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CHAPTER ONE
BRUSHING BACK A lock of hair, Gracie Jaits into the discreet keypad and paused expectantly An electronic beep sounded and the heavy iron gates s and leaned it against the nearest of the tall trees that forth of the driveway She walked the rest of the way,the most of her opportunity to see one of Lake Co down froh, but she still gasped when the building came into view
Ohyes
In the gorgeous Italian village of Bellezzo, where she’d been living for the last fourarchitecture Italy had to offer So wrong Villa Rosetta was an eighteenth-century masterpiece of symmetry and style with its precisely spaced archways, three floors of war s and that perfectly placed turret on top The luxury looked all thesun
‘Ae of the ’
The villa had long been an exclusive holiday ho the Italian summer, but for the last month it had been closed Apparently the nener had undertaken refurbish off access and shipping in city contractors
No one in Bellezzo knehat he had planned now the work had been coht not lease it out anypower of the beautiful people was of huge benefit to the coossip, Rafael Vitale, billionaire broker and reckless playboy, planned to have orgies there Gracie inwardly giggled at the ridiculous thought—though the villa was certainly armed with all the privacy required for decadence and sinful delight
Not that she knew ht to her that just one person would enjoy this She’d feel like a peanut rattling around in a shoebox if she lived here alone So, yes, bring on the nymphs and satyrs
She glanced along the villa’s private beach and saw the narrow hidden channel behind the wall through which boats could reach the lavish boat shed She turned to the gardens—the reason for her visit On the first terrace a swi pool and a spa were set into crisply ers evenly placed along the side The azure water was another temptation—no one would ever know if she had a quick, secret dip She glanced at her watch and reluctantly walked past to that springy, lush lawn
Hidden beyond the triled rose garden—dozens of heirloom roses planted in a deceptively ‘careless’and rohbour Alex Peterson had been desperate for her to check on them
She’d met the er on her first day in Bellezzo He lived on the ground floor of the s in which she’d rented a s in the container garden by the gate They’d started talking—in English—a heavenly treat given her appalling Italian
Like her, Alex was an import He’d married an Italian woman and had lived lakeside with her for fifty years until her death eleven randchildren lived in London His life noas all about his hybrid roses as he aimed to create delicately scented floiththe e
It had beco him a pastry in her afternoon break from the café where she worked—Bar Pasticceria Zullo But he’d been knocked doith the flu in the height of sue she orried In turn, he was overly agitated about the precious flowers that he’d been tending for decades
Desp
ite the villa’s sale, Alex had refused to relinquish responsibility for the rose garden Seeing it in full bloom now, she wasn’t surprised With the amount of work that he’d put in, she kneanted them perfect for the nener He’d been desperate for her to ensure they weren’t wilting in the intense heat Even now, at nightfall, the temperature was a touch too hot
Tucking that loose strand of hair back again, Gracie fossicked for the hose and spent fiveto the tap Natural gardener she was not But finally she got it sorted Then she phoned her friend because she’d already taken longer than planned
‘Alex, it’s me, Gracie I’m at the villa The roses are beautiful I’ll just water them and come back’
‘How are they looking?’
‘A I’ll take a picture for you’
‘Don’t worry about bringing e’
She s you alone for any longer than necessary You’re not well’
‘I’o with six pints of minestrone and won’t leave until I’ve eaten it all I don’t knohy she’s fussing I’m not that sick’
Sofia was the cousin of Francesca, Gracie’s boss at the pasticceria, and she was forhed
Her storabbing a sun Six pints of Sofia’s minestrone sounded fantastic to her
‘Are you crazy?’ Alex muttered
Gracie laughed again ‘I’ll still—’
‘Go into the village,’ he interrupted ‘Enjoy the festival It’s your first The fireworks are good’
Gracie hesitated She would like to go to the festival, especially seeing she’d spent all day baking a million pastries to be sold at the pasticceria’s stall, and Francesca had insisted she not work the evening shift in return But Gracie was conscious of how horrible it was to be alone—especially when sick ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’et rid of her for ages’
‘Well, I’ll check on you in the ’
‘Not too early,’ he said gruffly ‘You get up even earlier than I do’
Gracie winced Such were the perils of working both the earlyshifts at Bar Pasticceria Zullo, but working this hard to gain respect and a foothold orth it, and she was happier than she’d ever been ‘I’ll see you after my first shift, then’
‘I look forward to it Thank you, Gracie’
‘My pleasure, Alex’
Happy that he sounded so much better, she quickly snapped a picture to show hie she would be visiting the pasticceria for soht was Bellezzo’s annual festival—featuring lanterns on the lake,Fireworks Food Fas she’d never experienced