Lilliana Jones and the Temple of Groom

by Rich Amooi

“Proving a point.”

  “Stop it.”

  The man turned around.

  Marco pointed to Lilly. “Do you think this woman is beautiful?”

  The man eyed Lilly and nodded. “Bella!”

  Marco smirked. “Thank you.” He turned back to Lilly. “See?”

  “Is she single?” asked the man.

  “As a matter of fact . . .”

  “No,” Lilly screamed. “I’m not single.” She grabbed Marco by the arm and yanked him closer. “Please don’t listen to him.”

  The man scooted away, obviously annoyed with the game Lilly and Marco were playing. Lilly didn’t like it very much either.

  She let go of his arm and then smacked him on it. “Knock it off.”

  “What? I did nothing wrong. You are a beautiful, single, albeit kind of crazy woman . . .”

  She smacked him again. “Hey.”

  “I was just trying to help you find that husband you’re looking for. And why do you want a husband so badly, anyway?”

  “God, you make me sound desperate.”

  “You’re definitely on a mission, so there must be a reason, right?”

  “Why can’t a woman want to have love in her life, a husband, a family?”

  “That sounds wonderful. But what I’m trying to ask is . . . why the urgency? Is this one of those my-clock-is-ticking-so-I-better-get-going things? Because you’re young. You have all the time in the world.”

  Right. That she didn’t have.

  She wanted to do couples things with other couples. Barbecues. Birthday parties for the kids. She wanted to be a soccer mom and talk on the sidelines with the other soccer moms about funny TV shows and their annoying husbands.

  She was dying to have an annoying husband.

  All of Lilly’s best friends were married, most of them with children now. She wanted that. She was ready. She didn’t want to have toddlers when all of her friends had teenagers. But maybe it wasn’t the best time to think about that since a certain Italian man was staring at her.

  She tucked some hair behind her ear and Marco laughed. “Be quiet.”

  He reached over and tucked the hair on the other side of her face behind her ear. “You missed some.” He continued to laugh.

  Lilly felt her face getting hotter. “Knock it off. And what about you? You’re a handsome guy . . .”

  He cocked his head to the side and grinned. “Are you saying you’re attracted to me, Lilly?”

  Men. “Answer the question.”

  “I don’t think there was a question.”

  “Let me be direct. Why aren’t you married with a zoo of children?”

  Marco shrugged. “My lifestyle doesn’t warrant it.”

  “Then why don’t you change your lifestyle?”

  He thought about it for a few seconds. “Good question. And the answer is . . . I don’t know. I guess I still haven’t gotten my career in place yet, so I’m not so sure I should put focus on another area until I figure that out.”

  “You can’t chew gum and ride your bike at the same time?”

  “I don’t have a bike.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He looked out at the water and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think there has ever been anyone who had ever motivated me enough to want to consider a serious relationship and change my focus.”

  Marco didn’t like that disappointed look on Lilly’s face. The truth was Lilly was the only one who ever made him think of having a serious relationship, but there was no way he would tell her that. It was almost time for him to go to Australia and she needed to find Roberto Rossi and get back to work. And who knew if she thought Roberto was her future husband.

  It was obvious to Marco that he and Lilly had serious chemistry, more than he’d had with any woman, but was that enough? Did people just put everything else on hold or push it to the side and choose love? What about his career? Yes, it was true—he could work just about anywhere. And he had enough experience to work in several fields, but what about his goals? His dreams? At the moment, they didn’t seem that big at all because all he could think about was Lilly.

  Lilly was gorgeous. Smart. Crazy.

  He’d never get bored with her, that’s for sure. But he needed to stop driving himself nuts with his thoughts. This wasn’t going to happen. She was focused on finding Roberto and that was that.

  They disembarked from the ferry and Marco pointed to the Vespa Rental sign. “There. Let’s go.”

  Lilly stopped. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

  “Why would I kid about something like that? It’s the easiest way to get around. Cheap. No trouble finding parking. Plus, it’s fun!” He grinned. “Sounds like a win to me.”

