Every cell in my body was alive from his one brief touch.
“You must have gotten a hair-cut last night too. That’s what’s different about you.” Aura put her cup down. "Daphne, if this works out, perhaps Robert will know of a job for you when we get back home. You'll have a little money saved by then so you can get an apartment and afford whatever it is you want."
There would never be any mystery about my past or me, clearly. I didn't want to say “thank you for telling him I’m broke.” so I said instead, "We'll see, Ms. Volos."
Aura placed her hand on my shoulder so I stood from the booth. She scooted out. I folded my hands, waiting to eat my untouched breakfast, but then Aura said, "Daphne, join me in my room so we can call Mom."
She clearly wanted the day to herself. I didn't have the heart to argue. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be right back, Mr. De Marco."
“Robert.” Robert stared straight at me. "I'll wait here for you."
My heartbeat doubled and I wanted to stay with him. I’d read about crushes on guys, but no one mentioned how it left my heart begging to be near him and how my skin ached for a simple touch. I swallowed and turned to follow Aura to our hotel suite.
Every step felt like a million miles away from where I should be. I marched on, like I was some soldier off to a battle when everything I ever wanted waited for me at home, which was odd to think. Robert reminded me of home and gave me a sense of belonging.
The door to Aura's hotel suite closed behind us. My boss walked to her desk and shut an open file folder, then she turned to me and straightened her skirt.
I didn't say anything. She crossed her arms. "I wanted to give you a warning, Daphne. I saw how you looked at Robert De Marco."
A million pins seemed lodged in my body and she twisted them by her observation. My voice cracked as I asked, "What do you mean?"
Aura shook her head. "Googly eyes. Serena only died about three months ago. Robert was absolutely in love with her. She was gorgeous and perfect in every way. It makes sense that he’s sad without her—I think he's lost twenty pounds and he was already on the skinny side. I thought you should know that he'll always love his wife's memory."
My collar seemed to choke my neck. "Three months ago?"
She dropped her hands to her side and touched my arm. "Yeah."
"He must be devastated." No wonder he hadn’t even tried to kiss me.
She rubbed my back. "Good. I'm glad I told you. I am worried about his health. Not that we are close friends, but he has a Midas touch when it comes to investing and he’s been very happy with Volos hotels, which makes me happy. He mentioned this morning that his assistant quit, and of course I thought of you."
“Thank you." I cringed at the thought of being Robert’s secretary for years while he eventually healed and found someone that was his equal to love again.
“There is a camera on the side table near the door for you to use.”
“Okay. Thank you, Ms. Volos.”
Aura shrugged and took out her cell phone. "Now, let's tell my mom how we're getting along and then you get downstairs to keep Robert company. As he's paying you for one day what I pay you in a month, this should be enough to get your feet planted on the ground somewhere once the hotel deal is finished."
I might have done the same thing if the shoe had been on the other foot. I didn’t hesitate when Aura’s mother answered. "Good morning, Mrs. Volos.” After a few minutes of me assuring Mrs. Volos that Aura looked well and hardy, she asked to speak to her daughter. “Aura,” I called loudly as if on the other side of the room. “Your mother wishes to speak to you.”
Her mother had no idea what happened in Italy and it might be for the best.
Aura stared at my midnight blue slacks and her nose wrinkled. Then she shrugged as I handed her the phone. “Hello, Mother.”
I inched toward the door. I had a grieving widower that I had a crush on to follow around for the day. My soul felt like a shriveled old raisin that had been left out to dry, craving his presence after too long without him. Aura mouthed the word "Bye" and I slipped outside the suite, camera bag in hand, my wallet inside. Robert waited for me downstairs. As I neared him, I felt my entire body become stronger.
4
The veranda of the breakfast patio shone with crisp sunlight, but my gaze went to Robert. I swear he had a reddish glow around him. My lips tingled with a dream of a kiss, so I put my sunglasses on to hide my expression as I approached him. Again I blinked and saw a mythical dragon’s wings on his back which was silly. Grandma always said I had an active imagination.
