“It’s been great having you with us,” Sienna said. She turned to Alessa. “Not so, sorellina?”
“Yes. Of course. Great,” Alessa replied.
As they rounded the corner, Trevi in front of them, Alessa splayed one arm. “Ta-da. What do you think of Roma’s largest baroque fountain, and one of the most famous fountains in the world?” It was hard to hide the pride she felt in the wonder of this place.
They posed for a selfie, surprisingly her suggestion, and then Michael offered to snap a few pics of her and Sienna. Afterward, Sienna insisted she take some photos of Michael and Alessa, adamant that Michael sling his arm around her for some of their poses.
Nothing to do about the tingles now but enjoy them while they lasted.
“Will you message those photos to me?” Michael asked Alessa and Sienna. “I’ll give you my number.”
They nodded.
“So, Alessa, why don’t you regale us with some of the intriguing facts about this fountain?” Michael grinned. “You’ve made the places we visited today come alive. You’re really interesting to hang out with.”
Alessa held her breath, lest Michael go on to propose again. Or declare his undying love for her here.
“The perks of her chosen career.” Sienna grasped Alessa’s hands. “We’re blessed beyond measure to be able to enjoy the fruits of all your knowledge, sorellina.”
Her heart began to pound as she racked her brain. What should she share? She glanced at Michael. Big mistake—her mind went blank.
“D–did you know that legend claims you should throw three coins into the fountain,” she began. Now why did she lead in with that? The coins were her worst memory.
“Three?” Michael raised a brow. “What if I choose to toss only one, or two, into the water? What would happen then?”
Alessa tore her focus from his sparkling blue gaze. “There’s a separate legend tied to each coin.”
Sienna clapped her hands together. “Perfect. As Alessa tells us what the legends are, why don’t we each choose one, and then throw that many coins into the fountain?”
“What a fun idea. So tell us what they are, Alessa.” Michael waggled his brows.
“Uh… Ah… Well, the first coin guarantees your return to Roma.”
“I want that one!” Sienna staked her claim for a single coin and a guaranteed return trip to this beautiful city.
Great. Alessa didn’t really want any of the other two options, but she wanted the third the least. She’d have to claim the next one fast before Michael did.
“The second ensures a new romance,” she continued, hastening to add, “I’ll take that one.” The legend didn’t say it had to be a romance with the handsome American flanking her right. Could be anyone. She had plenty of homeboys waiting to sweep her off her feet. Or at least try.
“Ooh…” Sienna teased.
“And the third? Do you have to do something awful, Alessa? Is that why you quickly made sure you didn’t get stuck with it?” The blue sparkles danced as he teased her.
She wouldn’t look into his eyes anymore. She’d avoid his gaze.
Alessa sucked in a breath then exhaled. “The third will ensure marriage.”
His gaze fixed on her and a smile stretched across his face. So much for not locking eyes with him anymore. That was short-lived. “I could live with that,” he said.
Just as she thought.
Could she, though?
Back home in her apartment, Alessa kicked off her sandals and flopped onto her bed. “What a day!”
The mattress bounced as Sienna dropped down beside her. “I’m exhausted.” She rolled over and propped herself up on one arm. “Thank you, sorellina, for taking me to see some graves under the city.”
Smiling at her sister, Alessa smoothed the quilt between them. “Well, you asked. But next time I’ll take you to some proper catacombs.”
Sienna sighed. “If there’s a next time.”
Alessa pushed herself upright and stared at Sienna. “Of course there’ll be a next time. You got the ‘return to Roma’ coin, remember.”
“That I did.” Sienna eased up to a sitting position too, and crossed her legs. She poked at Alessa. “And you got the romance one.”
“Which, may I remind you, was more costly at two coins.”
“I hope that doesn’t make you want to stick to travel, not love, Alessa.”
Alessa inhaled a deep breath. The thought had crossed her mind several times that evening.
“I do hope and pray it’s with Michael,” Sienna continued. “And that it leads to the marriage he had to toss three coins for.” Her face softened. “He’s a really good man, Alessa. Don’t disregard him as a viable option.”
Alessa worried her lip. Should she tell?
“J–just before we left Hope Center, he asked me out on a d–date.”
“Is that what he wanted to speak to you about in private? I wondered. I hope you’re going to go.”
“I… I can’t.”
“Sorellina, why? Not all men are like Papà you know. And I can tell that Michael is way, way different. You should give him a chance. Give yourself a chance too. I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think nobody is watching.”
Alessa swung her legs off the bed and shoved to her feet. “No! I can’t. I’ll never love someone. I won’t let myself.” She fled for the door. “I’m going to make some hot chocolate. Would you like a cup?” Hopefully the warmed milk would help her sleep. She hadn’t slept well since Friday night.
“Sounds like a great idea.” Sienna followed her to the kitchen. “I’ll quickly hop into the shower. When I’m done, you can hop in. While you’re showering, I’ll make our drinks and microwave some popcorn. We can lie on your bed and watch a movie.”
Spending more time alone with her sister was exactly what she needed.
“So long as it’s not a soppy romance.”
“Alessa, we can watch whatever you like.”
