Page 17 of Their UnBearable Destiny

Chapter Five

HavingEmiliana at his side as they walked through town, filled his heart to the brim. Dreams it seemed, could come true. They spoke to the people they saw. He seemed to answer the same questions over and over as the inhabitants of Santa Biago made it their particular duty to step outside and greet him.

He enjoyed his morning with Emiliana at his side. She seamlessly provided names when he drew blanks, helping him to appear a little less lost than he felt at times.

And that alone made him smile.

But their easy walk wasn’t meant to last. As they approached the front door of Stanzi’s café, Emiliana touched him.

His rational mind reminded him that it was just his elbow, but his bear hummed with delight.

And even that was short-lived as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Come along.”

And the man in him enjoyed the tug of her fingers but not as much as the fire in her eyes.

“Now.”

He looked at the café, narrowing his eyes to see through the midmorning glare of sun on the glass. “It’s open.”

She nodded, a stilted gesture. “I know, but we should see Miss Mancini soon.”

He grinned and covered her hand with his. “I saw her yesterday when I arrived. We will see her soon, but I want to step inside and see Mr. Stanzi.”

That seemed to lighten her mood. “Oh, well, Mr. Stanzi retired a few years ago and moved to be with his youngest daughter and her family.”

“His youngest,” he had to reach for his memory of the Stanzi family. He heard the bell above the door jangle and a name popped into his head. “You mean Clara?”

“Are you looking for me?”

Uberto turned toward the honey tone of a woman’s voice and saw a pretty woman step outside the Stanzi’s front door. He gave her a smile, the same smile he had given each time he was greeted with an unfamiliar face on their walk through the town.

But the fingers touching his arm pinched into his skin. It wasn’t his shirt that he was worried about, it was Emiliana. He turned to look at her and found her eyes focused on the other young woman. “Ana?”

She swung her gaze back to him and his smile brightened at the sight, but Ana stared back at him with a carefully crafted look of indifference.

“It’s good to see you, Uberto.”

He kept his gaze on Emiliana for a moment before turning to the woman walking up to them. “Clara?”

She grinned, a broad smile that lit her features with joy. “I heard a rumor that you had come back this year for the elders meeting.”

It took him a moment to remember who her family connections were. Her uncle, Joseph was a shifter even though his brother wasn’t.

Holding out his hand in greeting, he kept his other arm still, unwilling to pull away from Emiliana.

Clara took hold of his hand for a moment and then stepped back. “Would you like to come in for some coffee?”

When he hesitated, he felt the change in Emiliana’s hold on his arm. She let go.

He knew better than to look at her and gauge her expression, but a moment later when her hand touched his arm again, it was a soft brush of her fingertips.

“Grazie, Clara,” he swore he could hear Emiliana smile, “that would be lovely.”

And instead of dropping her hand to the side, she slipped her hand around his arm.

He felt his shoulders relax at the potential crisis averted. Uberto touched the fingers of his free hand to the back of hers and smiled at Clara. “Yes, thank you.”

She gave them both a look in turn and the expression on her face was one of genuine affection. “I’m glad. Please,” she gestured toward the door of the café, “come with me.”

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