had tried hard to hide her attraction to him. But once she knew he and her sister were not involved and never had been, the news had thrilled her so much, she might have given herself away if she’d gone to dinner with him.
“I’m sorry we missed you, darling. I want to hear all about your scuba-diving trip, but it will have to wait another day.” Alessandra had already forgotten about that. “Your aunt is really distressed.”
“The poor thing. Give her my love and tell her I’ll visit her soon.”
“She’ll love that. By the way, your father wants to know if you would be willing to show Signor Montanari around again? Today he wants to explore the coast by boat. Would you take him out on the cruiser?”
She sucked in her breath. “First let me ask you a question, Mom. What do you think about his idea to lease the property for drilling?”
“To be honest, I don’t like the idea at all.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“It seems a travesty to change anything about the land or what lies beneath it. Your father knows how I feel. Though your father believes Signor Montanari’s ideas have merit, I’m not persuaded. There’s a great deal to discuss before anything is decided.”
“It sounds like Papà doesn’t feel as strongly as you.”
“Let’s put it this way. He likes Signor Montanari’s vision and is willing to hear more. What’s your opinion?”
“He talked a lot about bolstering the economy by providing more jobs. My suspicion is that he’s hoping to run for a high-level government position and this could be the feather in his cap.”
“He’s a brilliant man. That’s what brilliant men do.” But not with Caracciolo land. That’s what her mother was really saying. The time Alessandra had spent with him yesterday had persuaded her he was worth listening to, but these were early days. “Alessandra? What’s wrong? You don’t sound yourself.”
“I just wish I hadn’t brought Dea into the conversation when I was talking with Papà. He ended up phoning her.”
“Your father told me what happened. But when he learned that Signor Montanari had been a guest of Leonides Rossano on his yacht the other night and happened to get introduced to Dea, your father realized he’d made something out of nothing and overreacted. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with you.”
“But I didn’t know the truth until Signor Montanari told me as much while I was driving him around.”
“I’m sorry. It’s understandable you thought he and your sister were involved.”
“I didn’t know. When I saw Dea at breakfast yesterday, she didn’t explain anything.”
“Well he made it clear to your father that meeting Dea was like ships passing in the night.”
“But maybe Dea had hopes it could be more.” Already Alessandra knew a man like Rinieri Montanari only came along once in a lifetime. She and Dea weren’t twins for nothing.
“Why do you say that?”
“If their chance meeting had been so insignificant, how come she flew home last night?”
“Because your father was worried.”
“He was,” she conceded. “But she didn’t even come in my room to talk to me.”
“Alessandra—during dinner I got the impression that the CEO of Montanari Engineering is a force to contend with. If he’d been interested in your sister, he would have made future plans to let her know how he felt.”
“You’re right, but what if she finds out I’m showing him around?”
“What if she does?” After a silence, she asked, “You’re attracted to him, aren’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t think twice about this. There’s nothing wrong with that! I’ll admit my heart skipped several beats when I met him at dinner last night.”
Her mother’s instincts were never wrong.
“He said he truly enjoyed being shown around by you. I could tell he meant it. Don’t blow up a simple misunderstanding your father has apologized for into something major.”
“You’re right. I’m being foolish.”
“You are. Go ahead and show Signor Montanari around until we get back from Taranto. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay. Love you. Give Zia Fulvia a hug from me.”
Alessandra hung up, realizing she was transparent to her mother, who understood the situation completely. She felt better after their talk. The longing to be with Signor Montanari again was all she could think about.
She pulled on a pair of pleated khaki pants and a blouse with a small tan-on-white geometric print. Once dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen for coffee and a roll. The cook made her some eggs. While she ate, Liona poked her head in the door. “Alessandra? Did you see Alfredo when you came down the stairs?”
“No.”
“He ate his food, but now I can’t find him. He usually stays on the main floor while I’m working around. Maybe he’s gone off sick somewhere.”
“I’ll look for him.” She ate a last bite, thanked the cook, then began a search, wondering if Signor Montanari was around. “Alfredo—” She called his name several times. When she reached the front foyer, she worried that he’d slipped past some visitor at the entrance.
She opened the door and almost ran into the gorgeous man who’d haunted her dreams. He was just coming in. The sight of him made her heart leap. He held the big marmalade cat in his arms.
“Buongiorno, Alessandra,” he said with a white smile. “I’ve been waiting for a limo and found him lying outside the door wanting to get back in.”
“Liona will be so relieved. Here. I’ll carry him to the kitchen.”
“I’ll be happy to do it.”
“I don’t mind.”
She could tell he didn’t want to give up the cat, who seemed perfectly happy to be held by him. It surprised her because Alfredo didn’t like many people. “Then follow me.” She opened the door and showed him the way.
Liona was thrilled to see them walk in the kitchen. The housekeeper reached for her cat.
“He found Alfredo outside the castle,” Alessandra explained.
“The poor thing is getting confused. I’ll take him back to my apartment. Grazie, signor.”
“Prego, signora.”
Alessandra trailed him out of the kitchen. “That was very nice of you. Her cat is getting old.” She followed him to the entrance, but there was no sign of a limo yet, only three tour buses bringing tourists to tour the part of the castle open to the public. “I hope the driver didn’t already come and leave.”
