head lifted. “It’s that time already?”
“Si. One o’clock.”
“I can’t believe I lost track of time. Tell him I’ll be right there.”
She raced out of the room and up the stairs to freshen up, then hurried back down with her packed duffel bag. When she entered the dining room he stood up to greet her. The man looked amazing in white cargo pants and a dark brown crewneck shirt.
“Sorry I’m late.”
His dark eyes traveled up her jean-clad legs to her white pullover, then found her gaze. “We’re in no hurry. Sit down and eat lunch.”
“I’d rather not take the time now. While you rent scuba gear, I’ll grab us some food and drinks at the nearby deli to hold us over until tomorrow.”
“With the announcement of an overnight on the water, you’ve made my day, signorina.”
Everything he said and did made her pulse race. Her feelings for him were spilling all over the place. She didn’t know how to stop them. She didn’t want to stop them.
He followed her out of the room with his backpack and they left for Metaponto in the cruiser. At the dive shop they loaded up with extra tanks. Once they’d bought drinks and groceries, they gassed up the cruiser and headed west. She handed him the special ocean chart he’d looked at before.
“We’ll be diving at the midway point between Metaponto and Crotone. Some of the finds date back to the Magna Graecia. We’re looking for some columns from the sixth century before Christ reputed to be there.
“If we’re really lucky, we’ll see the remnants of a temple dedicated to the goddess Hera. This area of the Ionian is a treasure trove, but as you realize, all the artifacts are buried, making them almost impossible to discover.”
Rini looked up from the chart to flash her an intriguing smile. “It’s the almost impossible that fires your blood, non è vero?”
She nodded. But artifacts weren’t the only thing that fired her blood. The flesh-and-blood male who was a living Adonis had made her come alive without even trying. She’d taken one look at him that first evening in the castle foyer and had fallen so hard, she feared she would never recover.
It was too late to wish he’d gone back to Naples. Already she hated the idea that he would have to leave at all. Her thoughts were crazy. This was the renowned Rinieri Montanari she was talking about, not just any man.
Alessandra imagined that every woman who met him couldn’t get enough. Even her mother had been bowled over by him. But the fact that he was still a bachelor meant there was a big reason he didn’t have a wife.
Maybe he’d lost a great love and could never bring himself to marry. Or he enjoyed women, but couldn’t commit to one for fear of feeling trapped. So no matter how attentive he was being right now, Alessandra would be a fool to think she would be the one woman in Italy who could do what no other female had done and win his love.
She glanced at him. “How long has it been since you went diving?”
Rini folded up the chart. “A year, but don’t worry. You can count on me.” Deep down she knew she could trust him. He engendered a confidence she’d never felt around other men. It didn’t bother her that he’d just said he wasn’t concerned about the time that had passed since his last dive.
“How have you stayed away from it so long?”
“Too much work.”
“But there are lots of marvelous diving sites in the Naples area. Surely you could have taken some time off.”
“True, but even though the office is there, I don’t live in Naples and am always anxious to fly home at the end of the day.”
That was a surprise. “Where is home?”
“Positano.”
“Oh—such a glorious spot with fabulous diving opportunities.”
“My friends and siblings did it with me for several years, but for most of the last year my sister Valentina lived with me while she was expecting her baby. That meant no diving for her. As I told you earlier, we’d just lost our mother in a car accident. I divided my time between visiting my father at our family home in Naples and staying around the villa for my sister in order to keep her company.”
Alessandra hadn’t realized he’d carried such a load. She was touched by the way he cared for his family. “Did she have her baby?”
“Si. My nephew, Vito, is thriving. The man Valentina married has adopted him. They live in Ravello with his son, Ric. Both babies were born the same day at the same hospital.”
“You’re kidding—”
“What’s really amazing was that the babies got switched. Valentina brought the wrong baby home while the man she married took home Valentina’s son.”
“What?” She almost lost control of the wheel. “How awful! Where was the mother?”
“They were divorced. At birth she gave up her mother’s rights to Giovanni. It was a nightmare after the babies were returned to their birth parents. By then Valentina and Giovanni had bonded with the children. At that point they began to see each other so they could be with both babies and they fell in love.”
A smile lit up her face. “That’s the greatest love story I ever heard. How hard to love the wrong baby, but how sweet they were able to make everything work out. The person I feel sorry for is the mother who gave her child away. I can’t comprehend it. I love my mother so much, I don’t want to think what it would have been like if she hadn’t been there for me. In fact I can’t wait until the day comes when I can have my own baby.”
He seemed caught up in his own thoughts before he said, “Fortunately she came to her senses and has now worked out visitation so she can help raise her son.”
“That’s the way it should be!” But Alessandra couldn’t help but wonder about the father of his sister’s baby. Still, she didn’t want to pry.
“I can read your mind, Alessandra. Vito’s father was one of Valentina’s engineering professors at the University in Naples, but he didn’t want marriage or children. My sister suffered terribly, but today she’s so happy, you would never know she’d been through so much trauma.”
Alessandra could relate to the trauma. Her hands tightened on the controls. She was living proof you could get through a broken heart and survive the emotional pain, but not everyone could end up as happy as his sister.
“So she’s an engineer, too.”
“Yes. A brilliant one.”
“What does her husband do for a living?”
“He’s the CEO of the Laurito Corporation.”
Alessandra smiled at him. “That’s an amazing combination. Your sister was blessed to have a brother like you to watch over her.” She was coming to find out Rini was an extraordinary man. He’d even bought that little gift for Liona.
