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Read an excerpt from The Housekeeper’s Invitation To Italy by Cathy Williams, a rags-to-riches romance with an alpha billionaire hero!
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‘So when is this work going to begin? What is it going to entail?’
‘It’s going to entail my father moving out for possibly a couple of weeks. There will be workmen in and out of all the rooms, and the dust and noise will be too much for him to endure.’
‘And he’s agreed to this?’
‘I’ve told him that there’s not much choice. It’s either get it done or watch the place slowly fall apart, until it becomes too difficult to patch it up the way he would like it to be. I’ll be keeping as much intact as possible. But there are a lot of historic features that need renovating badly—and quickly. The stained-glass windows on the landing are about to come crashing down because they need urgent re-leading.’
‘I’m not following you. Where is he going to move to? London? Leonard has always told me how much he hates London.’
‘Not that he’s actually been there more than a handful of times,’ Alessio returned drily. ‘But no. London isn’t what I have in mind.’
‘Then where?’
‘I have a place at Lake Garda in Northern Italy. It’s close enough to get there on my private jet in a matter of hours, so the trip shouldn’t be too taxing for him.’
‘Oh, right… Okay…’
‘If we plan on leaving in roughly a week’s time, it will give me sufficient time to get the ball rolling with my father’s company, so that I can instal some of my own people to tie up the loose ends. I’ll also have enough time for my PA to source the best crew available to get the job done here, and of course, there will have to be some time spent packing away anything valuable that needs to be protected. I suggest several of the more robust rooms in the West Wing would be suitable for that.’
‘Wait, hang on just a minute… We…?’
‘You don’t think that my father is going to be able to travel without you, do you? I’m assuming you have a passport that’s up to date?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘There aren’t really a whole lot of buts about it,’ Alessio interrupted, before any of her objections could be raised. ‘If I’m honest, part of my father’s agreement to this—aside from accepting the inevitability of having the house renovated—is based on the assumption that you will provide the continuity of care he needs by being there with him.’
He paused and delivered her a searching look that brought a flame of bright colour to her cheeks.
‘Aside from which, what obligations do you have that might be a spoke in the wheel? Naturally, you will be richly compensated for the inconvenience, but it’s hardly as though you have compelling personal duties that require your presence here, is it?’
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The Housekeeper’s Invitation To Italy by Cathy Williams.
Housekeeper Sophie is honour-bound to reveal the shocking secrets that her boss, Alessio’s father, has hidden from him. Still, Sophie doesn’t expect Alessio to make her the solution to his family’s problems…by inviting her to Lake Garda as his pretend girlfriend!