In a heartbeat (Heartbeat #1) Read online

  Stella was the best thing that had come into his life in a very long time and he would be damned if he lost her. From now on he’d be what she needed him to be.

  Running and thinking, Max had completely forgotten to pay attention to where he was going – until he realised he wasn’t on his usual running course. It was too late. Stella was coming towards him, dressed in her cute running shorts and impossibly tight tank top.

  She definitely wasn’t making his task any easier. How was he supposed to resist her, when she was so sexy? Max was a guy who didn’t drool after every single beautiful girl; he was a guy who had been with a lot of women, who had female friends and who could, usually, control himself pretty well around women. He was a lifeguard – he worked around gorgeous, half-naked women all the time, without the uncomfortable feeling of his shorts suddenly getting too tight.

  Yet the moment Stella appeared in his line of sight, his heart started beating faster – and his shorts definitely got a lot tighter.

  Seeing him, she eased her pace to a slow jog and, even from the distance, Max could see her mouth spreading into a grin.

  “What?” he asked when she reached him and stopped, still smiling and with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

  “I went in the opposite direction today to make sure I didn’t run into you. And look where that got me.”

  “Are you trying to avoid me, tesoro?” Her grin was contagious and he felt himself smiling, his mood instantly improving.

  “Yeah.”

  “And why is that?”

  “I didn’t sleep a lot, and you can be quite overwhelming.”

  I overwhelm her. I like it.

  “Stop grinning like an idiot. What are you so happy about?”

  “Nothing.” Stella pinned him with one of her incredibly sexy, demanding looks, but he didn’t elaborate.

  “Fine: don’t tell me. Oh, by the way, this is off your route as well. Are you stalking me, Massimo?”

  “No. I didn’t sleep well either and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I guess my legs found you all on their own.”

  Stella rolled her eyes and brushing past him, continued her run.

  “See ya,” she called over her shoulder.

  Max contemplated running after her, but decided against it. Clearly, she needed her space right now and he wasn’t going to intrude. He marvelled at her ass for a few more moments before he continued his own run.

  “Stop staring at my ass, you perv,” she called, without even turning back, but the smile in her voice was evident. Max laughed wholeheartedly and ran away from her.

  The day had started well, and Max wondered how it would end. For some reason, ever since Stella had arrived his days had become unpredictable. Before then he’d been very certain of his daily life – how his days started, how they ended, who he met. For the most part, there were no surprises: just a routine. Now, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  And he liked it.

  *

  Stella grinned the whole way back home. Sometimes things were just meant to be, and as hard as you tried to avoid them, you just couldn’t. That had always been true in her life, but the difference was that it was usually true about something bad.

  Maybe my luck is turning? About time!

  When she got home she almost crashed into Niki as she stormed through the front door, travel mug in hand.

  “Oh, sorry, honey,” she said, as she embraced her. “Got to run, but see you later?”

  “Sure. Have a good day, Aunt Niki.”

  “You too, sweetheart.”

  Stella remembered that she had meant to ask her aunt about a follow-up on her conversation with her mum, but hadn’t had a chance. Thinking of Helen, Stella realised she hadn’t called her in a while. Maybe tonight she’d stay at home, lounge around and Skype her. Taking her phone, she typed a quick message to her mum, asking her to meet for a chat this evening. Of course she agreed almost immediately.

  Lisa was in the kitchen when Stella walked in, stirring sugar into two cups of coffee.

  “I love you,” Stella said, as she took her cup and kissed her cousin’s cheek.

  “I know,” said Lisa, taking her own cup and moving to the table. “Running with Max again?”

  “Actually, running into him. I tried to avoid him, but we met anyway.”

  “Oh. Why were you trying to avoid him?”

  Stella sighed and told Lisa everything that had happened since they had last talked on Sunday, at the stadium watching Max. Lisa was her closest friend and it killed her to hide things from her, even if it meant that she had to sit and listen to another lecture.

