Honeymoon For Three

by Lily Zante

  But Nico had seen the photos of the plot and he had been well briefed by his contact. He would have to take a look in person, to find out for sure, but so far he liked what he had seen and heard about the place. He had managed to increase visitor numbers to the Casa Adriana and he was certain he could do the same here. Already in his mind’s eye he could see the potential of this building. He knew what it could become and he felt confident that he could make it a success.

  Maybe he could get away, in the next few weeks, to take a proper look at it? He had to be careful, he had to get it right. If he considered buying it, a purchase of this size was something he had never done before. This was wading right out of his comfort zone. But to win big, needed big dreams and Nico knew in his heart what he wanted to achieve. Acquiring another hotel and increasing the number in the Cazale empire was part of his plan. Nico wondered, shaking his head. Could he, dare he, pull it off?

  It was about starting something from scratch. He wasn’t content to just maintain his father’s hotels. He wanted to build up a few of his own. The more he worked in the business, the more passionately he was driven.

  It was plain and simple; Nico wanted more.

  He leafed through the hotel guest book, something he did on a weekly basis, as well as looking online to read comments that guests had left. This morning as he flicked the pages of the brown leather book and read through the handwritten scribbles of happy, contented visitors returning home, he smiled. Their hotel guests were noticing the little touches he had been adding over time.

  If his father laughed at him for buying the best bed linen and bathroom toiletries, here was proof that this was money well spent. He knew that the best recommendations came not from big, fancy ads in the travel magazines, or even a review by a travel writer, but from recommendations from the very people who had stayed here. These people were his ambassadors. If he treated them right, made them happy and gave them a vacation experience that they would never forget, they would go on and tell everyone about this beautiful family-run hotel.

  Just because the Cazale hotels had been doing well over time, did not mean that things would carry on like this forever. Not in a world where cheap last-minute hotel deals were the norm and customers could easily find out visitors’ experiences by going online. Their hotels had to be better and provide the very best in service.

  There was no need to sell off parts of their family business. He could take the helm; he just needed to show his father that he could. He needed to prove that he had shaken the playboy mantle. Up until recently, his father had always been reluctant to let him have full rein of the business.

  Now with Ava in his life, even if only for a short while, he felt the hunger to achieve more. If he was driven before, he was more so now. He had returned from Venice recharged and happier than he had been in a long time.

  Thoughts of the paternity test and Silvia had been long pushed to the back of his mind. Dreams of a better future and hopes of a more settled life had started to take form in his mind, leaving him open to possibilities he had never considered before.

  One woman and a life together.

  He had to temper his hopes for he had no idea what the future held. But now that he had tasted life with Ava, he wanted more. Letting her go was not an option. Getting her to stay longer had been a start in the right direction.

  Things were good right now. He had arranged it so that each day a driver would take Ava to Montova where she spent time with Andrea looking at new products. In the evenings, they ate at the hotel and then returned to the pensione, where she worked for a few hours taking care of her business, and he worked on his. It was idyllic. They were happy and didn’t need anything else. They had each other, for a little while longer.

  He understood that she needed to believe she had extended her stay because of her business.

  He needed to know that a part of her being here was because she wanted to be with him. It was something he still wasn’t sure of.

  Time had gone so fast that they only had a week left together.

  Nico flicked through his mailbox, quickly cross-referencing with his diary. He needed a relatively free slot where there were no meetings scheduled and he could go away without too much trouble; two to three days should be enough.

  Chapter 9

  Later that evening, after dinner, Nico and Ava walked through the hotel lobby and slammed straight into an ear-splitting shriek. A second later, Connor’s guffaw added to the mix. She hadn’t seen him since that first night back in Verona.

  “What is he playing at?” whispered Ava. There was something about the sight of Silvia’s blond head of hair, and the way she blew out perfect rings of smoke from the cigarette that she held daintily between her fingers, that annoyed Ava.

  She only saw Connor’s back, but it was obvious enough from his posture that he was enchanted by the woman.

  Nico grasped her hand more tightly. Their desire to tiptoe past unseen was unsuccessful.

  “Nico, darling!” Silvia flashed her eyes at him and tipped the ash from her cigarette onto the ash tray. Nico’s grip tightened until Ava wriggled it loose.

  “Sorry,” he growled. He barely acknowledged Silvia.

  They paused briefly and Ava locked eyes with Connor who had turned around.

  Since when had he hooked up with Silvia? The answer was not too hard to come by. Silvia was always floating around the Casa Adriana.

  If she was upset by the results of the paternity test, it was hard to tell, looking at her now. The results had proved that Alessa, Silvia’s daughter, was not Nico’s.

  This woman was not one for hiding away under a rock. Ava didn’t know her too well, but her feminine intuition had clued her in and she understood what Silvia did not want to reveal: a woman who still wanted Nico.

