Brad and Issy walked on ahead, as Marco, Gina and Daniela made slower progress. Daniela wanted to look in every shop window, and Marco was happy to indulge her.
‘That was very sweet,’ Issy commented, as she and Brad strolled across a stone bridge, admiring a pair of white swans drifting underneath. At Brad’s quizzical look, she explained, ‘With Daniela, and the hot chocolate.’
‘She’s a sweet kid. I can’t believe it’s six years since I first met her. Time flies real fast. She’s been through a lot, what with losing her mom and everything … But she’s great.’ Brad spoke about her with real affection, and Issy saw a side to him that she’d never seen before.
She wanted to ask him about children – whether he wanted them, and regretted not having them with Lexi – but she knew it wasn’t her place. There’d been rumours for years in the tabloid press about why they hadn’t started a family, and Issy felt it would be insensitive to ask. But then Brad surprised her by saying, ‘Do you have brothers and sisters? I feel like I don’t know much about you. You’ve worked for me for, what? Three years now?’
‘Exactly three years on the twentieth of March,’ Issy confirmed.
‘Our anniversary,’ Brad grinned, with a movie-star grin that lit up his face. ‘I’ll make sure my PA puts it in my diary, so I remember to send flowers.’
Issy knew he was teasing, but there was something in the way he was looking at her that made her unsure.
‘Three years, and yet I know so little about you,’ Brad mused. ‘I guess that makes me an asshole boss.’
‘No, it doesn’t. It just makes you a very busy guy. I’ve seen your schedule, remember?’
Brad smiled. ‘So, tell me all about yourself. I want to know everything – where you’re from, if you have siblings, what you want out of life …’
Issy hesitated. In truth, she felt uncomfortable speaking about her family, especially given the situation with her mom. She didn’t want to give Brad any reason to be suspicious of her, but she was happy to give him the sanitized version of her life.
‘I grew up in Reno, and I have a younger sister, Kirsten. I was … almost like a mom to her. Our own mom … wasn’t around much,’ Issy said carefully. She and Brad were in the most beautiful location, sharing a moment of connection, and her mom wasn’t going to ruin this for her. ‘My dad left when I was just a kid, so I had to make sure that Kirsten got to school on time, that she did her homework. I used to cook dinner for her, and make her packed lunch. Even when I went away to college, I was working as many hours as I could in the local diner to support myself and to send money home to Kirsten too …’ Issy trailed off, wondering if she’d said too much. She hadn’t meant to overshare like that, but there was something about Brad that had made her want to be truthful.
‘Wow,’ he said quietly. ‘I can’t believe I never knew that about you. You’ve worked so hard … I think that we’re alike, you and me. Some people in this business don’t get it – they come from privileged backgrounds, with money or connections, and don’t appreciate what it takes to work your way up from the bottom. I think that fear of having it all taken away never leaves you. It gives you that sense of drive.’
‘Totally,’ Issy nodded, trying to hide her surprise. She’d never imagined that Brad Redford, of all people, could feel insecure.
‘What does your sister do now?’ he asked.
‘She’s at college, studying law.’
‘Iz, that’s incredible.’
‘Yeah, I’m really proud of her,’ Issy said with feeling. ‘It was all worth the effort.’
‘You sound like a great big sister. I bet you’ll be a great mom too some day.’
Issy flushed, Brad’s comment felt weirdly intimate. ‘What about your plans for the future?’ she asked, trying to take the focus off her in case she revealed something she shouldn’t. ‘Are you going to carry on being a movie star for ever?’
‘I hope not,’ Brad chuckled. ‘I hope I know when it’s my time to go, though I’d like to bow out on a high. But you’ve seen my life – you know it’s not everything it appears to be from the outside. I have this dream – maybe it sounds ridiculous, but I’d love to have masses of land and a farm. Maybe a big old ranch out in Texas or somewhere, with dogs and horses and a soccer team’s worth of kids running round my ankles.’
‘You and Lexi would make beautiful babies.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m not sure if Lexi sees the same future I do,’ Brad said reflectively, a note of sadness in his voice. Then he brightened. ‘This is so nice, Iz. It’s amazing not to be recognized. It feels like having a normal life, just strolling round together, you and me …’
‘I guess it’s impossible to have a normal life when you’re Brad Redford. But wouldn’t you miss it, if it all went away?’
‘Maybe not as much as you’d think. Maybe it’s time for me to dial it down a little, start thinking about a quieter – no, not quieter – a richer life.’ Brad looked thoughtful.
‘Then I’d be out of a job,’ Issy joked.
Brad shook his head, turning to look at her, though she couldn’t read his expression behind his sunglasses. ‘No. I’d always want you around.’
Issy’s heart leapt, wondering if he’d meant it how it had sounded. They’d spent a wonderful morning together, opening up to one another and forging a deeper connection, but Brad was devoted to the beautiful Lexi Parker. Wasn’t he?
Marco, Gina and Daniela had long since lost sight of Brad and Issy, who’d gone on ahead as Daniela eagerly browsed in every shop window. Right now, the three of them were standing outside a jewellery store, as Daniela cooed over the shimmering pieces.
‘That one’s so pretty, it’s my favourite. Oh, look at that one! It’s so sparkly. Papà, please can I get something?’
‘Not today, sweetheart.’
Daniela pulled a disappointed face, but Marco knew that seconds later her attention would be distracted by something else.
‘Gina, which one’s your favourite?’ she asked.
Gina moved closer, realizing she was looking at rows of Murano glass jewellery. There were earrings, necklaces, rings, even ornaments shaped like animals. And there were bracelets. Gina’s eyes hungrily scoured the display. She couldn’t see an identical piece, but there was a beautiful bracelet in shades of blue that reminded her of the one that she’d lost on the opening night of Carnival. She was suddenly assailed by feelings of guilt and sadness, remembering her beloved father, and everything that had happened in the months leading up to his death. Gina found that she couldn’t take her eyes off the window, lost in her memories.
‘… just like the one Papà found,’ Daniela was saying.
‘What’s that?’ Gina asked, but the words were gone, and Daniela was chattering on about something else entirely now.
‘Are you OK?’ Marco asked Gina, his eyes filled with concern.
‘I’m fine,’ she insisted, pulling herself out of her reverie, forcing herself to move on. ‘How are you feeling now?’ Gina asked, as she fell into step alongside Daniela as Marco dropped back to look at some paintings in an antique shop. ‘I heard you weren’t very well the other evening.’
‘I’m OK now,’ Daniela shrugged. ‘I was really sick at the time, but it only lasted for about a day and then I felt much better. Rosina said it must have been a twenty-four-hour bug. I’m really glad, as I wouldn’t have wanted to miss today.’
‘Your mum must have been very worried about you,’ Gina said, thinking of how Marco had gone racing home after their evening together at the Palazzo Malipiero.
