“How often do you praise her for her work? You know it’s outstanding, right?”
Luca cast his gaze down to the carpeted floor. “Probably not as much as I ought to,” he admitted.
Gaby stopped then, in the middle of the hallway, and faced Luca. He was proving to be much more interesting than she originally thought. Gently, she took his hands in hers, and looked into his eyes.
“Luca, there is always time to grow into the person we want to become. I don’t know who you are or who you’ve been in the past, but I can see the man you are capable of being, and I think you’ve got a good chance of letting him shine.”
Luca’s expression was wry. “You’ve only known me a few hours. If you read the Italian gossip columns, you certainly wouldn’t think so highly of me.”
“Oh, I never said I think highly of you,” Gaby said with a grin. “I just said you’re capable of being a good person. I’d love it if you could show me that guy while I’m here, Your Highness,” she said, bowing slightly and gazing up at him with a grin. Their hands were still intertwined.
“No need for titles, Gabriella. I would like to call you my friend, if that is all right with you.”
Gaby released her hands from his grip, feeling a cold emptiness and an itch to replace them back where they were. She liked how her hands felt in his, but she reminded herself that she was a lonely single waitress and he was the Prince of Campania. They would never get beyond a friendship in the few days she would spend with him. Her heart sank at that thought, and she shushed it.
“Call me Gaby, then. All my friends do.”
“Very well, Gaby,” he said, and she bit back a chuckle. Her nickname sounded silly spoken in his accent, and she almost wanted to take it back, so he would call her Gabriella again. That word sounded much better on his lips. No, no, don’t think about the lips, she chided herself.
“Would you like to see your quarters now?”
“Yes please,” Gaby said, grateful for the chance to take a rest after an afternoon of walking.
So far, she’d enjoyed every minute of Luca’s company, which was surprising given his terrible first impression. At least he’d been honest about why he really brought her here, even if that was a fool’s errand. After they walked down another series of hallways, Luca opened a door on the left and stepped aside to allow Gaby to walk in first.
The room was enormous—the ceilings had to be at least twenty feet high. Along the back wall stood a king-sized bed, draped with a gossamer canopy. Two large doors opened up to a private terrace, and there was a stately fireplace across from the bed surrounded by two comfortable couches. Bookshelves lined the wall, housing ancient-looking volumes. The walls were robin egg blue, and the bathroom opened up to a large Jacuzzi tub and a shower.
It was bigger than her family’s entire restaurant.
Perched on the bed was Gaby’s raggedy old backpack, looking completely out of place in the decadent room. Gaby had completely forgotten about it when she’d stepped outside the limo and seen Luca for the first time.
She turned to him now, trying to ignore how handsome he was as he stared at her. “Thank you for the tour. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you for your excellent company. If you would like to get settled in, dinner will be served around seven, followed by a nightcap, if that’s all right with you?”
“Sounds great,” Gaby said, already excited to eat again. Lunch had been exquisite, and she couldn’t wait to see what the chef had prepared for the next round.
“I shall see you then,” Luca said, giving Gaby a small wave before he headed back down the hallway.
“Until then,” Gaby said, closing the door and turning to stare at the room—her room.
She walked along the perimeter of the space, running her hand along the old books, picking one out and flipping it open. It was written in Italian, of course, and Gaby had no idea what any of it said. She wished again that she could speak with the cook, and decided in that moment to take lessons when she got home, whenever she could find the time.
Gaby frowned. Would she ever find the time? Having a moment to do nothing but think, she realized just how much of her life she wasn’t living. She was working it away, and for what? So that when her parents passed on she could work until her dying day, just like them?
Sighing, Gaby replaced the book she was holding and opened her backpack, digging out a pair of jeans and a boat neck shirt and laying them out on her bed. She kicked off her shoes and socks and walked over to the bathroom, where she stood and faced a large, circular mirror.
The bathroom lighting was muted and flattering, but even still, Gaby looked like a mess. She blushed in the mirror as she realized she’d had lunch with Luca with her hair askew and her clothes wrinkled beyond saving.
What had he thought of her? A prince, who was likely always pressed and clean, having lunch with a dirty little New Yorker? Still, while Gaby had originally thought him pompous, he had proven himself to be quite the gentleman as he’d escorted her around the house and enjoyed a meal with her on the terrace. There was more to Luca Campania than met the eyes, and Gaby found herself wanting to dig deeper and see who that man was.
Deciding to bask for a moment in the lavishness of her trip, Gaby turned on the faucet to the enormous bathtub. In a cream-colored cabinet she found bath oils and bubble bath, and she poured some in, the suds rising as she stripped down and released her hair from its messy ponytail.
Dipping a toe into the steaming water, Gaby sank all the way in, releasing a groan of pleasure as she lay back against the side of the tub and allowed her stiff muscles to loosen.
