And whereas he appeared to have plenty of money to hire his own legal dream team, she didn’t have two pennies to rub together. She had to play her cards carefully, and by letting him know that she was vulnerable to his gorgeous smile and drawn in by his mesmerizing gaze, she would have lost before she even started.
They pulled to a stop in front of a spacious villa situated atop a hill overlooking the sprawling vineyard and olive grove. The home’s lemon-yellow exterior was offset by a red tile roof and pale blue shutters lining the windows and doors. The three-story structure gave off a cheerful appeal that called to Lizzie.
Her gaze came to rest on a sweeping veranda with blue-and-white lawn furniture, which added an inviting quality. What a perfect place to kick back while enjoying a gentle breeze over her sun-warmed skin and sipping an icy lemonade.
“This is where you live?”
Dante cut the engine. “This is where my family lives.”
“It’s so big.”
“It has to be to accommodate so many generations. It seems like every generation expands or adds something.”
She especially liked the private balconies. She could easily imagine having her morning coffee there while Dante read the newspaper. “I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to call this my home.”
“A little smothering.”
“Smothering? You can’t be serious.” She turned, taking in the endless fields.
He shrugged. “When you have so many people keeping an eye on you constantly, it can be.”
“But there’s just your grandfather, father and brother, isn’t it?”
“You’re forgetting about all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. They stop over daily. There’s never a lack of relatives. In fact, the dinner table seats twelve and never has an empty chair. They disapproved of my father not remarrying. So they made a point of ensuring my brother and I had a woman’s influence.”
“And did it work?”
“What? Oh, you mean the woman’s-influence thing. I guess it helped. I just know that it was annoying always tripping over family members.”
She frowned at him. “You should be grateful that they cared enough!”
His eyes grew round at her agitated tone. “I...I am.”
She didn’t believe him.
She couldn’t even imagine how wonderful it would be to have so much family. He took it all for granted, not having sense enough to count his blessings. She’d have done anything to have a big, loving family.
“Not everyone is as lucky as you.” With that, she got out of the car, no longer wanting to hear how hard Dante had it putting up with his relatives.
He was the luckiest person she knew. He wasn’t much older than herself and he already owned his very own restaurant—a successful one at that. Not to mention his jaw-dropping apartment. And she couldn’t forget his flashy sports car. And on top of all that, he had a family that cared about him. Stacked up against her life, she was left lacking. She was up to her eyeballs in debt. And without the money from this television spot, she didn’t know how she’d survive.
But how did she explain any of that to him? How would he ever understand when he couldn’t even appreciate what he had? She’d met people like him before—specifically a guy in college. He was an only child—and spoiled. He thought he understood what hardship was when he had to buy a used car to replace the brand-new one his parents had bought him—a car he’d wrecked while out partying with the guys. She stifled the groan of frustration that rose in her throat. Hardship was choosing between paying the rent or buying groceries.
A gentle breeze brushed over her cheeks and whipped her hair into her face. She tucked the loose strands behind her ear. The air felt good. It eased her tense muscles, sweeping up her frustration and carrying it away.
In this particular case, she’d overreacted. Big-time. She had better keep a firmer grip on her emotions or soon Dante would learn about her past. She didn’t want him to look down on her like she was less than everyone else since her mother hadn’t loved her enough to straighten out her life and her father was someone without a name—a face. The breath caught in her throat.
She hated that being around Dante was bringing all of these old feelings of inadequacy to the surface. She’d buried them long ago. Coming here was a mistake. Nursing her dream of finding out what it would be like to have a grandfather—a family—was opening Pandora’s box and her past was spilling out.
* * *
What had set her off?
Dante darted out of the car, but then froze. Lizzie’s back was to him. Her shoulders were rigid. Her head was held high. He didn’t want to do battle with her. Especially not here, where his family could happen upon them at any moment.
But more than that, he didn’t have a clue what he’d done wrong. Did she have that strong an opinion about families? And if so, why?
His questions about her only multiplied. And as much as he’d set out to learn more about his flatmate on the ride here, he truly believed he had gained more questions than answers. Sure, he’d learned that she appeared to be very close with her sister and that she was about to get evicted. Oh, and she was a stickler for following the rules—especially the rules of the road. But there was so much more she was holding back. Things he wanted to know. But that would have to wait.
He could only hope that he could smooth things over with her before his father descended upon them. He didn’t need her giving his family the impression that he didn’t know how to treat a lady. His father already held enough things against him without adding to the list.
He rounded the car and stopped in front of her. “Hey, I don’t know what I said back there, but I’m sorry. You must miss your family.”
Her head lowered and her shoulders drooped. “It’s me that should apologize. I guess it was just hearing Jules’s voice made me realize it’s going to be a long time before I will see her again. We’ve never been apart for an extended period like this.”
So that was it. She was homesick. That was totally understandable. Maybe his family could help fill that gap. They certainly were a chatty, friendly bunch—even if they could be a bit overbearing at times.
