‘Fran’s sensible,’ Angela pointed out. ‘And you reformed for her. You actually started taking time out to enjoy yourself. You even took lunch breaks. And yet the day after Nonna went back to Milan, you broke up with her.’ She shook her head. ‘Something doesn’t quite ring true.’
He sighed. ‘OK. If you want the truth, it was a set-up right from the start. I know how much Nonna wanted me to settle down. You all assumed Fran was more than just my office manager, despite the fact I told you the truth, so she agreed to be my pretend girlfriend while Nonna was in England.’
‘I see.’ Angela folded her arms. ‘Bit of a drastic measure, don’t you think?’
‘Nonna sounded so happy at the idea I’d settled down. How could I disappoint her?’ He looked away. ‘I’ve already disappointed my family enough.’
Angela took his hand and squeezed it. ‘Gio, you’ve never been a disappointment to any of us. And if this is about when your dad was ill, that really wasn’t your fault. Just for the record, he’d been having chest pains for a few weeks before the heart attack, except being your father he pretended they didn’t exist and didn’t tell anyone about them. And he was perfectly capable of getting a temp in to cover your shift; he didn’t have to do it himself. Nobody’s ever blamed you for what happened—except yourself,’ she said gently. ‘And nothing we could do or say would persuade you of the truth. It drives me crazy that you’re still wearing a hair shirt after all these years. The business is doing so well that you can afford to take time out and do that degree in music—and you should have done it years ago. You need to do what makes you happy, Gio.’
Gio shook his head. ‘You must be joking. Dad’s nearly sixty. I don’t want to give him the excuse to come back and work himself into the ground while I swan off somewhere with my guitar and indulge myself for a couple of years.’
‘That isn’t what I meant, and you know it. You had a good office manager. Someone who could run the whole lot while you’re studying—and you’ll know the business is in safe hands so you won’t have to worry about it.’
Gio gestured round the office. ‘The only office manager around here is me. So that isn’t an option.’
‘She’s not working here any more, either?’
‘Nope.’
She stroked his hair away from his forehead. ‘Right now, you look a mess. You miss her, don’t you?’
He tried to frame the lie, but he couldn’t. ‘Yeah,’ he admitted, his voice cracking. ‘I miss her like hell.’
‘Because you’re in love with her.’
He took a deep breath. ‘It’s complicated, Mum.’
‘How? You love her. She loves you.’ Angela spread her hands. ‘What’s complicated about that?’
She loves you. He’d so wanted that to be true. But it wasn’t. ‘She walked out on me.’
Angela frowned. ‘Did you tell her how you felt about her?’
Ha. How could he?
At his silence, she sighed. ‘You didn’t, did you?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Sometimes, I wonder how the intelligent, talented son I’ve always loved and been so proud of can be so dense. Gio, the way she looked at you gave her away. You know the reason why your little deception worked so well? Because it had all the hallmarks of truth. I could see by the way you looked at her that you were in love with her. And she most definitely felt the same about you.’
He dragged in a breath. ‘Really? So why did she leave? Why did she walk out on me?’
‘Because you made this hare-brained arrangement to split up with her when Nonna went back to Milan. And if you didn’t tell her how you really felt about her, of course she’d leave. Because she’s as proud and stubborn as you are and she wasn’t going to stick around when she thought you didn’t want her.’ Angela started at him. ‘I can’t believe you need me to spell it out for you. Have you called her since she left?’
He gritted his teeth. ‘She made it clear it was over.’
‘And you’re too stubborn to fight for her? Give me strength.’ Angela picked up the phone and handed it to him. ‘Take it from me, male pride is a very pointless thing. A very lonely thing. Call her. Tell her you need to talk to her. And when you see her, tell her how you feel. Be honest with her.’
Easy to say. ‘What if she doesn’t want me?’
‘It’s a risk you’ll have to take. And it’s about time you took it.’ She dropped a kiss on his forehead. ‘Call her. And then call me later and let me know how things are, OK?’