Working; will text later.
Bianca was not at her window seat. Neve hurried to check the washroom, and wondered if Bianca had decided to go to the kitchen on her own. She’d have to make it clear to Bianca to follow her instructions and not take off anywhere without her.
Neve flew down the stairs and by the time she reached the kitchen she was breathless. Davide was at the stove, but he was alone. She looked past the doors leading to the courtyard. No sign of Bianca. She met Davide’s narrowed gaze. “Bianca promised to stay in her room while I got dressed,” she blurted. “I couldn’t have been more than five minutes.”
Davide shut off the gas element and the look he gave Neve made her stomach twist. “Bianca cannot be left unsupervised. Not even for five minutes. There are too many dangerous spots around the castle for a child. She could go wandering off and topple over a ledge or bluff.” He strode quickly out of the kitchen, adding harshly, “I’ve lost my sister. I can’t risk losing Bianca, too.”
She followed him out and watched as he took the steps three at a time. “I’m going to see if she’s in one of the unused rooms of the castle.” He paused to glance at her. “You check the main rooms.”
Neve nodded, shuddering at the thought of Bianca in one of the scenarios Davide had mentioned. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if Bianca got hurt, or worse...
No, that’s not going to happen, she tried to convince herself. Bianca will show up.
“Bianca!” Davide’s booming voice echoed in the halls. Neve’s heart pounded as she checked Bianca’s room again, her own room, and then hesitated a moment when she came to Davide’s bedroom. She couldn’t not check it...
The room was breathtaking. Masculine. And elegant, with a double-sided marble fireplace dividing his room and en-suite bathroom. The floor was a huge expanse of gleaming hardwood, the walls a sage green, the bed coverings a pewter gray. The sight of them pulled back and rumpled from Davide’s sleep made her pulse kick up. Could Bianca be under the bed? Neve called out for her and was about to look under it when she heard Davide’s loud voice in the hall. And then Bianca’s faint, “I’m here, Zio Davide.”
Neve rushed out and saw Davide disappear into his study. She strode over and paused at the door. Bianca was crawling out from under Davide’s desk, a sheepish look on her face, and Davide was standing by, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw muscles tensed.
“Why did you not stay in your room and wait for Signorina Neve as she asked?” Davide’s voice was calm but firm. “You can’t just run off, Bianca.”
Bianca’s lip started to tremble. “But I wanted to play hide-and-seek.”
“You were told to stay put. You have to follow instructions, Bianca. From me or from your nanny.”
Bianca burst into tears and ran out of the room, barely glancing at Neve. Davide started to follow but stopped at the doorway and gave Neve a piercing look. “I think you need to address this with Bianca, as well. Now.” He strode out of the room.
Neve took a deep breath. As she followed Davide into Bianca’s room, she knew she had a double challenge: to get her message across to Bianca and to show Davide that she was as competent as she had made out to be in her application and interview.
Bianca had thrown herself facedown on her bed, her crying reduced to quiet sniffling. Neve spotted the plush orca on Bianca’s night table and picked it up. She sat down gently at the side of the bed. “You know, Bianca, I love to play hide-and-seek.” She saw Davide raise an eyebrow, probably wondering where she was going with this. “And we can play after lunch. But first, we need to go over the rules, so nobody is in danger.”
Bianca turned over to one side and wiped her eyes. “What danger?”
Neve made her eyes widen. “Well, I’ve never been in a real castle before, and I’m afraid I might get lost on my own. And end up in the dragon’s den,” she added, making her voice tremble.
“We don’t have a dragon,” Bianca sniffed. “That’s just in fairy tales.”
“Are you sure?” Neve looked around fearfully. “I thought every castle had a dragon.”
Bianca scrambled to sit cross-legged next to Neve. “Silly Miss Neve!” She took Neve’s hand. “I’ll stay beside you, I promise. And don’t be scared. If there was a real dragon, Zio Davide would protect you!”
