Lilliana Jones and the Temple of Groom

by Rich Amooi

  Marco grabbed Lilly with one arm and the life ring with the other as Dominic pulled them back to the boat. Then Marco grabbed Lilly by the waist and pushed her up toward Dominic’s extended arms. The force of trying to get her out pushed him under the water.

  Then he felt another sting on the side of his arm.

  The pain was excruciating, but he resurfaced and coughed. He took a deep breath and lunged for the edge of the boat, pulling himself up in one swift motion, without Dominic’s help.

  Lilly was on her back on the floor of the boat.

  Dominic squatted and pointed to the purplish tracks on her legs where she was stung. “We need to get her to a hospital.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “That was so much fun,” Lilly said, making sure her words had plenty of sarcasm as they left the hospital. “Hey, I have an idea. Let’s go find some beehives to disturb.”

  Marco didn’t answer. Smart man.

  “Stung by jellyfish and then three hours in the hospital . . .” She shook her head and continued walking ahead of Marco back down toward the water. “That’s what I get for being spontaneous.”

  “That kiss was amazing.”

  Lilly stopped and turned back to Marco. “Is that all you can think about?”

  “You’re all I can think about.”

  She didn’t answer, even though it was one of the most romantic things she’d ever heard. She had to focus on the matter at hand. Finding Roberto.

  They talked with a few locals by the fish market who knew the Rossi family and where their property was. It shouldn’t have been a surprise since the entire island was the size of Central Park in New York. Still, that search was in vain when they showed up to an empty house.

  Frustrated and tired of complaining, Lilly pointed to a restaurant. “I’m hungry. Go find out if they have menus or if it’s a restaurant for freaks.”

  Marco eyed the restaurant and then turned back to Lilly. “If we eat here, that would mean you are being spontaneous again. Sure you want to do that?”

  “Now!”

  Marco didn’t respond but she could have sworn she heard laughter coming from him as he went inside the restaurant. A minute later, he popped his head outside. “Menus.”

  “Good,” Lilly said, now feeling guilty for talking to him that way. She entered the restaurant and pointed to the corner. “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back.”

  She waited for Marco to make a snide remark, but he remained quiet. She entered the bathroom and before she sat on the toilet, she checked to make sure there was toilet paper.

  “Two rolls,” she said, a little too loudly. She'd better not hear a knock on the door.

  A few minutes later she joined Marco at a cute little table for two by the open window.

  Marco stood, a worried look on his face. Cute.

  He pulled out the chair for Lilly and gestured for her to sit. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, trying to forget about what happened with the jellyfish even though the pain in her legs was a constant reminder. And why wasn’t he suffering as much as she was? It wasn’t fair.

  She picked up the menu and studied the various choices, noticing in her peripheral vision that Marco hadn’t picked up his menu. He sat there, quiet, staring at her.

  “What’s the problem?” asked Lilly.

  He stared at her for another moment and scratched the side of his face. “I don’t know. I’m just expecting for you to threaten to go back to Rome.”

  She shook her head. “We need to find Roberto. After dinner, we’ll grab the ferry to Positano and look for him.” But she didn’t want to talk about Roberto at the moment. She pointed out the window. “Those look like rain clouds.”

  Marco turned to look. “Glad we saw Faraglione before it got rough out there.”

  “Would you like to die a slow death or shall I make it instant?” She didn’t like her tone and felt guilty again. “Sorry. I’m not a fan of jellyfish stings and hospitals, that’s all.”

  “Understood.”

  She stared out at the dark clouds again. “It really looks like a nasty storm is about to hit.”

  “You’re right. Sometimes they have to shut down the ferries crossing back and forth because of the weather. It’s rare, but it happens.”

  Lilly continued to stare out the window. She didn’t think it could happen to them, could it? She wasn’t going to worry about that at the moment. She was starving and would kill someone if she didn’t get food in her system soon. They would enjoy a nice meal and then make their way to Positano to find Roberto.

  Fifteen minutes later, the waiter brought their food and placed it on the table—oven-baked red snapper, baby tomatoes and pan-fried potatoes. Then he pointed to the window. “I need to move your table and close that. A storm is coming.”

  It was a good idea since Lilly had already felt sprinkles on her arm.

  Marco and Lilly stood back as the waiter pulled their table away from the window. He closed the window and gestured for them to sit again. Not a minute later, the window was pounded with rain.

  “This is amazing,” Lilly said, watching the raindrops hit the window and slide down to the bottom of the glass. “It was sunny thirty minutes ago.”

  “This is very rare. I think the last time I saw this happen in the summer was about ten years ago.”

  The waiter returned and filled their water glasses. “You have a good memory. I remember it well since it was the first day I worked here. Coincidentally, this is my last day working here, so it must be that the storms come and go when I do!” The waiter laughed but Lilly didn’t find that funny at all. “And it looks like this will be the storm of the century. My boss told me they stopped all travel to the mainland.”

  “Of course they did,” Lilly said, shaking her head and wondering what else could go wrong.

  They needed to get off Capri and over to Positano to find Roberto. Now what was she going to do?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” said Marco, wiping his mouth.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Sure, I do. You want to get to Positano and you are wondering what we’re going to do now.”

