“Romance?” His gaze narrowed, his posture stiff. "No, don't be silly. Is that what your life is like?”
"No. I just thought you must get any woman you want." The moment I let my elbow off the table, the wait staff placed the trays. I fixed my napkin in my lap and hoped I wasn't a terrible companion. My knee trembled and shook the chair.
“Are you always this jittery?”
“You have no idea,” I said.
“Interesting.” He reached for the pepper and I cringed. I didn't know what I expected, but breaking into an icicle from nerves wasn't it. "You seem so shy. You have every reason in the world to be excited about everything."
Perhaps he was right and I just had an overactive imagination. "Why would I do that? It sounds exhausting."
"You're young and clearly sheltered. I hadn’t expected that."
“I’m not young.” This conversation. I’d expected him to ask my age sooner. Even my boss thought I was still a teenager. My heartbeat grew as I met his stare. "I'm twenty-six. How old are you?"
His eyebrows twitched as he twisted pasta on his fork. "Twenty-six? You seem much younger. I'm thirty."
Only four years older but he’d probably seen the whole world. Robert's broad muscular shoulders strained against his white button down shirt. His brooding manners held me captivated. I picked up my glass of wine and waited for him to do the same. Their differences shouldn’t matter as much as what they had in common. I swallowed and said, "That's young for the amount of books you have published. How did you write all those stories?"
His neutral mask cracked and it seemed I’d hit on something he didn't want to talk about. Before I could apologize, he said, "My dad worked in Hollywood. He found my agent who sold my teen horrors to a publisher looking for male voices. I grew up “in the profession” as they say."
We ate a few bites of our meal in silence. His story seemed slightly off but I didn’t press. I glanced at him and thought I saw a red aura in the candlelight. I blinked and it was gone. He held his fork so perfectly that I could snap a picture in my mind on how a perfect gentleman eats. The minutes ticked past and my plate was becoming visible, my stomach full. I wiped my mouth. "Does your father still help you?"
He put his fork down on the remaining pasta as his shoulders tightened. "I don't speak to him anymore."
My stomach knotted as if preparing for a knock-out punch. "Why not?"
"He never liked my wife."
My gaze flitted toward the exit. Robert hadn’t mentioned marriage but I should have guessed. He was too beautiful, though my attraction was an elemental burning. He was fire itself and I was a moth near the flame. Should I get up and storm away? I've never stormed anywhere. Instead I dropped my napkin on the table. "You're married?"
"I was. She's gone now."
The knot in my belly dissipated. No one was going to kill me because I’d had dinner with their husband. I picked my napkin up and tried to smile, but it faltered. His jaw was still clenched.. Perhaps he was lonely too. "I'm sorry. Are you divorced?"
“No, she died.”
“I’m sorry.”
He continued eating and I did the same. We ate in silence again, though I took fewer bites, hoping he'd talk to me. The food was good, but I placed my fork to the side the moment he spoke. "You didn't do anything to be sorry about. Any more questions you'd like to ask?"
Questions. Neither of us had happy childhoods, it seemed. I had to ask my questions gently. If I asked about his last wife, he might get upset. Most people had families and that should be a safe topic. I tilted my head and asked, "So what's your mom like?"
He shrugged his massive muscular shoulders. He must work out—in my mind writers possessed round soft stomachs from sitting all day, but Robert’s washboard abs were flat and strong. For a while he said nothing, but finally he answered. "I don't know. She left me on my dad's doorstep and never came back."
"Wow, that's horrible." The field of simple questions to ask grew smaller and smaller. I'd not sink to sports teams, as I didn’t know anything about games on television. I wrangled that napkin under the table and stared at my plate. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I should probably thank her if I ever do meet her."
There was something that drew me to Robert, visible only to me, sparks that glowed like red sparklers on the Fourth of July. I massaged my neck with my free hand and asked, "Why?"
"No one is as they seem." He studied his food. The sparks dimmed. "She taught me that nobody can be trusted. I expect people to turn ugly, especially the truly beautiful.”
