Did she have bug spray? How she hated that stuff—the smell, the sticky greasy feel of it, the way every gnat, piece of grit, and dust in the universe clung to it like a magnet.
When Antonio asked if she’d go hiking with him, she’d said yes. Before giving it any thought—before remembering she didn’t like snakes and berry brambles and lugging backpacks around—she’d said yes because she liked spending time with him. And they hadn’t had much opportunity to spend much together this week.
She’d been busy taking care of guests and the dozen things that came up during the course of the day. She was happiest when guests were in residence, though, enjoyed doing little things to make their stay a memorable one.
She had a knack for decorating, creating pretty, inviting spaces, and making guests feel special. She’d already started several folders on Houzz and Pinterest with design ideas for Serendipity—premature, maybe, but she couldn’t help herself.
Antonio would probably just smile if she showed him how much she’d already collected in the way of inspiration. Smile and then store it away, the things she liked, her design style, her visions, the same as he would when Cat specified what commercial range she wanted, what kind of shelving, work counters, and lighting. He would humor them their excitement but store it all away and remember their visions of the finished product. And he’d find ways to blend their dreams with his design. Just as he’d done in the initial drawings.
Yeah, he was a good listener, which appealed to her. So far, she hadn’t discovered anything about him that didn’t. And now that he’d be staying and she’d have a lot more time to get to know him, what would she do about the desire that had been growing between the two of them?
Part of her wanted to take a risk, experience everything they could be together, to enjoy being with a man she knew in her bones would be a lover like none she’d ever experienced before or ever would again. Could she do it, though? Embark on an affair with a man she also knew she had no real future with? Maybe she shouldn’t worry so much about it and see what happened, let nature takes its course.
Ugh! Nature—the hike! They were supposed to meet downstairs in twenty minutes and if she didn’t want Antonio to leave without her, she needed to get her butt moving.
She ruffled through her drawers and came up with some khakis and a tee, put them on, gathered things she might need—a hat, sunscreen, an extra hair band, Band-Aids, a long-sleeved white blouse—and stuffed everything into a backpack she found hanging in the back of her closet.
Before heading to Eliana’s room, she searched the bathroom and found some bug spray. As she slid it into one of the pack’s side pockets, she prayed, Please Jesus, don’t let me regret this outing.
“I NEED HIKING boots,” Lucia announced upon entering Eliana’s room, her voice devoid of enthusiasm.
El rooted through her closet and came back out with three pair to choose from.
“What are you doing with so many pairs of these? Have you ever even gone hiking?” Lucia shook her head, although she shouldn’t have been surprised. Shopping for something in Eliana’s closet was as good as going into Macy’s.
“No, but they look really cute with a pair of mid-calf socks. I’ve got some you can borrow.” She pulled several pair from a drawer and laid them out on the dresser.
Eliana gave her a once-over. “Okay, these.” She held up a pair of brown tweedy ones and tossed them to Lucia.
She sat on the bed and tugged them on, then put on the boots her sister chose for her outfit, a pair of brown leather ones that came about three inches above her ankles and laced up the front.
“Don’t lace them all the way. Tie them off just under the top two eyelets, and fold the socks down so they come just over the tops.”
Lucia glanced up. “Do you want to dress me?”
“Just saying. You want to look the part.”
“What? Like a hiking fashionista?”
“Hey, no matter what you’re doing there’s no reason not to look good doing it.”
Lucia took a last turn of the socks. “There. Do I meet your approval?”
“What’s more important is whether you’ll meet with Antonio’s. Although from what I’ve observed, you seem to have that one covered.”
Lucia grinned. “He might have a little thing for me.”
“Ha! Little! The man wants to get biblical with you. And I don’t mean read verses together. And I’ll just bet he can perform some miracles between the sheets.”
“We haven’t gotten to that point yet, and I’m running late. Thanks for putting the finishing touches on my ensemble. Gotta go.”
Eliana called from behind her, “I didn’t miss the ‘yet’ part of that statement. Is my overly cautious sister actually considering letting her guard down with a man? I’ll want details if it happens, you know.”
Lucia smiled as she walked out the door. Surprisingly, she was considering it. And if she did give in to her desires, she wouldn’t be surprised at all if Eliana was right.
MARCELLA STRETCHED OUT on one of the couches in the library. The last of the guests had checked out the morning before. Cat had gotten called in to work again on her night off. Eliana was out somewhere, Marcella didn’t know where, and Lucia was traipsing around the foothills of the Appalachian Trail with Antonio.
Lucia hiking…she’d like to see that! Her sister never willingly ventured far from the paved path. She enjoyed tending the flower borders around the inn, but beyond that Luch preferred to look at nature, not commune with it.
Marcella settled back against the armrest, kicked off her sneakers, and opened her book, looking forward to enjoying a quiet evening and some uninterrupted reading.
She only made it through a couple of pages when the front door opened and Antonio strode in carrying Lucia in his arms. Marcella set her book down, got up and walked into reception.
“Is everything okay or are you two just…you know?”
“Your sister sprained her ankle,” Antonio said, tightening his hold.
