by Carol Grace
She nodded and closed her eyes. In a moment he saw that she’d fallen asleep. She must have jet lag. She’d been up late last night as had he. He couldn’t believe anyone could fall asleep so fast, except for children. He couldn’t stop looking at her, at the way her lips were parted, her skirt twisted above her knees revealing long shapely legs and the way her slim fingers were clasped in her lap.
He drove around the lake twice just to keep from waking her. He took the narrow road lined with tall fences that protected large villas, even more impressed that a foreigner would brave this heavy tourist traffic to come to the bank today merely because he asked her to. He would take her to a late lunch then go back to the villa to work.
When he finally stopped the car in the driveway of the restaurant at the Villa Fiorini, she woke up and looked around as if she was lost. Or at least disoriented. “We’re at a restaurant on the lake,” he explained. “It’s the deepest lake in Europe and the most beautiful, but then I may be prejudiced.” He got out and opened her door for her. First she had to put her shoes on and he had to watch. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep from taking her feet in his hands, encircling her ankles with his fingers and feeling her smooth skin all in the interest of helping her, of course.
He tried to look away at the orange and lemon trees that graced the entrance to the venerable old restaurant, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from her spectacular long legs. He took her suit jacket from the car and helped her put it on, his fingers lingering on her arms a little too long.
He was an engaged man, he reminded himself, a man who hadn’t looked at a woman the way he was looking at his nanny for a long seven years. A man who didn’t expect to feel the way he did right now, as if he’d fallen off his sailboat and gotten trapped in an undertow on the lake. That’s the way Sabrina West made him feel, slightly out-of-control, slightly off kilter and not his rigidly disciplined himself at all. What had he done, hiring a woman who made him feel vibrantly alive again and in danger of falling off the path he’d so carefully followed these past seven years? Maybe he should have sent her back on the next ferry. But then where would he be today?
She’d taken off her suit jacket to reveal a silk blouse underneath it. It clung to her curves in a way that drew his attention like a magnet. Again he made a super-human effort to look at something else and again he failed. What was wrong with him? He knew better than to become infatuated with a woman no matter who she was.
Inside the restaurant Sabrina sniffed the air. There was the smell of succulent steak being grilled over an open flame and the rich fruity scent of fresh olive oil.
“I hope you like this place,” he said as he held out her chair for her.
“Like it?” Sabrina sighed happily. “It’s wonderful.” She wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming or if she was really on the shores of Lake Como at a restaurant filled with wooden furniture, all done in warm earth tones with a spectacular view of the lake shimmering below and the promise of a delicious lunch with a man who drew her into his orbit by the look in his eyes, his deep voice that set off vibrations in the air and the sheer strength of his personality. She warned herself he was only being charming and nice because he owed her for helping him out. After lunch it would be back to normal, and a good thing too. They’d be employer and employee, nothing more, nothing less.
From the terrace she saw tiny sailboats bobbing about in the water. Then she glanced across the table. Even more of a dream was that she was having lunch with her handsome boss, the very thing she knew she shouldn’t do. But it was too late to say no. And she was too weak to protest. The same thing that had gotten her into so much trouble before. It was all too horribly familiar. The last time she was a nanny, she’d been swept into the bosom of the family so fast it made her head spin. It was wonderful, magical, and irresistible. She was treated like part of the family she’d always wanted. Until it all came crashing down around her.
This time Sabrina was going to resist. Even though she hadn’t seen much of the girls, she was their nanny. Today was an aberration. Tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow she’d be a nanny again. It was her job. Her job was not to socialize with her boss, no matter how delightful it was to have lunch on the shores of the deepest and most beautiful lake in Europe with the best-looking man in all of Italy, maybe all of Europe. Not only good-looking, but charming besides, at least when he wanted to be. From their table they had spectacular views of the fields of wildflowers with the lake in the distance. Sabrina ignored her menu in favor of gazing at the scenery and not her boss. It was a view she’d only dreamed of.
The prince broke into her reverie. “May I suggest the polenta with truffles, the porcini mushroom and onion soup and filet mignon in a Cabernet sauce?”
“It sounds wonderful,” she murmured, instead of saying what she should have said, “No thank you. I’ll have some bread and cheese back at the villa. I can’t have lunch with you. I can’t work with you at your office. I know better and so do you. You’re my employer and I’m your nanny. To you I’m an employee. To me you are….” That was one sentence she didn’t want to complete.
“I must confess,” the prince said as the waiter filled their glasses with a sparkling white wine, “I was skeptical when you told me that Power Point was an important skill for a nanny. You have proved me wrong.”
“I’m glad I could help,” she said folding her hands primly in her lap. Was this the same autocratic employer who’d fired the previous half dozen nannies? Maybe they should have tried Power Point. If only she had something more to do other than look across the table into her employer’s eyes and get caught like a fly in a mysterious Venus fly trap. There she was staring at him, wondering if his eyes were merely a seductive dark brown or really black as ink. If only it meant nothing to her that she’d been a part of a successful presentation. But it did. She felt a thrill of achievement even though she hadn’t achieved any part of the job she’d come to do.
