“Really, Ma?” he asked when she looked away, a sly smile curling her lips. “You had to go there?”
Lily Milano had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Rome, but I knew you wouldn’t have come if I’d told you where I was going.”
“You’re right about that one,” he said. “So did you really have something to do here or was that a trick, too?”
“No, there’s something I have to pick up. Honestly.” She pulled her purse onto her lap. “But you’ll need to come in, too. I told Daniela you’d be dropping by.”
“What the devil?” Rome could not believe his mother. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Please, Rome, let’s not fight over this. You’re already here so you may as well come in with me.” She opened the door and, not waiting for him to help, she got out and began to walk toward the house. “And please don’t lag behind.”
For several seconds Rome could only sit there, shaking his head. That was his mother, an expert in getting what she wanted when she wanted. She’d pulled such tricks on his father a couple of times. He just hadn’t expected her to pull that sort of thing on him.
Despite the fact that he’d flown his fiancée all the way from the United States to meet his family his mother had gone and tricked him into dropping by the house of his ex. Trust Lily Milano to pull a crazy stunt like that. What did she think? That seeing Daniela would make him change his mind?
But, as she’d said, he was already here so there was nothing to be done but go inside and act civil. He couldn’t very well sit there like he was hiding out in the car.
With a sigh of annoyance Rome got out of the car and slammed the door shut then he followed his mother into the home of Daniela Scalise, the woman he’d broken up with just over a year earlier. Before he’d even rung the bell the door opened and there, looking as stunningly beautiful as ever, stood Daniela.
“Rome. Long time no see. Come in.” Before he could object she’d flung the door wide and was waving him in like she was used to seeing him on her doorstep. She was acting like it wasn’t the first time they’d crossed paths since they’d parted ways so many months earlier.
Slowly, cautiously, he made his way into the room. The only reason he was even entering was that his mother had gone in before him. At least he had a chaperone.
That was what he thought but when he went inside Lily Milano was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the spacious entryway then peered into the living room. Both empty. “Where’s my mother?” he asked, not bothering to hide his frown.
“Oh, she went out back with Luisa,” Daniela said with a shrug. “Some new roses came in from the greenhouse. You know how crazy your mother is about flowers.”
“Oh.” Rome didn’t have much more to say after that. Right then what he wanted to do most of all was hop into his car and head back home so he could curl up on a sofa with Arie on his lap. He almost sighed, knowing that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. When his mother got into one of her raves over a brand new plant it would take a while to pry her loose. In the meanwhile that left him in the embarrassing position of trying to make conversation with Daniela.
As if reading his thought she let out a tinkly laugh. “Don’t be a stranger. Go on into the salon. Make yourself comfortable.” When he hesitated she laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’ll bring you something to drink. Just relax.”
That did it for him. Not wanting to prolong contact he drew his arm away and walked off to the salon where she’d received him so many times before…until that fateful day when she’d told him she’d fallen in love with another man.
Rome went off to wait for his mother but he did not relax as Daniela had instructed. The woman was up to something. He didn’t know what but he wouldn’t rest easy until he’d figured it all out. And he would start by drilling his mother. She’d been the one to lure him here so on their way back she would have a lot of explaining to do.
Within minutes Daniela was back with two glasses of white wine. She gave him a smug smile and tossed her head, letting her long, black hair fall in a soft cloud around her face.
“You look good, Rome.” Her voice was low, almost seductive. “But you look tense. You should relax more. You’ve always had a problem with that.” As she spoke she came closer then held out the glass of sparkling wine to him.
It was either accept her offer or come across as rude. So, as much as he wasn't feeling it, he reached out to take the glass from her hand. And, as he should have known she would, she made sure that as he took the glass their fingers touched.
Daniela smiled then raised her glass to her crimson lips. As she sipped her eyes never left his face. When she lowered her glass her smile widened. “Remind you of old times?” she asked, her voice soft and silky. “We have so many memories in this house.”
What the hell? Was Daniela crazy enough to think he would go down that road with her? What they had was in the past and he was more than happy to leave it there. And before she made one more move he’d better get the hell out of there.
“Go get my mother,” he said, his voice cool as steel. “I’m leaving.”
***
Taken aback by Vittorio’s aggressive tone, Arie could only stare in disbelief. The man wasn’t even pretending to be nice. Just the opposite. If the fire in his eyes was anything to go by he was barely an inch away from despising her.
Which was so unfair. The man didn’t even know her.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?” he demanded as he glared over at her. “How did you meet my son? How did you trick him into a marriage proposal?”
Like a slap across her face the words made Arie suck in her breath and her mouth fell open. In a flash she caught herself and snapped her jaws shut then she fixed him with a glare of her own. “I did no such thing. How dare you?” She clenched her fists, fighting to keep her anger under control. She hadn’t come all the way to Italy to be attacked. “You don’t even know me. How dare you cast aspersions on my character?” She was breathing hard, the anger bubbling up inside. There was a whole lot more she wanted to say to this man but she would not go there. For Rome’s sake she would keep a lid on it.
“Oh, I know all about you, Miss Arie Angelis. You’re trying to become a part of the Milano family. Don’t you think I would have you checked out?” Vittorio cocked an eyebrow and gave her a mocking smile. “I know you have no family, no history, nothing. I don’t know how you met my son but what I do know is that there was no way he could have fallen in love with you in the short time that he knew you. You must have done something to him.”