His blue eyes pierced through me as if he connected to my soul. I’d never betray anyone I loved. Maybe he might like me because I’m clearly different from whoever he knew in the past. I lifted my chin. "Maybe you’ve met the wrong people. I might not be beautiful, but I try to do the right thing. I was raised by my grandmother. She took me to Church every Sunday and always told me to volunteer and help people. There are people like me too."
“Helping others can get you killed.”
“Maybe that’s what caused my parents to die in that car crash, or maybe not. Grandma said so. Either way it’s better to help people than belittle them.”
"You don't see your own beauty, Daphne, or what you truly are."
What did he mean? I am ordinary. I have light brown hair, my eyes are the color of dirt, I’m tall and gangly next to most women and I have no idea what will happen once my temporary job is done next month. I’ve never been alone.
Perhaps he was being kind. I sucked in my lower lip ‘til I realized what I was doing and stopped. The best thing to do was ignore the comment. "That's a pretty cynical way of looking at things. I’ve found joy in helping others."
"I prefer to fictionally kill people to portray what happens when we make the wrong choices.”
I let out a gasp of air.
“So other than helping people, what do you do?”
"I'm a caretaker mostly. I studied nursing online to help my grandmother, and some of the other folks in our neighborhood."
His eyes widened. "What about children?"
"I've never worked with them, but I'd love the chance."
The waiter came to take our plates away. Once the man was gone he asked, “What brought you to Italy?"
The waiter returned with a dessert menu, and Robert ordered something for us in Italian. I looked forward to whatever sugary concoction might arrive. "My new boss has business here. I was hired as her personal assistant. I do office work and ensure she stays healthy."
The waiter poured us both cappuccinos as Robert asked, "Is she old and feeble?"
The way he drank his coffee was hypnotizing. His long fingers possessed strength, and if he wanted, he could crush that porcelain cup. I pushed an errant hair away from my eyes. "No, she's two years older than me, but she had health issues less than a year ago."
“The number one reason women in that age bracket go to the hospital is to give birth.” Robert bit into the creamy dessert in front of him and then swallowed.
“Why do you know that?”
"Writers know random facts. So what does she have you do?"
Aura had told me not to discuss her job with strangers who might want personal information. She definitely hadn’t given birth.
I trusted Robert, but the warning shot through my brain. I shifted in my seat as I chose my words. "Mostly paperwork." I bit into the cream puff which tasted like heaven. Hard to believe just a few hours ago we’d been in the bell tower, where he’d stood on the ledge. His knee poked to the side of the small table. "Anyhow, I don't want to talk about my job on my first night off. Are you in Florence plotting a new book?"
“No. I don’t like to get away much.” He froze as if I’d asked him a hard question, but then he also placed his spoon down, wiped his full lips. "My estate is in Maine."
I scooted my chair closer to the table to be closer to him. Despite the chill in the restaurant, there was something hot that rushed through my blood and I did
n't want it to stop. "You must be used to winter, then. This is my first real brush of cold.”
“Where are you from?”
“Florida, in the most unknown and boring section."
He sipped the rest of his cappuccino. "Is that why you took this job, to get away?"
I lowered my gaze. The position offered me my own room. "Once Grandma died, I didn't have a place to live because she’d taken a reverse mortgage out and the bank wanted their property. Grandma's sister, my great aunt, is Ms. Volos's housekeeper in Connecticut. She hooked me up with this job."
"What happened to your parents? You mentioned a crash."
My history tended to be a buzz kill but there was no getting around it. "Car accident. I was five. By chance I was staying at a friend's house that night. I've lived with Grandma since… until now."
"Only five?" His royal blue eyes met mine. "I'm so sorry."
His pitying expression brought my defenses up. No one should be sorry for me. "I sometimes have a hard time remembering their faces. Does that make me ugly in your eyes?"