“What can I do in return?” he asked.
“You’re taking me to lunch,” she said with a glance around the sun-drenched terrace at the other customers, all well-dressed vacationers or local residents. Every man was dressed in white pants, blazers and colorful shirts and the women in bright summer dresses or slacks. If she kept the clothes the secretary had bought her, she’d be dressed just as fashionably as these people. But what about the nanny rules that forbid accepting expensive gifts from your employer?
“As your employer, I am obliged to provide your meals for you, at least that’s what I understand. There must be something else, a bonus, a day off to go shopping?”
“I can’t imagine anything I could shop for if those clothes in the car are really for me.”
“They are,” he said firmly.
“Then I intend to pay you back for them.” She did intend to do that, but she knew at the moment it didn’t seem like a realistic plan. “In the mean time I do have a request.
He hesitated only a moment then he said, “Name it.”
“I’d like you to come to the girls’ sailing class next Friday morning. The parents are invited to see a demonstration of what they’ve learned this summer. There is to be a picnic afterward.”
“I’m afraid it’s out of the question,” he said without a pause. “I have meetings on Friday.”
“Very well. You asked me and I told you.”
“Ask me for something else.”
“There is nothing else. Never mind. I will be there. It’s your loss.”
His expression darkened. She didn’t know what he was thinking, perhaps that she’d gone too far. Maybe she should never have mentioned it, and maybe the twins didn’t care if he came or not. But she knew how it felt to have empty seats where her parents should have been whether it was a piano recital or parents’ night at school. She wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Sabrina decided not to give up yet. “Perhaps your fiancée would like to attend?”
He gave a mirthless half laugh.
“Aurora? I don’t think so. She has a very demanding job and is traveling at the moment. Besides, I don’t know what kind of impression that would make on the girls. As I mentioned they haven’t quite accepted the idea of my marriage to her. And she’s never been very interested in the girls. When you do attend the event, Ms West, you will find that many of the guests are not parents but nannies or servants like yourself.”
Sabrina winced. For a few hours she’d forgotten she was a servant, but he obviously hadn’t. He was right. That’s what she was. It was good to be reminded. It was better that way. That way she wouldn’t let herself believe they were equals, even though she was wearing a beautiful designer suit and they were sharing a very lovely expensive lunch together. He was way out of her reach, way beyond anyone she’d ever met. He was not only rich, but high-class, foreign and descended from royalty, no matter if he disclaimed his right to the throne. By that one remark, he’d made her position indisputably clear.
He poured a glass of wine for her. “Most parents are at work, especially on a Friday. So you will go, enjoy the activities, the twins will be happy to have you there which is why I have employed you in the first place.”
“I’m not sure they will be happy to see me there or anywhere,” she said.
“I suppose you are referring to the snake in your bed.”
“You knew?”
“I assumed. I liked the way you handled it, even though the girls must have been disappointed you didn’t come screaming from your room in the middle of the night.”
“Screaming? Surely the other nannies…”
“Some of them screamed, some merely packed up and left the next day.”
If that was true, no wonder he appreciated her, and appreciation from her employer was surely a step in the right direction, now if only the girls…
Vittorio smoothly changed the subject as he’d done before and distracted her enough to enjoy the savory soup with slivers of porcini mushrooms which he explained were found in the forest around the lake.
“My brother and I used to hunt for mushrooms then sell them to the cooks from the other villas until my father caught us and told us that princes didn’t engage in commerce. That was when I decided I didn’t want to be a prince if that’s what it meant. I was determined to go into business for myself, make money and not rest on an inheritance or on the past.”
Sabrina could just picture the prince as a small, determined boy, going against family tradition to do just as he pleased. He hadn’t changed much.
“I assume your parents finally came around to agree with you when they saw that you became a success.”
“In some ways. Except for my choice of a bride. They never approved of Maddelena. It turns out they were right.”
Sabrina blinked rapidly at this piece of information. She wanted to ask a follow-up question or two but Vittorio changed the subject again and was back to his childhood when he spent summers sailing on the lake.
“I still have a boat, but unfortunately I have no time for sailing or other sports right now. Actually I haven’t sailed for years.” He had a faraway look in his eyes that made her wonder if he’d sailed with his wife and was afraid to go again for fear of bringing back memories of a happier time.
“I went sailing once with friends in San Francisco Bay,” Sabrina said. “But when the boat went out onto the open sea I was terribly seasick. I’m sure you’re happy to know the girls are learning to sail since it must have been a wonderful way to spend your childhood.”
Just then the polenta arrived, creamy and rich studded with earthy truffles.
“Yes, I sailed some of the time, but my childhood passion was to look for ways to make money. I don’t see any such tendencies in my daughters. In fact, I don’t see any of my characteristics in them. I sometimes wonder if we’re related at all.”
“Maybe because you don’t see much of them,” she suggested.
“Maybe,” he said, but she could tell he didn’t buy her explanation. “My brother and I were always interested in earning money to my father’s dismay. He thought it was unbecoming for the descendents of royalty, but we looked hard and long for truffles when we heard what a price they could fetch until we found out one needs a pig to dig for them.
