Flipped (Better With Prosecco Book 1)

by Lisa-Marie Cabrelli

  “What were you doing on the roof?” he asked, bursting into nervous laughter.

  “Trying to save a cat,” she said and bit her lip, trying to hold in her own giggle. He looked at her in disbelief and kept laughing. She lost it and her hysterical giggles joined his.

  “You could have died!” he gasped, tears streaming down his face.

  “I know!” she said, a huge unladylike snort escaped, and they looked at each other and laughed even harder.

  As their laughter slowed down Dean pulled her more tightly to him. All of her curves and edges fit into his perfectly, as they always did. She was home. He tucked her head under his chin, his fingers twisted in her hair, and she pressed her cheek to his chest, breathing him in. He was here. She couldn’t believe it.

  “I came to tell you some stuff,” Dean said. “If you’ll let me say it.”

  She was suddenly afraid of what he had to say. What if he was only here to say goodbye? She needed to apologize. “I’m sorry I ran away from you on the Tower, Dean. I had no idea you were stuck! I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I should never have doubted you. And I’m sorry that I yelled at you the next day, when that man was here. It wasn't your responsibility to tell me anything. It was Indigo's mistake, and we've fixed that now.”

  Dean pulled her even closer. “Sssh, babe. You’ve been going through some rough stuff. I’m sorry I left you here to deal with it all by yourself, but I knew you’d work it out and I had some things I needed to do first. Things I needed to do for us. So that we can be together. That is, if you’ll have me.”

  Hazel's heart had been pounding from the moment that first tile had slipped, but now Dean's words slowed it. She didn't need to be afraid. He wasn't here to break up with her. He was here for her. She pulled herself into a sitting position and pulled Dean up beside her. She sat cross-legged in front of him in the tiny space. Outside there were voices and banging sounds, but she ignored them. Dean had her full attention.

  “Tell me,” she said and gripped both of his hands in hers. "Tell me everything.”

  Dean smiled at her, his blue eyes crinkling, and she felt her stomach do a backflip. Had there ever been a more beautiful man?

  “There’s plenty of time to tell you the gruesome details later. But I need to tell you the important bit. When Adam first took me to LA, I thought I'd found a home. Adam was like the brother I'd never had, and the film sets, all the people, they were my family. I felt like I belonged there.” Hazel nodded her head, encouraging him to say more. “But the truth was, I had no reference for what a real home felt like. I didn’t know it could feel like this.” He swept his hand around the widow’s walk and she smiled, she knew he meant Borgotaro, not this tiny, grimy room. “I didn't know it could feel like you. I realized I’ve been kidding myself all of these years. Those people in California don’t care about me. They only care about what I can do for them. But you... you didn’t even know who I was when you met me. But you cared about me, anyway.”

  Hazel let go of his hand and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Are you sure? Seems like I did a lot of yelling back then, too.”

  He laughed and leaned forward to kiss her lightly. “I liked that I had to win you over. I never had to do that before.” She took his hand in hers again and squeezed. “There’s more,” he said.

  “Go on.”

  “This is my home. You. Borgotaro. Sara, Stella, Atillio… even nutty Indigo.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I love you, Hazel. Would you stay here with me? In Borgotaro?”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. Resting her forehead against his and trying to catch her breath. Did Dean McLean just say he loved her? Uptight, messed up, drowning in trouble Hazel? She couldn’t drag him into this mess of her life right now. She should get her life sorted out before she dragged him into it. “God, I love you Dean. And I’d stay with you anywhere. But I need to fix my life first. I’m drowning in debt. I have no job. I don’t even have a place to live.”

  “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, you know. You can let people take care of you sometimes. I don’t want to be your knight in shining armor - I want to be your partner. But I can make it easier for us. I have made it easier for us.”

  Hazel was confused. “What do you mean? Made it easier?”

  52

  Dean

  Dean took a deep breath before speaking again. It was make or break time. Hazel was a strong, intelligent and capable woman. What he was about to tell her could make her angry. He might be about to screw everything up. He hoped she cared about him enough to trust his intentions. He needed her to know that everything he'd done had been out of love. His actions had been just as much about saving himself as they were about saving her.

