“Follow us to Genoa so you can return your car before we head for Milan.”
She took a quick breath. “Vincenzo—something’s come up and I can’t go with you after all. I left a note for you at the desk when I checked out…I have to leave, Vincenzo.”
His jaw hardened. “I have no intention of reading your note, and you can’t leave…not yet. You made Dino a promise to come with us. He wants to show you Rapallo’s castle in the sea, built to repel pirates. He hasn’t stopped speaking of it—you can’t disappoint him.”
One more look at Dino’s expectant expression and Irena agreed. The only thing to do was drive to Milan with them. After Dino had been dropped off, she would ask Vincenzo to drive her to the Milan airport. She could leave for Canada from there.
“All right. A few more hours won’t matter in the scheme of things.” She reached for the key with the built-in remote and unlocked the door. He opened it and helped her inside, submitting her to another intimate appraisal before closing it. With an increased pulse rate, she started the car and waited to follow him.
During the short trip to Rapallo on the Italian Riviera, Dino turned in his junior seat and waved to her from time to time, making her smile. She waved back. When they reached the town, they parked in the historic center and ate gelato while they walked around the harbor.
She told Vincenzo to tell Dino that the tiny, picturesque castle out in the water looked like a toy castle. His son laughed and pulled her hand as they walked across the short causeway to explore it. Soon after, he begged her to ride the cable car up to Montallegro. Who could say no to him?
Along with other passengers they were treated to a panoramic view of the Golfo del Tigullio. After a lovely lunch at the restaurant on top, they took the funicular back down to their cars and drove on to Genoa where she returned hers to the rental company.
Vincenzo put her suitcase in the trunk of the Fiat where he’d stowed Dino’s cases.
The sight of them and a bag of toys brought a pang to her heart. In a little while the two of them would have to part company.
Clearly Vincenzo adored his son. As for Dino, he was crazy about his papa. How hard for them to have to be separated, yet Dino had a mother who must be missing him horribly.
More than ever Irena realized that in a few short months she, too, could be faced with a similar situation. If Andreas was the baby’s father and he discovered the truth, then Irena would be forced to share visitation and the raising of her baby with him. But if Vincenzo turned out to be the father, then what would the future hold for them? Vincenzo already knew the pain of having to say goodbye to his child because of visitation; would he want to go through that again with this baby?
En route to Milan, Dino kept her entertained by teaching her a couple of simple children’s songs in Italian. Vincenzo translated. She knew her accent was terrible, but she tried hard to memorize them and sing along. He corrected her here and there. By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, she could sing them without help.
“Bravo, signorina.”
She shifted in her seat to smile at Dino. “Grazie. You’re an excellent teacher.”
He said something to his father in rapid Italian. Vincenzo answered back. Irena couldn’t resist looking at him. “What did your son say?”
“He wishes you were his English tutor. Mr. Fallow was born in England, and moved here ten years ago. According to my son, he’s strict and grumpy because of a sore hip. You’re a much better teacher and you’re very nice. He wants to know if you would you like him to teach you Italian.”
Laughter escaped her lips. “I can’t imagine loving anything more. How much does he charge?”
A smile lit up Vincenzo’s blue eyes before he translated for his son. His boy giggled, then whispered something to his father.
Filled with curiosity she looked at him. “What was that all about?”
“He wouldn’t say no to a chocolate bocci ball.”
“Ah. A chocolate lover. I’ll remember that, but what will his dentist say?”
This time Vincenzo chuckled hard. After he told Dino, all three of them were laughing, but it slowly faded as they were allowed through a security gate. Soon they pulled up in the courtyard of a luxury villa hidden from the road by foliage.
“I’ll be right back.” Vincenzo slid from the seat to get his son’s bags.
Irena stayed in the car while Dino scrambled out of the back to come around to her door. She opened the window and shook his hand. “Thank you for a wonderful day, Dino.”
“Thank you, too. You like Papa?” He looked worried. Of course he was wondering what was going on between her and his father. Did he want her to like his parent, or did he wish she’d go away and never come back? What would Dino make of a new baby brother or sister? A trickle of unease settled over Irena. Her baby could affect so many people’s lives. She shook the feeling off and turned to Dino again.
“Yes, and I like you.” She poked his stomach with her index finger.
He reacted with a grin. “Ciao, signorina.”
“Ciao, Dino.”
She watched the two of them carry all his stuff to the front door of the villa. A maid answered and let them inside. Assuming Vincenzo would be a while, she rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
Though she knew what she was going to say to him when he came back out, she was full of trepidation. They hadn’t been alone since she’d walked up to his apartment yesterday. Without Dino as a buffer, she didn’t know what to expect from Vincenzo, and she had no idea how he was going to react to her news.
Vincenzo hunkered down in front of his son. “We had a good time, didn’t we?”
“Yes. I loved it! Will Irena be with you the next time I see you?”
“I hope so.”
“I do, too. She makes you happy, huh.”
Vincenzo smiled at his son’s insight. “Yes.”
“Did you know she’s afraid of the water, too? She told me while we were looking out of the castle window.”
So…his son had an ally. “But she doesn’t seem to mind heights because she liked the cable car ride.”
“I know. So did I. She’s fun!”
“I agree.”
Lowering his voice to a whisper Dino said, “She’s beautiful, too, but don’t tell you know who I said so.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t. Now before you know who comes downstairs, give me a hug.” He felt Dino’s arms wrap around him and squeeze him hard. “I’ll see you at the end of the month.”
“I wish we could do stuff more often.”
“But this is working, right?”
As Dino nodded and wiped his eyes, Mila appeared in shorts and a top, looking immaculate as always. His son broke away and ran toward her, giving her a big hug. She kissed his head before flicking her glance to Vincenzo.
“You’re later than I expected.”
In a gush of excitement, Dino told her all about their outing to Rapallo with Signorina Spiros. Vincenzo was perfectly happy for his son to take over and explain.
Mila’s expression hardened. “Take your things upstairs, Dino. I want to talk to your father alone.”
“Okay.”