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

.’
    He clicked on the white door and started the virtual tour of the room that Tom and Martin had filled with prints and Italian-inspired memorabilia from Vivien’s favourite Audrey Hepburn film.
    ‘Then, here, the Prohibition bar, and you can see how it leads through to the
Great Gatsby
room . . .’ On screen, he led Imogen through what had once been her grandmother’s kitchen and lounge.
    ‘It looks great,’ Imogen said proudly, giving him a squeeze. ‘Thanks for putting it together. Dad and Martin are going to absolutely love it.’ She couldn’t wait to show it off to her family. ‘I’m going round there tomorrow. Dad’s going to have his first proper look round the whole place, so I told Mum I’d come and be there when he does. Anna said she’d join us, too. There’s only a month till it opens, so I think Mum’s told him quite firmly that he needs to get used to how things are, and voice any objections now, while there’s still time to change things. I think Martin’s getting a bit nervous that he’s going to hate it.’
    ‘I’m sure he won’t,’ Finn said. ‘It looks great, and your dad is a reasonable man. But, in any case, that’s nice – that you’ll both be there.’
    ‘One thing I am certain of is that Granny would’ve have loved it,’ Imogen said with confidence. ‘You remember what she was like – always welcoming in waifs and strays, inviting friends in. She wouldn’t have wanted to see the house empty.’
    Imogen recalled the times they’d spent together at the house when she and Anna were little – playing in the garden and chasing each other up and down the stairs. As she and Anna had grown up, their relationship with their grandmother had changed, and they talked with her more. Imogen had always loved their chats. Her grandmother had always been full of wisdom and positivity, urging her to follow her dreams no matter what. Imogen bit her lip to stop herself crying. Two years after her grandmother’s death, the sadness still caught her out from time to time.
    ‘I guess with this trip to the Amazon I might not be here to see the launch,’ she said. ‘I’m sad about that.’
    The next day, Imogen stopped by at her uncle’s guesthouse. ‘Hi, everyone,’ she said. Her dad was standing in the hallway, looking a little uncomfortable. He seemed uncertain of his own footing in the house that had once been his home, now that it was being transformed into something else. Imogen went and kissed him hello.
    ‘Anna here yet?’ Imogen asked.
    Her mother shook her head. ‘She said she was coming, but I’m not sure where she is. Her phone seems to be switched off.’
    ‘Weird.’ Imogen tried her, but got through to answer-phone too. ‘I expect she’s on her way. In the meantime, look – I’ve framed some of my prints to decorate the hallway.’ Imogen took them from her bag to show her parents and Martin. ‘To brighten the place up.’
    She held them up against the wall, to see how they’d look. ‘And, well, I’ve put prices on them, too. Hope you don’t mind.’
    ‘I’m sure some of the holidaymakers will take a shine to them,’ Tom said, softly.
    Imogen laughed. ‘Never one to miss an opportunity, Dad.’
    Imogen watched as her father looked round at the home he’d grown up in. His eyes came to rest on the places his mother’s trinkets and furniture had been, and a sadness seemed to settle into his features.
    ‘Let’s go for a walk round,’ Imogen suggested. She led him up the stairs, round the guestrooms, and then back down.
    When they returned, Martin looked on nervously as his brother took in the changes. Imogen glanced over at him. They were all conscious that Tom, who had been so devastated at the loss of his mother, might find it difficult to accept that the house was now entering a new era.
    He turned round to them after what had felt like an endless wait. ‘I think it looks good,’ he said.
    Tom soberly shook his brother’s hand, before hugging