  “You failed to mention the part about us dying on that thing.”

  Marco chuckled. “I doubt we'll get in a serious accident at the terrifying high speed of fifteen miles per hour. Some people can walk that fast.”

  “Then let’s walk.”

  “Do you want to find your future lover or not?”

  “I’m not beyond punching you.”

  “I know, but let’s go. Time’s wasting away and you’re on a mission.”

  Lilly didn’t respond and followed Marco to the Vespa counter to rent the scooter. The truth was he couldn’t wait to rent it. Scooters were so much fun and the thought of having Lilly’s arms and legs wrapped around him had him as giddy as a kid at Disneyland. But he wasn’t going to let her know that.

  They left their suitcases in the lockers at the rental shop, grabbed their helmets and headed back outside to get on the scooter.

  Marco pointed to the Vespa and smiled. “Red. My favorite color.”

  She already knew based on her reaction that morning when she saw him pulling his jeans over his red boxer shorts in the hotel room. He had not meant for her to see or for her to be uncomfortable, but he loved that she stole a few glances. Even a couple of looks in the mirror. Maybe she didn’t think he could see it, but he saw it all right.

  Lilly slid the open face helmet on and Marco reached over without thinking and secured the chin strap for her. He was almost certain she was acting a little shy.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Great service here.”

  “Please let me know if you need anything else.”

  Like a back rub. A few kisses. A massage.

  Okay, he needed to just stop torturing himself.

  He slid his helmet on, secured the chin strap, and sat down on the scooter, keeping both legs planted to the ground for balance. “Hop on.”

  Lilly didn’t hesitate, swinging her leg over the back of the seat. She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his midsection. Then she inched closer so her chest was plastered to his back.

  I could get used to this. Maybe I’ll just take my time.

  “Why aren’t we going anywhere yet?” she asked. “We need to get moving.”

  Okay. Maybe he wouldn’t take his time. Better get a move on.

  “Right,” he said, starting the engine and easing onto the crowded street with the other scooters and cars. It was only a two-lane road, so it wasn’t difficult. The thing to watch out for were the other people on scooters, typically the younger kids, who liked to weave in and out of traffic.

  “This is beautiful,” Lilly said as they wound through the hills up above Positano.

  Marco pulled over for a second to admire the view. “Take a picture.”

  “Great idea!”

  A minute later they were back on the road and pulling up to the Rossi property. Was this the Rossi property, the one with the man she was looking for? Only time would tell, but it didn’t appear so, since there were no cars there and the blinds were shut. The house had all the classic personality traits of the other homes in Positano. Beautiful, colorful, a salmon color with red trim. And lots of flowers and native plants.

  Marco maneuvered the Vespa closer to the front of the house and pointed to the large dark brown front door. “It doesn’t look like anyon
e is here, but go knock on the front door just in case.”

  Lilly slid off the back, keeping her helmet on, and knocked on the front door. Then she knocked again. A few seconds later she shrugged and returned to the scooter. She didn’t say a word and avoided eye contact with him. She slid back on and wrapped her hands around his waist for the second time. And for the second time he enjoyed it, maybe even more this round.

  He cranked his head so she could hear okay. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. The other place is just around the corner.”

  Two minutes later, they pulled up to the next property. It looked almost identical to the first house. But the color of the house was more of an orange and it had the same classic roof with the Spanish style tile.

  A cute Italian boy, maybe eight or nine years old, came from the house. His eyes were wide, filled with curiosity.

  Marco asked the boy if this was the Rossi home and the boy smiled, answered yes, and pointed to the house.

  Marco didn’t like the feeling in his gut. There was someone home there. Two Fiats were in the driveway next to a BMW. He wanted Lilly to find her man. On the other hand, he didn’t want her to find him. That would mean an end to their trip. An end to their time together. And an end to their relationship.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lilly slid off the Vespa and removed her helmet. Marco had confirmed with the boy that Roberto Rossi’s grandparents lived in the house. The Roberto Rossi she was looking for.