“We gave that up and took up a new job which was carrying luggage for tourists who disembarked from the ferry. We had a small wagon and the tips were quite generous as I recall. Again my father stepped in and put a halt to our small business. ‘Not suitable work for the Monteverde Family.’” A half smile crossed his face at the memory. Again Sabrina pictured an energetic small boy with the prince’s determination, meeting the passenger ferries just as he’d met hers yesterday.
“What about you, Ms West, because you became a nanny, do I assume your first employment consisted in caring for children?”
“As a teenager I did a lot of baby-sitting, yes. I enjoyed it. I prided myself on doing more than just sitting. I invented games, told stories and made up plays to act out. I always loved animals too, though I wasn’t allowed to have a pet, I volunteered at the children’s petting zoo.”
“Any snakes on display?”
She smiled. “A few. As an only child, I craved an opportunity to be with small children and perhaps I also liked being in charge and giving orders.” She paused. “Actually when my father remarried, I was technically no longer an only child because I inherited two step-sisters, but it isn’t the same as…well, we’ve never been close, my step-sisters and I.”
Sabrina didn’t know how they’d gotten onto this subject. She didn’t normally discuss Mindy and Jessica. They weren’t really a part of her life since she’d gone to college and moved out of the house. She preferred to forget how they’d treated her when she was young. Many of her friends had no idea they even existed. It was easier than explaining why she didn’t think of them as family. Her family was gone. There was no one left.
She wished she could tell Vittorio how lucky he was to have a brother to grow up with and to have the twins now. She wanted to tell him the childhood years are brief and fleeting and he should make the most of them. He wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t believe her and she wasn’t sure why except that his wife died seven years ago and his parents hadn’t approved of her. Which led to his leaving the girls for others to care for.
Despite his referring to Sabrina as his servant, the lunch conversation took a pleasant turn after that almost as if they were friends lunching together and getting caught up, and the food was deliciously different from anything she’d ever tasted, especially the warm chocolate tarte he ordered for dessert with sliced strawberries on top with a dollop of whipped cream. When she licked her spoon, she thought she saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes at her childish gesture. Then he reached for her hand and said, “You like it?”
The touch of his hand sent a wave of heat to her cheeks. For just a moment she might have fooled herself into thinking this was a date, a romantic lunch a deux, but it wasn’t. She had to remind herself over and over who he was and who she was. This was business. She’d helped him out and he was returning the favor. But his hand was still holding hers, warm and firm. Until a young couple on their way out of the restaurant, stopped at their table. Vittorio withdrew his hand from Sabrina’s.
When he introduced them to Sabrina they switched to English. “So good to see you, Vittorio. I heard you got engaged.” Both the man and woman looked at Sabrina.
Vittorio nodded while Sabrina felt her cheeks redden. Why didn’t he tell them she was not the one? What could she say? He is engaged, but not to me? Or should she explain by saying, I’m only his nanny. Just a servant, you know.
Instead she said nothing and neither did he. Finally after they left, she said, “I’m afraid they may have gotten the wrong impression.”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It might matter to your fiancée.”
“That I’m having lunch with my daughters’ nanny? I doubt it.”
“No, of cour
se not,” she said quickly. Sabrina realized that to him this was an impersonal business lunch. It was a good lesson. No matter what she was wearing or where she was seen with Vittorio, she was only the nanny. “But things may be different after you’re married.”
He frowned and didn’t say much after that. Why would the thought of his marriage send him into a funk?
As the reached the car after they’d had coffee with dessert, the skies opened up as promised for the afternoon storm. Sabrina admired Vittorio’s capable hands on the wheel and his driving skill as he navigated the twisting mountain roads as the rain beat down on the windshield. She could still feel the warmth of his touch at the table. It won’t happen again, she told herself. Stop fantasizing about your employer.
“We made it,” he said with a sideways glance at Sabrina. “Without getting wet this time.”
A streak of lightning split the sky overhead and a few seconds later a loud clap of thunder rolled. Sabrina shivered, glad to be inside. Vittorio reached for her hand again. This time he held it tightly. There was no one to see. No one who knew he was engaged to someone else. No one but her. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not,” she said breathlessly. She wasn’t afraid of the storm. She was afraid of the man in the car with her. The man whose touch made her feel like she’d been struck by lightning.
“I remember what you said, ‘A dramatic performance courtesy of Mother Nature,’” she said.
“You remember that?” he asked with a sideways glance at her.
“It was only a few days ago.”
“It seems as though you’ve been here longer. You’ve managed to fit in where no one else has. How have you done that Ms West? What is your secret?”
With his hand holding hers she was at a loss for words. Her throat was too tight to speak. The rain drumming on the roof of the car kept time with the rapid beat of her heart. It was just gratitude, she told herself. It meant nothing except she’d helped him out of a hard situation. Inside the car it was just the two of them. The world was out there somewhere in the mist, but all that counted was the two of them inside the car, breathing the same air, hands together, driving somewhere. It didn’t matter where.