  After she’d finished relating the story, Lisa was awfully quiet and there was something in her eyes – sadness? Defeat? Understanding? Stella couldn’t exactly pinpoint what, but it wasn’t there when she’d started talking.

  “I guess you can’t run away from what’s meant to be,” she finally said, trying to force a smile but failing.

  “That’s exactly what I thought. It wouldn’t be fair if it was something bad, Lis. It just wouldn’t. But I’m so ready for something good to be meant to be.”

  “I know. Me too.”

  “What’s wrong?” Stella squeezed her cousin’s hand, because she seemed to have grown really sad in just a few seconds.

  “Nothing.” She forced a smile and this time it almost managed to look convincing. “I’m just tired.”

  Stella didn’t want to press her, but it was evident for some time now that something was definitely bothering her cousin – something she hadn’t shared with anyone. She looked like a person who carried a huge burden, all on their own. Stella wanted to make her talk, but how? If she pushed her, Lisa would just withdraw even more.

  She had to tell Max. Maybe he’d have some insight on what to do.

  “So what do you want to do today?” Lisa asked.

  “Don’t know. First, I’d like to have a long, hot shower. Then ... I don’t know. Maybe we could stay in today? Sunbathe by the pool?”

  “Sounds good.” Lisa smiled, and Stella thought she detected relief in the smile.

  Lisa’s mood seemed to get better as the day progressed. They swam in the pool and lounged around the garden until lunchtime. Then, Lisa made them some amazing snacks – mozzarella and pesto bruschetta, steamed baby potatoes with basil, pieces of melon wrapped in Parma ham, and frozen yogurt with amaretti biscuits for dessert. Stella simply loved Italian food – so simple and yet so delicious.

  As they lay by the pool, trying to digest their food, Stella was fighting the urge to have a nap. She felt exhausted and the full stomach combined with the nice, sunny weather didn’t help.

  “Stella?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have to go out for a while. You think you’ll be OK on your own for a couple of hours?” Lisa asked.

  “Yeah, but where are you going? I though you didn’t have to be at the gallery until five?”

  “No, it’s not the gallery. I have to, um, run an errand.” Was it Stella’s imagination or did Lisa seem a bit guilty?

  “OK. Go, I’ll be fine.”

  Lisa immediately jumped from her lounger and went inside to get dressed.

  That was weird.

  Where would Lisa go that she couldn’t take Stella with her? And why did she act so mysteriously about it? Something was going on, all right.

  Pushing all thoughts away from her brain, Stella relaxed and let sleep take over her tired body.

  She woke up two hours later. The sun was still high in the sky, but there was no sign of Lisa. Grabbing her phone, Stella typed:

  Stella: Are you coming home anytime soon?

  Lisa’s reply came a few minutes later.

  Lisa: No, sorry, got held up. Will go straight to the gallery. See you tonight.

  So Stella was alone in the house, with nothing to do. Bored didn’t even begin to describe it. She thought about going out on her own, but somehow she didn’t want to be alone right now.

>   What was Max doing? Was he at work? Should she text him?

  Why shouldn’t I?

  Stella: Hey, are you at work?

  Max: No. Why?

  Stella: I’m bored out of my mind, Lisa ditched me two hours ago. Wanna entertain me?

  Max: I was on my way out. I’ll pick you up in 10.

  Stella stood up so quickly that she felt dizzy. Running upstairs, she changed from her bikini into a simple cotton dress and flip-flops. Just as she went in the bathroom to fix her hair, her phone beeped again.

  Max: Wear a bikini.

  Crap. She had just taken it off. By the time she’d changed and fixed her hair, Max was already waiting outside in his BMW.

  “Hi,” Stella said as she flopped into the passenger seat. “Are we going to the beach?”

  “Nope,” he said, with a wicked grin.

  “Then why did I have to wear a bikini?”