  “You got me in this mess and you’re getting me out of it. If the boats are not running, we’ll rent a helicopter.”

  “No way would they fly in these conditions. I mean, look. It’s getting worse.”

  Many of the trees were blowing sideways, and the rain was coming down even harder.

  Lilly placed her napkin on the table. “How is this possible? It looks like a tropical storm and we are not even in the tropics. It makes no sense.”

  Marco reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Lilly’s. “Don’t worry. As soon as it’s safe, we’ll be on the first boat to Positano. Promise.”

  Lilly hoped so, but she had a bad feeling about this. Not lactose-intolerant-bad, but still bad. The worst part of all was she couldn’t do a thing about it. It was out of her hands. The only thing she could do now was try to enjoy the meal and relax.

  Good luck with that.

  Forty-five minutes later, they had finished their wonderful meal and headed out into the rain without an umbrella. They tried to stay as close to the buildings as possible after ducking down one street.

  Marco waved Lilly into a salmon-colored building with a large white awning. “Here. Come on.”

  They entered the lobby and Lilly stopped walking when she saw the reception desk. “A hotel?”

  “Yes.”

  “What are we doing here?”

  Marco shrugged. “Well, we have no way to get off the island. What else are we going to do? Sleep on the street in the rain?”

  “I told you—we’re not spending the night in Capri. We need to get out of here.”

  “And I told you that’s impossible. We’re stuck on one of the most beautiful islands in the world, so you’ll just have to deal with it. Enjoy it, even. Fortunately, I know someone who works here.”

  “You know
someone who works everywhere.”

  “Very funny. I'll get us two rooms, so stay put and I’ll be right back.”

  Lilly plopped down in a comfy gold chair by the oval window and sighed. Raindrops danced on the tile outside. The sound was soothing, and she felt sleepy.

  Marco was sure he knew what Lilly’s reaction would be like when he gave her the news. She would not be happy. He turned away from the reception desk of the hotel and approached her.

  She sat with her eyes closed in the waiting area. She looked breathtaking. He stood in front of her, not wanting to disturb her. This was a great way to delay the news.

  She opened her eyes and glared at him. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “About an hour.”

  She laughed and stood, wiping her eyes. “Right.” She grabbed the handle of her carryon. “Ready?”

  Here we go. Good luck.

  “Kind of . . .” Marco said, once again trying to delay the inevitable.

  “I don’t like that look on your face. What happened? Don’t tell me they don’t have rooms.”

  “They have rooms. Well . . .” He grimaced. “One room.”

  “What do you mean one room?”

  Marco held up a single key card and forced a grin. “One.”

  “No, no, no, no,” Lilly said, waving her finger at Marco. “Nice try. We are not sleeping in the same bed.”

  “Lilly Pilly, what kind of man do you take me for?”

  “A man is a man. Just like a goat is a goat.”

  Marco laughed. “I don't understand what that means, but there are two beds in the room and we have no other options. All the other hotels are sold out, and we got the last room here. They had to put all of those people from boats somewhere. So quit complaining and follow me.”

  “I like to complain. I’m good at complaining.”

  “No argument there.”

  “Hey—watch it.” She glanced over at the reception desk. “I’ll be back. There has to be another room and I will get it.”

  Marco sat in the chair. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”

  Lilly approached the man at the reception desk and spoke with him. Marco couldn’t hear the conversation but the man shook his head. A few more words and then another shake of the head and a frown from the man. Lilly turned around and walked back to Marco.

  Marco stood and couldn’t help what was about to come out of his mouth. “Did you get the presidential suite?”

  “Stuff a sock in it and take me to our room.”

  As difficult as it was, Marco kept the laughter inside and stood, leading Lilly toward the elevator.

  They went up to the fourth floor and headed down the hallway to their room. Marco slid the key into the slot on the door and quickly pulled it out. The green light lit on the lock and he cranked the door open and pushed it forward. “After you . . .”

  Lilly squeezed by Marco and rolled her suitcase against the wall. She turned toward the window and sighed. “Oh, wow.”

  Marco pulled his suitcase into the room and let the door slide closed behind him. He moved to Lilly’s side and stared out the window at their view. “I agree. Wow.”

  Even on a rainy day the Mediterranean was a sight to see. The trees swayed back and forth in the wind and the raindrops hitting the window sounded like someone lightly tapping their fingernails against the glass.

  Lilly turned toward the two double beds. “Oh . . .”

  “What? Not what you expected?"

  Lilly continued to stare at the bed. “Okay, this wasn't planned well and I don’t have anything appropriate to sleep in.”

  “You forgot to bring pajamas or . . . what do you women call those things? Nightshirts?”

  “Well . . . I . . .”

  She was hiding something. “What?” Then it came to him. “Oh. You sleep in the nude?” Just the thought of Lilly naked in his bed got his pulse going.

  “Dream on. My nightgown was meant to be seen only by me.”

  “How do you know it was only meant to be seen by you?”

  “I’m a woman. I know.”

  “Well, I’m a man and I’ll be the judge of that. Show me.”

