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One Summer in Rome: a deliciously uplifting summer romance!
Samantha Tonge
‘A taste of Italy and a summer read you won’t forget!’ Mandy BaggotTo Rome…with love?Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.Praise for One Summer in Rome:‘Food, family and a Roman romance – this is the perfect summer read!’ Heidi Swain‘A book you won’t regret picking up if you love Jenny Colgan or Cathy Bramley’s books!’ Being Unique Books‘A perfectly uplifting story to enjoy in the sunshine!’ Fraser’s Fun House‘A charming novel!’ The Library Corner‘I couldn’t put this book down… A truly beautiful read.’ Nemesis Book Blog‘Light-hearted and feel-good.’ Pretty Little Book Reviews‘A lovely and summery read!’ The Cosiest Corner
To Rome…with love?
Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.
Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!
Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly…
A deliciously heartwarming romantic comedy to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.
One Summer in Rome
Samantha Tonge
ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES
Copyright (#ulink_48adf52c-63d5-5708-9523-45d62ccd9da5)
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018
Copyright © Samantha Tonge 2018
Samantha Tonge asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © May 2018 ISBN: 9780008239176
Version: 2018-03-21
SAMANTHA TONGE lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat who thinks it’s a dog. Along with writing, her days are spent willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing contemporary romance novels is her passion.
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For Martin, Immy and Jay.
Thanks for the memories we made together in Rome.
Piano! Piano!
Contents
Cover (#u19ed8554-7b56-5995-9d4e-6cf2c63f37ec)
Blurb (#u341f91e6-1176-5631-80bd-0bc477a92ff9)
Title Page (#ubbbda372-bdac-5755-aa98-99f4d7048710)
Copyright (#ulink_d37cf87f-f147-5080-8910-e25a9a7e20d7)
Author Bio (#udd164454-350b-501d-b236-c8584415bcd4)
Dedication (#ua9571a10-8260-5a31-8a56-092f4b56cbb0)
Chapter One (#ulink_6e8fd435-6309-532e-8ca5-d88c71e05ebb)
Chapter Two (#ulink_b5693019-08f8-5644-b5d7-37bc32a245b0)
Chapter Three (#ulink_f8276186-fe35-56fe-bec2-2a746e4e7727)
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Acknowledgements (#ub3a2b91d-eb18-5068-85b2-db121bf73c8a)
Excerpt (#uc41d1649-01fe-53ae-b899-35a3a7fce1a7)
Endpages (#u7084ad95-f20c-536c-9f62-281107168255)
About the Publisher
Chapter One (#ulink_d52a2f22-8498-5530-9da2-2d04d888bdbe)
‘Excuse me! Sorry, was that your bag?’ Mary bent down to set the small case upright and under the glare of its owner, squeezed her way through the crowds. An out-of-breath Jill followed closely, red in the face due to lack of oxygen and the indignant comments of passengers inadvertently pushed out the way. But Mary had precisely thirty minutes left to check in and board. Finally she reached the appropriate desk and handed over her passport and paperwork.
How had this happened? Plain Mary Smith heading for Rome? A wry smile crossed her face. She blamed the travel agency, located right next to the job centre. On finally quitting her waitressing position at The Black Swan pub, she’d been determined to sign on. However, in the window of the shop next door was a stunning poster of the Coliseum. Ten minutes later, Mary found herself heading home with a bagful of Italian holiday brochures. Until the early hours, she flicked through them, each turn of a page increasing her flurry of excitement.
‘We’ve closed,’ said a tight-lipped young woman, after casting a cursory eye over Mary’s details. ‘This flight has had its last call.’
Jill, The Black Swan’s chef, caught up. ‘Huge apologies. You see the traffic …’
The woman raised one eyebrow as if she’d heard it all before.
‘My young friend can run fast,’ said Jill and she gave a beaming smile. ‘All she needs is for you to weigh that luggage.’
The check-in assistant consulted her watch and shook her head, ponytail swishing like a horse’s tail irritated by a fly.
‘Come on, Jill. Let’s go. It doesn’t matter,’ said Mary, feeling like a customer who tried to buy a drink after last orders. ‘I’m not going to beg to go on a trip I’m having doubts about anyway. I should never have handed in my notice.’ Perhaps this was fate’s way of saying … her? Rome? That’s make-believe. Mary didn’t know whether the tension in her stomach was disappointment or relief.
Jill shook her head and Mary studied the greying curls and wrinkle-free cheeks, filled out by nature’s own Botox – a love of carbs. This friendship represented the closest relationship she’d ever had – apart from Jake.
‘You should have left months ago,’ said Jill. ‘I only stay because the hours suit for looking after Dave. Brenda falsely accused you of undercharging a customer – again. She’s never happy. Why would you want to work again for the landlady from hell?’
Because, Jill, experience has taught me that change could make things worse. Aged eight, she’d been so excited to leave her second set of foster parents. Their biological daughter hated Mary and the bathroom smelt. But the third couple couldn’t get rid of her quick enough when they unexpectedly found themselves expecting a child of their own.
A puzzled look on her face, the assistant leant forward. ‘Don’t you want to go on holiday? Or at the least have a fortnight of the most fabulous ice cream?’
‘Holiday? No. It’s a one-way trip. You’ll be doing me a favour, to be honest. Take the decision out of my hands, because I can’t afford to buy another flight.’ She shrugged. ‘As if I could reinvent myself in the sunshine … I don’t know what I was thinking when I booked my ticket.’
‘Last-minute nerves,’ mouthed Jill, speaking as if she were sharing something taboo.
The check-in assistant stared for a moment. ‘I’m all for reinventions,’ she said, eventually, in much friendlier tones. ‘Take last year, when my boyfriend dumped me. I dyed my hair blonde. Applied for this job. I’m dating an air steward now.’
With supersonic speed she weighed the small navy case. Mary swallowed. So this was really happening? Half-heartedly she took the boarding ticket and muttered her thanks. They left the check-in desk.
‘Right, off you go,’ said Jill. ‘We made it. No regrets now. It’s too late for those.’
Unable to budge, Mary bit her thumbnail. ‘But what if I’m making a mistake? Now that I’m here …’ She gazed at her passport. ‘What was I thinking? People like me don’t—’
‘Stop right there. Don’t write yourself off. We all have the potential to achieve whatever we want.’ Gently Jill reached out for Mary’s hand and moved it away from her mouth. ‘We’ve been through this – over and over since I picked you up three hours ago. You have nothing to lose …’
‘Just my self-esteem if I fail.’
‘Rome is beautiful …’
‘So is Hackney. Kind of. At night. If you squint.’
‘… and you love pizza …’
‘I hate tiramisu.’
‘… and what could be worse than working for Brenda?’
Jill had got Mary there. Still. This was like a bungee jump except there was no elasticised cord. No safety net. No back-up plan in case things went wrong.
‘I don’t understand. At first you were so cautious about me taking this job.’ Mary stared at the floor. ‘I know I’ve moaned a lot since Jake left. Sorry about that. At least you won’t have to put up with my romantic problems once I’ve taken that flight.’ She gave an extra bright laugh. ‘You’ll probably be glad to see the back of me.’
‘Poppet …’
Mary lifted her head.