Alessa threw her arms around Sienna’s neck. “I’m going to miss you so much. I can’t believe our time is at an end already.”
“I’m going to miss you, too, little sister.” Sienna hugged her tighter and stroked her hand down Alessa’s hair. “Please do me one favor?”
“Anything.”
“Promise?”
“Yes…” She said she’d do anything. Wasn’t her word enough?
Sienna eased back, her hands firmly planted on Alessa’s shoulders. Her sister’s soft, brown eyes searched hers. “Go out with Michael, just once—get to know him—then decide for yourself if you want to continue seeing him. If you choose to have nothing to do with him after that, I’ll lay off. I won’t pressure you—I promise.”
Well, that in itself was reason enough to take Michael Young up on one date.
Chapter Seven
ALESSA FASTENED THE STRAP ON her helmet, then slid her leg over the Vespa’s seat. She eased the scooter into the traffic, leaving the Colosseum filling the sky behind her. Another hard day on the job. They were so busy now that tourists began increasing as they headed toward peak season—the reason she hadn’t been able to make it to the airport on Friday. She had longed to linger over a final cup of coffee with her sister as well as give her a last hug goodbye, but both wishes had been impossible.
They were stretched so thin at work, and nobody else was available to take her groups. Not to mention that she’d had so much time off this year already, and they’d been told that all leave would not be approved until mid-September when the worst of the holiday rush would be good and truly over.
Sigh. She missed having her sister here in Roma with her. Such a pity she couldn’t have stayed longer. But, at least she’d managed to chat with Sienna every night last week until she’d left to go back to Australia. Seemed Sienna had a wonderful time on the Amalfi coast with Nonna and Nonno, Mammà’s parents. They ran a small guest house very close to the beach. How she wished she could’ve taken the rest of that week off and gone with Sienna. She d
idn’t get to see her grandparents nearly as much as she’d like to.
Strangely, she’d found herself counting the days until her date with Michael to the beach at Anzio, and wondering why she’d made the date almost two weeks after she’d last seen him. Never in a million years did she think she would miss him. And this much. He was constantly in her thoughts…like that pesky “Dem Bones” earworm.
Did he feel the same way too? Not that she was pesky, but, had he missed her?
He’d called twice to chat—once to set up the date after she’d texted him her yes answer; the second time a few days later just to see how she was doing, and to tell her she didn’t need to do anything but be ready next Saturday morning. Her pulse had raced both times she’d seen his number light up her phone. She’d actually thought he would call her every day, now that he had her number. But he hadn’t. A definite plus for him. She couldn’t stand clingy men—first thing that sent her running. Or maybe he was trying to get her to miss him. If that was the case, his strategy was working. Absence in this case did seem to make the heart fonder.
Alessa drove as fast as she could in the rush-hour traffic. She needed to get home, take a shower, and redo her makeup and hair. Her favorite cousin, Piero, was in town for a shoot, and he’d called her to set up a dinner date for tonight. She loved going out with him whenever his job brought him through her part of the world—infrequent though those times may be. He was so much fun. But the best part of being seen with Piero, was watching how women shamelessly fawned over him once they learned she and Piero were family. And he, in return, openly flirted back. But who could blame them?—Piero was one of the most handsome men she’d ever laid eyes on. And yes, she could say that, even if he was her cousin. Sometimes, she even wished he wasn’t. Although Piero would be the last kind of guy she would ever consider marrying—if she ever considered marriage.
Piero’s image was replaced by another. Blue eyes, blond hair, and a body she was certain could give her dark-haired cousin a run not only for his money, but for his six-pack, too. Not that she’d seen past what Michael Young’s sleeveless T-shirt and shorts had revealed.
Drat, the man had wormed his way back into her thoughts. How annoying.
Earworm.
She should nickname him that, although it wasn’t very flattering. Besides, what if Sienna had told him her nickname was Elfo?—although only Ric, the younger of her two brothers, called her that. Still, probably best to keep the earworm idea to herself.
Satisfied that she was appropriately dressed for dinner with Piero, Alessa shoved the extra helmet into her backpack and headed for the door. Her cousin would at least be a welcome distraction. She wouldn’t have time to think about Michael tonight.
Not long after, she pulled up close to the Trevi Fountain, and headed toward where models had draped themselves over the statues on the fountain. Photographic umbrellas lined the sides of the fountain, instead of the usual throng of tourists from all corners of the world. It must be costing a fortune to rent this venue for this sundown shoot. Then again, Piero only worked with the top name fashion magazines. And with what those cost these days, they could no doubt afford it.
Helmet under her arm, she wove through the onlookers toward her cousin. Good thing he’d arranged for her to get through the barricade tape with her scooter.
“Piero! Cara cugino!”
Michael hummed a worship song as he walked home from the sports center. It was such a lovely evening, he’d decided to save the bus fare. Every euro saved would help if he were to start dating Alessa. But he might have to think about getting a few more supporters from his home church in the States. After all, lots of missionaries were married and had a wife and children to support—didn’t he deserve a little extra in his bank account each month to make that happen for himself?