He threw his napkin on the table as if to signify that he was done and a waiter dropped off the bill. "No. Perhaps you are one of the people I hear whispered about at parties."
He probably spent his evenings with important people that were nothing like me. "What do you hear?"
Leaning across the table, Robert took my fingers. "There are good people in the world."
A spark rushed through me from his simple touch. "If I’m good, does that change your world view?"
"Perhaps it does.” He released me and sat back in his chair. “I'm being a horrible dinner partner for you."
I shouldn't have been so honest. Reaching across the table, I didn't quite meet his hand. "You're not."
He signed the credit card statement and stood. "I am. Now that we're finished, let me pay for your cab to get you to your hotel."
What happened? In a blink of an eye this date was over? He must have realized how boring my life is now. This would go down in history as the worst first date ever. "There is no need. I'm happy to walk back."
He waited for me to stand and when I did, he placed his hand on my back to lead me out of the nice restaurant. His touch zapped my skin with electricity. "Did you feel that?" he asked.
How my body was charged from the barest caress over my clothes? Yes. I'd not say that. "What?"
He took his hand away from me and massaged his chin mumbling something about innocence. Then he said, "It's time I get you home."
Outside the streetlights of Florence shone. My mind raced with ideas on what I could do to keep him close, but no answers materialized. I licked my lips. "Robert, I had a wonderful time and I'm happy we met. I'll never forget you."
He didn't look at me. He waved at a yellow car and then opened the door for me. "Here’s your cab."
This was it. I shifted on my feet, but then crawled into the car. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Daphne." He gently closed my door. This was wretched and horrible and the driver had no idea I was close to tears in the backseat. Inside my entire body quaked.
Robert was out of my life forever, then. The destiny I thought I felt from being near him must have been my imagination. I must have been wrong. My heart fell in my chest. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t want the night to end, for Robert to leave, but I couldn't say anything. I held my head high as the cab driver drove me to my hotel, once again utterly alone.
3
The incessant sound of my cell phone alarm rung in the air and I suddenly bolted out of bed. Sunlight shone in my bedroom window. Late! Aura would be waiting for me. I washed, threw on a pair of pants, my bra, a clean shirt and my sneakers.
In my rush, I glanced in the mirror by the door. My light brown hair had a golden streak in it. How strange? It was like someone took a bleached pen right down the middle. I quickly fixed my ponytail so no one would notice and left.
Aura would probably be angry that I was late to our appointment. As I hurried to the lobby, I used the railing to propel myself forward over the last few stairs and headed to the breakfast patio. I searched the crowd for her.
I smiled as I spotted her, until the crowd parted and I realized she sat with someone. The sexiness of those blue eyes replayed in my head as I stared at the muscular man across from my boss. Numb, I wanted to disappear. The witty and worldly beautiful Aura sat and joked with my Robert.
Okay, he wasn't mine, but there he was, and he seemed to be enjoying their conversation. If I slipped out, perhaps they'd never see me.
Aura then turned in her seat and her light blue eyes met mine. Robert followed her gaze.
I felt run over by a bullet train though I was only in the lobby of our hotel.
Aura waved for me to join them in their booth. Had Robert ended our date so suddenly last night because he wanted Aura? I hoped to shrivel up and die right here and now, but then Robert's vibrant hues stared into me. A shock somehow pulled me toward the abyss. Butterflies grew in my stomach as I inched closer to the breakfast table.
Aura wore a designer black skirt with a matching button down shirt and simple diamonds studs in her ears. She nodded. "You're late, Daphne."
My hands clenched as I thought of Aura with Robert. I held the edge of my shirt in a ball and lowered my head, wishing Robert hadn’t heard that. "I'm sorry. I overslept."
“Clearly.” She didn't look at me, but she scooted over to make room. "Daphne, sit down."
"Yes, of course." I’d tried to be friends with Aura, but she treated me like an annoying gnat. I wanted to find commonalities, but she didn’t feel the same. I sank into the seat beside her and refused to look at Robert.
