The Perfect Location (16 page)

But Max stayed in Rose’s trailer after the boys left and talked.

While she was not entirely comfortable with his reaction to Milo at the Galleria, she learned of his path over the last eighteen months and his grief and heartache over losing his wife Alice to breast cancer. It had been a long battle, which she had fought valiantly, he said, but one that eventually claimed her life. Max had stayed at home and nursed her with her mother and sister until the end. She died at home, in Max’s arms, with the boys having said their goodbyes. Rose was moved by his compassion and focus on the children’s lives, trying to ensure they were stable, but time had caught up with him. The help was not as forthcoming as people continued their lives. His parents and Alice’s mother helped as much as they could but Alice’s father had Alzheimer’s disease and she was now overwhelmed with that task.

Max was now trying to do enough work to keep the house afloat and the boys’ schedules normal. It was obvious there was more going on in the background but Rose didn’t want to pry, instead lending a sympathetic ear and deciding to make his time in Italy on set as pleasant as possible.

The day’s shooting went on with ease, much to TG’s surprise, as the equipment was restored to working order and he saw that Rose and Max had warmed up to each other. As she was leaving the set at the end of the day, she turned to Max. ‘How about you and the boys come over tomorrow? It’s Saturday and we can swim and have lunch. I’ve so many things the boys can play with as I thought my own family would have come over but they’ve not been able to manage it yet. It’s a shame to let all those fun things sit and gather dust.’

‘That sounds lovely. I know Milo would like to see you. I must ask what perfume you wear? He keeps talking about how nice you smelled that day when I turned into the giant ogre father figure.’

Rose looked at him sharply. ‘That’s an odd thing for a little boy to notice,’ she said, not mentioning she had remembered the sweet smell of the little child.

‘It’s a Jo Malone fragrance. Orange blossom.’

‘Well, it smells very nice, he has an excellent nose,’ he said, laughing.

Rose blushed, and embarrassed at her flaming face, rushed to her car and away from Max’s stare.

The next day she awoke to one of those glorious Italian summer mornings where the heat was already starting, the cicadas were singing and the slight haze on the hills in the distance foretold of swimming and lying around. Rose was up early, requesting a summer lunch from Lucia for the boys and getting all the toys and water pistols out for them to play with.

The pool was sparkling and Rose placed cushions on the hammocks and cane lounge under the wisteria and grapevine shelter. She was excited to have company. Max seemed pleasant and she desperately wanted to see Milo again; his little face burned in her mind. Eating a light breakfast of peaches and homemade yoghurt, Rose planned the lunch with Lucia.

‘They are boys, so I assume they eat a lot.’

‘
Si si
, I know,’ Lucia said, pleased to have the tall man and his children over.

‘I know what we will eat, do not worry about it, okay? I will cook for your boys.’

‘Well, they’re not exactly my boys, just friends.’

‘Perhaps they can be your boys,’ laughed Lucia as she started to bang pots and pans around the large kitchen.

‘We will eat outside, is that all right, Lucia?’

‘Of course,
si
. Perfect.’ It was clear Lucia wanted Rose out of her domain. This is what she felt she was born to do – feed and nurture – and she wanted no help or advice.

Rose ran upstairs and showered, washing herself with the gorgeous Santa Maria Novella products and washing her hair twice. Drying herself on the soft Frette bath sheets, she pondered her wardrobe. She didn’t want to look too much like a movie star but she wanted to look nice. For whom, she wondered. Max? The boys? Opening the wardrobe, she looked at the clothes on their satin hangers. Everything was too stuffy, she decided. All too prim and proper. She didn’t want to look like she was having a garden party.

She pulled out a Vera Wang red and grey silk tunic from her resort collection, a Camilla Franks white caftan, and a pair of white linen Calvin Klein pants, a black silk singlet and a chocolate beaded Michael Kors silk dress.

Looking at them on the bed, she liked none of them. Pulling out her suitcase from under the bed, she found what she was looking for. ‘Help,’ she said under her breath. ‘What do you wear for four males?’

Pulling on her black Melissa Odabash bikini, she pulled out a Diane Von Furstenberg charcoal jersey tunic dress tied at the waist. Dressing it up with silver hoop earrings and Jimmy Choo silver flat sandals, she thought she looked the best she could expect. Not too dressed but still casual and elegant.

