since he had happened upon her, all stunningly gorgeous, that she was standing before the just as humbling beauty of the Trevi Fountain.
‘You were thinking that you would put a little magic in her day, I expect,’ Gracie said. Even in her down-hearted state, its ancient splendour had not gone unnoticed.
Luca’s gaze softened, and she felt her cheeks warm nonsensically under his appraisal. ‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘You are right, of course. I do feel Mila should know as much about her homeland as soon as she can. Once she hits her teens I am sure she will turn her back on her culture as so many do these days.’
‘She’ll watch American TV and wear British clothes,’ Gracie agreed. ‘I promise that is not just an Italian teen thing. We in Australia call it the cultural cringe.’
‘Yes,’ he said, with a widening smile that displayed a hint of perfect white teeth within his divine mouth. ‘That describes it well.’
‘Though what you could possibly cringe from in this country I have no idea,’ Gracie said. ‘It is the most beautiful place I have ever been.’
‘You will not hear me disagreeing. Have you seen much of Italy?’
Gracie shook her head. ‘Only Rome.’
She was in Rome with a purpose and sightseeing was the last thing on her mind. Even so, the heavy beauty of the city had worked its magic on her. She knew that at least a small part of her disappointment stemmed from having to leave the city before she had taken the chance to really explore its surrounds.
‘Only Rome?’ He did not hide his shock, gasping with the dramatic passion Italians lived every second of the day. ‘But then you have only seen the tip of the iceberg. There is so much diverse beauty in our country. You must promise me that you will see some of the countryside.’
It sounded tempting, to be sure. But Gracie had run out of money. And time. And she had more important things on her wish list than to find the perfect villa, vineyard and trattoria.
‘I’ll try,’ she said, covering up her vague promise with an affable smile.
‘You are humouring me, I think,’ he said.
Gracie was surprised that their language barrier had done nothing to disguise her idle promise. She laughed aloud, for what must have been the first time since arriving on Italian soil, and it felt good. ‘I wish I wasn’t but I’m afraid I am.’
‘Don’t think that just because English is my second language I do not understand its nuances.’
Gracie’s laughter eased back to a comfortable grin. ‘OK. Duly noted.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘You humour me again, do you not?’
Gracie threw out her spare arm. ‘Fine. You win. I have no plans to see anything more of your country, as I have no time left in my busy schedule of trapping the locals with my wily English.’
Luca’s next smile was warm and enveloping and Gracie felt the odd desire to wrap her arms about herself.
The conversation seemed to have come to a natural end. Gracie felt the moment arrive where she could slip away gracefully. Yet she could not make herself say polite goodbyes. Her tongue would not form the words. She just stood her ground, her gaze lingering on this stranger’s lovely, lovely face.
He seemed as disinclined to leave as she was. Then she understood why. He said, ‘I am sorry to have to ask, but I simply must. Mila says you were upset when she found you.’
Gracie blinked in mortification. While she was mentally cataloguing the guy’s gorgeous bits, she must have looked a mess with dark rings of exhaustion under her eyes, in her borrowed jacket, dirty shoes and scruffy hair.
‘I am all right now,’ she said, taking a step back and running her spare hand through her thick curls, hoping to at least make a move towards looking less like a crazy woman.
‘But you weren’t before. May I ask what is troubling you? I would like to help. Somehow to repay you for helping Mila.’
‘No. Thank you. Please, take advantage of this beautiful day and show Mila a good time.’
Gracie blinked as a sudden light mist of spring rain swirled about them. So much for it being a beautiful last day in Rome. Nevertheless…
‘The last thing you want her to remember of this day is marking time whilst her dad listened to the ramblings of some self-indulgent stranger.’
Luca looked to his daughter, who was still holding on to each of them, tugging as she chased a pigeon that had strayed too close. But as soon as she reached the limit of their arm reach, she bounded back.
Gracie watched as a slow, wondrous smile grew upon his face. He was in awe of every movement and decision his daughter made. Something deep and lingering twisted painfully inside her.
‘She is everything to me,’ he said, almost beneath his breath.
It tugged at Gracie’s heart. They were both just too perfect. A perfect man and his perfect daughter. And it only managed to hit home what she had missing from her own life, and what she had failed to uncover on her expedition to Rome.
‘It was Mila who helped me already. Truly. I should go,’ Gracie said, purposely, steadfastly breaking the warm, mesmerising spell that this man and his daughter were unwittingly weaving around her.
Luca looked her way, his devoted smile enduring. And Gracie felt the backs of her eyes pricking uncomfortably with the cruel echo of tears that she knew would never fall.
Gracie blinked to break the tormenting eye contact and crouched down to Mila’s eye level. ‘Mila, it was lovely to meet you. I think you are very lucky that your papa has chosen to show you his favourite places in the city.’
Mila looked up at Luca, her intelligent eyes squinting through the now heavier mist of rain into the bright sunlight. ‘Papa loves me very much,’ she said as though that explained everything.
Gracie grinned. ‘Of course he does. You are a seriously lovable little girl.’
She gave Mila a neat tickle in the ribs, sending her squirming in delight, then stood, extracting herself from the young girl’s affectionate grip. ‘It was lovely to meet you too, Luca.’ She held out her hand.
Luca clasped his spare hand around hers. It was warm and comforting.
‘Lovely,’ he agreed. And he kept a hold of her hand.
Gracie’s eyes flickered up to meet his. There was more than thanks going on behind those eyes. There was unanticipated interest. So, he had felt it too. Pity, since their timing could not have been worse.
Gracie cleared her throat in an effort to dislocate their budding awareness. ‘I’ve kept you from your outing long enough,’ she said. Needing a touchstone to ground her, Gracie pulled her hand away and reached into her jacket pocket for the key to her hostel room.
She found the key, but her wallet, which should have been in the same pocket, was gone. Her eyes wildly scanned the crowds for a furtive figure huddled against the stonework, going through her wallet. But no. The thief was long gone.
It