I imagined sitting next to Robert, shoulder to shoulder, tugged to him by an invisible string. As if he wanted me next to him, but that was impossible. I had the worst imagination. He shouldn't be here. I thought he’d never wanted to see me again after last night.
Robert lifted his finger to a passing server. "Waiter, can you bring a round of cappuccinos?"
I glanced at him, and Robert stared back at me intensely. I had no idea what to say, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from his.
Aura poked me in my side. "Daphne, I want to introduce you to someone famous.” She reached across the table to place her hand on his shoulder. My heart thumped as she laughed. “This is Robert De Marco. He invested a substantial sum in the Volos hotel chains years ago that have paid off nicely.”
"I like making money." He winked at me.
They were not dating then. A rush of energy built inside me. I couldn't tell my boss that I’d met him last night and that I was such poor company he’d sent me home. She'd ask questions and realize I’d embarrassed myself and then she'd never let me talk to anyone she knew. I gritted my teeth and chose to nod my head. "Nice to meet you, Mr. De Marco."
"I would prefer if you call me Robert." His gaze went too deep and I cringed, fearing he’d out me. Instead he said, "Your assistant is beautiful, Aura. Her face will help me sweet talk the convention hosts."
My entire face warmed. No one thought I was beautiful. This was crazy. He’d said the same thing at dinner but hadn’t tried to even kiss me good night. I gulped my cappuccino, my mind whirling. Had a convention brought him here?
Aura turned and stared at my profile for a split second. "She is, but not as beautiful as your late wife. Serena was perfection. Nobody else could ever compare."
Robert's face darkened. "Yes, Serena was beautiful."
A terrible sinking feeling expanded in my stomach. Death was so final. I didn't know what to say to him. He’d lost someone he loved. Grandma was all I had and I'd been numb since her death. It was probably worse if that someone was your spouse.
"Daphne can help you today,” Aura said. “She'll be happy to get out of the office."
My mouth dropped open and I couldn’t quite close my lips for a minute. She wanted me to spend all day with Robert? "What's going on?"
Aura checked a message on her cell
phone then narrowed her gaze at me. "I told Mr. De Marco that you would accompany him. He is conducting an interview at the Palazzo Vecchio."
My neck was like a ping-pong paddle that swung between the two of them. "Where do I fit in?"
Robert sipped his cappuccino.
Aura said, "All you have to do is hold the camera. His cell phone lens isn't professional enough and the guy he hired quit this morning."
So I was a fill-in for the hired help. If he thought me so desperate, then this “job” was pity. My stomach ached. I’d been so naïve, wishing last night had been a date. I stared at the plate of food that somehow appeared in front of me.
Robert kept his voice low as if he spoke just to me. "I have the camera, Daphne. I'd love it if you'd join me."
The word love coming from his mouth made me melt. I didn't look up, but nodded. "Are you sure?"
"Of course he's sure.” Aura picked up her cappuccino cup like the heroine in my grandmother’s movies. “You'll stay with him all day and we'll get together for dinner to go over the Villa acquisition."
I got the feeling that Aura didn't want me near her today, which meant she had something to do that didn’t require a babysitter. I should probably let her go, as I'd like a recommendation for the future. I tugged my ear. Aura hadn't hired me. We were supposed to check in once a day with her mom. "What about the phone call to your mother, Ms. Volos?"
She brightened like she’d won the lottery. I massaged the nape of my neck as she said, "We’ll take care of it earlier than expected, right after breakfast. This way we're both free."
A loose tendril of hair fell in my face, but I didn't brush it away. I let the barrier stand. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Aura calmly drank her cappuccino. "So hurry and finish."
I didn't see any other options, so I looked up at Robert. "I'll do whatever you need, Mr. De Marco."
"Thank you, Daphne. Whatever I need is pretty open-minded of you.” He tucked the wayward piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m looking forward to your company. I like this gold streak of yours.”
Call of the Dragon: Flight of Dragons Page 2