I held myself together, though I hoped to wrap my arms around him and beg for my first kiss. Robert leaned against the wall with his short hair a complete mess, and straightened as I came close. "Are you ready, Daphne?"
Then I blinked and the image was gone. Clearly I was not okay. I clutched the camera bag like it was a life preserver. "Yes. I have the camera."
"I don't care about the camera or whatever Aura told you about today." He reached over and attempted to take the bag from me. He tugged and for a second I couldn't let go. Then I released my hold and he took it. "I came for you."
What would he possibly want from me? Unsure what to do, I placed my hands in my front midnight blue slacks and stared at the hotel door. "Why?"
He tugged the gold streak in my ponytail and loosened it. "You don't feel it?"
If I knew what he wanted, I’d give it to him. I licked my lips. "Feel what?"
"I wanted to spend the day with you." His arm brushed against mine. "I hope you don't mind what I did."
"No. I'm confused though." I kept my gaze on the hotel doors. "I never told you who I worked for."
"I recalled reading a Volos company email that Aura would be in Florence, and I put it together from what you said about your boss being two years older than you. So I set up a breakfast meeting to find you again."
I stopped on my way toward the door. "That's a good memory you have. Is that why you never asked for my phone number? I had the distinct impression you didn’t want to see me again."
“I needed to figure out how to approach you. You’re different. I’m used to bolder women.”
“You said ‘It was time to get me home’ and ‘here is your cab’ when I… never mind.”
"I remember everything ever said or done. Sometimes it's a curse."
We continued walking across the hotel lobby and he waited at the first set of glass doors for me to follow. I shivered in the cold air. Then I gazed at his square jaw. I believed him—it would be awful to remember all the details of his wife’s death. I'd never be able to go outside again if I let my pain take hold of my brain. “I can’t imagine remembering details of every last thing. I try to block what I can so I'm not paralyzed and unable to function."
"Is that because you can feel people's emotions?"
Wow. Grandma always told me I had an active imagination, but Robert is actually asking? "Excuse me?"
"I’m trying to figure you out Daphne."
"I get emotional feelings once in a while, but mostly I have an overactive imagination. Grandma said it came from being an only grandchild, since my parents died."
"What do you think about?"
Could she trust him with the truth? “I see visions of flying with huge eyes and of dark, warm caves, but then I blink and everything is normal. Maybe I should be a writer, like you."
He adjusted his sunglasses, then settled his hand on my lower back. The sparks from his touch last night returned. "Do you see other worlds in your head when you stare at a blank page?”
I wrapped my arms around my waist and looked down. "I don't know but I don't want to find out. I remind myself to stay in the present moment, all the time. I don't want to be different."
"You cannot deny what you truly are." He held the second door open for me and we stepped out into the Tuscany sun. "Daphne, I find you interesting. The fact that you can still be so caring after suffering so much loss in your life made me think about
trying to be a better person, not something I usually think about."
“Helping others is always good therapy for the soul.” My heart raced and I waited for his direction on the sidewalk, unsure where to go. "Thank you. What convention are we going to for the interview?”
"None. I wanted to spend the day with you. Last night I was rude and truthfully, talking with you has been a highlight in my life."
A thrill rushed through me as I lifted my sunglasses in an effort to act cool. It seemed almost like an apology, but I’d not push my luck. A huge smile grew on my face. "Seriously?"
"Yes."
He wore tailored business slacks and had the camera bag slung over his confident shoulder. I wished I had a pocketbook to squeeze. "Then I'm all yours."
He led me toward a side street out of the main flow of traffic. "I'd like that. Is there anything you want to see while you are in Italy?"
"Yes, the Leaning Tower of Pisa."
“You have a thing for bell towers?”
“I like heights and looking down on the world.”
I knew it was an hour via the subway, but it was on one of Grandma's old postcards. She’d never left Florida, but her sister, my great aunt, had sent the postcard from a vacation. Grandma had framed all the pictures and told me that no dreams were out of reach.