Wearing tinted moisturizer, some blush and waterproof mascara, she put on some pink lip shimmer from Stila and sprayed herself liberally with her Jo Malone perfume which Milo had admired. Tying her hair back in a low ponytail, she ran downstairs again to wait.

Why was she so nervous and excited? I need to see more people, if this is my reaction to company, she thought, I’m not nearly socialized enough. In fact, Rose rarely entertained anymore. Since her divorce from Paul, she spent most of her spare time on her own, except for a few casual lunches with friends or for business. Going out to industry functions was work not pleasure and Rose had forgotten the fun in preparing and planning for guests.

Rose and Max had planned for a mid-morning arrival and lunch, then home in the afternoon so Milo could have his sleep. At 10.30 am Rose heard the security buzzer on the gates and ran to press them in. The car came down the driveway, stopped and the boys tumbled out of the back seat. ‘Stop it, you’re hurting me,’ said Jasper to Dominic, the eldest boy. ‘No, you have to do the red river up the arm and then you get the tingles. Come on, don’t be a girl,’ said Dominic.

Jasper pulled away and ran to Rose and hid behind her. ‘Rose is home free barley. Can’t get me if I’m holding onto her. Suffer!’ crowed Jasper.

Rose laughed, confused. Dominic snarled at him. Milo stood by the car door and smiled shyly.

‘That’s enough, boys. Rose already thinks we’re savages. Please let’s show her we’re actually quite nice. I’ve already apologized to her for my bad mood when we first saw her, so let’s keep up the show, okay, lads?’

He ruffled Dominic’s hair and Dominic scuffed the gravel drive with his foot. ‘Say hello to Rose.’

‘Hello, Rose,’ said the boys in a singsong voice.

‘Hello, boys,’ she answered at the same time.

They laughed.

‘Come in, come in. I hope you brought your bathers. There’s a pool and lots of fun things to do. I’ve got a Wii and books and colouring things. You name it, I think I have it.’

‘Why?’ asked Jasper as they entered the cool of the villa.

‘Why do I have all that stuff? Well, I think my niece and nephews are coming to visit, so I bought all this gear for them. I’m sure they won’t mind you testing it all out for them.’

As they walked through the foyer and into the large open living room that looked out over the pool, the boys saw the blue water filled with floating mattresses and toys. Pulling off their t-shirts and leaving on their board shorts, they made as if to run towards the pool.

‘Hang on, hold up,’ said Max in a stern voice. ‘Sunscreen first please.’

Pulling out a giant pump pack of SPF 30, he started to cream the older boys. ‘Do you mind creaming Milo for me, Rose? All over, please?’

‘Of course, I can’t wait to get my hands on that perfect physique,’ she laughed.

Bending down, she helped him take off his red t-shirt. His little body was so cute, with his rounded belly and soft skin. She pumped some sun cream in her hand and lathered him all over. He squirmed under her touch.

‘You’re tickling me!’ he said indignantly.

‘Oh no, I’m not. You’ll know when I tickle you, just be prepared,’ she said, winking at him.

He scrunched his face up to her as she applied cream to his cheeks. Rubbing it into his skin she could see Max’s features in him but he must have Alice’s colouring, she thought, looking at his blond hair.

‘All done,’ she said as she stood up. Milo stood in front of her waiting. ‘Did I forget somewhere?’ she asked.

He crooked his little finger and beckoned her back to his level. As she knelt down in front of him, he smiled shyly. ‘Can I smell you?’

He wrapped his little arms around her neck and sniffed deeply into her neck. She held him close, his greasy body pressing against her. He was warm and smelt delicious, like she remembered, but with the smell of sun cream lingering. ‘That’s nice,’ he said as he pulled away. ‘Bye.’ And he ran to the pool.

Max looked embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry, he has this thing about smells. When Alice died, he took her perfume bottles and keeps them next to his bed. Smells them every night. The counsellor says when he doesn’t need them anymore then he’ll stop and get rid of them himself. I don’t think he can remember anything else about her besides her smell.’

Rose looked at the boys jumping in and out of the pool, Milo playing on the steps, trying to get into an inflatable boat. ‘They say smell is stored in a different part of our brains and it lasts longer and can activate emotions more than any other sense.’

‘Perhaps. I smell the perfumes sometimes when he’s at kinder.’

‘I understand.’ Picking up a tray holding a pitcher of lemonade and glasses, Rose walked towards the door. ‘Let’s go and watch them. They’re so funny.’

