by Nina Singh
“There is?”
He took her gently by the elbow and they started to stroll on the grassy verge by the side of the road. “I’m afraid there’s something you need to know before we greet my grandmother. You may not like it.”
Hadn’t he said those exact words to her that first day at his studio?
“Wow. That sounds pretty serious,” she commented.
There really was no easy way to break it to her. Better to just blurt it out. He inhaled deeply. “See, the thing is, my grandmother is under the impression there’s more between us then there really is.”
She blinked at him. “I beg your pardon? I don’t quite understand.”
Vito rubbed a weary hand down his face. How had he found himself in such a messy predicament? It was as if he had no idea what direction his life was headed in at any given moment.
Without giving himself too much time to think, he gave Maya the basic rundown of what Leo had done and why. She appeared a bit shell-shocked once he was done.
Welcome to the club, he wanted to tell her.
They’d reached the sprawling vines that abutted the estate gardens. The aromatic scent of grapes permeated the air. Vito reached for a ripe bunch and held it out to her. She still hadn’t said a word about what he’d just told her.
Maya took the fruit from him and popped one of the grapes into her mouth. She seemed to savor the taste as she chewed and swallowed. A sudden unwanted desire to feed her one himself made his palm itch. His gaze fell to her mouth. He could still taste those lips of hers on his own, feel their lush fullness. Vito had to remind himself to focus on the matter at hand.
“So, am I supposed to act as if you and I are betrothed?” she asked.
“I know it’s ridiculous. You have to believe I had nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you had nothing to do with any of it, Vito.”
He could have sworn her tone held a hint of disappointment when she spoke the words. Which made zero sense. He had to have imagined it.
“I’m not sure how I feel about deceiving an unsuspecting grandmother, to be honest.”
“This is the type of untruth that’s meant solely to give her some pleasure on a milestone day.” Truth be told, he hadn’t exactly been looking forward to spending the entire time fielding questions about whether he was ready to move on with his life. Not to mention hearing about all the eligible young granddaughters of her friends that Nonna always wanted him to meet. At the least, it would be a refreshing change to spend some time at his estate with the entire family and not have to duck unwelcome suggestions about all the women his family wanted to introduce him to. Of course, this way he and Maya would have to find ways to answer all sorts of questions about how they’d met and fallen in love.
Surprisingly, he didn’t think that would take much effort. They could even stick mostly to the truth.
Still, he had to make sure Maya was completely certain that she was up for what he was proposing. “It’s only for the afternoon. I understand if you want no part of it.” Heaven knew he couldn’t blame her for that. “I’ll work something out if you’re not comfortable.”
“It’s okay. I’ll do it.”
Vito released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “You will?”
She slowly pulled another grape off the bunch she held and ate it before she answered. “Sure. Why not? It’s your grandmother’s birthday, after all. And I find myself attending without a gift. This one small fib seems harmless enough. If it will make her happy on such a momentous day, then I’m happy to do it.”
“Grazie, mia bella,” Vito said, planting a small peck of a kiss on her cheek. When he straightened, he couldn’t help where his thoughts drifted. For one insane moment, he wished with all his heart that the pretense wasn’t even necessary. That it might all somehow be real.
CHAPTER NINE
WHAT HAD SHE just agreed to? To think, when he’d asked her to walk with him, she’d initially thought it was because he wanted to spend time alone with her before the chaos began. As if.
Still, Maya hadn’t quite been prepared for what he’d just announced. In fact, she was woefully unprepared for this whole day. How was she supposed to spend the entire time by Vito’s side, ignoring the way he affected her? How would she clamp down on the arousal he fanned deep within her core? Now there was the added complication of having to pretend they were lovers.
Not that she hadn’t imagined just such a thing. Though, in her imaginings, there hadn’t been a need for pretense.
“I suppose we ought to get some sort of basic story in order. At the least, we should be consistent about what we tell everyone. Lynetta and Leo will have to play along, of course.”
“It’s probably wise to stick as close to the truth as possible.”
“I would agree.”
“We could tell them I fell when I first saw you. Quite literally. And you fell in a much more poetic, figurative sense.” See, she could be good at this. Not bad for an off-the-cuff suggestion.
Vito chuckled beside her. “I like it, cara. Though maybe we should be sparse with the details.”
“Like how tipsy I was?”
“More that you had just freed yourself of one fiancé.”
What an apt description. She hadn’t known it at the time, but Matt had, in fact, freed her. From a mistake that would have followed her for a lifetime. She had to wonder if Matt had simply seen the inevitable: that they both deserved more out of life than what they’d been settling for. She might actually owe Matt a thank-you if one were to truly examine it. That thought would have had her quaking in shock a few short days ago.
“Yes, let’s definitely omit that little tidbit,” she said as they walked farther along. Once they crested the hill, the house came into full view.
Maya had to do a double take. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it was certainly a bit more modest than this three-story structure with Ionic columns surrounded by rolling hills.
“That’s your grandmother’s house?”
