low voice curled through her nervous system. “I’ve been putting the pieces of a puzzle together.”
“How close are you to being finished?”
He knew she was on to him.
“Several are still missing. Just how prominent are you?”
“Let’s save all that until tomorrow.”
What was she getting herself into?
“Don’t be alarmed. Once I’ve seen my attorney, I’ll explain everything. Go to sleep. I can see your eyelids flickering. We still have an hour’s drive ahead of us. After such an emotional day, you’re tired and need to take care of yourself, especially now that you’re carrying our baby.”
Our baby.
The baby had to be theirs. It had to be! But still that dark cloud of doubt lingered.
Irena was tired. In fact, she was exhausted from too much thinking and feeling. “When should we tell Dino about the baby?” she asked after closing her eyes.
“Most likely he’ll decide the moment. He’s an incredibly insightful little boy.”
She chuckled. “How long do you think it will take me to learn Italian?”
“Two months for the basics if you work on it every day. The rest will come over a lifetime.”
“A lifetime. That’s a beautiful thought.”
It was the last thought she remembered until the next morning when she awoke in Dino’s bed feeling slightly nauseous. She was still clothed except for her sandals. She’d completely passed out last night, forcing Vincenzo to carry her into the apartment after they’d arrived.
The shutters were still closed, but she could see the sun trying to get in. She threw off the light cover and staggered to the window to open them. A glorious view of the Mediterranean greeted her vision. She checked her watch. Ten forty-five. Irena couldn’t believe it.
Vincenzo had placed her suitcase in the bedroom. She got out her cosmetic bag and padded to the bathroom.
She called out to him, but there was no response. He’d said he was going to see his attorney this morning.
She could tell he’d been in the bathroom recently. It smelled of the soap and shampoo he’d used in the shower. A wonderful male smell she associated only with him.
Once she’d swallowed her pills, she undressed and got in the shower. After she washed her hair with apricot shampoo, she dried it the best she could with a towel, then hurried back to the bedroom.
With a change of fresh underwear followed by a cotton top and pants, she felt a little better, but she needed something to eat. In the kitchen she discovered a note on the table from him, written with a flourish.
I should be back by noon and I’ll take you to lunch. Feel free to nibble on anything that appeals. Crackers, toast might help with the morning sickness. There’s tea or coffee in the cupboard, juice in the fridge. V.
She found a roll and grape juice. Perfect.
The food helped the emptiness in her stomach. She went back to the bedroom for her brush and worked on her hair until it fell in a swath. Since it was already warmer in the apartment than the other day, she arranged it in a loose knot on top of her head in the interest of staying cool.
Her pregnancy was causing her to notice everything. She’d thought her fatigue had been brought on by anxiety, but the doctor had assured her that it was normal to feel so tired, especially in the first few months.
Vincenzo already seemed to know and understand a lot more about her condition than she did. But then he had lived with his wife when she’d been expecting Dino. Irena had no doubts he’d taken amazing care of her.
She blinked back tears, not knowing the exact reason for being in such an emotional mood. Naturally it was a combination of everything, but she had to admit that part of it was the way Vincenzo had handled the situation. He was her rock.
Another part was her guilt. She needed to talk to someone about how she was feeling and reached for the phone to call Deline. Disappointed when she got her voice mail, she left the message for Deline to call her back. Then she phoned her mother, who answered on the second ring.
“Irena, my darling daughter. How are you? Where are you? Your father and I have been worried sick.”
More guilt. She sank down on the side of Dino’s bed. “I’m sorry. I meant to call you from the hotel in Riomaggiore, but the sightseeing trip with Signore Antonello took longer than I’d anticipated.”
“You are with him again, in Italy?”
“Yes. You remember my writing about Cinque Terre in my article. It has those narrow, crooked streets lined with colorful old houses stacked haphazardly on top of each other. I think it’s one of the most beautiful spots on the Mediterranean.”
“You said that before. Is he a travel guide?”
“No, no. He works at Antonello Liquers in La Spezia. It’s one of the places I highlighted in my article for tourists to tour. He was the man who took me around the village. Yesterday we went to a castle in Rapallo with his son.”
“I’m glad if you’re enjoying yourself a little bit. When I think what Andrea—”
“Don’t go there, Mother. That part of my life is over. I don’t want to talk about it again.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I know. The fact is, Andreas and I weren’t right for each other. I think we both knew it and tried to force something that wasn’t there. Gabi’s coming along proved it.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s difficult to explain.”
“But you loved him!”
It was hard to have a conversation like this long distance. “Yes, I loved Andreas. I always will.” Frustrated, she got to her feet and began pacing right into Vincenzo who caught her by the upper arms to prevent her from falling.
By the enigmatic look in his eye, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but there could be no question he’d heard that last admission. She eased away from him. “I have to go, but I promise I’ll call you again tomorrow.”
Irena hung up. “I—I was talking to my mother,” she stammered.
“Have you told her about us?”
“Only in the sense that I knew you when I was doing the magazine article and since my arrival you’ve been showing me around. I don’t plan to tell her anything else until our plans are formalized.” She brushed her hands nervously against her hips, a gesture he followed with his eyes. “How did it go with your attorney?”
A heavy silence ensued. “Let’s talk about it over a meal.”
“Wait,