He smiled as he reminisced on the day. Ministry had been good—at basketball and at their Bible study. A new guy had stayed after the game and joined their study group. And he was thirsty for the gospel. Matteo still troubled Michael, however. When would the guy ever show an interest beyond a good game? Or was having a good time all he lived for? And yet…
Michael shook his head, frustrated by the headstrong Italian ruled by his hormones and not his heart.
Soon Michael neared the Trevi Fountain area. He’d take a path past there, maybe toss three more coins in for good measure. Nah, scrap that thought—once was enough. Besides, he needed to save his money, and his faith in God and his prayers were all he needed to reassure himself that one day Alessa would be his in marriage. Still, he wouldn’t mind seeing the fountain again, taking a trip down memory lane. The last time he’d been with her the feelings that had coursed through his body when she’d allowed him to give her a hug as they’d all said goodbye… Wow! He had held on to Alessa a little longer than was necessary, until she’d pulled away.
Saturday could not come soon enough.
He missed Sienna too, but she’d promised to keep in touch and to pray for his ministry.
As he neared, he noticed that a crowd had gathered. So what was new? Alessa said there was constantly a throng of people at this popular tourist attraction. But the loud music? Surely that wasn’t the norm?
He eased forward, weaving his way to the front perimeter of the onlookers.
“Piero! Cara cugino!”
His head snapped in the direction of the voice that was music to his ears. He’d only spent a few hours with Alessa in total, still he had no doubt that was her calling.
Michael eased up on his toes. His heart thudded so hard against his rib cage, it hurt. Yep, it was her all right, black backpack and white helmet in hand. He glanced to the edge of the crowd, held back by bright red-and-white-striped barricade tape. And there was her scooter. But how had she managed to park beyond the cordoned-off area?
Pain stabbed his chest as she wrapped her arms around the good-looking dude with the oversized camera. How could she do this? What a fool he’d been. He should’ve known that Alessa accepting his invitation to the beach would be nothing more to her than he just being another guy to date. She’d said as much that Friday night when Sienna had coerced her to allow him to hang out with them. “…hell will freeze over before I marry you. Or anyone else for that matter.”
Once again, her words stung.
The two disappeared into a nearby tent, emerging a little while later. Smiling, Alessa climbed onto her Vespa, the Italian stud riding pillion. That hurt more than the remembrance of her words. Was it serious between them? Had to be. What guy in his right mind wouldn’t object to wearing a pink helmet, except someone in love?
Was this why God had prompted him to change his sermon last Sunday? To preach about Hosea and Gomer? Were the words meant for his benefit? A warning?—stay away from the scarlet lady. Or were they an instruction to do exactly the opposite? He was so confused right now and his faith weak.
Michael swallowed hard and raised his eyes toward heaven, away from the painful sight before him. Lord, what am I to do?
Love her. Take her back and love her—just like Hosea did, no matter how many times you have to, came the response.
Guess he was still going to the beach on Saturday, unless Alessa canceled on him. But it would be difficult to avoid talking about what he’d just seen.
Piero gave a long yawn from the other side of the table.
“You tired, cugino?” Alessa asked.
He offered her a lazy smile. “It’s been a pretty hectic few days. Much as I’d love to stay and visit far longer with you, perhaps you should take me home now.”
Although she didn’t want the fun night with her cousin to end, she could relate to feeling exhausted after a few hard days at work. She couldn’t wait to relax on the beach on Saturday.
While Piero settled the bill—he’d insisted and Alessa didn’t mind in the least—she made a quick stop at the bathroom. It would still be a little time before she got home as she first had to drop Piero off at his hotel near the Trevi Fountain. Besi
des, she’d been dying to send his brothers, Marco and Nick, a text. He hadn’t asked her not to tell.
guess what? your handsome brother has a love interest. don’t ask me who, he won’t give me any details. if he tells you, let me know!
She quickly uploaded the selfie she’d taken of them to Facebook and Instagram and tagged Piero. In her post she wrote: Dinner with hunky Piero Carter—aren’t I one lucky signorina?
Her phone vibrated all the way back to the table where Piero waited with his handsome smile, the pink helmet ready in his hand. Probably her girlfriends, and all his lady friends, bemoaning their fates that they weren’t her. She should get a photo of them with their helmets on beside her Vespa. He’d be sport enough to allow her to.
Back home in her apartment, Alessa checked her Facebook page. Just as she’d thought. So many comments about the photo with her and Piero at the dinner table—most of them from women she didn’t even know, but who had Piero as a common friend. The photo of them in their helmets had elicited an even bigger response. She wouldn’t be surprised if that image went viral. Seemed everyone thought a hunk in a pink helmet was sexy, or funny, or cool. There were even comments of: That’s one brave man!
After she showered and brushed her teeth, she headed for bed, but not without taking a peek at the framed charcoal sketch of Sienna, Michael, and her that laid on the bed in the spare room. She missed Sienna. She already missed Piero too. And she really did miss Michael. Who would’ve thought?
Three more days and counting.
Chapter Eight
WHEN MATTEO HEARD ABOUT Michael’s big date at the beach, he’d immediately offered him his Ducati superbike.
“No way can you sweep a woman off her feet with a bus ride and a hike to the beach,” he’d said.
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