by MK Meredith
His eyes clouded with concern. “What happened, Coconut?”
No railing, no lecture, only simple, sweet parental concern. She’d always been able to count on her parents, something Drago hadn’t had growing up. No wonder he’d run scared.
“Everything’s fine, actually. A few hiccups along the way, well, two big hiccups, but otherwise, I really feel like the opening will be a huge success.”
He frowned. “But the board won’t see it that way, since you’ve moved the opening date. They’re already forecasting how much money will be lost.”
Chase straightened her spine. “Maybe, but it was the right thing to do. Ferrara’s a large but little city. Within the city center, everyone knows everyone else, and they’re extremely loyal. There’s this inn—”
“Don’t tell me you put off the opening for the good of the competition?” Now there was censure in his voice. She repressed a sigh.
“Dad, Casa di Nonna’s an integral part of Ferrara history, and its opening was already scheduled for today. A date that’s inflexible due to their challenged economic situation.”
“Since when are we pulling our plans so the competition can survive?”
“Since when don’t we? We’ve never been a business built on a ‘take no prisoners’ model. You’ve always said the moment we lose our competition is the moment we get worried. We prioritize our staff, our patrons…people. Casa di Nonna’s all about the people. The people of Ferrara specifically. If we didn’t change our date, it would’ve destroyed the viability of the inn. No one from this town would set foot in Huntington House, and they’d do their damnedest to make sure no one else did either.” She shifted in her seat. “I’ve analyzed the losses from delaying a month, and I’m telling you. Our losses would be much greater if we open tomorrow.”
He studied her through the screen. His color was much better, and he sounded stronger.
“Maybe you could even be well enough to come back next month,” she added.
He snorted. “You tempt me with travel, but your mother threatens my life if I do.” Sighing, he tilted his mug back, finishing his coffee. With a frown, he motioned at the mug. “As it is I only get one of these a day. How’s a man to run an empire on one cup of coffee?”
She giggled. “With your family. We take care of each other. Which is why I had to help Casa di Nonna. I’ve become close with the owner and her…”
“And her what?”
Clearing her throat, she wrinkled her nose. “Nothing. Anyway, I’ll send my analysis tomorrow.”
“It doesn’t look good, Coconut. I hate to say it, but they sent you over with explicit instructions.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. “Yes, they did. I’ve gotta go. Love you.”
“I love you.”
Making her way to the lobby, she lifted her chin with a satisfied smile. She’d played off the original color palette of the old building’s marble floors and stone pillars, adding varying shades of ivory, gold, and silver. The effect was decadent and warm—Huntington House gleamed, and she had, in fact, accomplished her goal, so it stung a bit when it came to the board’s judgment.
Her fingers trailed the fine leather backs of the chairs as she approached the double front doors. With a small grin to herself, she wound her way through the city center streets of Ferrara until Casa di Nonna came into view. She sucked in a breath, placing her hand to her chest. If she’d had any doubts at all, every one of them disappeared as she took in the beautiful storybook splendor of the inn.
The awnings were rich in color and pristine in condition. The sign hung straight and sure. No scaffolding blocked the stunning view of the stone turrets and ivy-laden balconies. She stared at the building that inspired so many fairy tales in her head.
“I knew you’d come to see me, cara.” Nonna stepped through the arched wooden door of the inn with her hands outstretched.
Chase kissed the woman’s cheeks. “Are you ready?”
“Come in, come in.”
Chased followed her friend through the front door and back to the kitchen.
Nonna turned to her. “Why did you do it, my child? I never wanted you to lose Huntington House.”
Smiling, Chase grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You’ve become like family, Nonna. I haven’t had too much of that in my life. Family helps family. Huntington House won’t be hurt by a later opening.”
“But you will, cara.”
