Page 100 of She Belongs to Me

There was only one way to find out, but what I’d heard could crush the admiration she had for her father.

This was a no-win situation and one I wasn’t eager to see come to a conclusion.

At least with regard to the beautiful woman who’d crashed into my life.

CHAPTER 28

Alexandra

“You don’t need to fawn over me. I do know how to dress myself, including in party attire. I’m not some redneck from America, you know.” I stared at Isabella in the full-length mirror as she adjusted the third dress she’d forced me to try on.

I’d wanted to slide into a little black number I’d purchased on Amazon, but according to the Italian princess, it wasn’t fancy enough. Granted, she looked like a coifed model ready for a runway shoot with her stunning sparkly emerald-green dress and perfect makeup.

“Redneck? What is that?”

How did one describe a redneck to someone from another country? I’d never had to do something like this before. All the stereotypes in my mind were just that. “Let’s just say it’s been used as a derogatory term for an unsophisticated person.” That was all I was going to share.

She scoffed, cursing in Italian. “You are anything but unsophisticated. You simply never had money to dress up. Right?”

“Well, true.”

“And you didn’t go out with friends trying to find the right prom dress? I know about American traditions.” Isabella could be so cute in trying to figure out more about American culture.

“I never went to my prom.” No boy had ever asked and my guess is if they had, I would have said no.

Another flurry of Italian words rushed from her mouth, none of which I could understand. “Such a waste. This color just won’t do. The red one.”

So much of me wanted to lash out. I wasn’t a mannequin or a model, but she was trying desperately to make the night special. I’d caught her nearly flipping out because something hadn’t arrived on time. I’d slunk out of the room, determined not to get in the middle.

“Why is this so important to you?” I had to ask. I’d never seen anyone so dead-set on making a small family event the celebration of the year.

She’d been flitting around for hours, but only once had I seen her look ruffled. She stopped short, slowly lifting her head toward me. When she pulled my arm, forcing me down onto the bed, I knew I was in for a serious conversation.

Isabella started the conversation twice before managing to continue. “You are a beautiful woman who’s hidden it behind jeans and shorts your entire life. I get why. I understand your dedication to your upcoming career and it’s admirable, but you need to learn that you are very much a woman.”

The girl wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know. However, I sensed she was trying to get to a point that made her uncomfortable.

The last thing I wanted was for anyone to wear kid gloves around me.

“Thank you. Nothing else matters except for becoming a doctor. I’m not certain that’s going to happen now since I’m sequestered here.” I noticed the rather dark and ungrateful inflection in my voice and cringed. “Don’t get me wrong. I love being here.”

And I did. In the last two quiet days, I’d spent more time with both Sassy and with Nico. He’d taken me on another more intimate tour of Palermo and the surrounding area, plying me with a wine tasting for another vineyard.

It wasn’t nearly as good.

“I know you do. I can tell. So can everyone else. We love having you here. This is where you belong.”

I honestly didn’t want to argue with her. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

“Just accept it.” She tugged on my arm again, pulling me toward the bed. After pushing the various dresses aside, she sat me down and had a serious look on her face.

“What?”

“My brother is falling in love with you.”

The frankness of her words was startling, even though I knew she was that kind of woman. I coughed, wishing my half-full wineglass was closer.

She seemed to sense what I was wishing for, grabbing both glasses that had been placed on the nightstand. “Take a sip and listen to me.”

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