Now that she was gone, I wanted to see what she hadn't. It was probably too much to ask, and I lowered my head. "It’s close, but yet so far from my hotel. It's in another city and I don't get much time to do anything..."
He interrupted my denial and said, "Done. We'll take my car."
"You have a car?" My gaze flew to meet his, and my heart thumped. With a car, we'd be accessible in case I had to return for some medical thing for Aura, not that she ever seemed to need me.
He returned to the hotel parking lot and unlocked a light blue sports car. I'm sure most people would recognize the emblem on the hood that was silver and shiny, but I had no idea about cars. He opened the door for me. "Did you eat any of your breakfast?"
His nearness made it impossible to eat. I shouldn’t tell him that though. There was no turning back now. I fixed my legs in the seat. "No, why?"
He closed my door and then opened the driver's side a moment later. I relaxed my shoulders against the leather and his door thumped closed. "You should take better care of yourself. If you're weak in body, then you're weaker in spirit."
"I wasn't hungry earlier."
His face went up and down the length of my legs, clearly checking me out. "You’re skinny. You'll need your strength."
What for? Fire grew in my belly though I turned to stare at the window and not at his profile. For the briefest moment, I saw flames around him in the reflection of glass. Then it faded away. "Let's just go. I can get a pastry later."
"You're giving me a second chance, Daphne. I won't let you down."
He could have as many passes as he needed so long as he stayed nice to me. I breathed in the woodsy pine smell that exuded from his skin. He hadn’t kissed me, but I could imagine. I sucked on my bottom lip. He was so perfect. If he held me in his arms, I might melt into a giant puddle and dissipate from the heat.
The car roared down a country road and Florence grew in the rear view mirror. "Robert?"
His blue eyes met mine and for a moment the world stopped. I held my breath. "Yeah?"
I couldn't say that this was a first of anything or that this was a much better date than last night. “Thank you.” I broke our stare and my voice cracked. "I never get to go anywhere and this is exciting."
"I can't imagine coming to a foreign place and not seeing a few locales. Daphne, you have the power to go anywhere and see it all, if you just let go of people like your boss."
"Aura's not that bad." My stomach curled. He knew more about my situation than I thought, but he didn't understand how I always did what I was told. "Her mother is paying me to watch over her."
"Do you know why?"
"No, not really. She seems perfectly fine."
I turned toward Robert. No guy had a stronger jaw line or more masculine profile. He could be the leading man in a movie and not a “behind the scenes” writer.
"Aura lost a baby last year after she was publically left at the altar. She's better now, but her mom is still worried that she might have a breakdown."
My lips parted as I sucked in my breath. I strummed my fingers along my thigh with new worry. "No one told me that. Mrs. Volos said that if Aura is sick with even a sniffle I'm to find the doctor fast."
"Aura will call you, if she's feeling the least bit sick but I think her best bet for healing is time."
Breathless, I stared at him and my heart soared. I was out on a second date. I sniffed his forest smell and imagined what it would be like if he kissed me. My lips tingled, but I said nothing. I licked them instead. "If I lose my job then I'm blaming you."
He smirked. "I can live with that, though it's not your blame I want."
Once on the highway, the cars went even faster. His strong hands shifted the gear of the manual stick as he drove on the tree-lined street. He moved flawlessly and I wondered what else that grip of his might control. My skin felt electrified. In the distance, I saw signs that read Pisa. My pulse zipped and I glanced away. "Robert, you are way more sophisticated and worldly than I'll ever be."
He reached over and brushed my hair behind my ear, his knuckles on my smooth skin tickled my oversensitive cheek. "That's part of your charm. You're real, Daphne."
Unhinged from a simple touch, I reminded myself that his wife had just died. There was no way he felt the same way I did. Everything was in my imagination. I knew that. I lowered my gaze. "I don't know what else I'd be."