  “The only reason I went back to LA was to settle things up. I’ve arranged to sell my house and transfer my belongings to Borgotaro. I signed an agreement to get out of the films. I don’t have a job anymore Hazel, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a very wealthy man. Not that I think that matters to you. It only matters to me, because I want you to know I have plenty for both of us, and that what I did before I left was nothing in the big scheme of things.”

  “What have you done, Dean?” She looked a little scared but so was he. Would she be angry? Would she think he was crazy?

  “Indigo sold me this house,” he said. “It’s yours, if you want it.” Hazel went to speak but he quickly placed a finger over her lips, silencing her. “Wait, I’m not done. I can sign it over to you, and you can move ahead with your plan. I've put some money aside for you to finish the renovation, sell it and get back to Jacksonville. I wouldn’t be upset. I want you to do what you need to do. Or…” He stopped. He realized that he was too nervous to continue.

  Hazel’s lips moved under his finger. He felt a rush of desire for her along with a rush of panic. Maybe this entire thing was as nutty as one of Indigo’s plans. Atillio had assured him it was a good plan, but it all hinged on Hazel and suddenly Dean was afraid he had miscalculated. He swallowed the fear in his throat, “Or, after we finish fixing up this place, you could help me with the Roma.”

  “The Roma?” Hazel whispered, her eyes went wide, and her lips tickled his fingers, making him smile. “What are you going to do with the Roma?”

  “Make it ours.” He moved his finger from her lips and trailed it down her soft jawline. He whispered a quick prayer under his breath. “I bought it. I bought it for us. We can bring it back to life, make it beautiful, bring business to Borgotaro. Will you do it? Will you stay here and make a home with me?”

  Tears filled Hazel’s eyes. She didn’t say a word but a huge grin came across her face and she started nodding, the rough movements causing her tears to spill over onto her cheeks.

  “Yes!” she choked out, still nodding and grinning. “Yes, I’ll stay here with you. Yes.”

  Dean let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. She loved him. She wanted to stay. He'd finally found home.

  53

  Hazel

  “What would you like me to do with this delivery, Ms. Blackmore?” Hazel smiled at the broad-chested man in overalls standing on the front patio of the Roma.

  “I’ve told you to please call me Hazel. And the same for Dean. You know he has Hollywood flashbacks when anyone calls him Mr. McLean. You can just leave it there. Dean will bring it in later.”

  Mack carefully put down the box of tiles. It had been like a mirage when Mack had walked into their lives. Hazel and Dean had known how difficult this renovation would be from the start, so were delighted when another English speaking contractor appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Hazel didn’t like to pry, but got all the local gossip through Stella and Indigo. Mack, a native of Borgotaro, had returned from years in Scotland to look after his little niece who'd been left without a family when his sister had passed away. It was a sad story and Hazel sometimes felt guilty for being so happy he was with them.

  As Mack walked away Hazel turned and admired the fr
ont of the building. The first thing they'd done when they started work only six weeks ago was to wash and repair the facade. It was like the old lady had only been waiting for a haircut. Her beauty shone through and had drawn hordes of locals to stop by and compliment them on the work so far.

  “It’s ready, babe!” Dean’s voice called from inside the old hotel. Her heart skipped a beat as it always did when she thought of Dean and she turned to run inside and up the massive, main staircase.

  At the top, she made a left and turned into the only room that was renovated. They'd decided to move in since they were doing the entire project themselves and wanted to get the feel of the hotel right away. Dean had motivated a team of surly Italians (miserable they were working during feraugusto, but happy for the pay) to finish one room and a bathroom. Since the day they'd finished it, this room had become their haven. Although it was only September and still warm, Dean had a fire burning in the fireplace, and the room danced with flickering shadows. He had drawn the curtains against the fading daylight and laid out a decadent picnic on their linen picnic cloth, which he’d spread on the floor. A bottle of Prosecco was sitting in the center, cooling in ice.

  “We’ve been so busy we haven’t found time to get to the river in a while,” Dean said. He was on the blanket, lounging back against their big bed with his legs stretched toward the fire. “I figured I’d make a sexy picnic at home instead.”

  “Well there is definitely some sexy in this room,” Hazel laughed. “But I don’t know if it’s the food.”

  Dean patted the space next to him on the blanket. “Get over here so I can feed you grapes, you Goddess, you.”

  Hazel smiled. Instead of sitting in his proffered spot she plunked herself into his lap, wrapping her legs around his back.

