by Lara Hunter
“How often do you praise her for her work? You know it’s outstanding, right?”
Luca cast his gaze down to the carpeted floor. “Probably not as much as I ought to,” he admitted.
Gaby stopped then, in the middle of the hallway, and faced Luca. He was proving to be much more interesting than she originally thought. Gently, she took his hands in hers, and looked into his eyes.
“Luca, there is always time to grow into the person we want to become. I don’t know who you are or who you’ve been in the past, but I can see the man you are capable of being, and I think you’ve got a good chance of letting him shine.”
Luca’s expression was wry. “You’ve only known me a few hours. If you read the Italian gossip columns, you certainly wouldn’t think so highly of me.”
“Oh, I never said I think highly of you,” Gaby said with a grin. “I just said you’re capable of being a good person. I’d love it if you could show me that guy while I’m here, Your Highness,” she said, bowing slightly and gazing up at him with a grin. Their hands were still intertwined.
“No need for titles, Gabriella. I would like to call you my friend, if that is all right with you.”
Gaby released her hands from his grip, feeling a cold emptiness and an itch to replace them back where they were. She liked how her hands felt in his, but she reminded herself that she was a lonely single waitress and he was the Prince of Campania. They would never get beyond a friendship in the few days she would spend with him. Her heart sank at that thought, and she shushed it.
“Call me Gaby, then. All my friends do.”
“Very well, Gaby,” he said, and she bit back a chuckle. Her nickname sounded silly spoken in his accent, and she almost wanted to take it back, so he would call her Gabriella again. That word sounded much better on his lips. No, no, don’t think about the lips, she chided herself.
“Would you like to see your quarters now?”
“Yes please,” Gaby said, grateful for the chance to take a rest after an afternoon of walking.
So far, she’d enjoyed every minute of Luca’s company, which was surprising given his terrible first impression. At least he’d been honest about why he really brought her here, even if that was a fool’s errand. After they walked down another series of hallways, Luca opened a door on the left and stepped aside to allow Gaby to walk in first.
The room was enormous—the ceilings had to be at least twenty feet high. Along the back wall stood a king-sized bed, draped with a gossamer canopy. Two large doors opened up to a private terrace, and there was a stately fireplace across from the bed surrounded by two comfortable couches. Bookshelves lined the wall, housing ancient-looking volumes. The walls were robin egg blue, and the bathroom opened up to a large Jacuzzi tub and a shower.
It was bigger than her family’s entire restaurant.
Perched on the bed was Gaby’s raggedy old backpack, looking completely out of place in the decadent room. Gaby had completely forgotten about it when she’d stepped outside the limo and seen Luca for the first time.
She turned to him now, trying to ignore how handsome he was as he stared at her. “Thank you for the tour. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you for your excellent company. If you would like to get settled in, dinner will be served around seven, followed by a nightcap, if that’s all right with you?”
“Sounds great,” Gaby said, already excited to eat again. Lunch had been exquisite, and she couldn’t wait to see what the chef had prepared for the next round.
“I shall see you then,” Luca said, giving Gaby a small wave before he headed back down the hallway.
“Until then,” Gaby said, closing the door and turning to stare at the room—her room.
She walked along the perimeter of the space, running her hand along the old books, picking one out and flipping it open. It was written in Italian, of course, and Gaby had no idea what any of it said. She wished again that she could speak with the cook, and decided in that moment to take lessons when she got home, whenever she could find the time.
Gaby frowned. Would she ever find the time? Having a moment to do nothing but think, she realized just how much of her life she wasn’t living. She was working it away, and for what? So that when her parents passed on she could work until her dying day, just like them?
Sighing, Gaby replaced the book she was holding and opened her backpack, digging out a pair of jeans and a boat neck shirt and laying them out on her bed. She kicked off her shoes and socks and walked over to the bathroom, where she stood and faced a large, circular mirror.
The bathroom lighting was muted and flattering, but even still, Gaby looked like a mess. She blushed in the mirror as she realized she’d had lunch with Luca with her hair askew and her clothes wrinkled beyond saving.
What had he thought of her? A prince, who was likely always pressed and clean, having lunch with a dirty little New Yorker? Still, while Gaby had originally thought him pompous, he had proven himself to be quite the gentleman as he’d escorted her around the house and enjoyed a meal with her on the terrace. There was more to Luca Campania than met the eyes, and Gaby found herself wanting to dig deeper and see who that man was.
Deciding to bask for a moment in the lavishness of her trip, Gaby turned on the faucet to the enormous bathtub. In a cream-colored cabinet she found bath oils and bubble bath, and she poured some in, the suds rising as she stripped down and released her hair from its messy ponytail.
Dipping a toe into the steaming water, Gaby sank all the way in, releasing a groan of pleasure as she lay back against the side of the tub and allowed her stiff muscles to loosen.
After a long while of lounging in the tub, Gaby stepped out and found a comfortable cotton robe in another side closet, donning it and flinging herself onto her enormous bed. The doorway to her balcony glittered as the setting sun sank, blues and purples cascading across the sky. Gaby found herself laughing at the wildness of it all. What would her parents say, seeing such a place? That it was too much? Too ostentatious? Too wonderful?
It was certainly all of the above, and more. With a wide grin, Gaby realized it was a lifestyle she could very much get used to.
I Want You For Christmas: The Prince’s Lost Princess can be found on Amazon by clicking here.