I would? Davide’s eyes narrowed and glinted like shards of obsidian. And then he smiled and Neve caught the twinkle in them. “Of course I would.” He sat next to Bianca and put an arm around her, giving Neve a thumbs-up sign at the same time.
Neve felt a warm glow spread throughout her body. She hadn’t been sure that her strategy would work with Bianca, but it had and Davide had approved.
Davide was the first to rise. “I’ll get back to making lunch.” He ruffled Bianca’s hair. “Maybe Signorina Neve can tame your hair first.” He gazed at Neve. “A presto.”
Neve nodded, her words sticking in her throat. Yes, I’ll see you soon. Gladly.
She watched him leave, then stood up and smiling, held out a hand to Bianca.
* * *
Davide found himself humming as he stirred the sliced cherry tomatoes in the pan where he had first sautéed onions and garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. He had already put the spaghetti into the boiling salted water. All the ingredients were from his garden, the oil from his olive groves and the pasta was locally made and sold. He rinsed a generous sprig of basil that he had snipped off one of the plants in the courtyard and added it to the pan.
As Davide set three place mats on the harvest table, with his at one end, and Neve’s and Bianca’s on either side of him, he replayed the scene between Neve and Bianca in his mind. Neve had known exactly what strategy to use to get Bianca to come around. She hadn’t been stern or raised her voice. She had relied on her own understanding and experience with children to get her message across. And she had done it by tapping into Bianca’s imagination and by communicating with her at her level. Brilliant.
Who was this Neve Wilder?
Yes, she was the beauty who had made his heart flip almost a decade ago. His Juliet on the balcony of Villa Morgana. The girl whose eyes had branded his every time he had walked past... And not one day had gone by since they had exchanged the first gaze that Davide hadn’t thought about her, dreamt about being with her. But she had turned him down, hadn’t even wanted to meet him. Every silent message that he had intercepted from her eyes had turned out to be wrong.
And now she was here. Sometimes he thought he must be dreaming and that he’d surely wake up and Neve wouldn’t be in his castle. Nor would Bianca. But then reality would pinch him. Hard. Really hard. Bianca was an orphan and Neve was here as a result...
How could sadness and happiness be so intertwined?
Davide stopped at the sudden jolt of awareness. Yes, he was sad, terribly sad about the loss of his sister and brother-in-law. And even sadder for Bianca’s loss. But he could not deny that happiness had somehow found a way to take root in the hardened core of his heart. He had felt twinges of happiness, contentedness and hope...all in the short time since Neve had arrived.
And it...felt...good. It made him almost want to forget the past. Almost. Maybe he and Neve would have the opportunity to delve into it while she was here. And then maybe not. But at the moment Davide didn’t care. He had lunch to serve.
The aroma of freshly made tomato sauce with basil filled the air. Davide set the cutlery down and returned to the stove to check the pasta. Perfect. Davide drained the spaghetti, transferred it into a large colorful bowl that had been his mother’s and mixed in some sauce. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Davide felt a surge of anticipation. He set the bowl on the table, and glancing up, he saw Neve and Bianca walking hand in hand toward him, the look on both their faces melting his heart.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NEVE HADN’T REALIZED how hungry she was until the scent of tomato
sauce reached her before she even entered the kitchen. When she and Bianca walked into the room, Davide flashed them a grin.
“After you, ladies,” he said, pulling out Neve’s chair on his right and Bianca’s on his left.
“I’m not a lady, Zio Davide!” Bianca giggled.
“Okay, little girl, but try to eat like one, va bene?”
“Okay.” Bianca took her fork and twirled the spaghetti expertly and plopped it into her mouth.
Neve felt a little self-conscious. She hadn’t really thought about all the time that she would be spending with Bianca and her uncle. She twirled her spaghetti mindfully, careful not to end up with a massive amount on her fork, and had her first taste. Wow. She had eaten Italian food numerous times in restaurant chains, but she couldn’t remember any of them imparting this kind of instant impression on her.
She had a second forkful. “This is delicious,” she murmured, glancing at Davide. “Grazie.”
