Page 36 of My Fake Italian Marriage

“The man who came to our table at dinner last night?” she asked, bewildered. Then comprehension dawned. So that was what had changed. “Everyone thinks we’remarried?”

But even if Vincenzo had told a few people, why would Luca’s marital status have any bearing on the vineyard?

Luca nodded. “Yesterday, everyone thought I was only working for my father while he recuperates. Now, they believe he is retiring and handing over the vineyard to me.”

She laughed. It came out more like a scoff. “They can’t seriously believe your father would hand over the vineyard to you just because you got hitched?”

“They can, because he would. Tradition runs deep in many vineyards. They’re family businesses, passed from father to son. When a son is married and settled, it’s seen as a sign that he’s ready to take on the responsibility of the family business.”

“That’s archaic, but I don’t understand why that’s making you unhappy. Isn’t this good for us if it gets contracts signed and orders placed?”

He shook his head. “You were the one who said you hated lies, even small ones. What happens when they find out we’re not married, and that I’m not really taking over the vineyard?”

Did he have to grow a conscience now? Or was he worried that a fake marriage was going to put a dent in his playboy image? Because he certainly hadn’t been this concerned when it washerbusiness reputation on the line. She set her hands on her hips again. “By the time they find out, we’ll have a new manager and vintner in place. The vineyard will still be in business, and the quality of the wine will improve. Isn’t that what counts?”

“You really want to pretend to be married to me for the rest of our time here?”

“No, but I really want your vineyard out of the hole it’s in so I can go home and back to my own life. The sooner the Fioravanti vineyard becomes profitable again, the sooner my boss, and by extension the company that employs me, can be rid of it. If that means pretending to be your wife for one more day…” She shrugged. “Besides, what happens at Lake Como stays at Lake Como, right?”

ChapterFourteen

Di buona volontà sta pieno l’inferno.

(The road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

Pretending to be married was easier than she’d expected. All they had to do was smile and nod when people congratulated them. Only one of the vineyard’s distributors, a woman with long raven hair and eyes to match, asked about their wedding.

“Very small and private,” Luca said at the same moment Cleo answered, “It was very sudden.”

The woman laughed, delighted, and Cleo breathed out a sigh of relief.

By the end of the day, when the show wound down and the contractor arrived to pack up the contents of their stand, not only were all the distributor contracts signed, but a new American retailer had placed a substantial order too. A familiar thrill of excitement lit her up, that gut feeling that her client’s business was about to turn a corner. She hadn’t experienced this rush in far too long, and it was heady.

“That’s fantastic!” Kevin responded when she called him from the ferry. “Well done. Will you be able to stay on at the vineyard until a new manager is appointed?”

“That could be another few weeks! We had a deal—just two weeks!”

“Please?” he begged.

A few more weeks to search for a new vintner and enact some of the changes she and Luca had outlined for the vineyard. But who knew how uncomfortable the situation would be once she broke the news to Giovanni that he would no longer be running his own vineyard? Still, she could always stay with Sarah if the Fioravantis rescinded their offer of hospitality.

A few more weeks with Luca…

“I assume I’m supposed to take this off my vacation time?” she asked snippily, her happy bubble burst.

“Um.” She could actually hear his embarrassed blush down the phone. “I’m up for a partnership in the firm. If it comes out that I invested company funds in a failing business as a personal favour to a friend—”

“As a personal favour to an ex-girlfriend you cheated on,” Cleo corrected.

“Well, yes. I’ll never make partner if it gets out. I need the vineyard out of the red as quickly as possible. If we can turn it around, it won’t look like such a bad investment and we won’t be forced to liquidate the vineyard. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. There were worse places she could be than Italy in springtime. “On two conditions,” she bargained.

“Anything. Name it.” Kevin sounded so relieved she almost forgave him for making her give up her vacation time.

“I want a raise, and Moira tells me the garbage disposal is jammed. Can you pop around to help her with it?”

“Done and done.”

---