Luke expressed his gratitude and kissed his friend on both cheeks before saying goodbye. He led me in the opposite direction of our scooter.
“Somebody is going to pick it up for us.” He tugged on my hand. “I thought we could walk a little and then I could take you to a little wine bar I’m fond of. When you’re ready, there’s this tiny little ristorante far away from the tourist areas.”
Luke’s sincere sweetness amused me. He was trying so hard to make up for everything, and I agreed to his plan in a heartbeat. Confronting the big ol’ elephant standing between us had deflated the stress I’d been holding onto for a while. In this new-to-me yet very old country, we had a chance to renew our relationship and walk together down a better, clearer path.
“Lead the way,” I told him, allowing hope for our future to blossom inside me.
With us finally on the same page, I couldn’t see how anything could get in our way.
Chapter Seven
It turned out that limoncello was a mighty tasty after-dinner liquor. Also, drinking too much of the lemony drink could cause an incredible tipsiness and a little memory loss.
Stumbling out of the bed Luke had placed me in at some point, I made it to the table next to the kitchen area of the penthouse and collapsed into a chair.
“Buon giorno, principessa,” Luke crooned from across the table. “I trust you slept well last night from all the noise you made.”
I held up a middle finger at him. “If you’re implying that I snore, I will divorce you right now, even though we’re not even married yet.”
A plate of something that smelled yummy landed in front of me, and I risked opening one eye to check it out. A variety of pastries waited for me to choose which one I wanted. Despite the slight hangover, my stomach growled.
“Why did you let me drink so much?” I complained, taking a bite of the first golden, flaky offering. A little chocolate filling made me smile.
Luke chuckled. “It wasn’t my fault. Alessandro wanted to please you, and you kept consuming every last drop he poured you.”
I groaned as I recalled the tangy taste of the limoncello. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Although, that meal was incredible. Tell me the names of everything I had.”
Luke put down his phone and recalled the entire meal. “We started with the classic appetizer of insalata di caprese.”
“Ooh, right. The mozzarella cheese was unlike anything I’ve ever had. And it tasted perfect with the fresh tomato and basil leaves.” I licked my lips. “I’ll have to try and get my hands on some olive oil from here to bring back for Granny to use.”
“Wait until I take you to my uncle’s vineyard. He’ll give us some of his own pressing,” Luke said. “And then you tried some of my bucatini all’amatriciana while you greedily ate all of your gnocchi. We split the roast chicken, and you swore you were too full for anything else.”
I shaded my eyes with my hand while finishing the first pastry. “That’s when the limoncello came out.”
Claudio brought me a small cup of steaming espresso with a dash of milk on top. Luke pushed the sugar bowl towards me, and I scooped in two heaps, enjoying that second where the crystals floated on top before sinking. Even the sound of the spoon stirring bothered my head.
“Drink your macchiato. It’ll help,” Luke assured me.
It took two shots of espresso and another pastry to make me feel partially human again. “What does our day look like today?” I asked.
“Our departure has been delayed a little so that Claudio can help set up the clothes I’m having sent over,” he said, checking his phone. “And if you don’t mind, there is a Ferrari for sale that I wish to see in person to check on its condition.”
I remembered the brand of car that his friend Cassio drove to his house back in Cedar Point. “Is this something you’re looking to restore?”
“Yes. It’s a 1957 335 Sport model that doesn’t run but has been kept in a garage for decades.” Luke held up a picture on his phone of a sleek two-seater red sports car. “One that was in perfect condition sold at auction for over thirty-two million euros.”
I choked a little at the price tag. “Is that what you’re thinking of spending?”
“No, it’ll sell for far less. With a little work, she’d be a nice investment piece,” he said in his business tone.
While I knew about his addiction to finding old cars and fixing them up, I had no clue the kind of money involved in his habit.
“Does the amount scare you?” Luke asked, watching me with care. “Should I not have told you?”
“No, it’s your life. It’s your passion, from everything I’ve observed.” I tried to distract myself by looking at the sad state of my nails.
“But once we’re married, what’s mine will be yours, cara.”
The room spun at the revelation I hadn’t considered, and I gripped the table to stay upright. “It can’t be.”
“Of course it can. You’ll be able to invest what you want into your family’s business. Maybe expand to other locations.” My fiancé leaned forward with excitement. “Maybe take your search for special items on the road. I’ll bet there are more than a few magical objects sitting around European houses. Or even South America. Maybe China or Japan.”
The air became harder to breathe, and I struggled not to squeak my shock. I always knew Luke had amassed some wealth, especially after he showed me his secret horde underneath his house. But it didn’t occur to me for one second that any of his wealth might be mine if we married.
“That’s…a lot to process,” I admitted.
“I take it as a good sign that you’re still sitting at the table and not running out of the hotel, screaming,” my fiancé said with hope.
I smirked. “The thought had occurred to me.”
