Page 17 of The Girl from Sicily

17

JESSICA, JUNE 2005

By the time Jess made her way down to the village, the church bells had stopped ringing. She parked in front of the grocery store and went inside.

A stack of shopping baskets had been placed by the door, and Jess picked one up before making her way to the fresh fruit and vegetables aisle. The choice was limited, but she felt pleased to have found a punnet of apricots and a packet of mixed salad leaves, which she put into her basket before going to the deli counter.

A young woman served her the one hundred grams of pecorino she requested, and the same weight of cooked ham. Jess thanked her and headed for the baked goods section.

Suddenly, her skin tingled. Her senses widened, and she took a deep breath. Someone was watching her. Slowly, she turned around. But no one was there – just the lingering sensation she was being observed. Was it simply her imagination? Or perhaps it was merely a curious villager checking her out.

She selected a loaf of sliced wholemeal bread, a packet of breakfast brioches, and picked up a jar of strawberry jam to replace the one the ants had got at. All she needed to get now was some butter, milk and yoghurts, so she went to the chilled dairy products cabinet and slid back the glass door.

Again, her skin prickled, and this time she turned around quickly. A short, stocky man occupied the periphery of her vision. He caught her eye, then drew a finger across his throat before slipping out of sight.

The cutthroat gesture sent a chill of fear through her. She hurried to the till, paid for her purchases and, on reaching her car, put her shopping in the boot and made haste to open the door. Her gaze landed on a note, tucked behind a windscreen wiper, almost certainly a flyer advertising something. She picked it up, and read:

Torna a casa. Il baglio non è suo.

Go back home. The baglio isn’t yours.

Her stomach churning, Jess glanced up the street. The man she saw in the grocery shop was mounting a motorbike. He kicked it into action and roared off, making a familiar noise. It was the same bike Jess had heard at the baglio; she was 100 per cent sure of it.

* * *

The next morning, a text arrived from Jess’s cousin, Mel.

You never got back to me after your second visit to the farmhouse. Hope all is well!

All good here. Sorry I’ve been quiet. I still haven’t made my mind up about taking it on. Kind of daunting, if you know what I mean.

Mel didn’t know the half of it, but now wasn’t the time to go into details. Jess’s encounter with Motorbike Man had unsettled her.

Her cousin then asked if she was having fun, and Jess responded that the owner of the winery had been super friendly and that he was going to give her some advice about the baglio.

That’s nice. Is he hot?

A typical Mel question.

Very, but also very unavailable.

Aw. Shame. Don’t go silent on me again, Jess. I was worried about you.

I won’t. And there’s nothing to worry about, silly.

If you say so.

Jess signed off with kisses and heart emojis before going to get ready for the pool. A short time later, she was lying on a sun lounger, attempting to read her book. But she couldn’t concentrate. Who was that man and why had he warned her away from her inheritance?

The sound of children’s voices interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see Piero approaching with two kids and Cappero at their heels. He introduced his son Gigi, and daughter Teresina, both of whom politely shook Jess’s hand while the dog flopped down in the shade.

‘They’re under strict instructions not to make too much noise,’ Piero said.

‘It won’t bother me if they do. I like children?—’

‘That’s a relief.’ Piero wiped a hand across his forehead. ‘These two aren’t the quiet types. I’ve asked them to speak English when we’re with you, by the way, as they need the practice.’

‘Can we get in the water now, Papi?’ Gigi, Piero’s mini me, hopped from one foot to the other.

‘Off you go! I’ll be with you in a minute.’

Gigi ran to the pool and jumped in with a splash, closely followed by his little sister, her blonde curls flattened to her head as she came up for air.

‘Have you had a swim yet?’ Piero put towels on a sunbed and smiled at Jess.

‘I was just about to?—’

‘Why don’t you join us? There’s plenty of room?—’

Jess was running across the hot decking before she could think twice. She executed what she hoped was a neat dive into the water, then surfaced. Piero had already taken the plunge and was swimming towards his son and daughter. Jess felt a little reticent, so she stayed in the deep end, while Gigi and Teresina took it in turns to clamber onto Piero’s shoulders and jump off them. Eventually, they seemed to tire of the activity and challenged each other to races instead.

‘ Ciao ,’ Piero said, coming up to Jess.

‘You’re so good with your kids. Really patient.’

‘Thanks.’ His hazel eyes crinkled with a wistful smile. ‘Being a part-time dad isn’t easy. When they’re with me, I want to give them the world. But I have to be careful not to spoil them.’

‘I can imagine. From what I’ve seen so far, you’re doing a good job.’

‘Papi, can we swim a relay race?’ Gigi called out. ‘You and me against Teresina and Jess?’

‘I think it would be fairer if it was you and Jess against Teresina and me.’ Piero chuckled. ‘Are you up for it, Jess?’

‘Of course. But I’m not that fast a swimmer?—’

‘Doesn’t matter. Gigi will make up the difference, you’ll see.’

‘I’m in the swimming team at my school.’ Gigi puffed up his chest with pride.

‘So am I.’ Teresina clearly didn’t want to be outdone.

‘Right,’ Piero said. ‘I suggest the four of us go to the shallow end and take it from there.’

Jess and Gigi won the race, but Teresina was a good loser and quickly came up with the idea for another competition.

‘Let’s play chicken fight,’ she suggested.

‘What’s that?’ Jess asked.

‘I sit on your shoulders. Gigi sits on Papi’s and we try to push each other off. The first one to fall loses the match.’

‘Could you face another game, Jess?’ Piero asked.

‘I’d love to.’

Gigi explained the rules. Neither Jess nor his dad could use their hands. All they were allowed to do was manoeuvre their passengers into the right positions.

For the next ten minutes or so, Jess needed to steel herself. Piero’s muscular body clashed with hers frequently as he moved his son around the shallow end of the pool. Each time, he apologised, and each time, her insides fluttered.

Finally, Teresina leapt off Jess’s shoulders onto her brother, which caused him to topple into the water.

‘Yay, I won,’ Teresina squealed.

‘You cheated.’ Gigi wagged a finger at her. ‘You were supposed to stay on Jess.’

‘ Pace! ’ Peace. Piero held up his hands. ‘We should head back to the house for some lunch.’

‘Can Jess come too?’ Teresina asked.

Jess held her breath while Piero considered the question. He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

‘It will just be a plate of pasta and some salad.’

‘There’s nothing I’d like better,’ she said.