Page 80 of Better Left Unsaid

“Va bene,” he replied, getting out and following me.

I was drying myself off when he came over and placed his hands on top of the towel near my shoulders. “Allow me,” he told me, his voice gravelly.

“I can do it myself,” I insisted, pulling back slightly and drying myself off as best as I could before giving up and wrapping the towel around me like a dress.

Not pushing, he sat on the lounge and groaned as he got comfortable before scooting over and tapping the spot next to him. I almost considered telling him I could sit in the chair next to his, but that seemed like something he wouldn’t want to hear. So I nodded and sank down beside him, falling into a slight dip and winding up curled into his side—not what I was going for.

Not that it wasn’t nice to be held by him, his arm coming around me, but for some reason, I wasn’t feeling it. It didn’t feel right to me. Maybe I was overthinking this. I gave in to the night, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing. “This is nice,” I said, at peace again.

“Si.Italy is also lovely this time of year.” He began rubbing concentric circles on my arm. “Has Isabella ever been?”

I shook my head against the crook of his arm, but then answered, “No,” just in case he didn’t peer down and see me.

“She would enjoy herself at my estate.”

“One day I’d like to take her. My sisters think it’s a good time to take her. So does Dom, actually, and—” I stopped myself and backtracked. “Dom is my best friend.”

He adjusted himself in the seat, his eyes on me now. “Dom, she must be a smart woman.”

I shook my head. “He,” I clarified.

“You have a male best friend?”

I licked my lips. “Mmhmm. He’s the best. We’ve been friends for years.” And suddenly I was feeling bad about that fact, a fact that usually made me immensely happy. But between my concern over what Paolo would say and the way Dom was seemingly avoiding me today, having Jeff call me, it couldn’t be helped.

“Is this something I have to be worried about?” My gut clenched. But then he laughed. “I am only joking,” he quickly added, bringing me closer to him with his grip on my arm. “It’s lady’s choice at the end of the day anyway, right?”

Relaxing again, I laughed as well. “That’s one way to look at it.”

“That is how I was raised, Maria. You listen to the lady. She is always right.”

“Your mother is a very wise woman,” I replied, knowing that a lot of women would kill to be with a man who had the kind of values Paolo did, who believed the things he did. “I’d love to go back to Italy soon. The last time I was there was fashion week for our collaboration.”

“Then you must come,” he said, enthusiasm in his voice, as though it was as simple as getting on a plane and jetting off as soon as possible.

I wished it was, but I had responsibilities that kept me here. I couldn’t just go to Italy on a whim. Had he known me better, he wouldn’t have suggested it. “Someday.”

“That is not good enough, Maria.” The way he always said my name, the way the letter “r” rolled off his tongue made my spine tingle. “You mustn’t wait for these things.Somedaymeans no day. I heard it all before.”

“It’s easy for you, Paolo, because you’re single and you don’t have a kid.”

“Isabella is only five, no? She will come with us. I don’t see a problem.” He shifted himself, and I took the opportunity to sit up straight. “I will plan everything, and you will come back with me at the end of summer.”

“Isabella is turning six, and she has school in the fall. I also have a lot on my plate. I told you, I’m being groomed to become editor-in-chief. That’s no easy feat. I want to do the job justice.”

“And so you will,” he insisted, his eyes darker than usual as he was impassioned, “in Italy. You can work virtually, and you will be able to fly back to New York whenever you need. Do you not think it’s time Isabella spends some time in the city of her ancestors?”

I placed my hands on my temples. I could feel a headache brewing. I didn’t want to talk to him about how I chose to parent my child. It didn’t feel like second date conversation. It didn’t even feel like third date conversation. It felt unsettling, that was how it felt. This was supposed to be easy and fun still. “Let’s talk about this later?”

“Okay,” Paolo agreed, getting up and walking over to my side. “Here, come sit on the edge.” I didn’t want to sit on the edge. I wanted to sit where I was. “Come on,” he insisted, his voice deep and husky. “Give me your back.”

I mentally exhaled a huge breath and rolled my eyes. On the outside, though, I did as he asked. His hands immediately came down on my neck, and he began working out the kinks. “Oooh,” I murmured on a sigh. “That feels good. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“Mia nonna. She taught me everything I know about finding a woman’s heart.”

“Oh.”

“Si.”

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