  But Ava no longer felt threatened by this woman. Not now that Nico had told her the truth about his short summer fling with Silvia. It had happened five years ago, as he struggled to come to terms with his mother’s death. Silvia had used that opportunity to try to ensnare him. Ava remembered Silvia’s smug face as she spewed up lies with the intention of hurting her. She had warned Ava to back off Nico because they had a child together, and she had hinted at something more. It had been the final straw for Ava, and the thing that had sent her running from Verona to Venice.

  Nico ignored Silvia completely and turned his attention to Connor. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay here. Gina tells me you’ll be leaving next week?”

  Was Nico keeping tabs on Connor’s stay? Ever since Connor had shown up here he had not come looking for Ava once. Not that she had been around much.

  “Who knows?” said Connor, hitching a smile as he focused his gaze on Silvia. “I might be tempted to stay on.”

  Silvia leaned forward and tipped more ash from her cigarette. Ava watched Connor’s eyes lap up the sight of Silvia’s long legs. But when Silvia turned to look, it was only at Nico.

  “Your ex-fiancée likes it here too, Connor.” Silvia blew out another ring of smoke, forcing Connor to turn his attention to Ava.

  “It’s impossible to not like it here,” he lifted the ashtray up for Silvia.

  Ava rolled her eyes. “Shall we go?” she asked Nico.

  “Ciao,” said Nico to neither of them in particular. He pulled Ava beside him and they rushed out of the door. He walked so fast that she struggled to keep up with him.

  “I can’t believe he’s getting so friendly with Silvia.”

  “I can’t believe he was your fiancé.”

  There was no answer Ava could make to that. They walked along the road, still hand in hand, enjoying the dusky night sky before it turned to total darkness. The pensione was only a short walk away and often, more out of habit than anything else, Nico reached for his car, but Ava stopped him. She always preferred to walk instead.

  “Why do you think Connor is hanging around Silvia so much?” he asked suddenly and it made her wonder why he was still thinking about Connor.

&n
bsp; “Why do you suppose she’s still hanging around your hotel so much? I mean, I don’t think she would even have bumped into Connor if she hadn’t been practically living there.”

  “Is that a hint of jealousy in your voice?” Nico asked, surprised. “Because you have absolutely no reason to be jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous.” But this wasn’t completely true. The thought of Silvia hanging around for Nico disturbed her slightly. “Besides, I’m only here for a short while. There’s no point in getting jealous when we have so little time left together.” She wanted him to tell her to stay. She wanted to know how he felt about her, because she was getting in way above her head now. She had even started to think about staying here, as crazy as that thought was.

  He remained quiet.

  “I have to return at some point, Nico.”

  “Do you?”

  “Don’t I?” There was a hint of a question in her voice, before she quickly collected her thoughts together. “Of course I do. I can’t stay here forever.”

  His face clouded over. “No, you can’t stay here forever. I suppose you have to return home at some point.” His words sounded cutting, all of a sudden, compared to the nice and easy conversation they had been having. “I suppose Connor will be rushing after you once you leave.”

  Ava felt the stark contrast in his manner and bristled at the sudden change in his countenance. “Maybe not. Maybe he’ll end up staying here with his new found Italian heiress.”

  Nico shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “He’s more than welcome to her.” He looked at Ava. “I think the two of them deserve each other.”

  They walked in silence for a while, and had almost reached her pensione. Finally, Nico asked her, “How was your day?”

  Relieved to have something other than Connor to occupy her thoughts, Ava replied happily, “Wonderful. I found so many new things I can sell.”

  “Good.” Nico sounded genuinely happy for her.

  “Andrea suggested something to me that I’m not sure about. She said her cousin sells clothing for children and maybe I should take a look.”

  “It must be Natale. I know her. Her family is big in garment production.”

  “If she has a great line of baby and toddler clothes, that’s something I would consider checking out. I know these would sell. Parents don’t think twice about dressing up their little bundles in the best outfits money can buy.”

  “Then you should definitely pay her a visit.”

  “That’s what I thought. I wasn’t planning on expanding out to clothes, but having seen some pictures of these adorable outfits, I think I should try to sell a few. The clothes are beautiful.”

  “You already have people looking for products, as you say. Why not sell them other things they might also like? I like your thinking, Ms. Ramirez.” As if to push home the point further, he curled his arm around her waist and dragged her toward him, stopping momentarily on the pavement to give her a kiss that took her breath away.

  “What was that for?” she asked, pausing for breath, surprised by his sudden spontaneous show of affection.

  “Because.” He rolled her away from him but still held onto her hand and they carried on walking.

  “Because?” she asked, and then saw the gleam in his eye and the faint smile of his lips.

  “Just because,” was all he would say.

  They walked hand in hand; only the quiet whoosh of the few cars along the road broke the silence.