“It’s nothing serious,” Lucia assured her, “just a little sore, probably from the swelling. I could have made it in here on my own but Antonio insisted on carrying me.”
Marcella grinned. She just bet he had. “Why don’t you drop her on the couch and I’ll get some ice from the kitchen.”
Antonio carried Lucia into the library and set her down as if she were made of glass.
“Careful you don’t break her,” Marcella teased, and got the skunk eye from her sister.
She returned with an ice pack a few minutes later and handed it to Lucia. “So what happened? Did you lose your footing on some rocks?”
Antonio’s lips twitched but he said nothing.
“It was these damn boots.” Lucia smirked. “They’ve got all this tread, and it grips to tile. It wasn’t my fault.”
“They have tiled trails in the foothills these days?”
“Don’t be a smartass, little sister. I did quite nicely hiking, thank you. It happened when we stopped to get dinner on the way home. The restaurant had a tiled entry and the toe on the boot caught and tripped me—then I turned my ankle.”
Marcella cupped a hand to her mouth, laughed behind it. “Sorry, it’s just ironic you waited until you were on a smooth, flat surface to trip yourself.”
“Thanks for the sympathy.”
“Hey, I got you some ice, didn’t I?”
“You did. Thank you.” Lucia rearranged the pack on her ankle. “It was embarrassing, though. I took a six-foot lobster down with me.”
“What?” Marcella choked out another laugh and looked at Antonio. He shook his head, clearly trying to contain his own laughter.
“Yeah. When I started to go down, I grabbed out for something to hold on to and the closest thing was this giant plastic lobster in the entryway. I landed on top of it. Unfortunately, it lost a claw.”
Antonio couldn’t restrain himself any longer, and the three of them were wiping tears of laughter from their cheeks when Eli
ana walked in and found them that way.
AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES with the ice pack and a rehashing for Eliana, Antonio carried Lucia up two flights of stairs to the third level where the family had their private rooms.
“The last door on the left,” Lucia said when he turned into the hallway.
She reached down and opened the door and he carried her inside. “Bed or chair?” he asked.
“The bed. If you want to hang out, you can pile some throw pillows from the settee against the headboard and we can both prop ourselves up. I can text El to see if she’ll bring up a bottle of wine. Interested?”
He dipped his head, pinned her with devilishly sexy eyes. “You invite me to join you on your bed and you think I might refuse?”
Lucia licked her lips. Maybe spraining her ankle wouldn’t turn out to be such a bad thing after all. “I always believe in giving people a choice.”
He chuckled low and deep. It vibrated along her nerves as if he were strumming his fingers over them. She cut off the flicker of apprehension that made her question if this was smart.
She was tired of denying herself because she might get hurt. Brad was one man, a man who happened years ago. He wasn’t every man, just one bastard she’d believed when she shouldn’t have and then let the hurt over his betrayal keep her from fully trusting anyone since.
It had to end. She had to move on. If she never let herself trust again, she’d end up a very lonely old lady. That wasn’t what she wanted for herself.
Antonio helped Lucia get situated, propping her ankle on a large pillow. He took off her boots, and she could tell he was trying to be as gentle as possible.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he took off his own shoes and then swung his legs up to sit next to her.
“I think I’ll live.” She finished texting El, then turned her head and smiled at him. “You know I probably could have managed getting up the stairs on my own.”
“Maybe, but I liked carrying you.”
“Oh, you did?”
He leaned toward her and planted a kiss on her lips. “Yeah, I like getting my hands on you. Any excuse will do.”
She nipped his lower lip. “Maybe you don’t need an excuse.”
“Good to know.” He weaved his fingers into her hair and leaned in, kissed her again, hungry and deep.
It took no time for desire’s flames to flare. His mouth was a potent accelerant, stoking the fire, and part of her wanted to welcome the burn. Despite her desire, another part cautioned they’d get there but shouldn’t rush into the inferno just yet. It nagged and she grumped at it.
As much as she wanted to evict her more rational side, it wouldn’t let go easily, so because she was trying to move forward, she negotiated with it. There was no reason not to enjoy some of the heat. That she would agree to. That she wanted to savor. A hearty snack until, and if, they both decided they were ready to bring on the full course.
There was a knock on the door. From the other side Eliana said, “Medicine’s here.”
Antonio pulled away, his eyes promised they’d continue where they left off.
Lucia smoothed her hair and then called to her sister. “Come on in, El.”
Eliana walked in carrying a bottle of Petit Verdot and two glasses. She held them in the air. “Where do you want these?”
“The table on this side,” Antonio suggested, and got up to take them from her.
She glanced at Lucia’s foot, propped on the pillow. “How’s the ankle?”
“S’okay. The ice took some of the swelling down and that helped.”
“That’s good. I’m going to make myself a snack plate for dinner. Since you two didn’t get to eat after you did your jig with the lobster, do you want me to make one for you, too?”
“That would be nice. Thanks.”
“No big. Nothing fancy, just some brie and crackers, and maybe some fruit. It depends on what I can find in the kitchen.”
