their chaotic marriage. But now that they’d moved, what excuse did he have to stay away from his birthplace—the home of his brother and sister?
“Is this the way to the village?” Kayla sat up a little straighter.
“No, this is the way to my brother’s vineyard.”
“Oh, how exciting. I’ve never visited a vineyard. I can’t wait to see it. I bet it’s beautiful like those magazine photos. Will we be staying there?”
“No.” Angelo’s tone was brusquer than he’d intended, but her endless chatter combined with his pending reunion had him on edge.
He chanced a glance her way and found her eyes had widened in surprise. He couldn’t blame her, but how did he explain his family dynamics to her? Then again, why did he feel a need to explain his family at all?
“It’ll be best if we stay at a hotel in the village. I’m not sure if the internet at the vineyard has been updated.” There, that sounded like a valid reason for them to have some space between him and his siblings.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that. I know the Van Holsen account needs to be updated as soon as possible. I already contacted the art department and let them know that a whole new strategy will be coming their way.”
“Good. I want everything to move ahead without delay.”
Whether he liked it or not, he’d been right to bring Kayla along on this trip. She was efficient and quite good at her job. Now, if only he could be just as professional and keep his mind from meandering into dangerous territory. However, the more time he spent around her, the more he found himself being anything but professional.
THE CAR TURNED to the right and lurched forward. Kayla grabbed for the door handle. She had no idea that the vineyard would be so far out in the country, but then again, this was her first trip to Italy. In fact, other than one business trip to Canada, this was her first expedition out of the country.
“Welcome to Calanetti Vineyard.”
Kayla glanced around, taking in the neat lines of grapevines. “Does all of this belong to your brother?”
“No. His vineyard is just a small portion of this land, but he produces some of the highest quality wine in the country.”
“And you grew up here?”
“I did.” Angelo pulled the car to a stop in front of a two-story villa. The home featured earth tones that blended in well with the land. “My brother will be expecting us. I phoned him from the airport.”
As if on cue, the front door of the villa swung open and a man stepped out. Kayla did a double take—it was like looking at a slightly younger version of Angelo. The man approached the car wearing an easy smile. His eyes were dark brown like his brother’s, but there was an easiness in them. They were quite unlike Angelo’s dark and mysterious eyes.
When Nico opened the car door for her and held out his hand, she accepted his offer. Then she noticed the biggest difference of all. Instead of her stomach quivering with nervous energy in response to Nico’s touch, she had no reaction at all. What did that mean? How could two men who looked so much alike have her reacting in such opposite ways?
It had to be that Angelo was her boss. That must be it. There was simply no other reasonable explanation for the electric charge that Angelo gave her every time she felt his gaze on her or when their fingers brushed as they passed papers back and forth.
“Benvenuta.” Nico’s voice carried a thick, warm Italian accent. When she sent him a puzzled look, he smiled. “Scusi. Welcome.”
She smiled back, immediately liking Angelo’s brother. “I’m so glad to be here.”
“My brother doesn’t bring many visitors home. In fact, you are the first. You must be special—”
“Nico, this is my assistant.” Angelo frowned at his sibling.
Nico’s dark brows rose and then a knowing smile pulled at his lips. “I hope my brother doesn’t work you too hard while you’re in Italy. There’s so much to see. I’d love to give you a tour of the vineyard—”
“She doesn’t have time for that stuff. She’s here to work.” Any hint of the easiness Angelo had displayed in the car was gone—hidden behind an impenetrable wall. “Now where is Marianna?”
“I don’t know.”
“What? Didn’t you tell her that I was on my way?”
“I did.” Nico folded his arms over his broad chest and lifted his chin. “I think that’s the reason she left so early this morning without even bothering to grab a bite to eat. I haven’t seen her since, but then again, I haven’t looked for her, either.”
“You let her walk away—?”
“What did you want me to do? Lock her in her room?”
“Maybe if you’d have done that a while ago, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Nico’s arms lowered and his shoulders straightened. “You’re blaming me for this?”
Angelo’s body visibly tensed. “Yes...no. If only I’d have known something was wrong, I could have...”
“Could have what?”
Kayla’s gaze darted between the two men who glared at each other. It was time to do something and fast. “This certainly is a beautiful place you have here.” She acted as though she were totally oblivious to the torrent of undercurrents. “Angelo told me you produce some of the finest wine in Italy.”
At last, the brothers quit glaring at each other. Nico turned to her. “My brother got that much right. I’d be happy if you’d sample some while you’re here.”
“I’d be honored.”
This palpable tension certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting for a family reunion, but then again, after overhearing the heated conversation when Nico had phoned the office, she shouldn’t be too surprised. She turned her attention to her always-in-control boss, who looked as though he was about to lose his cool edge and have a meltdown. Intriguing. There was definitely a lot more to him than what she’d witnessed so far.
“I should have come back before now.” There was a weary, pained toned to Angelo’s voice. “I let the past keep me away.”
Nico turned back to his sibling. “What happened to you was a long time ago. It wasn’t right, but a lot has changed since then. You no longer have an excuse to stay away.”
“But I still have a company to run. I don’t have time to drop everything and travel halfway around the globe to check up on things. As far as I knew, everything was all right.”
“Maybe if you didn’t work all the time and bothered to call occasionally, you’d know how things were going around here.”
Questions
