by Lily Zante
“Another couple of weeks.” Her mother slipped her arm through Ava’s as the rest of their party walked on ahead.
“Something wrong? I thought you might like the idea of staying a bit longer. I’m assuming, of course, that you’ll go back when we do. I just thought we might as well make the most of our visit now that we’re here. Two weeks seems a really short amount of time. I want to see so much. I’ve been reading through the guide books and there are so many interesting places to visit. Your father would have loved it here.”
These words touched a nerve in Ava and she hugged her mother’s arm closer to her. Her mother still missed their father, even after all these years. Ava missed him, too, though her memories of him were hazy and out of focus. She had only been eight and Rona nine when he’d gone out to pay some bills and had never come back home again. Another car had jumped the red light and crashed into her father’s, killing him instantly.
Hearing her mom say she missed him now made Ava feel sad, more so at the realization that her mother’s life might be quite a lonely one. She carried on walking and patted her mom’s arm, suddenly overcome with emotion and unable to speak.
She stopped as an idea came to her. It would help get her mom out of the child-minding duties that she felt sure would be heading her way once Carlos had gone.
“Is he always so busy? Nico? It’s just that I haven’t seen the two of you together much.”
“He’s busy,” said Ava.
Rona and Carlos had rushed off ahead and Ava was thankful there were no prying ears around.
She wondered whether a few extra few weeks would give her time to fix things between them both. Perhaps not get back into the relationship side of things, not that she would fight anything if it happened, but at least to remain friends. He had been there for her at a time in her life when she had needed someone.
Ahead in the distance, Rona had stopped outside a restaurant.
It was Gioberti’s. Ava had been there before, and the owner was a flirt. She instinctively knew that Rona would love this place. As she saw her sister’s hips swaying from side to side with more exaggeration than usual, butt out, chest out, and her gold hoops swinging wildly, Ava knew they would end up eating there.
“That’s the restaurant I had my eye on,” Elsa mused.
This should be interesting, Ava thought, watching Gioberti slide away from other patrons and head toward the table where Rona was maneuvering the stroller.
She saw the oh-so-smooth run of Rona’s hand through her hair, the disarming giggle, the slight turn of the head as Gioberti pulled out her chair for her. Carlos helped Tori into her high chair.
“And she told me to be wary of Italian men!” said Ava with amusement.
Chapter 20
Nico sat in his car and braced himself for another day.
It had been a week since the dinner at Juliet’s balcony, but already it felt like a month. Now that he was back to sleeping alone, Nico found he couldn’t fall asleep easily. He missed the way Ava’s warm body curled up against his. Now he spent most of the night restless and woke up drained.
Every waking moment she appeared in his thoughts. Their time in Venice replayed over and over in his mind. A word, a snippet of conversation, something she said—all these things and more would creep back to remind him of her. He missed her. But there wasn’t much he could do about it. Especially now that her family was here.
He scraped his hand over his face and took a deep breath. In time, this would all fade away. She would return and he would forget. But for now, he had to get through each day knowing there was a chance he might see her—as he hoped for daily. It was a constant guessing game.
He got out of his car and rushed up the steps. As he walked through the doors, a familiar laugh from the sofa corner immediately put his hairs on edge. He didn’t have to turn, for he knew that sound distinctly. But he turned anyway and saw Silvia sitting on one of the sofas, one leg crossed low over the other. She threw her head back and laughed. Connor sat beside her like a besotted puppy. He whispered into her ear and she laughed again.
Nico turned away and headed for his office but his face froze as he headed in that direction.
Was that Ava talking to his father? His eyebrows scrunched together as he came to a stop just as he reached the reception desk.
Gina was still busy with a group of women who looked ready to leave. And sure enough, beside her stood Ava deep in conversation with his father.
What could they be talking about? What was more, his father was smiling. He even, god forbid, looked happy.
Feeling left out, Nico eased his shoulder blades back, releasing the tension in his neck and shoulders. Ava had her back to him and his father was so entranced by her that he barely noticed Nico’s presence.
From where he stood, observing but not yet noticed by the object of his interest, Nico’s eyes ran over each detail of Ava, taking in her long, lean body, her high ponytail revealing her long neck, a neck he very much wanted to run his lips over. His heart beat a little faster and the tension in his lower body went up a notch.
Just at that very moment she turned around and laughed as she stepped back from his father. His father laughed, too, and the very idea of such a relaxed and easy camaraderie between these two made him happy and jealous all at once. He felt the odd one out, as if he could not interrupt their little talk.
“Hi,” said Ava. She blushed at the sudden unexpected sight of him. The giveaway color of her cheeks boosted his confidence. Her eyes met his and they locked gazes, each of them trying to work out where the other was at.
“Hello,” returned Nico, pleasantly enough. He walked around the side to where they were and nodded at his father, who sobered up when his son approached.
Just as he found the words to say something, Ava turned back to his father and completely ignored him.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Cazale. I’ll suggest it to my Mom. I’m sure she would like it, if you don’t mind.”