"Exactly my point. You hit me like a freight train last night."
The last thing I'd ever do was hurt him. He was my Adonis. He'd live in my heart forever as a fantasy. "Ouch. I don't know what I did, but whatever it was, I apologize."
He laughed, deep and throaty, which made me blush. We exited the highway. "Don't laugh."
"It wasn't at you. Daphne, you reminded me that once in a while you do meet someone good and honest."
I didn't have a quick answer. My lips trembled. He removed his hand and I felt the sting of cold air that rushed in and took its place. He maneuvered his car into a spot on the street, and I held onto my seat, stiff and unmoving. He turned off the car a moment later and leaned over me to unlock my door. I smelled the forest again from his throat, and my lips tingled for his kiss. "We're here. Look in the distance, do you see anything?"
I didn't. I opened my car door and glanced around the piazza. Robert joined me on the sidewalk and offered his hand. His strong, gentle grip covered my small palm, and I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging.
When we turned the corner, my eyes teared up. We were here. My grandmother's dreams. I had seen it for her. The white glistening building was exactly like her postcard. I covered my lips and tried to catch my breath as I imagined what the leaning tower would look like in an aerial view. "That’s it?"
His fingers brushed away my tears and his deep voice vibrated through me. "Yes."
Robert was so sophisticated. He'd not understand how I’d wanted to live this moment for someone else. I bit my lip and tried to think of what someone who had seen more of the world might say. "It's more like a dilapidated old building than something magical, I think."
"No, you don't. Don't pretend with me. I saw your tears. The tower still has its charms." How had he come to know me so fast? I clutched his hand as we walked closer.
My heart banged in my chest as my breasts began to ache. A simple touch set me off. I averted my gaze. "It does, but I don't think my grandmother's plans included a date with you."
He winked. "I haven’t driven around with any grandmothers since I lost mine years ago."
"I'm sorry." With him I always said the wrong thing. I tried to ignore how every part of me wanted to jump up and down to relieve the energy that built inside me.
Mine had as well. On her deathbed she’d said that her flight was almost over and mine would soon begin and that she’d kept me safe as long as she could. I had no idea what that meant.
We walked closer to the Leaning Tower. The callouses on his hands only intensified how sensitive my entire body was to his touch.
We circled the tower and I said my prayers to my grandmother. She must have sent Robert to bring me here. As the sun hid behind a cloud, Robert squeezed my hand. "My grandmother would have liked you. Don't be sad. I'll get you an ice cream."
"I'm not a child." Though ice cream sounded great.
"No, you are definitely not.” The twinkle in his gaze as he stared at my figure made me believe him.
As we walked toward a cafe, my heartbeat grew wilder. I smiled despite how I ached for his touch far more than I wanted ice cream. The smell of pines on his skin made me feel I was safe and that nothing might happen to me. I sighed. "This is the best day of my life, ever."
Robert stopped and jerked my hand closer to his chest, pulling me out of the way of oncoming bicyclists. He made no comment on how I was almost run down, but instead asked, "Why?"
His eyes were wide. Something inside me refused to back down. I focused on his lips. "I never go out with people my own age, never mind someone like you. Today has been the best day of my life."
His fingers brushed through my hair as he unhooked my ponytail and tugged at my new golden strands. "Daphne, you're so innocent. Part of me wishes we were all more like you. Don’t you have any selfish wishes?"
"Of course." I wished he'd kiss me though I shook my head slightly. "All I truly want out of life is to be safe, have a home and be with someone who loves me. I liked to be surrounded only by those who loved me—I don’t need a bunch of people, I guess."
His gaze narrowed. My stomach swirled as my entire body felt like I was on the edge of something. The ledge? He then asked, "Do you ever wish you could fly away and not come back, like a dragon?"
Had he been dreaming about dragons on the bell tower in Florence? I remembered how scared I’d been for him, that he might fall. "I'm not a dragon."
Call of the Dragon: Flight of Dragons Page 3