“Why don’t we go inside? I’m sure my father and brother are out in the fields. They keep a close eye on the vines and soil. But my grandfather will be around. Not to mention an aunt or two.”
She smiled. “Thanks for including me. I’m really excited to meet your family.”
“They’re looking forward to meeting you, too.”
“They know I’m coming?” When he nodded, she said, “But you made it sound like you’d planned to come without me.”
“I had, but my grandfather had other ideas. He insisted I bring you to meet him. He told the family while I was on the phone.”
“Would you have really left me behind if I hadn’t promised to keep quiet about the contract?”
Dante shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know. Just remember our agreement. Don’t say or do anything to upset my grandfather.”
Her eyes flared with indignation. But before she could say a word, there were footsteps on the gravel.
“Dante, who’s your guest?”
He didn’t even have to turn around to recognize his older brother’s voice. Stefano was the eldest. The son who did no wrong. He’d stayed on at the villa and helped their father run the vineyard as was expected of the DeFiore men. But what no one took into consideration was that Stefano always got along with their father. He wasn’t the one their father held responsible for their mother’s death.
Dante turned on his heels. “Stefano, this is Lizzie.”
Stefano stepped up, and when she extended her hand, he accepted it and kissed the back of it. Dante’s blood pressure spiked. What was his brother doing? Wasn’t he the forlorn widower?
Not that Dante wished for his brother to be miserable the rest of his life. In fact, he wished that Stefano would be able to move past the nightmare and get on with his life, but Stefano seemed certain that
he would remain a bachelor...which seemed to be the destiny of the DeFiore men.
Dante had learned much from his family, especially to keep his guard up around women. He had zero intention of getting caught up in the tangled web of love. It only led to pain. Something he could live without.
While Stefano made idle chitchat with Lizzie, Dante noticed how her face lit up. He swallowed down his agitation. “Is Nonno in the house?”
Stefano turned to him. His whole demeanor changed into something more stoic—more like the brother he knew. “Of course. Where else would you expect him to be?”
Dante rolled his eyes and started for the house. When he realized that Lizzie had remained behind with his brother, he turned and signaled for her to follow him. She smiled at Stefano—a great big, ear-to-ear, genuine smile that lit up the world like a starburst. Dante’s jaw tightened.
Why couldn’t she be that happy around him? Why did she have to act so reserved—so on guard? After all, he was a nice guy, too. Or so he’d been told by some lady friends. Surely he hadn’t lost his touch with the women. Maybe he’d have to try a little harder.
When Lizzie joined him, he said, “My grandfather is probably getting impatient. We should go see him.”
Lizzie kept her smile in place and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was part of their agreement to keep the mood light and happy. Or perhaps it was lingering happiness from meeting his older brother—Mr. Tall, Dark and Persuasive.
Not that it mattered if Lizzie had a thing for Stefano. It wasn’t as if Dante was interested in the woman who was threatening the deal he’d been working for weeks to finalize. And it rankled him that he now felt some sort of responsibility toward Lizzie. Not only did he have to take into consideration what was best for the business, but also he felt compelled to take into account how it impacted her.
Dante stepped into the sunroom. “Nonno.”
His grandfather’s silver head lifted from reading a newspaper. He removed his reading glasses, focused on Dante and then his gaze moved to Lizzie. A lopsided smile pulled at his lips. Dante inwardly sighed at the effect Lizzie had over the men in his family. They stared at her as if she were a movie star. Well...she was pretty enough. Still, they didn’t have to act as though they’d never seen a beautiful female before. Then again, it had been a very long time since a woman that wasn’t a relative had visited the DeFiore villa. Okay, so maybe they had a reason to sit up and take notice. He just wished they didn’t make it so noticeable.
“Come here.” Nonno’s deep voice was a bit slurred from the stroke.
His grandfather’s gaze clung to Lizzie. She moved forward without hesitation and came to a stop in front of his chair. Then something happened that totally surprised Dante. She bent over and hugged his grandfather. It was as though they’d known each other forever. How did that happen?
The two of them chatted while Dante sat on the couch. He really wasn’t needed as neither of them even noticed that he was in the room. And he could plainly see that Lizzie’s presence had an uplifting effect on his grandfather. In fact, this was the happiest he’d seen his grandfather since he’d been forced into retirement.
“So that’s why you changed your mind about visiting this weekend?” Dante’s father entered the room and came to a stop by the couch before nodding in Lizzie’s direction.
Dante instinctively followed his father’s gaze back to the woman who’d thrown his life into turmoil. “She knows Nonno. He asked me to bring her here.”
His father nodded. “If I had that sort of distraction, I might stay in the city, too. After all, it’s a lot easier to have a good time with a beautiful woman than it is to do the hard work needed to keep the family vineyard running.”
Dante’s jaw ratcheted tight. It didn’t matter what he said; it never seemed to be the right thing where his father was concerned. Some things never changed.
“At least you have good taste.” That was the closest his father had ever come to giving him a compliment.
“Lizzie and I are working together, nothing more.”