“I can help put together a plate for Lucia and me. That way you won’t have to bring it back up,” Antonio offered.
“That’s fine.” El spotted her boots at the foot of the bed and plucked them up. “Guess you won’t be wanting to wear these again anytime soon.”
“Doubt it. I think I’ll stick to stilettos; they’re much safer.”
Her sister laughed and then made for the door.
Antonio walked around to Lucia’s side of the bed and looked down at her. “Do you need anything before I go downstairs?”
“I’m good, but if I need to get up, I think I can manage. It’s just a sprain.”
“You still shouldn’t be walking around on it. Promise me you’ll stay put until I get back.”
Lucia rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll just sit here like an invalid. And if I need to get up to go to the bathroom or something, I’ll hop.”
She grinned when he scowled at her. “Just go. I’m not going to have to get up for anything.”
“All right. I shouldn’t be long.” He turned when he got to the door. “Remember your promise.”
She made the sign of an X over her heart. She leaned back against the pillows when he left and closed her eyes. Aside from the sprain, she’d had a great time today. She’d never have imagined she could enjoy trekking through woods, climbing hills, and spending almost five hours communing with nature. That was more Marcella’s thing.
She had, though. Most of the trails were well maintained, so her vision of hacking through brambles, peeling vines off her skin, and picking twigs from her hair never came to pass. It had been a beautiful day, with plenty of sunshine and a light breeze that kept them from getting too warm.
There were many clearings along the trail, with scenic overlooks. They’d even come upon a pretty waterfall where she stopped to take some pictures, including a couple of selfies of her and Antonio, one in which they were smiling normally, and one with them making a face.
She sat forward and reached for her cell on the nightstand to look at the photos. She enlarged the first picture to see Antonio’s features better. Good Lord, the man was handsome. His eyes were such a bright, clear blue. They reminded her of the water along the Nepali Coast in Kauai. She’d only been to Hawaii once, but she’d never forget how breathtakingly beautiful the water had been. And his eyes were no less so.
When she scrolled to the second one, she laughed. They both looked silly, and happy, like two kids goofing off.
He enjoyed life, and she enjoyed that about him. Too many of the men she’d dated were…not boring…but it was as if they couldn’t let loose, as if they had some kind of playbook in their head about how men could or should act. She’d always just wanted them to be real. Maybe that was one of the reasons she had trust issues. She could never be sure if the man she thought them to be was the man they actually were. She’d never felt that way with Antonio.
She switched back to the first shot. He had his arm slung loosely over her shoulders. She was leaning into him, her free arm around his waist, and they were smiling. They looked like lovers. If things kept going the way they were, maybe soon they would be.
It warms the blood, adds luster to the eyes,
And wine and love have ever been allies.
Ovid,
The Art of Love
June was barely two weeks old when Antonio went downstairs on a Wednesday morning to tell Lucia he’d made arrangements to take a short trip back to Italy and would be leaving Saturday morning.
“How long will you be gone?”
“A week, just enough time to meet with my associates, check in on my grandfather, and tie up some loose ends before I get too far into the job here. I’ll be returning the following Saturday. Would there be an out-of-the-way place I could store some things if I return with a couple of extra cases?”
“There’s plenty of room in the attic.” Lucia tilted her head and he could see she had an idea brewing. “You know, you could probably put a makeshift office up there. It’s fairly large and there’s lighting and outlets so you’d have
power. I haven’t been up there since I was a kid, but I remember it being a decent space.”
“If no one would mind me taking over a piece of it, I wouldn’t mind having a dedicated workplace.”
“No one will mind. It probably needs a good cleaning, so you’ll need to ignore the dust and whatever clutter’s up there.”
“Thanks, I’ll check it out when I go back upstairs.” He leaned against the reception desk, saw the spark of amusement come into her eyes when he dipped his head and stared into them. “That wasn’t the only reason I stopped down to see you.”
“No?” Lucia rested her elbows on the desk and propped her chin in her hands. “What else can I do for you, Mr. DeLuca?”
“How about getting one of your sisters to cover for you and going out with me Friday night?”
“Caterina’s working and El’s got a date, but I don’t think Marcella has plans. I’ll check with her this afternoon and if she can, then I’d love to.”
“Okay, let me know.” He hesitated, wondering if he should say anything about the scene he witnessed at Caulfield’s? He wasn’t family, but he cared about Lucia and her sisters.
“Do you have something else on your mind?”
Antonio stuck his tongue in his cheek, debated, and then decided he’d want to know if it was his sister and someone had seen something concerning. “It might not be my place, and I won’t be offended if you tell me to mind my own business, but does your sister have a problem with one of the guys she works with?”
Lucia narrowed her eyes. “Why do you ask?”
Both her look and tone told him he’d struck on something. He shrugged, not wanting to make too big a deal of it if he was off base, but wanting to make one of Caterina’s sisters aware if he wasn’t.
“Remember the day I told you I stopped there for lunch and Caterina came out to my table?”
“Yeah. You said she gave you a complimentary glass of wine. Did something else happen you didn’t tell me about?”
Lucia (The Bonaveras) Page 12