“I thought I was going to text you when I got to the hotel?” she said, with a massive smile on her face that betrayed just how happy she was to see him.
“I thought I would surprise you,” he replied as he used all his willpower to retract his arms from around her.
“Well it is a very pleasant surprise.”
“I’m very happy to see you as well. Can I give you a lift?”
“Sure!” Amanda readily accepted.
“Does Sheila need help with …” He glanced over to where Sheila had been standing and saw her with Gavin. “Has he been with you the whole time?”
“No. When I told Sheila that you were going to be here, she called Gavin and the two of them are going to be doing their own thing.”
“Oh,” Viktor was unable to suppress how much that pleased him. His facial expression was as easy to read as a children’s book.
“I know. It’s very distressing,” Amanda said with a playfully sarcastic tone. “I just hope that somehow we are able to get through this difficult time without her.”
Viktor was grinning from ear to ear and fighting with himself not to hug her again. He was so happy to be with her again and then to know that they could spend the entire week without having to worry about Sheila was the best news he could have heard.
“I think we will manage,” he tried to reply with a serious tone.
“I think so too!” She turned to Sheila and waved goodbye. Then she grabbed his arm with one hand and her luggage with the other. “Come. We have a world to see.”
Arm in arm they exited the airport.
“How was your flight?” Viktor asked as they ventured into the parking lot where he left his rental.
“Uneventful,” she answered.
“Always a good thing,” he replied.
She grinned. “Yes. And yours?”
“Also uneventful.”
“So boring flights aside, what should we do first?” she asked.
“You should check in to your hotel.”
“Well, yes,” she agreed. “After that.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Famished,” she said very dramatically.
“Then I shall take you to dinner,” he said with a smirk as they stopped in front of a black Fiat 500x.
“You’ll do what now?” she asked, implying she didn’t like how he worded his response.
“You said I could buy you dinner in Venice.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Well, I guess I have no choice.”
Viktor simply shook his head with feigned sympathy and replied, “Nope.”
Amanda just looked at him, grinning, knowing he wouldn’t budge. He took her silence as acceptance and unlocked the Fiat with the remote.
“Cute car,” Amanda said as she turned her attention to it.
“Rental,” he replied as he opened the trunk and placed her bag inside.
“Where are you staying?” Amanda asked as he put the car in gear.
“Same place as you. I thought it would be easier to meet up.”
“Oh, perfect!” she heartily concurred with his logic.
They soon arrived at their hotel. Viktor kept her company as she checked in and brought her luggage to her room.
Her room was quite small and barely fit the two full size beds. The bathroom had just enough room for a toilet, sink and shower. At least the window overlooked the street and not the alley next to the hotel.
After using the restroom, Amanda pulled out her small leather backpack that she used to carry her things. Viktor saw her pull some cash from her suitcase.
“Leave your money,” he said, you won’t need it.
“What if I see something I want to buy?” she asked as she ignored his request and put the money in her bag.
“I’m buying dinner,” he said again, just to make sure they were clear.
She walked up to him and smiled as she looked in his eyes. “You are buying dinner,” she agreed. “A big dinner with wine and dessert.”
He desperately fought off the urge to kiss her as he looked into her eyes. She looked so happy and he wondered if she had the same feelings for him that he had for her. He debated whether he should tell her. Before he could come to a conclusion the smile seemed to fade from her face.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Viktor let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah.” He took a breath and tried to relax. “You can have 2 meals, wine and dessert if you like.”
“2 meals?” she repeated with a tone of amusement.
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t want 2,” he teased.
She just laughed. “You’re silly. Let’s go.”
They went to a quaint little restaurant with a terrace not far from where they were staying. They were seated at a small table next to the sidewalk. The weather was warm and sunny with a gentle breeze that was just enough to keep you from getting overheated while sitting in the sun.
“The food here is so expensive,” Amanda remarked as she looked over the menu, wondering if she should even order anything.
“It’s Venice. Everything is expensive,” Viktor replied.
“I hope I have enough money left to eat,” she joked.
Viktor smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you starve.”
“After France, I could probably stand to go hungry for a bit. Everything we ate had butter in it. I think I ate my bodyweight in croissants.”
Viktor suppressed a chuckle but couldn’t restrain the broad smile on his face. “Well, you still look great so it doesn’t appear you did much damage.”
“You’re too kind,” she replied.
Viktor ordered a bottle of wine while Amanda continued to wrestle with her order. Everything sounded delicious but most of the dishes she was really interested in were also the most expensive. The lesser priced ones didn’t quite grab her attention and she felt torn between ordering something sensibly priced over something she actually wanted to try. Viktor could tell she was struggling and tried to think of a way to reassure her that cost was not an issue without revealing how wealthy he was.
“Amanda.” He reached forward and touched her wrist. “Just order what you want. The difference in price between the