  “You’ll see.” He winked, and her treacherous body turned to mush.

  Max parked the car near the docks. He took a big backpack out of the boot and, beckoning to a very confused Stella to follow him, headed straight for the docks. They passed by huge boats, and even bigger ships carrying everything from tourists to cargo, before they reached a different part of the dock. It seemed it was used for private yachts, because all the boats anchored there were smaller and looked recreational, rather than commercial.

  They reached a beautiful white yacht, with the name ‘Elsa’ written in blue. Stella stopped and stared, because that was the last thing she’d expected.

  “You sail?” she asked.

  “Yeah, since I was a kid. My dad loved boats. Elsa was his.” He took Stella’s hand and led her towards the boat. He helped her up and then got in himself. After putting his bag in the cabin, Max got busy around the boat and Stella had no idea what he was doing. She’d never been on a boat before.

  “Sit down, please. We’re going out and I don’t want you to fall. When we get away from here, in calmer waters, you can look around – OK?”

  “Aye, aye, cap’n.” Stella saluted and sat down next to him. He grinned at her, started the engine, and they sailed away from the dock.

  They sailed for a while, with Max in absolute control of the boat. When they reached a secluded spot that couldn’t be seen from the shore and with no other boats around, Max slowed down and dropped the anchor.

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  Stella nodded and he disappeared into the cabin. He brought his backpack and took two sandwiches and two canned sodas out. He also took off his shirt and, following his lead, Stella got rid of her dress. They lay down on the deck, eating their sandwiches and enjoying the sun.

  Neither of them spoke for a while, but it was one of those comfortable silences that there was no need to fill.

  Until Max’s phone rang. He’d left it in the bag and signalled to Stella to get it, as it was closer to her. She glanced at the screen – it was Beppe. Max gestured for her to pick up and activate the loudspeaker, since he was holding his sandwich and his drink.

  “Yo,” Beppe’s cheerful voice sounded on the other end. “Where are you, man?”

  “On the boat.”

  “Oh, shit. I was hoping to grab a beer.”

  “Sorry, man. Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, maybe. Hey, since I was busy dancing with your girl last night and couldn’t bag anything for myself” – Max’s eyes rounded with shock, and Stella giggled – “I figure you owe me a boys’ night out. Just the two of us.” Beppe paused, listening. “Is that Stella’s laughter I’m hearing?”

  “Yeah. And you’re on speaker phone, so shut up.”

  “You took her on your boat?”

  “Obviously.” Max’s voice was stern.

  “I thought nobody was allowed on your boat! I was begging for months; it’s such a chick magnet ...”

  “What part of ’shut up’ don’t you get, dumbass? I’ll call you later,” he said and ended the call.

  Max didn’t look Stella in the eye, just calmly finished his sandwich.

  “He danced with your girl? Care to elaborate on that?” Stella was so happy she could taunt Max a little bit. In the short, two-minute conversation, Beppe had given her taunting material for the whole afternoon.

  “Nope.” He took a sip of his drink, glancing in her direction.

  “OK. How about, why am I allowed on your boat and nobody else is?”

  He put the drink on the floor and looked at her with such intensity that she felt the urge to cover herself with something. It was as if he was staring right into her soul.

  “This boat is the only thing of value I have left of my father’s. He loved it with all his heart, and I feel it would be disrespectful to him to bring just anyone in here.”

  “But that’s Beppe, not just anyone.”

  Max shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. In time it’s become my personal space. It feels ... intimate to bring someone else here.”

  The way he said the word ‘intimate’ sent shivers of pleasure through Stella’s body. She decided to drop it. It was perfectly clear what bringing her here meant, even if Max hadn’t said so in words.

  “So boys’ night out, eh?” she asked, completely changing the tone and direction of the conversation.

  “Yeah. There’s something going on between him and my sister. She’s pissing him off and he has to blow off some steam, which usually involves taking a girl back to his place.”

