have no idea—Connie? Or—it’s Rosa, right?” Beth retorted.
Rosa took a sharp breath, her eyes rounding. “The house. Caro dio, the house!”
“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Marco yelled behind them.
Luke glared from Rosa to Beth, his jaw tight. “Go on then. Let’s hear it.”
Rosa pushed the doors wider with a shaky hand. “Come in. Please.”
Unbelievable. Un-fricking-believable. The anger in Luke simmered as they followed Rosa down the plush hallway, past the familiar blue-washed walls, the classic works of art, the stylish furnishings, before they stopped in the living room.
“Please, sit.”
Beth perched on the edge of an elegant Louis XIV chair and crossed her arms. Luke chose to stand.
“Stop glaring at me, Lucio, and sit.” She waved to the sofa. With a soft snort, he finally sat.
Rosa sighed, smoothing back her salt-and-pepper hair. “You all know the kind of attention the Corelli name attracts. So for many years I’ve been using a fake one—for appointments, for bookings.” She shrugged. “It allows me a small freedom I wouldn’t normally have.”
“And what’s your connection to Beth? Besides being a client?”
Rosa clasped her hands and turned to Beth. “Remember when you first started your business, bella? You mentioned that awful shared apartment you were renting?”
Beth nodded.
“You didn’t say much, but I could see how tough things had been for you.” She tapped her cheek with a small smile. “It’s the eyes, bella. All your emotion is locked away behind those green eyes.”
“So you set her up?” Luke interrupted.
“No.” Rosa looked offended. “I just steered her toward Crown Real Estate. That house had been empty for years and needed a little love and attention. A word in the right direction and you had yourself a new home.”
“So the story about the owners living overseas was a lie?”
Rosa shrugged. “Just a little one.”
“You were the ‘family friend’,” Luke interjected tightly. “And Costas Holdings is one of Gino’s?”
“Yes.” Rosa turned back to Beth. “You needed help, but were so proud and determined. You’d never have taken charity—” She raised a hand as Beth opened her mouth. “Yes, in your mind my offer would have been exactly that. And I also knew you’d never take the house if you knew who I was.” Her lined face creased in a gentle smile. “You reminded me so much of Lucio’s mother, in a scary new world and in desperate need of help. How could I not help you?”
“Hang on,” Luke interrupted with a frown. “How do you know what my mother needed?”
She gave Luke a tender, sad look. “Every month I drove two hours to see Melina and gave her a little something to meet the monthly bills. Your father never knew.”
In stunned silence Luke tried to digest this new revelation. But no matter how many times he played it out in his head, he came up with the same answer.
More lies. More secrets. Dammit, when would they ever end?
His gazed remained unwavering, fixed on Rosa. “So let me get this straight,” he said calmly—almost too calmly. “Instead of one simple phone call, both of us ended up racing all over town thinking it was some kind of conspiracy theory?”
“You are such an ass, Luke.”
Luke whipped around to face Marco’s bristling anger. “You’ve been ignoring our calls,” he continued tightly. “And then Gino’s PR guy advised us to lay low for a few weeks but that obviously didn’t cross your mind after you were spotted—”
“Boys, please …” Rosa interrupted, her expression torn with concern. “No fighting.”
Luke sprang to his feet and began to pace.
Rosa glanced helplessly at Beth, then back to Luke. “I know you are pazzo at me, Lucio—”
Angry? If only it were that clear. But Marco was right. Damn guilt got him every single time.
When he finally turned to face his aunt, the soft love mingled with abject worry on her familiar features hit him like a runaway train.
Rosa had tried to be a mother to him, but he’d rebuffed her time and again. Oh, there’d been times when he’d allowed small intimacies—a hug on his birthday, a kiss at Christmas. She’d also mediated the blazing fights between him and Marco and had encouraged him in his studies.
And remained loyal when the reporters had come clamoring for a quote.
He knew she would never deliberately hurt him, just as he had total faith in the honor code he lived by.
The power of that thought stole away his accusations, turning them to dust on his tongue. With a barely audible groan, he sank to the couch and rubbed his temples.
“You know how hard I’ve worked to get where I am, Rosa.” He glanced up, frustration clouding his voice. “How I’ve fought for every promotion, made sure I was beyond reproach, because of Gino’s reputation. So why did he drag me into this?”
“Lucio. He did not do this to hurt you,” came Rosa’s soft declaration. “Things have been so crazy around here and I completely forgot about the rental, Gino’s bequest to you.
“He had always planned to give it to you,” she continued. “It was the house he originally offered your parents when they first came to Australia. Your father turned us down flat.”
Luke’s gut twisted at the barely hidden grief. The woman had lost her husband, the man she’d loved for over forty years and here he was getting all worked up about a bunch of misunderstandings.
Death had a way of putting everything into perspective.
Rosa’s dark eyes, creased with years of life and love, now holding only concern and worry, humbled him. He flushed. She wasn’t to blame for the inquiry, or the way the press had focused so thoroughly on him.
“I am so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Rosa went to Beth and took her hands. “You must have been so confused, thinking you’d been kicked out onto the street.” Just as Beth opened her mouth, Rosa added, “I would never do anything to hurt you, Beth. You know that. Don’t you?”
As Beth sat there, staring into the earnest woman’s big brown eyes, she remembered the moments they’d shared—the laughter, the little gifts on her birthday, the snippets of life advice Rosa had offered. Beth had liked talking to her, had liked her.
“You warm this old Italian woman’s heart, Beth,” Rosa continued. “You, bella. You’re smart. You’re good here—” she put a hand on one expansive bosom “—you deserve to have someone look after you.”
