Page 88 of Casanova LLC

He had said what he’d wanted to say, and he seemed confident enough that I had understood it enough to change the subject. He was right. “I’m glad we talked.”

“A pleasure. You are special.”

“And you are complicated. And not even a widow.”

He chuckled. “Another caffe?”

“No, thank you.”

“Then let us go receive the sunrise. Basta.”

He led me out of the cabin and to the bow. Just in time to watch the sky go orange and pink and bathe the wall of the palazzo in light.

I took a deep breath.

The man next to me did too.

My eyes filled. “Have you ever wanted to see if your Forever was still out there, somewhere?”

“It’s too late, Bella.”

“It’s too late when you’re dead.”

“You should have been Italian.”

We watched the sky become itself.

He murmured, “You will find your Forever, Bella.”

“I’ll be right back; I want to get something.”

“Cos’ è?”

“A gift.”

“For me? But why?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Like his nephew, he couldn’t argue with this. His hand went to his chest. “So sweet. But do not give it now. It would mean good-bye. And we do not want to make the Young Bull jealous.” His smile was impish.

“What is that? The Old Bull/Young Bull thing you two do?”

“It’s just a joke. Passed down with all the rest.”

“Tell me.”

“It is a dirty joke. Ehh…ranchy.”

I had to laugh. “Raunchy. Though ranchy works, too, in this case.”

He leaned back against the steering wheel, crossed his arms, face to the rising sun. “Two bulls, an old bull and a young bull. They are standing on a hill, looking down at a field filled of cows. A beautiful field of beautiful, sexy cows. And the young bull, he says, ‘Old Bull, let’s run down there and fuck one of those cows.’ And the old bull, he says, ‘No, no, no, Young Bull: we walk down and fuck them all.’”

I laughed freely, fully.

“Is a good joke, no?”

“It’s a great joke.”

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