“Please do, Ava. I could do with some time out. It would be my pleasure.”
What would be his pleasure?
Ava gave Edmondo a heartwarming smile and Nico waited for her to look his way. She looked so casual and so sexy in her white shirt and skinny jeans that he wanted to grab her and rush her back to her pensione.
“See you around.” That was all she said to him. Even her smile was halfhearted and she lowered her eyes, not quite meeting his gaze as she left.
Nico felt cheated. He stared after her, his heart slamming against his ribs as she disappeared out of sight.
That’s it? He wanted to run after her. To make up. To sort out their current lack of communication. But his pride stopped him.
“What was that all about?” Nico asked, forcing a touch of nonchalance into his voice. He wouldn’t put it past his father to notice that things had cooled a little between them.
The obvious giveaway being the fact that he was now sleeping back at the family home.
“It seems they have extended their stay here.” His father pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
Had he heard right? “Really?” He felt a mixture of excitement and anger well up inside him. Excitement leading to hope for the possibilities that this might bring to him and anger that Ava had not decided to tell him herself.
“Yes. Her mother likes it here and wants to spend a little more time. You’ll have to see to it that their time at the pensione is extended.”
More anger flamed up. “Is that what she came to talk to you about? Extending the stay at the pensione?”
Edmondo shook his head slowly, his mind preoccupied by some paperwork that Gina had handed him.
“She wanted to ask me about a few places to visit around Verona.”
And she asked you?
Nico moved his shoulders up and down, hoping to ease the tension that was now building up into the mother of all headaches.
The fact that Ava had gone to the trouble of asking his father, when s
he could just as easily have asked him, told him how much she hated having anything to do with him.
He bristled with resentment.
Edmondo elaborated further. “Her mother would like to go sightseeing and Ava asked me for recommendations.”
“And?” This was adding fuel to the fire; Ava was deliberately avoiding him. “How much longer are they staying?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t she mention anything to you?”
Chapter 21
“And have a nice time, too.” Ava watched her suddenly shy mom walk out of the door with the silver-haired, older Cazale.
Mission accomplished.
She was proud of herself. She had managed to get the two of them out before Rona had returned from the airport after seeing Carlos off.
No Carlos meant no babysitter. And Ava wanted to make sure her mom got the holiday that she deserved.
With yet another extension to her time here, Ava was considering the idea of taking a trip back to Venice, or Siena even. Siena might be better, she thought. Venice held too many memories of Nico.
Anywhere would do. She just needed to get away for a few days, to put distance between herself and the man who haunted her. Try as she would, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. If it wasn’t for her family keeping her occupied, her resolve would have weakened days ago.
The fleeting glimpse she had had of him yesterday when she was talking to Mr. Cazale had gotten her heart racing again. That man caused her body to physically react. And for the rest of the day and last night she had been unable to stop thinking about him.
She could ask her mother to come along, too.
Neither she, nor Rona, had ever considered that their mother might be lonely or that having a companion in her life might be the thing she needed. Selfishly, they had not really considered that their mother might have ideas about seeing anyone.
But the more Ava stopped to think things through, the more she realized there was no reason why her mother could not. She had a great social life back home and kept herself busy with her various book clubs, helping out at the local shelter, and some new art classes she had taken up with her neighbor, but mostly, her mother’s circle comprised of women: single, divorced, widowed, all similar in age to Elsa.
Yesterday when Ava had dropped by the Casa Adriana to pick up some leaflets about places to visit in and around Verona, and also to ask Gina, she had wondered if she might also bump into Nico. It was only because Mr. Cazale happened to walk past that he overheard her asking about local places to visit that he offered his own advice. When he then offered to show her mother the sights, Ava was taken aback. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was not such a bad idea.
Mr. Cazale appeared to be genuinely excited to show off his hometown. Relaying this news to her mother had been a little harder. “But I hardly know him,” Elsa had protested.
“Mom, you saw him every morning at breakfast time when you stayed at the hotel.”
It was true, Edmondo Cazale had been the very epitome of graciousness on the few occasions that he had met her family. But understandably, her mother still seemed a little uneasy about the idea of spending a whole day with him.
He was, after all, rather distinguished and good-looking.
He was also a widower. And her mother was a widow; she didn’t think it seemed right. Ava felt there was nothing wrong with it. They were only going sightseeing together.
Her mother’s protestations aside, here they were, both of them going off for the day to visit the Duomo. Ava knew her mother would love it.
She watched as the chivalrous Mr. Cazale opened the passenger side door for her mother, who, she could see even at this distance, blushed with embarrassment. Ava giggled to herself and turned away. Time to get down to business. There was a small matter she had to take care of.
She turned around, expecting to see Gina at the reception desk, but instead she found herself staring right into Nico’s glittering dark eyes. They had both successfully avoided each other up until yesterday, and then last night she had tossed and turned in bed, dreaming of those eyes. She couldn’t look at him without showing how she felt—she was mad about him. But she knew that she couldn’t get involved with him, because to do so meant more heartache.