Along the way, something had changed. The yearning to belong was as strong as ever, and she’d always imagined her home would be Malibu, but looking around the kitchen of Casa di Nonna, other possibilities rose up before her in a way she’d never imagined. With a quick shake of her head, she said, “Nonna, I’m finding where I belong. And I still want it so badly. But you already know where you belong…right here.
“Regardless of what happens back in the States, my heart is full knowing you will be right here.”
Nonna’s eyes shone. Her lower lip trembled. With a sniff, she patted Chase on the cheek with cool, soft fingers that glowed in the fragmented light of her gemstones. “Grazie, cara. Ti amo.”
“I love you, too.” She grinned. “Everything looks beautiful. I wanted to tell you we’re sponsoring a small scavenger hunt as an incentive for folks to attend your opening. The winner will receive two nights’ stay in your hotel.”
Nonna shook her head. “You’re too generous.”
“I’ve set it up so you won’t have to worry about anything.” With a small tap on the top of the large wooden prep island, Chase smiled. “Okay, the festivities are about to begin. I’d love to stay.” She sent her friend a hopeful look.
Wrapping her arms around Chase, Nonna pulled her in for a tight hug. “Of course. Per favore.”
She’d done the right thing. Nonna and Drago would do anything for her, and they’d embraced her when most of the town had ignored her.
Her days with Drago flashed through her mind, his intense gaze and quick grin. The way he made her feel more beautiful naked than with her clothes on. He challenged her and made her laugh and pushed her business mind to look outside the box. He was as responsible for Huntington House’s ability to open—save for the macabre mosaic in the hallway—as she was.
Her heart picked up its pace.
He was afraid to be tied down because he believed it stole his choice, but she’d just have to show him that with the right person, commitment could give him even more.
She loved him, too.
Her heart swelled as she went in search of him. Stepping back through the wide-open front doors, she found a crowd. At the tables, in groups, and all around the front patio. The celebration was looking bright.
Lucinda stepped through the crowd with a puzzling expression on her face. Her eyes were creased and her lips drawn down. “Buongiorno.”
Chase gave a small shake of her head. “Love, what’s wrong? You look scared to death.”
Her friend reached out and rubbed Chase’s arm, then she looked around them. “Chase, I have to tell you something. I wasn’t going to, but after what you did to help the inn, I feel sick I knew all along and didn’t tell you. I know his intentions were good, but…” She trailed off in a whisper.
Chase stared at Lucinda as a feeling of dread washed over her. She saw Drago duck back toward the kitchen, and wished he’d have come out to her. All of a sudden, she wanted to hold someone’s hand. His hand. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lucinda pulled in a breath. “I’m going to just say it. But please understand that at first, we thought we were protecting Nonna.”
“Tell me.” Her stomach ached, and she crossed her arms over it.
Lucinda looked sick, too. “Since the day you arrived, Drago worked to see you forced out or at the very least sabotage your opening in order to save the inn.”
The crowd spun around her, and she placed her hand against the cold stone railing for support. “What? No, Nonna would never—” This had to be some horrible joke. Drago wo
uldn’t do that to her.
Another denial sprang to her lips, but the tragic look in Lucinda’s eyes confirmed what had become the worst fear she didn’t know she needed to have.
She pressed her hands to her temples. “Why, I mean, how—”
Lucinda bit her lip. “He spoke with the businesses, at least those in the city center. Remember when I pretended not to understand English?” Her cheeks pinkened. “I don’t know exactly what else he did, but I heard you’d had a few difficulties with linens and some sort of mosaic. My sister knows one of the women on your staff.”
Chase tried to swallow, she tried to pull in air, but her throat constricted and made both impossible.
“Oh, my friend. I know he would change what he did if he could. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him feel for someone what he feels for you. He was in too deep. No going back. I told him to tell you, but he was afraid. I tell you now, so you can heal. Then maybe the two of you might have a chance.”
A strangled laugh escaped Chase’s throat, and she covered her lips with trembling fingers.