His father sent him a you are crazy look. Dante wasn’t going to argue with the man—it wouldn’t change things. He never lived up to his father’s expectations—not like his brother, Stefano, always did. Just once, he’d like his father to clap him on the back and tell him he’d done something right—something good.
Dante sat rigidly on the couch. Not even his father’s jabs were enough to make him leave the room. He assured himself that it was just to keep an eye on what Lizzie said to his grandfather. Because there couldn’t be any other reason. Unlike the rest of his family, he was immune to her charms.
Sure, he knew how to enjoy a woman’s company. Her smiles. Her laugh. Her touch. But that was as far as it went. He refused to let himself become vulnerable. He’d seen too much pain in his life. It wouldn’t happen to him. The L word wasn’t worth the staggering risks.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“THIS PLACE IS AMAZING.”
Lizzie didn’t bother to hide her enthusiasm as she glanced around the spacious living room with a high ceiling and two sets of double doors that let the afternoon sun stream in. She’d trade her Bronx apartment in a heartbeat for this peaceful retreat.
“I love it here.” She spoke the words to no one in particular. “Very different from city life.”
“It is different.” Massimo’s words took her full attention between the accent and the slight slur from his stroke. “I’m glad you’re here. Is my grandson treating you well?”
Her thoughts flashed back to their first meeting. But she wasn’t so sure that Massimo would find it amusing that Dante mistook her presence at the restaurant and put her to work as a hostess. She opted to save that story for a later date.
She glanced across to where Dante was pretending to read a cooking magazine. “Yes. He...he’s been a gentleman.”
Massimo gave her a quizzical look. “My grandson is a good man. He knows a lot. Make him teach you.”
His choice of words struck her as a bit odd. Either the man was eager to shorten his sentences or he sensed that things between her and Dante weren’t going smoothly.
“I will. I just wish you could be there. I was really looking forward to working next to such a legend.”
Massimo attempted to smile but the one side of his mouth would not cooperate. Her heart pinched. She had no idea how frustrating it must be for your body not to cooperate. But beyond that, the man’s face spoke of exhaustion. Dante had warned her not to overtax him. And she wouldn’t do anything to harm Massimo. The place in her heart for him had only grown exponentially since meeting him in person.
“I’ll let you get some rest.” Lizzie went to stand when Massimo reached for her hand.
His grip was strong but not painful. But it was the look in his eyes that dug at her heart. “Promise me you won’t give up. Promise me you’ll see through our deal.”
“But—” She’d almost uttered the fact that Dante was opposed to the whole idea. “I’ll do my best.” It was all she could offer the man.
“My grandson needs someone like you.”
* * *
The following morning Lizzie hit the ground running.
She wasn’t about to waste a minute of her time at the villa. The big, brilliant ball of orange was still low in the distant horizon. She stood just outside the kitchen door with a cup of steamy black coffee in hand.
She wandered across to an old wooden fence and gazed out at the endless acres of grapes. The golden rays gave the rows and rows of vines a beauty all of their own. She’d never been someplace so wide open. She reveled in the peacefulness that surrounded her. And that was something she truly found amazing. Normally her nights were full of restless dreams and her days full of running here and there, doing this and that. But here she could take a moment to breathe—just to be.
Her thoughts trailed back to her unusual conversation with Massimo. Was the man some sort of matchmaker? But why? He hardly knew her. How would he know
if she would be good for Dante? And why would Dante need her?
The questions followed one after the other. The most frustrating part was that she didn’t have an answer for any of them. Dante was even more of a mystery to her now than he was before.
She’d noticed from the moment they’d arrived here that everything wasn’t so perfect in Dante’s life. Though she hadn’t been able to hear the conversation between father and son, she’d clearly seen the dark look that had come over Dante’s handsome face while talking with his father. There was a definite distance between him and his family. Was that what Massimo thought she could help Dante with? But how? She was here for only a matter of weeks, certainly not long enough to change someone’s life. And what did she know about the inner workings of families?
Still, she couldn’t get her mind to stop replaying the events from the prior evening. When his family grew boisterous talking of the vineyard, she noticed how Dante had become withdrawn as if he didn’t feel as though he fit in—or was it that he didn’t want to fit in? Either way, she couldn’t imagine Dante willingly walking away from such an amazing place.
There had to be something more to his story—something he wasn’t willing to share. But what could drive him from the peacefulness of the countryside and the bosom of his family to the city? Unless... Was it possible? Her mind raced. Could he have a passion for cooking that rivaled hers? Was it possible that they at last had something in common?
The thunk of the kitchen door swinging shut startled her. She spun around and there stood the man who’d filled her every thought since arriving here. The heat crept up her neck and settled in her cheeks. She realized that she was being silly. It wasn’t as if he could read her mind.
Their gazes met and held. His stare was deep and probing. Unease inched up her spine. There was no way that he could know that just moments ago, she’d been daydreaming about his grandfather’s suggestion that she and Dante might be a perfect fit.
The Playboy of Rome Page 6