And yet, aside from the rumors and the gossip, all his actions where she was concerned, had been for her own good.
But she still could not bring herself to trust him. Not after Connor.
Or could she?
Was it too much to hope that he could change?
“We meet again.” Dark eyes fixed on her face, and she felt the familiar magnetic pull toward him. Protecting herself, she stepped back and felt the cold glass doors against her.
“Hello, Nico.” She managed a smile, hoping that he could not read her desire to kiss those beautiful lips of his.
She dragged her gaze away from the curve of his mouth and struggled to keep a cool composure. But looking into his eyes, standing so close to him, she could feel the heat from his body. Rational thoughts tossed right out of her head.
She had come to read his moods and she knew he wanted to talk things over.
He took a step toward her and pointed outside, surprise strewn across his face. “Is that my father with your mother?”
“It is. Your father kindly agreed to show my mother around.”
“Interesting.”
“What’s so interesting?” she asked. She took a step back, but found herself hemmed in between the doors behind her and Nico in front.
“To see my father taking some time out, for a change.”
Ava gazed at his eyes, trying to find the meaning in them, to see if he was being sarcastic or not. But he genuinely seemed pleased.
“Carlos has gone back. Rona’s at the airport seeing him off. I thought it would be good for my mom to see a bit of this city, without my niece or my sister in tow.” She felt she needed to give him an explanation, but her superfluous words only made him arch an eyebrow at her.
He crossed his arms over his chest, and the clear outline of strong shoulders and biceps only made her heart rate quicken. An image of their naked, slick bodies grinding together accosted her thoughts.
As if he could read her mind, Nico let out a subtle smile, his gaze penetrating her soul. He was so close now that if he stared at her like that a moment longer, she would surrender. Her body yearned for his touch, even though her head knew better.
Disturbing the charged moment between them, he said, “How perceptive of you.”
“Oh?” she asked, disappointed that he could still carry on talking when their bodies had other ideas.
“I’ve seen your little niece, a bundle of energy, really very charming. I watched her father dote on her, the lucky man.”
“Oh.”
He said something, but Ava had stopped listening to his words, and her gaze fell once again to his lips as he carried on talking. Naked images refused to leave her head.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Nico cocked his head at her questioningly. “Yes, what?”
Whatever you say.
“Ava?” He was so close now that she only had to tip her head forward and their lips would touch.
Get a grip.
“I think…your father will be great company.”
Nico stared at her lips for the longest time, and without realizing it, she licked hers in anticipation. He tipped his head an inch and the scent of his cologne ratcheted up the color and vibrancy of her mental images. She breathed again, caught up in his aura of sexiness. Everything about him, his lips, his eyes, just him only millimeters away from her, sent her heart rate off the Richter scale. Ava half-closed her eyes and parted her lips, waiting for the feel of his soft, wet mouth.
“I’m sure you’re right,” he whispered. And then he pulled away. By the time her eyelids flew open he had already taken two long strides away from her.
She wanted to scream. But she held it in.
With li
ps pursed together, she started forward and willed her legs to walk up to the reception desk. Nico stood behind it. She stayed where she was, needing the safety of the high wooden ledge between them. Beneath her ribs, her heart still thundered uncontrollably. Where was Gina? It was safer to talk to him with a third person around. She examined his face for clues that he had experienced anything, even a little of what she just had. But it was the picture of perfect calm.
As though he hadn’t just taken her from zero to sixty in a couple of seconds and shunted her to earth with a thump.
She took a guidebook from the pile on the side, needing to have something in her hands, some sort of armor, no matter how flimsy.
She cleared her throat. “My mom and sister have extended their trip by a few weeks. Would it be all right for them to continue staying at the pensione, if it’s not already booked out? If it is…” She heard her voice falter and hated herself for sounding so weak. It was hard asking him for yet another thing. Harder now that they had fallen out.
And after what had almost just happened minutes ago, more so.
Before she twittered on, Nico cut her short. “It’s not a problem. Of course they can stay. Both pensiones are available. It’s still a quiet time here in Verona.”
He took the now rolled up travel guide from her hands and the slightest brush of his fingers on hers made her jump. “We seem to have reached some sort of impasse.” He waited for her response.
But she was unable to speak. Her face burned. She knew they needed to sort things out. She just wasn’t prepared for it to be right now. Not while she was still recovering from the effect he had on her. Her insides clenched tightly. Before she could say another word, the words fell out of Nico’s mouth faster than she could react.
“I’m sorry, Ava.”
She had been expecting to argue with him, but his words took her completely by surprise. Dark eyes twinkled at her as his gaze held her captive, before dipping lower to her lips but no lower. Strong hands reached out for hers.
No, not again. She could not allow him to do this to her again, just minutes after the last time.
