with a sweet smile towards him, ‘and we’re trying to add to it from the bookshop– for free of course,’ she said, patting Mrs Malone’s arm, who immediately needed another tissue.

‘Thank you so much. I can’t afford to replace everything, I’m in debt up to my eyeballs as it is.

Pay day loans aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.

All my own fault.’ She shook herself. ‘Anyway, it’s Millie’s language we’re most worried about,’ Mrs Malone snuffled.

‘She wants to study languages at college and then hopefully university, but her teachers have already said she needs to put in the effort to get a good grade. . .’

‘So, we wondered whether you might know of any good foreign language podcasts or YouTube channels?’ Rosie raised her eyebrows so high that they peeked over the top of her glasses.

Mrs Malone wrung her tissue as Millie continued to stare at her feet.

Isabella wondered if the girl might still be in shock.

‘What language are you doing?’ Isabella asked Millie quietly. When she didn’t immediately answer, her mum put a soft hand on her shoulder.

‘Italian,’ Mrs Malone answered for her daughter.

‘That’s why we thought of you. . .’ Rosie chipped in.

Isabella cocked her head, considering.

‘ Posso aiutare ,’ she said then, directly to Millie.

Nobody else spoke, not knowing what she’d said.

‘Millie, posso aiutare ,’ she repeated. I can help.

Inch by inch, Millie lifted her head. Her face was white as paper, her eyes as wide as pools. She’d had a real scare, that was for sure. She bit her lower lip as she stared back at Isabella.

‘I need to pass,’ she said.

‘I can help,’ Isabella clarified. ‘We don’t need a tape, it’s better to practise in person. I’m Italian. You’re keen. You’ll be fluent before you know it.’

‘We just thought you could recommend an audio,’ the mum stammered, but Millie was looking at Isabella hopefully and Isabella flapped her hands to dismiss the suggestion.

What with the imminent restaurant opening she already had her work cut out for her, but she couldn’t just stand by if she could help. She thought for a moment.

‘Do you do art at school as well?’ she asked abruptly.

Millie looked blind-sided by the change of direction, but nodded.

‘Great, then you’re good with a paintbrush?’

Millie nodded again, unsure as to where this was going.

‘How about an hour after school, every day, you help me with the painting at the restaurant and we’ll practise Italian? Deal?’

Millie glanced at her mum, who widened her eyes and gave a quick single nod of her head.

‘That would be great,’ she said, adding a shy, ‘ Grazie. ’

Isabella smiled. ‘ Prego . You’re going to be best in your class.’

Back at Tutto Mio, Isabella added the name Millie to the bottom of her to-do list. She ran a finger down it, checking the items in her head as she went. There was a lot to do before opening night, but she was feeling in control. Happy, even.

Amber had come over the day before and presented her with a list of people she thought they should approach for waiting staff.

Most of them were people she knew from school or the rowing club.

She’d already run the numbers on how many staff hours they needed and worked out potential shift patterns.

She promised to sound out the potentials and then bring the interested ones to interview with Isabella.

It removed six points on Isabella’s to-do list in one go.

She could have kissed her, but instead they clinked their mugs of tea together and celebrated with a Hobnob.

Her phone rang. Gabriella. She lay back on the sofa, preparing for a long catch-up, but Gabi’s voice had a strange tone to it, one that didn’t bode well.

‘What’s new?’ Gabi asked, but Isabella got the feeling she wasn’t listening to her reply.

‘Sounds like things are going well,’ Gabi said and Isabella heard her sigh at the other end of the line.

‘Is something wrong?’ she asked. ‘You don’t sound too happy.’

There was a silence, and she could imagine Gabi biting her lip as she always did when trying to think of the right thing to say.

‘Gabi?’ She was worried now. Gabi was normally so full of energy, and fearless, that this nervous version of her was terrifying.

‘I need to tell you something,’ Gabi said quietly, and Isabella realised how hard she was clutching the phone. She forced herself to breathe.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked. Her mind immediately went to bad places.

She couldn’t bear it if Gabi was ill.

‘I’m fine,’ Gabi reassured quickly. ‘Nothing wrong with me.’ Isabella shut her eyes in relief. ‘But I heard something today that I have to tell you. I didn’t want you to find out online.’

Isabella knew then that it would be something about Daniel. And that it would hurt. Sure enough, Gabi took a breath and continued: ‘Daniel and Vicky are engaged. It’s all over their socials.’

She had expected it would hurt but she wasn’t expecting the gut punch pain of it. She opened her mouth but had no words.

‘Apparently, he took her out to dinner last night and popped the ring in her drink. Highly original.’

Isabella could picture it. The ring glistening at the bottom of the champagne glass.

The waiting staff all watching to see whether they should put another bottle on ice for celebration or quietly prepare the bill so that the couple could leave.

She could picture it exactly in fact, as it was precisely the same way Daniel had proposed to her. For all the good it had done.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Gabi said quietly.

Isabella forced herself to respond.

‘Well, I guess he has been divorced almost a whole ten and a half months. I don’t know what kept him!’ She dragged out a laugh.

‘It is pretty quick, isn’t it?’ Gabi agreed.

‘It’s fine, Gabi, honestly. We both know I’m better off out of it,’ Isabella made herself say. ‘But I’m glad you told me.’

Four hours later, Isabella was prowling the flat.

How had her good mood and happy day changed so quickly?

The news about Daniel had sparked such a jumble of emotions, she wasn’t sure whether she was sad, angry, upset or jealous.

But what she did know was that she didn’t want to be on her own.

She needed company. A drink. A chat. Someone to make her feel better.

She wanted her mamma, but a quick check of the time told her it was the middle of the night in Thailand, and it wouldn’t be fair to ring her now.

She texted Jesse, with a quick note. Got time to chat? And he replied immediately, as always, but with a Sorry! I’m interviewing my potential future husband over a prosecco . When a second later he followed up with Everything okay? she quickly reassured him to let him get back to his date.

Opening her phone, she was about to call Rosie when she remembered the play that Wren had tickets for.

She went to message Amber but remembered she was taking Jayden to see the new Marvel film.

She threw her phone on the sofa and stood up, then sat down, then resumed pacing the room.

She felt more alone than she had done since she signed her divorce papers.

Without taking a second to consider what she was doing, she picked up her phone, and went to see the only other person she knew in Honeybridge. . . Etienne.