  Hearing Nico’s words of encouragement convinced Ava she was making the right decision. She had spent most of last week looking at new products for babies and toddlers. She would tell Andrea she would like to look at the clothes in Natale’s factory. Her heart missed a few beats at the realization that her stay would soon be over. Once she ordered the clothes, there would be no reason for her to stay on any longer. Would there?

  The sudden thought of leaving Nico and parting ways hit her like a wall of bricks coming down. Hard. She could get used to living here. And this was not the first time the thought had come to her.

  It was finally happening; pieces of her life were starting to fall back into place. Like a messed up Rubik’s cube being put right, the compartments of her life were gently being ordered back into alignment. Sometimes she felt completely at home here, as if she truly belonged.

  The feeling was both alien and comforting at the same time and it confused her. The feel of Nico’s arm around her waist pulled her away from her reverie.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, splaying his hands out around her side.

  She loved the feel of his hands on her body. Clothed or unclothed, it didn’t matter; she felt energized each time he touched her. It was yet another difference between Nico and Connor. Before she could think about her words, she said them. “I’ll have to book my flight soon.”

  She felt his hands freeze around her waist, and for a moment she thought he was going to stop.

  So she added, “But then again, I don’t know how long it will take, sourcing the right baby clothes. And who knows? I might find something else to tempt me to stay.”

  “You never know,” he said slowly, “the things that might tempt you to stay.” He squeezed his fingers gently along the curve of her waist. She looked up at him and his smile made her heart melt.

  “How do you know I haven’t already been tempted?”

  “Oh, I know you’ve been tempted. And I know who has tempted you,” said Nico, his eyes shining in the darkening light.

  “You do, do you?” replied Ava, shaking her head in exaggeration at his presumptuous words.

  “Of course.” He smiled wickedly.

  She searched through her bag looking for the keys to the pensione, as he moved closer toward her and whispered in her ear, “Andrea. And her store.”

  “I never thought you would guess. You are so right. It is Andrea, as a matter of fact.”

  His mood suddenly became serious as he moved back. “You can stay at the pensione as long as you like, you know.”

  “I know.” Unlocking the door, she pushed it open. He followed her in and closed the door behind him. Resting against it he pulled her toward him. “I love…that you like it here.”

  She gazed up at him, surveying his lips, his eyes, and then his lips again. No need to figure out where this would end up. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted to kiss her, but something was making him hold back.

  “I love… that I love it here,” she said softly, unable to move her gaze away from his lips. He seemed to be thinking about something, for he hadn’t uttered a word. She continued, “But I don’t want to rush into anything. You, me, us. Now Connor.”

  “Connor?” Nico coughed lightly. “You still have feelings for Connor?”

  “No,” she replied, then drew away, so he loosened his hold on her. “Not at all. But his turning up here makes me question what it was that I saw in him in the first place.”

  “So you doubt yourself?” He followed her into the small living room, with its one couch and small wicker chair. She sat on the small wicker chair.

  Could she, should she, dare she bare her soul to him and tell him the truth? “I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Falling for the wrong guy, falling for someone who’ll hurt me.”

  “I’ll never hurt you.”

  She gave him a subtle smile before getting up and moving toward him. He pulled her down on his lap and she reached for his lips and kissed him gently.

  “Do you think I’m a mistake?” Nico asked.

  Now he had her. “No.” And she meant it. Saying it out loud, without thinking, she felt as though Nico was one of the best things to happen to her in a long time.

  “We don’t have to rush, Ava. We have all the time in the world,” he murmured gently, before his lips lingered along her neck.

  Maybe she would extend her stay here for a while longer.

  Chapter 10

&nbs
p; Sitting in the backseat of the chauffeured car, Ava studied the images of plump, rosy-cheeked babies in Natale’s clothing catalog and scrutinized each outfit carefully.

  She and Nico had started to look through it a few nights ago, but in the end the catalog had ended up on the floor, landing spread-eagled on top of her silk underwear, the last in the telltale trail of clothing hastily discarded.

  Even though she tried not to dwell too much on his former conquests, they no doubt had some bearing on why he was the most exciting lover she had ever known. Memories of that night quickly replaced images of the cherubic infants on the glossy pages between her fingers. She blushed and hoped that the driver could not see into her thoughts.

  Nico would come over late on some nights because he had so much to do at the hotel, but he always spent the night at the pensione, with her. Maybe he had a change of clothes at the hotel, or he went home in the morning to shower and change, because each time she saw him he was dressed in another sharp suit.

  How was it that their relationship had reached warp speed? She let down the car window and gulped in the fresh air, letting it cool her quickly heating skin. She only had to think of him and her pulse would start racing.

  She coughed, and stared down at the catalog, forcing herself to think of matters at hand. Andrea had arranged to meet her at Natale’s factory this morning. Even with the idea of selling children’s clothing, something she had never done before, she calculated she could maybe stretch out her time here by another couple of weeks, if that.