  She should be excited. She should be relieved. But she was neither.

  Lilly was used to having Marco around.

  But she had a company to save. And what about finding her husband? Was Roberto the one? Could it be possible that Madam Love was right with her crazy predictions? The bear, the expensive car, and the trip out of the country to find the love of her life? And she still didn’t understand how a temple played a part of it all.

  The boy ran inside the home and returned a few seconds later with an older man, most likely Roberto’s grandfather.

  “I am Roberto,” he said, a proud smile on his face. “Nicoli tells me you are looking for my grandson, Roberto.”

  Lilly nodded. “Yes. We were supposed to meet in Rome but I couldn’t make it. Is he here?”

  Roberto frowned. “I’m sorry, but he is not. He left for Sorrento this morning and will spend two nights there. There is some type of, how do you say? Corporate event, I think. Samsung. They make the beautiful televisions.”

  Lilly knew who Samsung was and how beautiful their televisions were. That didn’t matter at this point. But now she had to wonder if he had already accepted the offer from Samsung. It sure sounded like he had, but she couldn’t take a chance. She needed to do everything possible to get him back to the US.

  “Where is the event?” Lilly said, hoping his grandfather wouldn’t mind sharing. It’s not like Lilly and Marco looked like psychos or anything.

  “The Hotel . . . hmm, which hotel is that? Just one moment.” He walked to the front door, swung it open, and yelled something in Italian.

  “He’s asking the family if they know the hotel,” Marco said.

  Lilly nodded, hoping they knew something. Otherwise, what was she going to do now? She knew one thing was for sure, Marco would be the one taking her to Sorrento. He wasn’t off the hook yet, which was a good thing. More time with Marco felt like a good thing, but she was just delaying the inevitable.

  Roberto closed the front door behind him and smiled. “Hotel Florence in Sorrento. Downtown. You can’t miss it. It’s the one with a beautiful fountain.”

  Lilly wasn’t going to tell him that just about every hotel in Italy had a fountain.

  “I know it,” said Marco.

  “He is at an event, so you have a few hours before you can see him.”

  “That’s perfect. We can stop and see Stefano and Daniella. We can call him on the way. Grazie.” They said goodbye to Roberto and Marco grabbed his helmet. “Okay, Sorrento, here we come.”

  They headed back down the hill on the Vespa and returned the scooter to the rental office. Lilly knew they wouldn't be using it to go to Sorrento. The easiest way was to take the bus and there were buses leaving all the time.

  They grabbed their suitcases from the man at the rental office and made their way to the bus station. Twenty minutes later, they boarded the bus to Sorrento.

  It was sinking in now. They were certain Roberto was at the Hotel Florence and that was most likely where Marco and Lilly would say goodbye.

  This was just weird and sad.

  The closer they got to Sorrento, the more knots she had in her stomach. She didn’t want to say goodbye to Marco, but she knew it was the right thing to do. He couldn’t be her future husband. He was going to Australia and who knew if he would ever return? She had gone through the heartbreak of two people disappearing from her life and she wouldn’t allow herself to go through it again.

  The bus station was just around the corner, so it took two minutes on foot to get to Stefano’s house. The front door swung open before Marco could knock on it.

  An Italian man smiled, holding his arms out. “Glad you could make it, my friend.”

  Marco smiled, hugging Stefano and kissing him on both cheeks. “I’m glad to see you, too. It’s been too long. Lilly, this is my best friend, Stefano.”

  Stefano stepped toward Lilly and kissed her on both cheeks. “Bella. Such a pleasure to meet you. Marco has told me so much about you.”

  Surprised, Lilly swung around to Marco. “When was this?”

  Marco shrugged, but didn’t answer.