‘Let me carry that,’ said Max and he took the heavy tray from her and walked outside into the sun. ‘Where would you like it?’

‘In the shade, I think,’ said Rose, pointing to the wisteria-covered shelter.

‘Can you come in, Dad?’ called Dominic from the deep end of the pool.

‘Maybe later, Dom,’ he said, sitting in the cane chair.

Rose saw the disappointment on Dom’s face as he duck-dived under the water.

Standing up, she pulled off her dress and looked at Max. ‘Last one in’s a rotten egg!’ she called and ran to the side of the pool.

Max looked at her dancing on the edge of the pool in her black bikini, her white skin glowing, her body perfectly proportioned; she was utterly gorgeous. She had the body of a twenty-five year old and an expression on her face like a devilish twelve year old.

Pulling off his polo shirt, he kicked off his sandals and ran to the other side of the pool. They stood and stared at each other from opposite sides. Max was not overly worked out like the men in LA. He had muscle definition but was slim, with grey hair on his chest – another thing men in Hollywood had renounced years before. He looked like a man should look, thought Rose, and then caught herself. Oh God, he thinks I’m perving on him. I’m the creepy lady chasing after the grieving widower. Rose, you lech, she admonished herself.

Max saw Rose blush and stopped himself from running his eyes over her body. Lean, lithe and with perfect rounded breasts, almost large by Hollywood standards, real of course, he noticed, then he told himself off. Don’t look at her like that; you’ve already shown her what a bad temper you have, don’t show her now what your sex drive is like.

Max had not been with anyone since Alice’s death; he just couldn’t bring himself to sleep with anyone. He was still in the same home, the same bed and it would seem like he was betraying Alice if he brought anyone into their home, let alone bed.

Max looked into Rose’s eyes. ‘Ready, on the count of three. One, two …’ And then he heard Rose jump in.

‘You cheater,’ he called as she emerged from under the water.

‘You snooze, you lose,’ she said, quoting her agent, Randy.

Max jumped in and swam towards her. She swam away screaming and the kids all started to yell with delight.

Rose jumped out. ‘Max, can you put some sunscreen on me? I’m gonna burn I’m sure.’

Max got out and dried his hands on the towels laid out on the sun lounges. Christ, what a cliché, he thought, as Rose turned her back to him. She undid her bikini top and held it to her as he rubbed her toned shoulders. Her skin was soft but the muscles in her back defined and strong. Her body felt supple under his hands. He rubbed her lower back above her bikini. Christ, he thought, as he felt his cock move. No, Max, no. Think of something else. ‘All done,’ he said as he turned away from Rose. ‘Can you do me now?’ he asked, facing the other way towards the house to hide his erection.

Rose put sun cream on her hands and started to rub his back. He had nice skin and a lovely back, she thought, as she rubbed him all over. He also has gentle hands, she thought, thinking of them on her shoulders. She tried to keep her thoughts neutral as she imagined them touching her breasts and felt an aching in her groin. This is so immature, she scolded herself. You need to have sex, Rose, but not with a grieving man. Sex and socialization, she thought to herself. ‘Finished,’ she said casually.

She ran back and jumped in the pool so he would not see the lust in her eyes. Max pretended to look for something in the bag he brought with him until his erection subsided.

Lucia, still watching from the kitchen window, cackled to herself as she poured extra Tia Maria over the freshly picked strawberries.

They spent the morning in the pool, playing games, duck-diving for silver coins which Rose threw in the water. Milo hung onto Rose’s back and she swam around the pool as his chariot, doing as he commanded. Soon Lucia called them in for lunch. She had outdone herself. A slow-cooked leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, a fresh salad with three kinds of vine-ripened tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella, stuffed zucchini flowers with ricotta and anchovies, and French fries for the boys. Lemonade and local wines were aplenty. Lucia had indeed outdone herself and she knew it, now the magic would have to take hold.

Rose clapped her hands in glee. ‘I’m getting so fat here, I love the food. TG will have to get my part rewritten as Gilbert Grape’s mother, I think, if I keep eating like this,’ she said, slipping her dress over her head.

Max looked at her ribs sticking out as she raised her arms as the dress went over her head. ‘Yes, I can see you are, in fact, quite hideous. I mentioned it to him, actually, after we met. I said, that woman has an awful temper and is too large for widescreen. What are you going to do about it?’ Max joked.