The Playboy of Rome (7 page)

There was a poignant moment of silence as though she were deciding if this was a good idea or not. “And were you raised at this vineyard we’re going to visit?”

Fair was fair. “Yes, I was. It’s been in my family for generations. But it has grown over the years. And now our vino is a household name.”

“That’s an impressive legacy. So how did you end up in Rome helping your grandfather run a restaurant?”

How in the world did this conversation get totally turned around? They were supposed to be talking about her—not him. “It’s a long story. But I really enjoyed the time I spent working with my grandfather. I’ll never forget my time at Ristorante Massimo.”

“You make it sound like you’re leaving.”

Dante’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He had to be more careful with what he said. He could feel her puzzled gaze as she waited for him to affirm or deny her suspicions. That he couldn’t do. He hadn’t even told his family yet that he was planning to sell the place. There was always one excuse or another to put off the announcement.

But now that the negotiations were winding down, he was out of time. He needed to get his grandfather’s blessing to include the family’s recipes as part of the sale. Dante’s gut tightened.

And the other reason he hesitated to bring it up was that he knew his father would use it as one more thing against him. His father always blamed him for Dante’s mother’s death during childbirth. Though logically Dante knew he wasn’t responsible, he still felt the guilt of playing a part in his father’s unhappiness. The man he’d known as a child wore a permanent scowl and he couldn’t recall ever seeing his father smile. Not once.

When they communicated it was only because Dante hadn’t done a chore or hadn’t done it “correctly.” Who could blame him for moving away to the city?

But over the years, his father seemed to have changed—mellowed. He wasn’t so critical of Dante. But was it enough to rebuild their relationship?

“Dante, are you planning to leave the restaurant? Is that why you’re hesitant to help me?”

What was it about this woman that she could read him so well? Too well. “Why would you say that?”

Before she could respond, the strums of music filled the car. He hadn’t turned on the stereo and that certainly wasn’t his phone’s ringtone.

“Oh, no!” Lizzie went diving for her oversize black purse that was on the floor beneath the dash.

“Something wrong?”

“I told my sister to only call me if there was an emergency.” She scrambled through her purse. With the phone pressed to her ear, she sounded breathless when she spoke. “Jules, what’s the matter?”

Dante glanced at Lizzie, noticing how the color had drained from her face. He wasn’t the sort to eavesdrop, but it wasn’t as if he could go anywhere. Besides, if she was anything like his younger cousins, it was most likely nothing more than a romantic crisis or a hair emergency—at least he hoped so for Lizzie’s sake.

Most of the time when he was out in public, he grew frustrated with people who had their phones turned up so loud that you could hear both sides of the conversation. Lizzie obviously felt the same way as him, as hers was turned down so low that he couldn’t hear the caller’s voice. Lizzie wasn’t much help as she only uttered things like: “Okay.”

“Yes.”

“Mmm...hmm...”

When her hand started waving around as she talked, Dante didn’t know if he should pull over or keep driving.

“He can’t do that!”

Who couldn’t do what? Was it a boyfriend? Had he done something to her sister? The fact that Lizzie might have a man waiting for her in New York gave him an uneasy sensation.

At last, Lizzie disconnected the call and sank back against the leather upholstery. He wasn’t sure what to say because he didn’t have a clue what the problem might be. That, and he wasn’t very good with upset women. He didn’t have much experience in that department as he preferred to keep things light and casual.

Unable to stand the suspense, he asked, “Problems with your boyfriend?”

“Not a chance. I don’t have one.”

He breathed a little easier. “But I take it there’s an emergency?”

“That depends on if you call getting tossed out of your apartment a problem.”

“That serious, huh?”

“That man is so greedy, he’d sell his own mother if it’d make him an easy dollar.”

“Who’s greedy?”

“The landlord. He says he’s converting the building into condos.”

Dante was truly sorry for Lizzie’s plight. He couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to get kicked out of your home. Even though he and his father had a tenuous relationship, leaving the vineyard had been completely Dante’s idea.

He pulled the car off the road. “Do I need to turn the car around?”

She glanced at him, her brows scrunched up in puzzlement. “Why would you do that?”

“So that you can catch a flight back to New York.”

“That’s not necessary.”

Not necessary. If he was getting evicted, he’d be hightailing it home to find a new place to live. He must be missing something. But what?

“Don’t you want to go back and figure out where you’re going to live? I can’t imagine in such a populated city that it’ll be easy to find another place to your liking.”

She clucked her tongue. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“What?” His tone filled with indignation, but a sliver of guilt sliced through him. “I’m just concerned.”

“Well, you don’t have to be concerned because the landlord gave us plenty of notice.”

“He did?” Lizzie’s gaze narrowed on him as he stammered to correct himself. “I...I mean, that’s great. Are you sure you’ll have time to find another place?”

“My, aren’t you worried about my welfare. What could have brought on this bit of concern? Wait, could it be that you thought this might be your out with the contract?”

“No.” The word came out far too fast. He wished he were anywhere but in this much-too-small car. There was nowhere to go. No way to avoid her expectant look. “Okay, it might have crossed my mind. But I still wouldn’t wish someone to get kicked out of their home just to save me grief.”

She laughed.

The sound grated on his nerves. “What’s so funny?”

“The guilty look on your face. You’re cute. Like a little boy caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.”

Great. Now he’d just been reduced to the level of a cute little kid. Talk about taking direct aim at a guy’s ego. He eased the car back onto the road. If he’d ever entertained striking up a more personal relationship with Lizzie, it just came to a screeching halt right there. How did one make a comeback from being “cute”?

“So you aren’t mad at me now?” He chanced a quick glance her way as she shook her head.

“I can’t blame you for wanting an easy solution to our problem. And after watching how much you worry about your grandfather, I realized that you aren’t the sort to revel in others’ misfortune.”

Wow, she’d read all of that into him not wanting her to drag his grandfather into the middle of their situation? He was truly impressed. But that still didn’t erase the
cute little boy
comment. His pride still stung.

After a few moments of silence passed, he turned to the right onto a private lane. “We’re here. Are you up for this?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

S
HE
WAS
MOST
definitely ready for this adventure.

Lizzie gazed out the car window at the rolling green hills and lines of grapevines. This place was a beauty to behold. Did a more picturesque place exist? She didn’t think so.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that she was in the most amazing sports car, being escorted by the sexiest man on the planet. But she refused to let Dante know how truly captivated she was by him. She couldn’t let him have any more leverage. They still had a contract to iron out.

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.”