After the long trip and the dive in her mood caused by Luca, only one thing could make her feel better: a conversation with Beth Weston, her best friend. New York was six hours behind Moreno; if Grace called now, she would probably wake Beth up, but she also knew there was no other way she’d shake herself out of this garbage mood, so she dialed.
“Hello?” Beth answered with a long yawn.
“Hey, Kit Kat. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“What do you think? It’s 3:15 in the morning, for god’s sake!”
“I’m sorry, Beth,” Grace sighed. “I just had to talk to someone.”
“Don’t worry about,” she yawned again. “How was your trip?”
“My trip was fine. Things got very interesting when I met him.”
“Is he as gorgeous as he is in his pictures?” Beth asked with a laugh.
“Actually, he’s even more beautiful in person.” A small smile formed on Grace’s face. “He’s young, he’s very tall… 6’5” easy. Wavy blonde hair, soft green eyes… he looks like he’s half surfer, half doctor on a night time soap opera.”
“Okay, that sounds hot,” Beth said with a yawn. “But if he’s so sexy, why do you sound so bummed out?”
“Because he asked me about the book,” Grace’s voice lowered to a soft, raw whisper. “I had no idea what to say so I just deflected. He must be really mad at me right now.”
“How does he even know about it?”
“Does it matter? I wasn’t about to start answering questions, you know? Not now. Not at this point.”
“Alright, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Beth suggested. “You’ll be staying there for a week. You realize you’ll have to tell him, eventually.”
“It gets worse. Remember Elle? I’ll see her, too. What should I do about her?”
“Just be honest with them, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m proud of you. You’ve taken a chance a lot of people wouldn’t have.”
“Oh, come on, Beth. You know they aren’t going to see it that way.”
“Try and be positive, okay?” Beth yawned, clearly already starting to drift back off to sleep. “Look, just do what I said, okay? I’ll call you later.”
“Bye.”
Grace tossed her cell phone across the massive bed and closed her eyes, just before a knock on the door grabbed her attention. She didn’t answer as she lay on the bed a second longer, attempting to summon the energy to get up and greet whoever was on the other side. The sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden floor filled her ears, forcing her eyes to sit bolt upright. It was Luca, with a contrite look on his face as he moved around her bed. He did not speak; he just stood in front of her looking serious. But now, Grace was annoyed.
“Do you just let yourself into any room you want?”
Luca grinned for a moment but then his smile disappeared in a flash. “Well… it is my castle.”
“Just the same,” Grace answered, the creases in her forehead deepening, “I would prefer if you waited for me to open the door next time. This is my room for the duration of my stay, and it is ungentlemanly to just barge in.”
“You are right,” Luca nodded. “I am sorry.”
Grace shook her head with a sigh. “And I’m sorry about before,” she said, her voice tired as she tried to avoid his emerald gaze. Once again, he did not speak. Instead, he offered her his hand and pulled her up. Then Luca led her over to the window in the farthest corner of the room.
“It’s not my business why you got so upset earlier,” he said matter-of-factly. “I just want you to see this. It’s my favorite view, and it always picks me up whenever I am feeling down about something.”
Intrigued, Grace took a step closer and stood next to Luca at the window. When she saw what Luca saw, her mood immediately lightened. There was a vast, snowy fir tree forest on the mountain slope, very close to the estate. She could even see the icy raindrops dripping off the edges of the branches in the distance.
“It’s beautiful, but did you come up here just to make me feel better?”
“Maybe,” Luca said with a smile. “Honestly, I could tell I’d really upset you and I wanted to start fresh. Can we pretend we’re picking up right from here?”
“Yes, thank you,” Grace nodded. “It is really lovely out there.”
“This is why I love being so far away from town,” Luca continued. “It always comforts me somehow.”
Grace pressed her hand against the cold glass of the window pane and relished the feel of it against her skin. “I can see why. I actually feel better now. Thank you.”
“That’s good to know.” Luca gave an appreciative nod. “Look, I don’t know why you freaked out like that. But I’d like to know more about your book. Not the sales part… just what it’s about.”
“Well…” Grace took a deep breath. “It’s a book about how our dreams offer a well of untapped information on our true desires. A lot of research went into it and it was well-received by critics when it first came out. It seemed like it would do really great.”
“Then came the part you don’t want to talk about,” Luca interjected, as a sad smile formed on Grace’s face. “I’m not going to force the issue. Get some rest. You must be incredibly jet-lagged. I promise not to bring it up anymore while you’re here. I’ll see you later tonight?”
Grace nodded, and Luca gave a dutiful bow before he left the room without another word. She sighed in frustration and collapsed back down on the bed, overwhelmed by everything she was shouldering. Even though she knew she should fight the jet lag, the only thing Grace could do was close her eyes and surrender to the overwhelming desire to sleep.
Chapter Four
The sad look in Grace’s eyes when she talked about her book really bothered Luca. However, it also had another effect on him that he hadn’t expected. As soon as he walked into the corridor, he was filled with an uncontrollable urge to paint her; his canvases and his palette beckoned from his attic studio. For the first time in a while, he felt a burst of inspiration; he only hoped she wouldn’t mind that he captured her sadness in pastels.