  “I think I’d rather sit here.”

  “Hmmm… good choice.” Dean leaned forward and put his hands behind her head, pulling her mouth into his forceful kiss.

  Hazel broke the kiss and slipped from his lap into the space beside him. She knew if she didn’t move the dinner would be forgotten. It had happened before, and she was starving. It had been a long working day.

  “Liz sent over the logo and graphics package today. It looks amazing! But she didn’t include an invoice,” she said as she picked at the cheese plate in front of her.

  Dean reached for the Prosecco and poured two glasses, handing one to Hazel. “Well, you need to tell her we want to pay. I know she feels guilty for everything that happened to you but it’s not her fault. And now she’s starting her own company she needs all the revenue she can get. Plus, her work is amazing.”

  “I know! I’m so grateful I didn’t need to do it myself. If I never do graphic design again, I’ll be thrilled with my life.”

  Dean laughed. “I saw Stefano today. He’s happy that we signed over half the house to him. Ecstatic actually. But he’s still pissed at me about the cat.” As if she heard herself mentioned Marbles popped her head out from under the bed and climbed gracefully into Dean’s lap, settling down for an ear scratch. She started purring as if someone had flicked a switch on her back.

  The day that Dean had saved her from the roof, just after he had pulled her through the window, Stefano had run down the hill with an extension ladder and pulled a quivering Marbles from the tree. Marbles had run into the house and straight to Dean, climbing up into his arms and staying there. By the end of the evening it was mutual true love. Marbles followed Dean everywhere. They'd tried to send her back up the hill every time she wandered down here but eventually gave up. She was Dean’s cat now. Stefano wasn't angry, really. Since Marble's defection he'd acquired two more cats and a brand new puppy. He'd discovered animals were his thing.

  Hazel chuckled, “Did he show you the website? He’s got the booking system going before we even have any rooms to book. He’s like some computer wunderkind.”

  “I didn’t see it. But I will. He’s a good kid. We were smart to add him to the team.”

  Hazel reached out for a slice of focaccia and bit into it as she snuggled into Dean’s side. “He’s family, right?” she said. “This is a family business.”

  “Is it really?” Dean said, sounding a little sad.

  Hazel sat up so quickly she spooked the cat who took off running. She turned to frown at Dean, who wasn’t sad after all. He was smiling.

  “Of course, it’s a family business. What would make you say that?”

  “Well,” Dean said, reaching for a tiny velvet box she hadn't noticed sitting on the blanket “It’s just that a family business is usually owned by a husband and wife, isn’t it?”

  Dean moved in front of her and onto a bended knee. Her heart pounded in her chest. Was this happening? Was it possible to be this happy without everything going wrong?

  She put a panicked hand on Dean’s knee, “Dean…,” she said. She took his hand and pulled it to her breast, placing it over her pounding heart.

  “I’m scared too, baby,” Dean whispered as he pulled his hand back and opened the box, revealing a simple, stunning, rose-colored diamond. “But let’s be scared together. You are the only woman in the world for me. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, hanging out with family, running this hotel, wandering the streets of Borgo and drinking Prosecco. Will you marry me?”

  Hazel lifted her hand to Dean’s movie star face and looked into his movie star eyes, but all she saw was her Dean. Her Dean who was asking her to be with him forever. As though there were any doubt how she would respond. Her life had become a dream.

  “Yes, Dean Mclean.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “Yes. I will marry you!”

  54

  The Lit Chicks

  Dear Reader

  Thank you so much for reading Flipped and I hope that you fell for Dean and Hazel as hard as I did while I was writing it. I have good news… there’s lots more to come from the lovely folk of Borgotaro.

  Did you catch that strappingly handsome Scotsman popping up at the end? Mack has had a tough life so far, and now he has it even tougher as a single parent mourning his sister. But maybe Borgotaro has some magic in store for him?

  The Albergo Roma, and all of the Borgotaro folks we’ve met so far play a big part in the rest of the “Better With Prosecco” series. If you’d like to keep in touch and get free book offers and the chance to be an ARC reader. You can join my Lit Chick group by clicking here.

  Lots of love,

  Lisa-Marie x

  Reviews mean everything to new authors. If you enjoyed Flipped, please consider leaving a review to help other readers find my books!

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