“Yes. More accurately, it’s the family estate. Leo and Lynetta come here often with the boys. As do I. It’s a short enough trip from Venice.”
“It’s quite the mansion.”
“Do you like it?”
What was there not to like? “It looks like something out of a painting. A sprawling house and the lush greenery as the backdrop.”
Vito placed both hands on his hips and studied the house in the distance. “Huh, I guess you’re right.”
She gave him a playful shove on the arm. “You’re toying with me. Of course you must have seen it yourself. Accomplished artist that you are.”
He shrugged. “I guess I just always viewed it more as home.”
Once they drew closer, Maya could see the festive decorations. The house looked every bit ready for a birthday bash. Decorative balloons adorned the windows. Colorful streamers had been wrapped around the columns. Lively music could be heard coming from somewhere within.
Without warning, a large mound of fur came flying at them from the direction of the house.
“Romeo!” Vito shouted, then he roared with laughter as the ball of fur reached him and jumped up. He spoke affectionately in Italian as he gave the dog a thorough petting.
“This is Romeo,” he told her. “He’s a very good mimmo.”
Maya leaned down to greet the dog. He responded with a wet lick on her cheek.
“He likes you,” Vito declared. “Juliet should be around here somewhere.”
Maya straightened. “You have two dogs that are named Romeo and Juliet?”
He gave her a playful smile. “We are in Verona, after all.”
Of course. That made sense.
“There’s a surprise twist,” Vito added in a mock whisper, cupping his hand against his mouth as he spoke.
/> “What’s that?”
“They’re both boys.”
“Hmm. That is surprising, indeed. I did not see that coming.”
Vito nodded solemnly, rousing a gurgle of laughter from her. “When you meet Juliet, please do not inform him that he is the namesake of one of fiction’s most notable heroines.”
“Why not?” Maya asked. “For all you know, he might find it an honor.”
Vito rubbed his chin, contemplating this possibility. “Huh. Never thought of it that way.”
She winked at him and popped another one of the luscious grapes into her mouth from the bunch she still carried. It exploded in her mouth, a mini ball of flavor.
Vito’s expression suddenly hardened and turned serious as he watched her. His eyes grew dark. Heaven help me. She thought she read desire in their depths.
He stepped toward her, his hand reaching for her face. Maya’s breath caught in her chest as he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Not all of the juice from your last grape made it into your mouth, cara.” His voice was thick and raw.
Maya turned her face into his palm. Tremors ran over the surface of her skin. The slightest touch from this man had the most dramatic effect on her. She longed for more; she wanted him to kiss her once again. Without thinking, she tilted her chin up, ran her hand along his forearm.
“Mia bella,” Vito whispered, so close now that the heat of his breath danced over her cheek. Then she lost any sense of focus whatsoever as his lips touched hers.
A sudden commotion from behind her had her startled and stepping out his grasp. Maya turned to find a rotund older woman emerging from the house then heading in their direction. She had to be Vito’s grandmother.
Of course, Maya thought as the older woman approached them with her arms outstretched and a wide grin on her face. Vito must have known his Nonna was watching this whole time.
Their kiss had been nothing more than a show for her sake.
CHAPTER TEN
“I BROUGHT YOU a plate.”
Maya looked up to find Lynetta standing before her where she sat on one of the porch rocking chairs. The last hour had gone by in a dizzying haze. She’d been introduced to so many people, and Nonna had kept finding her to affectionately pat her on the cheek at regular intervals. So far, the charade was going off without a hitch. But Maya found herself exhausted and in need of a break.
“I hope I’m not intruding on a private moment,” Lynetta added. Maya reached up to help her with her load. In addition to a large tray piled with food, she was carrying two bottles of iced tea. Maya relieved her of the beverages; the tray looked much too precariously balanced to attempt to take it.
“No. You’re not. I just needed a quiet moment. You Rameris are a boisterous lot.”
Lynetta sat down on the matching rocking chair next to her and placed the tray on the little table between them.
“This was very nice of you,” she told Lynetta, enjoying a long swallow of the iced tea. She hadn’t realized how dry her throat had become after holding so many language-challenged conversations.
And now that she was presented with a loaded antipasto tray, her stomach reminded her with a low growl that she was hungry, as well.
“You’re welcome. Though you might not be thanking me once dinner is served and you’re already full,” Lynetta answered with a smile. “It’s never a good idea to munch before Nonna’s big dinners. But the side table full of artisan cheese, cured meat and pickled olives looked too good to ignore.”
“So I see. Did you happen to leave anything on the table for the rest of them?”
Lynetta bit into a crusty piece of bread and Maya followed suit. The morsel tasted fresh out of the oven and practically melted in her mouth.
“Trust me, there’s more than enough for every man, woman and child here.”
“As well as some aptly named canines?” Maya jokingly asked.
“Yes, them too,” Lynetta replied.
“Nothing like massive quantities of Italian food to ensure everyone’s happiness.”