Luca picked up a pencil from his desk and began to draw the outline of her face. Minute by minute, Grace came to life: her delicate jawline, her high cheekbones, her nose, and the few strands of her hair that fell across her face. He could feel his heart beating like a drum as he drew her long eyelashes. Luca clenched his jaw as he recalled the tears that were about to topple over the edge of her eyes.
He set down his pencil and took a deep breath, unable to continue. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” he said out loud.
“But it’s very nice.”
A familiar voice with a heavy French accent filled his ears. It was Elle Chantal, Bax’s fiancée. “Who is she? Do I know her?”
“Quite well, actually,” Luca replied with a smile.
“Is that Grace?” Elle whispered as she stared at the painting. “Oh, my goodness! I only know her from her author photo, but it’s an incredible likeness.”
Luca turned to Elle, confused. “You’ve never seen each other? I thought you spoke all the time.”
“We’ve spoken by text since I contacted her on social media, but never by video or anything. Luca… what did you do to her?”
“I drew her,” Luca laughed.
“That is not funny, Luca. Why does she look like she is about to cry?”
“I was hoping you could shed some light on that,” he sighed, wiping his hands off with a stray cloth and tossing it on the table behind him. “I just mentioned that I’d heard her book hadn’t sold that well and she practically ran out of the room.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Elle claimed, solemnly. “When we talk about her book, it’s usually just me raving about how it changed my life. I don’t like to ask her about the bad stuff and she doesn’t bring it up. Where is she now?”
“I’m guessing she’s sleeping,” Luca muttered, slipping his hands into his pockets, as he treaded lazily toward the small window o
f his attic. Daylight was slowly fading away; he must have been up there a lot longer than he realized. So far, the rain had not let up one bit; if anything, it was falling even harder. The late afternoon sky was occasionally lit up with a bright flash of winter lightning.
With the grounds of the castle brightened momentarily, he was able to see the entirety of the rose garden, and Luca saw a woman standing motionless at the edge of it. For a second, he thought he was imagining her, but then he saw the distinctive lines of her profile and he knew without a doubt it was Grace.
She could be struck, standing that close to the tall trees, he thought in a panic as he rushed for the attic door.
“Excuse me, Elle…” he murmured. Luca brushed past his friend and sprinted down the three flights of stairs. Desperate to protect Grace, but not entirely sure why he was feeling so overwhelmed at the thought of her being hurt, Luca’s heart was thumping nervously in his chest.
A blinding streak of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder snapped through the air as he pulled the massive front door open. Luca rushed outside; the rain soaked his hair and his face when he hurried out to where Grace was standing. She couldn’t hear Luca approach over the sound of the thunder, so it was only when he stepped on a broken branch that she realized he was approaching. Grace spun around in surprise as he brushed past the first rose tree. By the time he finally reached her, his white shirt was so drenched that it stuck every rippling muscle of his chest.
“Jesus, Luca!” she exclaimed, as their eyes met. “What are you doing out here?”
“I… I mean… what are you doing out here?” he stumbled.
“I was having trouble sleeping, so I thought a walk in the rain would take the edge off. Then it turned into a storm, so I was going to head back. But it was so beautiful… That still doesn’t answer my question.”
“I was just upstairs painting you and then I saw you out here and…”
A gasp of surprise left Grace’s lips. “You were doing what?”
Luca took a deep breath and prepared to explain himself, but before the words could escape his mouth, he did something even he wasn’t expecting. He bent his head down towards her, watching as a few raindrops landed on the tip of her nose. He wrapped his left arm around her back, then raised his other hand to her face as she circled her arms around his neck. Luca pulled her closer and their lips connected in a long, passionate kiss.
Yet another bright flash of lightning and an even louder crack of thunder filled his ears as Grace melted into Luca. But a moment later, she snapped back to reality and pushed Luca away.
“No,” she said firmly. “We absolutely cannot do this. I have a job to do, Luca. Please don’t make it harder than it already is.”
“I…” Luca said in a soft, breathless whisper as he shook his head. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know what came over me.” He took several measured steps backward and squared his shoulders in an attempt to gain his composure. But inside, he was in a panic.
Grace brushed her wet hair away from her head and took a deep breath. “You painted me?” she asked curiously. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea that he had run off and immediately begun to draw her. It was either the loveliest thing anyone had ever done for her, or kind of unnerving. She thought she could decide later.
“Yeah,” Luca admitted with a small smile on his face. “Memories can always fade. I guess I just wanted to remember that moment exactly as it was.”
“What are you, Luca?” she wondered out loud. “A king, an artist? What?”
“I’m just a man. Anyway, you’re freezing,” Luca remarked, staring at her blue lips. “We need to get back inside.”
Grace was about to say she was just fine, but then, they heard Elle’s voice echoing on the wind and a long, happy cheer.
“Tres bien!” Elle cried, poking her head out the upstairs conservatory window. “Come back here! Luca! Bring my friend in, before you guys catch a cold!”