  “I’ve noticed the way they are around each other. But you said it was normal, when I asked you.”

  “They’ve always had a weird relationship, but now it’s different. They had a fight, because Gia fancies her boss and he kissed her. Beppe went nuts on her, and since that whole song fiasco she hasn’t spoken to him.”

  So that was why Gia had left the other night, after Beppe had sung Lenny Kravitz’s ‘If you can’t say no’.

  “Speaking of weird, Lisa’s been acting strangely as well lately. She ditched me today to go and ‘run an errand’,” Stella made quotation marks with her fingers. “She refused to say where or with whom. And she’s been having terrible mood swings. You know anything about that?”

  “No. She hasn’t told me anything.”

  “We have to find out what’s going on, because she’s driving me insane.”

  Max nodded in agreement and they started tidying up the deck.

  “I think we should go back. I have to be in the bar at seven.”

  Max started the boat and Stella, after putting her dress back on, sat next to him. The sun was already starting to go down and, combined with the wind from the moving boat, she felt chilly. Remembering she hadn’t thought of taking a cardigan, she hugged herself, trying to get warmer.

  “Hey, are you cold?” Max asked.

  “A little bit.”

  “Here.” He rummaged through his bag and took out his hoodie. After she put it on, he brought his arm around her shoulders and hugged her next to him.

  At that precise moment in time, on a boat in the middle of the sea, in Max’s arms, Stella felt truly happy.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You wanna come to the bar tonight?” Max asked as he parked his car in front of Lisa’s house. Stella wanted to go, because she wanted to spend time with him, but at the same time she felt they needed to spend more time apart. It was getting insane – since she’d arrived they’d spent almost every waking hour together.

  “No, I think I’ll pass tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “Because ...” she said, hoping he’d come to the same conclusion as her and she wouldn’t have to elaborate. However, he continued to stare at her with a question in his eyes. “We’ve just spent the whole afternoon alone on a boat, Max. Aren’t you sick of me by now?”

  “No.” That was all he said. And he continued to glare at her as if expecting her to change her mind.

  “I’m not coming. I have a date with my mom on Skype. And besides, I need to give you some time to miss
me.” She winked at him and, kissing his cheek goodbye, hopped out of the car. Max waited for her to get inside before he drove off.

  Stella arrived inside to find an empty house. She’d never had any problem being on her own. On the contrary, she often preferred it. Back in London it was just her and Helen in the big house; her mum rarely invited friends over – not that she had many. Stella didn’t have that many friends either. She’d never bothered to get to know people better in order to earn the right to call them friends. Sure, she got along with everyone at school, went out with them, had a laugh, but never really let anyone in. She’d even had a couple of boyfriends, if several months of dating could be considered as having a boyfriend.

  That was until she was first diagnosed with cancer. After that, she’d closed off completely. Lisa’s emails and occasional phone calls had been the only source of friendship she’d left in her life.

  Being here in Italy, in Lisa’s home, felt completely different. There was something about this place that made Stella crave to have other people around her. The very thought of spending all evening alone in the house unnerved her, while back home she would have welcomed it as a chance to watch a movie or read a book, undisturbed.

  Climbing up the stairs, Stella tried to banish her thoughts, because the last thing she needed right now was to spoil her mood. One negative thought would lead to another and before she knew it, she’d be on the floor, shaking and crying, remembering how fucked up her life was. She’d been there too many times and she refused to let it happen right here, in this perfect place where she’d come to escape and find happiness, even temporarily.

  Besides, Stella wanted to look good for her mother. They hadn’t spoken for a few days and Helen needed to see that she was happy.

  Changing out of her dress into shorts and a tank top, she switched on her laptop. The screen lit up and while waiting for it to connect to the internet, Stella went downstairs and made herself a cup of camomile tea. Going back upstairs and sitting cross-legged on the bed, Stella checked her watch. It was seven o’clock. She still had about an hour until her mum would be online.