Lynetta’s expression suddenly turned much more serious as she stared at the rows of vines in the distance. “Actually, this is the happiest we’ve seen Vito in quite some time. The last few years, when we’ve all gathered for one reason or another, he just appeared to be going through the motions. As if he couldn’t wait to get the day over with and return to the dark depths of his studio.”
Maya’s heart tugged at that depiction. From what Lynetta was saying, Vito hadn’t even found comfort and joy surrounded by so many of his loved ones.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. He deserves much more in his life.”
Lynetta nodded in agreement. “He certainly does. That’s why we’re all very happy that he seems to be turning the tide somewhat. Leo swears the change started right when he met you.”
Maya’s pulse quickened at the implication. “I’m not sure what to say to that, Lynetta,” she responded honestly. “Only that Vito maybe needed a temporary diversion in the form of a distracted, clumsy American tourist. One who is set to leave Venice in a few days.”
The other woman turned to her with one elegantly shaped dark eyebrow lifted. “You appear to be much more than a mere diversion, Maya.”
Maya suddenly found it hard to swallow the small cube of provolone she’d popped into her mouth. What Lynetta thought she saw between Maya and Vito wasn’t necessarily real.
She found herself admitting out loud the concern she’d been harboring all this time and had been too chicken to address. “I think the temporary nature of my presence might be what’s drawing him, Lynetta.” She hated the needy quality that dripped from her voice as she spoke the words, though she felt a profound sense of relief at being able to finally share her fear with an interested party. She took a deep breath and made herself continue. “I think the fact that I’ll be leaving in a few days and out of his life after that makes me a safe bet as a distraction.” Maya bit back the sob that had lodged itself in the back of her throat.
“Is that what you really think?”
“He hasn’t mentioned anything about staying in touch afterward. Aside from promising to mail out the sketch he drew of me that first day, he makes no indication that we’ll be in touch at all.”
“Have you mentioned doing so?”
Maya looked down at her toes. “I don’t want to push a man who isn’t ready. Not with what little I can offer.”
Lynetta didn’t tear her gaze from the rolling hills in the distance. “I see,” she offered simply.
Maya felt compelled to continue. It felt good to be able to get this off her chest, to talk to someone who seemed to care about Vito. And who might have a care or two about the new American she’d just met, as well. “He’s been through a lot. I know he needs time to grieve. And to heal.”
“I don’t disagree.” Lynetta kicked off her sandals and slowly rocked her chair. “But at some point, he needs to start.”
At Maya’s silence, the other woman continued. “Until you came along, he hadn’t showed any signs of beginning that process.”
A bud of pleasure blossomed in her chest at Lynetta’s words. It was quickly followed by a profound sense of sadness. Even if everything Lynetta said was the absolute truth, it hardly made a difference. She and Vito had separate lives thousands of miles away from each other.
No matter what was happening between them, they would always be worlds apart.
“Vito takes too much of the blame upon himself,” Lynetta stated several moments later after a contemplative silence had settled between the two women. Her comment didn’t take Maya by surprise at all. Not after what Vito had said during their time on the galleon. The sounds of laughter and music could be heard echoing from the house behind them. An occasional child’s shriek and the bark of a dog punctuated the background noise.
“He alluded as much to me,” Maya answered. “But then he seemed uninterested in talking about it further. I didn’t want to push.”
“Vito never wants to talk about the accident. Not that I can blame him. I do blame him for trying to take full responsibility for it, however. It’s dreadfully unfair.”
“Is there a reason he does so?”
“He believes there is. Has he told you much about Marina?”
Maya shook her head and took another sip of her drink. “Nothing, really. He must have loved her very much.”
“Mmm-hmm. They were both very much in love.” She paused briefly. “In the beginning.”
The pause was not lost on Maya. “Did something happen?”
“Yes. And no.”
Well, that certainly clears it up, Maya thought sarcastically. She waited for Lynetta to elaborate.
“Marina was an...interesting type of woman. So passionate about everything. Sometimes her passion was too much for one man to deal with. Even a man as capable and as willing as Vito.”
Maya was trying desperately not to take the things Lynetta was telling her to heart. It was difficult to sit there and listen to someone talk about Vito’s love and life with a different woman. A woman he clearly still pined for.
“When they first met, Vito created some beautiful sculptures. Even more noteworthy than what he’d done before. His career was already on its way. But suddenly it took off. She truly inspired him.”
So, he’d lost his muse as well as his wife. Was it any wonder he was having trouble moving on? Not that it was any kind of competition, especially considering the poor woman had passed in such a tragic manner. But if it were, how could Maya possibly compete with someone who’d shared Vito’s bed and provided him with creative impetus?
Lynetta continued. “But Vito is a true creative. He was constantly growing. Constantly expanding the scope of his work. Eventually, Marina became less of a factor in his creations. That’s when the trouble began.”
“Trouble?”
It hadn’t occurred to Maya that Vito and his wife had been anything less than blissfully happy. Why else would he be so hard on himself about losing her? She didn’t know the details and couldn’t bring herself to ask him. But she’d assumed that he was plagued with guilt about not being able to protect the woman he loved.