Chapter Five
By the time Luca and Grace returned to the hall, Elle was already downstairs. After an excited welcome, Elle accompanied Grace back upstairs to her room, which left Luca alone, his heart still racing. He could still taste her lips on his own. But his joy was temporary when he spotted Bax, sitting near the fire place, glaring at him. As soon Luca spotted him, Bax ran both hands through his hair and turned his attention to the floor. He knew Bax was ready for an argument, but he wasn’t much in the mood. So, Luca just smiled and sat down across from his friend.
“Good evening, Bax,” he said with a grin. “How’s every…”
“Childish…” Bax groaned, staring at the roaring fire. “You are so damn childish. Sometimes, I think I’m dealing with a thirty-year-old teenager.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Luca smirked. “What have I done now?”
“Elle told me about the painting,” Bax grumbled. “That woman is here to interview you, not to become a weekend fling. Not to mention, we’ve been here before. Models who came here to be painted, musicians at parties, and wasn’t there another reporter from a local news station?”
“I’m not expecting you to understand, my friend,” Luca said seriously. “I was simply following my artistic impulses.”
“Are your artistic impulses in your pants, Luca?”
Luca couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, man. It’s just a painting.” He chose to leave out the kiss by the rose garden. He had a feeling Bax’s head would explode.
“Think about this, Luca… a reporter?” Bax’s angry voice sounded through the hall as he jumped from his seat. “What if she writes about this? What if she tells the whole world about how impulsive you are? What if…”
“Whoa!” Luca raised his hand. “Slow down, will you? You worry too much. What is she going to do? Write that the king drew her portrait? What if she did?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t understand,” Bax answered. “I’m only looking out for you. She’s young and ambitious; she could write just about anything.”
“She won’t,” Luca assured, shaking his head. “I’ll ask her not to, okay?”
“Right, because that is how it works,” Bax sighed. “The interview hasn’t started yet, has it?”
“No, I suppose not,” Luca was quick to respond. “She’s still a little jetlagged.”
“Then choose your future answers carefully,” Bax advised as he looked at his watch. “Damnit. I promised Elle I would take her out for dinner tonight. I will call you tomorrow.”
“Luca; you are a naughty boy,” Elle interjected, appearing in the doorway and startling them both. “Do you always kiss your guests just after you’ve met them?”
“You kissed her?” Bax growled.
“I saw the two lovebirds in the garden,” Elle added, a perceptive smile on her face as she walked up to them. “The poor girl was shivering from standing out in that rain. She had to change clothes.”
“I’m not discussing this with you any further,” Bax said firmly. “You’re a grown man. Act like it.”
“Luca, please do me a favor,” Elle interrupted calmly. “Grace is very special to me. Don’t treat her the way you normally treat women.”
“What is she like, Ellie?” Luca asked, ignoring the hateful glares Bax was shooting him.
“She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever known,” Elle replied, slipping her hand into her purse. “She’s written much more than that book I keep babbling about. She was kind enough to send me some of her manuscripts. Here,” she said, handing him a worn, thick envelope. “I really wanted to discuss them with her tonight, but she looks a little too tired and we’re heading out. Maybe you could read some and tell me what you think?”
Luca nodded. “Thank you, I will. Goodnight, guys.”
Once she Bax and Elle had left for the evening, Luca pulled out one of the manuscripts in the folder and began reading. It started out as a letter, but it seemed to be the beginning of a novel. It spoke of dreams and the loss of beli
ef in the future. She mentioned a fear of the unknown and weaved a story about love and broken hearts. It was captivating, and before he knew what had happened, he’d been reading for an hour.
Grace’s writing moved him. She had a way of drawing you in and overwhelming you, while still showing you every facet of her heart. Luca loved the emotionality of it. And for a second, he found himself considering what it might be like to be in love with a woman like that.
Get a grip, he thought to himself, running his hands through his hair. She’s only going to be here for a week. She doesn’t belong here, and it isn’t as if you are leaving Moreno any time soon. Damn it, Luca… What the hell is wrong with you?
Regardless of his feelings, he couldn’t resist the temptation to read more of her work. Indeed, Luca liked her writing too much to miss out on the chance to read it. However, as he flipped through the pages, Grace’s hand suddenly came into view. She took the manuscripts away from him and folded them up, then tucked them under her arm. For a second, Luca prepared himself to be yelled at. But Grace just sighed with a sad smile.
“Luca, I know we’ve already reset this visit once,” she said calmly. “But I’d like to do it one more time. I really hope we can put what happened in the garden behind us and keep it professional from now on.”
“That’s fine,” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice that he didn’t bother to conceal. “On one condition: tell me, Grace. Is your writing autobiographical?”
Grace looked at the papers on the top of the stack and gulped. “Some of these stories are, yes. Elle really shouldn’t have shared them with you.”
“I’m really sorry,” Luca whispered. “I think she just really enjoyed it and thought I might too. I have to say… It’s beautiful work. I can’t imagine the pain you’ve been through.”
Grace shook her head. “It wasn’t all easy, I can’t lie. I’m not sure it’s ever easy.”
Luca hated to see her so sad. “I have an idea. Care to hear it?”
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