He’d tried to sabotage the hotel, her dreams, even knowing what she’d been working toward. And because she’d fallen in love with Nonna, wanting to do right by “family,” she played right into his hands. Hands she’d never look at the same again. She thought his quick grins and languorous caresses were from a place of caring, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
It was pure manipulation.
She was a fool. They didn’t call him the Dragon for nothing.
And what had she been doing, thinking of Nonna, of Ferrara, as family? She was no more family here than she was anywhere else.
She closed her eyes against the pain. To him, it had only been the opening of a big hotel that could take the hit, but the reality was, he was willing to destroy her name, her career…her dream. Yes, he did it to save Nonna, but also to save himself and whatever guilt he’d shelved upon his shoulders.
Lucinda whispered, “Please don’t hate me.”
Chase opened her eyes and gave her friend a sad smile as she blinked back tears. “Never. But I must go.” She kissed Lucinda’s cheek, then stepped around her to go inside. She needed to hear it from Drago’s lips. Her stomach turned as she forced a composed look on her face and even breaths into her lungs.
She would not let Huntington House look like a fool, even if she was one herself.
…
Drago cursed, then spun from the window of the front sitting room. The look on Chase’s face was all the confirmation he needed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he strode into the kitchen and paced. Panic snaked its way up around his chest, tightening like a vise.
His grandmother walked in with a concerned expression. “Caro, what is it?”
The look on her face all but killed him. He didn’t deserve her concern. “Nonna, I—”
She placed a quieting hand on his arm, but he pulled away from her and continued to pace. “Look, the inn was in trouble. The easiest thing to do was keep Huntington House from opening on time…in the beginning at least, and then I changed my mind but it was too late. I’d already set plans in motion and it turns out my town isn’t loyal to family who abandons them.”
“Drago.”
He faced her and shook his head. “I tried to repair all the damage before it could hurt her, but it appears Lucinda has told her anyway.”
“You should’ve told her.” Nonna’s voice was soft and full of disappointment. “Chase is looking for a home, a place to put down roots. I really thought Ferrara could be that for her. I thought you could be that for her.”
He snapped his head up. “Why would you say that? Chase’s home is Malibu. She belongs in Malibu.” An uncomfortable pounding took up a steady rhythm in his chest. Emotions collided, leaving the usual clarity in his brain muddled and grasping for understanding. He’d told her he thought he loved her, but that did not translate into two children and a dog. Not for him.
Who was he kidding? The hell it didn’t. The moment she’d sacrificed her own future to save Nonna, Ferrara had become her home. She belonged with him. But he didn’t deserve her. Not one smile, not one coveted touch.
“And that was never more apparent than this very moment,” Chase said, walking into the kitchen from the front room.
Drago stilled. She looked stunning, her fitted dress from Lucinda’s boutique such a cool shade of gold it was almost silver. Small diamond hoops hugged her earlobes, and her glossy lips reflected the light. His chest tightened.
Nonna clasped her hands together in front of her chest, an expression on her face he hadn’t seen since she’d found out about Diego. An expression he’d vowed never to see again. What the fuck had he done?
“Chase, listen.” Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and his chest constricted painfully. “It’s not what you think.”
Her bottom lip trembled as she approached them. “No? So you’re going to tell me you haven’t tried to sabotage Huntington House…me?”
“No, I did, but—”
“And you didn’t use translating for me as a way to pull my strings?”
“That was in the beginning. Everything’s changed.”
She shook her head. “Nothing’s changed. I told you from the start why trusting people was so difficult. And, fool that I was, I played right into your game. I came here to open the Huntington and now I’m going home. Where I belong. Where you made sure I’d belong.” Her eyes were filled with pain, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
He wanted to go to her; he wanted to hold her, to make her understand. He’d been afraid and ashamed of the state the inn had gotten into thanks to his absence, and with the damage Diego had caused, he’d had no choice. He’d do anything to save Nonna. She had to understand. The inn was his grandmother’s history, it was her…
A feeling of dread overcame him as images of the men who’d sat across the negotiating table during takeovers flashed in his mind. He’d shown no mercy to them, blaming them for the state of their business, but in this instance he expected Chase to give a damn about the inn?