After a long while of lounging in the tub, Gaby stepped out and found a comfortable cotton robe in another side closet, donning it and flinging herself onto her enormous bed. The doorway to her balcony glittered as the setting sun sank, blues and purples cascading across the sky. Gaby found herself laughing at the wildness of it all. What would her parents say, seeing such a place? That it was too much? Too ostentatious? Too wonderful?
It was certainly all of the above, and more. With a wide grin, Gaby realized it was a lifestyle she could very much get used to.
NINE
Gaby was just finishing curling her hair when there was a knock at the door.
She told herself that she was doing her hair and makeup because she was in a mansion, and because she wanted to present herself accordingly. She did not want to admit that she was looking forward to seeing Luca’s reaction to said changes.
She opened the door, expecting to see him there, but was instead met by a petite female housekeeper.
“Buona sera, signorina,” the young woman said, making a small curtsy. “His Highness has asked me to guide you to the dining room, so you will not get lost.”
“Thank you,” Gaby said, hiding her disappointment.
Why was she so keen to see Luca, anyway? He was a short-term friend, her host for a brief vacation before she got back to the stresses and regularities of life.
Gaby and the housekeeper walked in comfortable silence down the twists and turns of the hallways until they reached the main hall and the opening to the grand dining room.
There, Luca sat alone at a long table meant for so many more. When he heard them coming, he looked up and smiled. “Gaby! Did you get some rest?”
His eyes were bright as he watched her approach, walking past chair after empty chair. When she reached him, she smiled back. Luca nodded to the housekeeper who had escorted her, and she made her exit. He pulled out a chair on one side of the table, pushing it back in as Gaby sat down. Then he took the seat across from her.
“I did, thank you. The lodgings are the best I’ve ever had,” she said.
Luca beamed. “I should hope so! I would like you to enjoy your time here with us, Gaby. It’s the least I can do.”
Gaby glanced down the length of the table. “Will we be dining alone tonight?”
Luca shifted in his seat, glancing down. “We will, I??
?m afraid. My parents would have joined us, but my father has been called out of town on a dignitary trip, and my mother…well, she’s not my biggest fan right now.”
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good,” Gaby said.
Luca’s smile was tight as he looked back up at her, but before he could answer the waiting service arrived, and their first course, a steaming vegetable soup, was served. As the courses kept coming, Gaby and Luca talked about their shared interest in politics and international relations. They discussed cultural differences between the U.S. and Italy, and Luca told Gaby all about his adventures in America.
“And why does everyone wear sneakers everywhere? They’re not at the gym… though many of them should be!” he laughed before taking a sip of wine. Tonight it was another white wine to pair with a light filet of fish. It was delicious, and Gaby found herself wishing for more at the end of dessert, which was a light, creamy gelato.
“We like to be comfortable,” Gaby said. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Luca stared at her as though she were a puzzle he was desperately trying to solve. “No, I guess there isn’t, is there?”
On the mantel, an antique clock began to chime, indicating that it was somehow already ten o’clock.
Gaby stifled a yawn. “It’s late,” she said sleepily.
Luca nodded, taking the cue. “You must be exhausted.”
Gaby nodded. Full of food, her jetlagged body was crying out for sleep—even though it wasn’t even dinner time back home.
“May I escort you to your room?” Luca asked.
Gaby’s heart fluttered, but she hid her excitement. What was there to be excited about? Just a friend escorting another friend to said friend’s room. No big deal, right?
Gaby stood and fell in step with Luca as they strolled back down the hallway. Before she knew it they were at her door, and she suddenly felt like she was at the end of a really good date.
When she turned to Luca, her eyes darted to his lips, but she quickly looked away. After so much wine, his mouth looked far too tempting to resist, and she didn’t want to do something foolish.
“Goodnight,” she said, keeping her smile friendly.
Luca’s eyes were intense as he gazed down at her. She loved how tall he was. How deep his eyes were. And that mouth… there it was again.
“Buona notte,” he said, lifting her hand and kissing it with his perfect lips, the sensation burning her skin even has he released her fingers and stepped back away from the door.
Gaby smiled at him one more time before turning and closing the door behind her. She feared that if she gazed at him just a second longer she would have to throw herself into his arms and kiss him, and she knew that would be a terrible idea.
Yes, absolutely terrible.
Gazing around the room, Gaby noticed a distinct lack of technology. The best she could do to entertain herself was read Italian books, or play on her phone. Pulling it out, she saw a text from her mother that she had forgotten to respond to.
Hope you’re doing okay, honey. Just let me know when you get to bed. I love you.
Gaby typed in a reply, telling her mother that she was fine and was heading to bed. She’d texted them when she landed and then left it at that, not wanting to spend her time in Italy with her face plastered to a screen.
Opening her backpack, she pulled out some comfortable pajama bottoms and a soft black cotton T-shirt, and changed. She brushed her teeth and put her hair up into a messy bun before padding over to the sofas and grabbing a book at random.
It was weird to see books written entirely in another language. As she paged through, unable to make sense of anything, her stomach grumbled again. While the food had been delicious, it hadn’t entirely filled her up.