  Lilly grabbed the pillow from the bed and threw it at Marco. “So typical.”

  “No. Typical would be a man who stares. I would just sneak a peek and give you my honest opinion, that’s all.”

  “And you don’t think I’d notice you sneaking a peek?”

  He shook his head. “I’m really sneaky.”

  Lilly laughed. “Okay, well it doesn’t matter because it’s not going to happen, so get that out of your mind.”

  “It’s completely erased,” he lied. “Wait . . .” He opened his suitcase and moved things aside, pulling out a t-shirt. He threw it to her. “You can wear this if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

  She unfolded the t-shirt and read the front. “Just Do It.” She smirked. “I should have known.”

  Marco laughed. “You have a dirty mind, you know that? I bought that t-shirt because it’s positive, it encourages, and it’s motivating.”

  Lilly stared at him for a moment, looking like she almost believed him. “If you say so. Look, I don’t know if it’s from the full stomach or the Benadryl . . . maybe it’s from the jet lag or almost being killed by jellyfish, but I’m tired and just would like to crawl into bed and sleep. Is that okay?”

  “Of course.”

  Lilly grabbed a few things from her suitcase and went into the bathroom. Marco used the time to change out of his clothes before she came back out, although he was presented with a problem.

  Unlike Lilly, he slept in the buff.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lilly woke up and peeked over at Marco, who was still asleep. The bedcover wasn’t completely over him and she could see one side of his chest, abs, and the top part of his hip. Was he sleeping in the nude? It sure seemed like it. She shook her head, wanting so much to lift that cover. Or maybe she should just set off the fire alarm so he jumped out of bed. Just the thought made her giggle. She threw her hand over mouth.

  She shook the thoughts of a naked Marco out of her head. Now was her chance to get to the bathroom and change out of his t-shirt before she got another one of those looks from him.

  God, the way he looked at Lilly melted her.

  Last night, she wanted to slip out of that t-shirt and into his bed. To say she was attracted to Marco would be an understatement. To say she didn’t dream about him last night would be a lie. But it was best to forget about that dream and get to the business at hand. Tracking down Roberto and saving the company.

  Lilly changed out of the t-shirt and washed her face.

  “You okay, Lilly?” said Marco from the other side of the door, not having the decency to stay asleep until she had finished.

  “I’m fine,” Lilly said, wondering if he was out there in his underwear or naked. “Be right out.”

  She was tempted to open the door for a little look-see, but that wouldn’t be smart.

  “Take your time,” Marco said. “Just wanted to make sure, considering what happened in Rome.”

  She didn’t even want to think about that. “Got it. I’m hoping that was a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

  Marco didn’t answer.

  A few seconds later, she opened the bathroom door and froze. “Oh . . .”

  Marco was pulling up his jeans over his red boxer briefs and looked up. “Sorry. I thought you’d be in there a little longer. Let me just . . .” He pulled up the jeans and zipped them closed.

  Lilly pulled her suitcase from the closet floor and closed the door, careful to keep her attention away from the hot Italian man who was still shirtless.

  She had forgotten about the mirrors on the closet doors and was just given a beautiful view of Marco stretching his arms over his head to slide on his t-shirt.

  Too bad he caught her looking.

  “Sorry,” said Marco again, pulling the t-shirt down over his waist. “All done.”
<
br />   A pity.

  Lilly handed him back his t-shirt she had worn to bed. “Thank you.”

  She should have smelled it one more time but that would’ve been wrong.

  Marco placed the t-shirt in his carry-on. “You’re welcome.”

  “Quick breakfast and off to Positano?” she asked. They had to get moving.

  “Yes. Breakfast comes with the room, so we can head down now and be on our way within an hour.” He pointed out the window to the Mediterranean Sea. “Beautiful day. Zero chance of not making it across.”

  “Good.”

  Marco grinned and took a few steps toward Lilly. “And don’t worry—I didn’t forget about the grapes.”

  Lilly was confused. “Grapes?”

  “You know . . . Last night you asked me if I would hand-feed grapes to you while you reclined on the terrace. It would be a pleasure.”

  She stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was joking or if she had talked in her sleep again. A few seconds later she got her answer when he laughed. Lilly grabbed a pillow from the bed and flung it as hard as she could, connecting with his face.

  A little over an hour later they were on a boat crossing back over to the mainland. They had eaten quickly, some toast and eggs, and even went online for a few minutes to search for Roberto’s family’s property.

  Marco eyed the mainland as they cruised closer on the ferry. “Are we all set with the plan?”

  Lilly nodded. “I think so. We’re lucky that Positano is small.” There were only fifteen Rossi families in Positano, according to the man at the front desk. How he knew that Lilly hadn’t a clue, but the guy said that everyone knew everyone on Positano. Just like in Capri.

  Lilly glanced over at Marco, who was staring at her. “What?”

  He shrugged. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

  “Yes. This morning. Yesterday. And I think the day before, too. Quit flirting with me.”

  “Flirting? I’m not flirting. I’m just stating a fact. Facts are readily available and I’m not the only one who thinks you’re beautiful.” Marco tapped the man to his side on the shoulder.

  “Marco, what are you doing?”