He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. Staring at her, he took in the velvet of her skin, the gentle curve of her neck, the warm scent of mangoes and cocoa butter that followed her wherever she went, because he knew it would be the last time. A heavy weight settled in his gut.
What the hell had he been thinking, loving her anyway? Time and again, he’d proved he was nothing more than a clone of his father. A wanderer, unable to commit, incapable of putting anyone else’s needs in front of his own. Right now the best thing for Chase would be to get back to America so she could start living again, as much as seeing her walk away would kill him. He wasn’t good for her. She deserved more than the world; she deserved a real man.
His heart rebelled against his words. “You’re right. There’s nothing I can say.”
“Drago.” Nonna stepped forward.
He shook his head. “We need to let her go. Let her get back to her life. Ferrara isn’t her family.”
Chase’s face paled, and she grabbed on to the nearest chair by the table.
Nonna stepped to her, wrapping her in her arms. “Oh, cara, you’ll always be my family. And I’m in your debt for what you’ve done for me.”
Now tears did escape Chase’s eyes, twisting the knife in his gut, and she nodded as she rested her chin on Nonna’s shoulder. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat for you, Nonna.”
He turned away and pushed through the double doors of the office. He felt as though he was walking away from his future, but that was ridiculous. His future was different women on different beaches in different countries—a worldwide sex-on-the-beach tour.
Why did that plan now seem so lonely?
Closing the doors behind him, he turned, then rested his hands against them.
Because now, though his life stood right on the other side, he’d ruined any chance of living it.
Chapter Twenty
Chase paused at the emp
loyee entrance of Huntington Place Malibu and rested her forehead against the cool glass. It was an unusually warm day, even for June, and the chilled glass against her skin felt heavenly. Pulling in a breath, she straightened her spine and walked through the doors.
As she stepped into her office, she was hit by the scent of cinnamon and honey, making her think of Addi.
“Why haven’t you been returning my calls?” Speak of the devil.
Her best friend sat on the sofa like a ray of sunshine. Everything about her glowed, from the silky strands of her cropped blond hair to the bright coral polish on her toes peeping out from a very familiar pair of wedges.
“Hey, are those my shoes?”
Addi stood up, turning one ankle from side to side. “Yup. And you’d know that if you ever answered your phone. What’s going on?”
Her friend’s long legs were golden from the sun, making her crisp white skirt and tank top seem even whiter. It was either her coloring or true love that made her glow. Addi and Roque were living the dream with a nice long engagement while playing house in her bungalow.
Chase’s heart squeezed with painful pressure. She wanted the same thing someday. Trying to breathe hurt her, and she rubbed her chest. Happily ever after wasn’t a thing in the corporate world. Instead it was takeovers, buyouts, and oh yeah…manipulation. At least it was if you were stupid enough to play with a dragon.
Had she dared to think she might have found happiness in Ferrara? Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Drago wasn’t for her. That had been a huge mistake, and she was tired of making mistakes. But she had cared, and worse, she’d trusted him.
Returning the hug, she then lowered into her chair. “I’ve been busy.”
“So busy you’ve canceled on me twice even though you’ve only been home a week.”
Home. Funny how hearing Addi say it left her feeling…nothing.
What in the hell was wrong with her? “I think I made a mistake.”
“By leaving the jerk, Drago? We’re still calling him that, aren’t we?” Addi frowned.
As soon as Chase had left the inn, she’d called Addi in tears. Her trip to Ferrara had been a resounding success and a crushing blow all at the same time. In Addi’s new grown-up state, she’d encouraged Chase to go talk to Drago again, but how was she to confront a man who never existed in the first place? Every moment together had been nothing more than the finest acting against the most beautiful backdrop. And he’d said it himself. She didn’t belong in Ferrara.