  “Today. Yesterday,” continued Stefano, with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. “Text messages. Some with smiley faces and hearts and—”

  “Okay, okay,” said Marco, throwing up his hands and calling for a timeout. “Stefano is exaggerating. We may have exchanged a few words. I don’t even recall.”

  Stefano slapped Marco on the back. “There is nothing to be ashamed about, my friend. Love is a beautiful thing. Please come inside.”

  Love is a beautiful thing?

  Why did Stefano say that? Marco didn’t love her. Yes, she could tell he was into her, but love? Absurd.

  The house was gorgeous, just like the Italian homes Lilly had seen on television and in the movies. Lots of colors, yellow, green, red. And tiles. Tiles everywhere.

  They stepped out onto the back patio and a woman with olive skin and dark hair turned, smiling at Marco. Her gaze shifted over to Lilly, checking her out from head to toe. She must have wondered who this American girl was and why she was with Marco.

  “This must be Lilly,” she said, an even bigger smile on her face. “I’m Daniella, Marco’s sister.”

  “Oh . . .” Lilly said, being pulled in tight for an embrace, followed by two kisses on the cheeks. “Hello . . .”

  Daniella gently pushed Lilly away and glanced down at her feet, then moved upward all the way to her hair. “Just as Marco said . . . bella!”

  Lilly turned to Marco. How many people had he talked to about her and how come she never noticed? And why was he talking about her so much?

  Marco shrugged. “Did I say she was beautiful? Hmm. Don’t remember.”

  “Ha!” said Daniella, pinching her brother in his side. “He also told me about the restaurant—you poor thing—and the jellyfish and the kiss. Don’t worry, we won’t have any dairy products in the pasta for dinner.”

  Marco turned to Stefano. “Doesn’t anyone value private conversations anymore?”

  Daniella laughed and linked arms with Lilly. “My brother is a good man. A little closed off sometimes, but a good man.”

  Lilly had to agree he was a very good man and was flattered he'd been talking about her.

  Stefano poured glasses of wine for everyone and they toasted to happiness.

  Daniella squeezed Lilly’s arm. “How long will you be in Italy, Lilly?”

  Lilly crinkled her nose. “I leave tomorrow.”

  “You don’t look too happ
y about that. You’ve been enjoying your time with my brother, I take it?”

  Lilly nodded and glanced over at Marco. “Very much. But, as the saying goes, all good things must end.”

  “I don’t like that saying at all,” Marco said, looking eager to give his opinion. He held out his wine glass to Lilly, Daniella, and Stefano who approached again. “Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”

  They all clinked glasses and Daniella lit up. “Marco! This is beautiful.”

  Lilly rolled her eyes. “Don’t be too impressed. That was a quote from the movie Hitch. We watched it on the flight here from San Francisco.”

  Marco waved his finger at Lilly. “You shouldn’t give away all my secrets.”

  Daniella laughed. “I love this woman, Marco.”

  “Me, too,” said Marco, losing his smile when Daniella lit up. “I mean . . . she’s great.”

  Marco took a sip of his wine and looked away.

  Damn. Why did I say that?

  Marco continued to look away, hoping Lilly had not noticed.

  The truth was he had feelings for Lilly. Strong feelings. When he said he loved her too he meant . . . Oh hell, who knew what he meant? Maybe it was the kind of love people associate with their favorite things.

  I love pasta.

  I love to travel.

  I love Lilly.

  He shook his head. The last one felt different when it went through his mind.

  Crap.

  Now he wanted to kiss her. Needed to kiss her. That was the only thing running through his mind.

  “Would you like more wine?” Marco asked, trying to get her lips off his mind.

  Lilly stared at her full glass of wine and laughed. “You’re obviously trying to get me drunk or maybe you’re pushing the wine again. Is this from your winery?”

  “No,” he said, not sure what else to say. What would she think if he grabbed her right there and kissed her? Should he ask her first? She had objected to his kisses more than a few times in the last couple of days. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

  Lilly looked around and then made eye contact with Marco. “Was that a trick question? You are speaking with me.”