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‘Please sit down We’ll have a drink,’ Holly suggested, because she had laid that photo of Marzia and him at his place at the table and she was keen for hi hi to feel a little like a badly planned head-on collision

Maybe she should have been less confrontational and given hi up with a polite story that went nowhere near the actual truth She didn’t believe he would lie to her but he wouldn’t want to upset her and he would pick and choose words to persuade her in a devious way that her concerns were nonsensical

Vito was on the edge of arguing until he glimpsed the photo, and its appearance was so unexpected that it stupefied hi with Marzia in wonderment while Silvestro poured his wine Why were they apparently celebrating this inappropriate photograph with rose petals scattered across the table and the finest wine? His frown of incomprehension deepened

‘What is this?’ he demanded with an abruptness that startled Holly as he swept up the photo

Consternation gripped Holly because he didn’t sound puzzled, he sounded downright angry ‘I wanted to ask you to explain that picture,’ she muttered warily

‘So you set me up with some sort of a romantic dinner and tell me I can’t have a shower? And sit me doith a photo of my ex?’ Vito exclaimed incredulously ‘This is more than a little weird, Holly!’

Legs turning wobbly as she encountered scorching dark golden eyes of enquiry, Holly dropped reluctantly down into her chair ‘I’et it over with and I wanted you to say exactly what’s on your mind’

‘Weird!’ Vito repeated with an e the photo into a ball of crushed paper and firing it into the fire burning raph from and when did you see it?’

Holly sketched out the details, her heart beating very fast She hadn’t expected to feel guilty but now she did because taking Vito by surprise had only annoyed him

‘Today?’ Vito stressed in astonishment ‘But that photo is at least three years old!’

‘Three years old…’ Holly’s voice trailed off as she studied him in disbelief

‘It was taken at our engageain now?’ he questioned

Holly scraazine she had cut the photo fro, she planted it into Vito’s outstretched hand while Silvestro struggled to set out the first course of the meal

‘Per l’aroaned ‘You need to learn to read Italian!’