“Where are my manners?” Davide suddenly rose and went to a side cabinet that revealed itself to be a wine cooler. He pulled out a bottle, opened it and poured it into two wineglasses before returning to set them on the table. “Here’s to dragons and damsels who can handle them,” he said, leaning forward to offer Neve a glass. Then he clinked glasses, his black eyes piercing into hers.
Neve felt her nerve endings pulsate. She averted her gaze to breathe in the wine’s aroma, then brought the glass to her lips. Exquisite. And strong. Perfect choice with the tomato sauce.
Neve sat back, her body relaxed from the combination of delicious food and drink.
“Can we go play hide-and-seek now, Zio Davide?”
Davide nodded. “A quick game.”
Neve was relieved at Bianca’s query. She offered to help with the dishes, but Davide waved them on. “I’ll join you in a minute,” he said. “Bianca can start showing you around the garden.”
The sultry heat of the midafternoon sun was palpable as soon as Neve stepped outside into the courtyard with Bianca. Neve was awed by the organized rows of flowering plants and pots bursting with herbs. One planter contained the largest rosemary bush she had ever seen. She couldn’t resist snipping a sprig and pressing it together and inhaling its sharp aromatic scent.
Neve followed Bianca, who was skipping along the rows of plants, bushes and trees. Lemon trees with lemons almost the size of grapefruit. A trellis with cascading wisteria and rows of oleanders, with blooms of white, pink and fuchsia. This place was magical.
Neve recognized the large, flapping leaves of a fig tree and paused gratefully in its shade. Even with her sun hat on, the heat was stronger than she remembered.
“Perhaps we should wait for later in the evening to indulge Bianca with a game of hide-and-seek. It won’t be so hot then.”
Davide had come up right behind her. Neve turned, startled, and her shoulder brushed against him. She sprang back as if she had touched a live wire and was instantly embarrassed at her reaction. Davide didn’t move. His eyes narrowed slightly, though, and he gazed at her intently. “Thank you for the way you handled the issue with Bianca earlier,” he said quietly. “I didn’t expect that kind of approach.”
Neve felt a coil of pleasure at his words. “Sometimes you have to turn into a child to get your message across to another child,” she replied a little breathlessly. “What I mean is, you have to put yourself in their shoes, try to reach them at their own level.”
“And you did,” he said, nodding. “You have a way with children,” he added huskily. “You must be a wonderful teacher.”
Neve didn’t know what to say. The unexpected series of compliments from Davide had made her tingle all over. And he had taken a step closer to her. Was he intending to—
“Zio Davide! Signorina Neve! Are you coming?” Bianca had stopped skipping and had turned around, her hands on her hips, looking stern even from where they stood.
Davide chuckled. “We’ve been told. Shall we? I haven’t played this game since I was a kid.”
* * *
Davide gestured for Neve to walk ahead of him. He had to get a handle on his emotions. He had almost embraced her. Thank goodness that Bianca had called out.
Once they reached Bianca, Davide went over the rules. No climbing trees, no going past the border of cactus pear bushes. Neve could be “it.” Home base would be under the fig tree, and Neve would count slowly to twenty while Davide and Bianca went to find a hiding spot.
“Remember, no peeking!” Bianca cried.
“No peeking,” Neve promised, crossing her heart.
“Is everybody ready?” Davide looked from Bianca to Neve. Bianca clapped excitedly. Neve nodded, her cheeks flushed. “Okay, Signorina Neve, take your spot.” He waited till she reached the fig tree. He winked at Bianca. They watched as Neve turned toward the trunk of the tree, covered her eyes and started counting. Davide waited to see where Bianca was heading and then took the opposite direction.
He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Playing a children’s game with the girl he had fallen for eight years ago. How could he have ever predicted this would happen? That he’d be raising his orphaned niece and hiring that very girl—woman—as her nanny? Davide shook his head and chose a grassy spot between a row of bushy magnolia trees and a cactus pear grove. He heard Neve call out, “Ready or not, here I come!”
