The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements Read Free Book Online

Bella to share those.
    ‘Bella has a way of giving us all focus, don’t you think?’ Jan said.
    Anna saw in her mum’s eyes how much it mattered to her – having her family close, being able to be the grandmother she wanted to be. After years of Imogen’s living abroad, the McAvoys were all back together again, and all of them treasured that.
    That evening, Matteo and Anna settled down to dinner at their kitchen table, Bella asleep in her bedroom.
    ‘This is good,’ Anna said, pointing to the pasta bake he’d made.
    ‘Thanks.’ His dark eyes were cast down.
    ‘You OK?’ she enquired gently, putting a hand on his arm. ‘You seem miles away tonight.’
    ‘Me? I’m fine,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It’s . . . it’s nothing, really.’
    ‘Come on.’
    ‘It’s just something today got me thinking, I suppose.’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘It’s not worth talking about,’ he said, dismissing it.
    ‘Is this something to do with that older guy you were talking to in the shop today?’
    ‘Yes. Sort of.’
    ‘Who was he?’
    ‘He’s from Siena originally, but he’s been running a fish-and-chip shop in Hove for years,’ he said. ‘Heard about the cannoli and came to try one. I gave him a few free samples of the ice cream and you should have seen him. So happy. He was in another world.’
    ‘That’s lovely,’ Anna said. Seeing customers light up at the taste of one of their ice creams was what made her feel so passionately about what they did.
    ‘We got caught up talking about Siena and the food back there. He said how much he missed the place.’
    ‘What brought him here?’
    ‘He fell in love. Thirty years later he’s still here. He always meant to go back, but he said the years just passed.’
    The tone in his voice unsettled Anna. ‘You’ve been thinking about home a lot recently, haven’t you?’ Anna said. She felt a tug at her heart as she asked the question. She knew she was opening up a conversation – perhaps the only conversation – that could drive a wedge between them.
    Matteo nodded, not saying a word.
    In his silence, Anna saw that his feelings ran deep. In their early days he’d joked about what he was missing in Italy – reciting his favourite meals from Florence’s restaurants wistfully, his nostalgia a playful, amusing thing. This was different.
    ‘You can be honest with me, you know that,’ Anna said.
    ‘I miss so many things,’ Matteo said. ‘Being able to talk in my own language, for a start – I still get in a muddle with English sometimes, even when I’m talking with you. Then there’s just that sense of connection. I feel it here sometimes, but others . . .’
    ‘You want us to go there,’ Anna said, the realisation hitting her with a jolt.
    He shook his head. ‘You and Bella are what matter most to me, and when I came here I made you a promise: that we would live here, where you have your family, the shop. I won’t break that commitment to you, Anna. I wouldn’t ask you to leave this.’
    ‘But how can we stay, when I know that, deep down, you’re not happy?’ Anna asked, her voice cracking.
    ‘I am,’ he said. ‘I’m so happy, Anna.’ He paused and she could see he was holding something back.
    ‘But . . .?’
    ‘The truth? I feel torn.’ In his eyes was a deep sadness. ‘I don’t want to be that man, Anna.’

Chapter 4
    On the Friday evening, Finn and Imogen were in the living room at their beach house, relaxing on the L-shaped sofa. The sea, unsettled and stormy, was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the large white rug, scatter cushions and prints of Imogen’s photos from Thailand softened the room’s minimalist look.
    Finn was showing Imogen the website he’d put together for the Elderberry Guesthouse. He passed her his tablet so she could see it clearly. ‘I’ve kept the home page simple, but you can click on each of the doors here to take a look at the guestrooms. See – here, in the
Roman Holiday-themed
room . .