Why was his heart thumping? He heard Neve’s footsteps padding away, and then Bianca’s little gasp and more running, and then suddenly footsteps moving in his direction. Davide waited silently, and when he caught a glimpse of her through a space in the oleanders, he considered making a dash for “home.” He’d wait another few seconds...and maybe she’d turn right around. Turn she did, before suddenly pivoting and charging right around the corner. And into him.
Davide had just managed to stop them both from landing in the cactus pear grove, which would have been much more painful than the body slam Neve had just given him. His arms had automatically shot out and wrapped themselves around her like a vise while his legs stood firm as he took the blow. Fortunately for them both, her head had hit his chest and not his nose or mouth. They could have easily ended up with either a broken nose or teeth knocked out.
For a moment Neve’s head lay flat against his chest and if his heart had been thumping before, now it was clanging. She was in his arms. He could feel her chest heaving against his, and the knowledge that only two thin layers of material lay between them made his abdomen muscles tighten with a longing that almost hurt.
And then, as if she had just come to, Neve lifted her head to gaze up at him. Her eyes were wide and startling this close. An ocean of turquoise with teal depths. And dark pupils that seemed to drill right into him. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, and that was when something inside Davide broke loose. He lowered his head and covered her lips with his, savored their fullness, top and bottom. He expected her to push him away, tell him he was out of line, but when she didn’t, he pressed her even closer to him, cupping the back of her head, and deepened his kiss. Wave after wave of desire washed over him, and if he didn’t have Bianca around, he’d—
Bianca! He broke away from Neve so suddenly that he almost felt light-headed.
“You tagged me good,” he rasped. “Now you better see if you can find Bianca.”
Neve blinked and bolted away from him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NEVE DIDN’T KNOW how she had managed to continue playing after Davide had kissed her. She had found Bianca hiding behind a giant ceramic planter and had proceeded to chase after the squealing child who managed to get “home” without being tagged. Davide had had his turn being “it” and Neve’s heart had done an anxious dance, wondering if he would attempt to kiss her again.
What had felt like ages in his arms with that first kiss had actually been only about half a minute. Just enough time to send her spinning into another
universe.
She had seen stars when she had slammed into him. Or rather, felt them. They weren’t like the stars in cartoons when two people collided, but a shower of dazzling little orbs that made all her nerve endings tingle. And when his lips had touched hers...she had felt something bursting inside her, and she had realized that the awakening she had felt at eighteen had suddenly been reactivated in a rush of adult desire and passion.
They had to talk. Clear the air. And she had to find out, once and for all, the reason for Davide’s disappearing act eight years ago.
The game had tuckered Bianca out. Neve had accompanied her to her room, and after washing up, Bianca had willingly gone for a nap, holding her orca tight against her. Neve had closed her shutters and then gone to her own room to shower.
Now, as she lathered herself with the mandarin-scented body wash, Neve couldn’t help shivering at the memory of Davide’s arms around her. And his lips taking possession of hers...
She rinsed and dried herself and instead of getting dressed right away, slipped on a teddy. She might even try to have a nap herself. Since they had had a later lunch, Davide had said that they would have dinner at about eight or eight-thirty. She wouldn’t mind a little rest and some time to collect her thoughts before going down to talk with him.
Just as Neve lay down on her bed, her damp hair wrapped up in a towel, her phone rang. She reached for it and moaned. Her mother. What now?
“Hi, Mom,” she said, trying not to sound testy. “I guess you didn’t read my last text.”
“Now, Neve, I’m just trying to make sure you’re all right. And I called deliberately in the afternoon Italy time, when most people are having a siesta.”
“Mom, I know you mean well, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not a teenager anymore.”
“Well, you are in a foreign place. And much as I love Italy, you still have to be careful. You’ll be there for two months, and you don’t have experience—”
“I certainly do. That’s why I applied for this job, remember?”
Captivated by Her Italian Boss Page 10