Irena walked over to one of the photos where they were up on the turret of a castle in winter. Father and son were so attractive in their ski gear, she smiled. “I like this one.”
“That is Svizzera.”
“Switzerland?” she clarified. When he nodded she said, “Do you like castles?”
Vincenzo stood in the doorway. He translated for his son. “She wants to know if you like castles.”
Dino looked up at her earnestly. “Yes.”
“Do you have any soldiers? Or should I say knights?”
His son looked to him for help. After another translation Dino said, “I have um…forty.”
“Forty?” she cried with a smile. “That’s molto!”
When she spoke the Italian word, Dino laughed and rushed to a large case that he opened to show her all of his toy knights inside. She picked out one in full body armor and held it up to examine closely before putting it back. “This is an amazing army of warriors you have here.” Vincenzo translated, causing Dino to beam. He was precious.
“Come in the living room,” her host murmured. She moved past him and felt his gaze sweep over her. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Neither one, thank you. I ate at the Lido Hotel before I came here. It’s where I’m staying whilst I’m here.”
“Did you come to Riomaggiore by train?”
“No. I flew to Genoa, then rented a car.”
She moved through the apartment to the kitchen table. One of the games of jumping monkeys needed no translation; Irena wanted a little more time to gather her thoughts so she opened the box. When she smiled at Dino, he scrambled around the other side of the table to help set things up. He seemed eager to play.
After she took a seat, Vincenzo found his place at the end of the table and they started the game. For half an hour they scrambled to make the monkeys cling to the spinning trees. Dino taught her to say scimmia for monkey.
Irena really got into the game, causing Vincenzo to step up the competition. Dino let out a shriek of laughter, followed by Irena’s. Things came down to every man for himself with Vincenzo’s continual chuckle adding to the fun. Pretty soon all the monkeys lay on the table or had fallen on the floor.
As she helped put the game away, she checked her watch. She’d been here long enough. It was time for his boy to be in bed. So far Vincenzo had said nothing of a personal nature in front of Dino, but naturally he wouldn’t. Irena knew absolutely nothing about the dynamics between him and his ex-wife, he hadn’t even mentioned his marriage the last time she had been here. Doubt filled her that maybe she didn’t know Vincenzo as well as she had imagined. What if she had totally misjudged their relationship? She walked around the table and put a hand on Dino’s shoulder. “Thank you for letting me play. Now I have to go. Buonanotte, Dino.”
In the next instant he ran over to his father, letting go with a volley of Italian. A conversation ensued before Vincenzo eyed her in amusement. “My son doesn’t want you to leave. I told him we’d drive you down to your hotel.”
“That’s very kind, but not necessary.”
“I’m afraid it is,” he came back in an authoritative voice. “Now that it’s dark, a woman who looks like you out alone on a summer night is a target for every male from fourteen to a hundred years of age.”
Irena tried to repress a smile. “Only a hundred?”
His black brows quirked. “You’d be surprised.”
Actually she wasn’t. Young or old, the male of the species was the same in Greece, but perhaps not as unique or fascinating as the Italian standing in front of her.
It warmed her heart when Dino took hold of her hand and led her outside past the mass of flowers growing in profusion everywhere. The pale blue Fiat was practically invisible. Vincenzo had parked it right up against the rear of his apartment to make room for other cars, which she’d observed were rare in the village when she’d come here the first time.
While she stood by with Dino, his father started it up and pulled out on the pathlike road so they could get in. Dino hopped in the back and strapped himself in his junior seat. Vincenzo reached across the front to open the passenger door for her and then they were off.
He drove at normal speed, but the dangerous curves and twists of the steep road made it seem like they were moving too fast past houses painted in oranges, pinks and yellows.
“You’re as nervous as you were before,” he said in his deep voice. “Don’t worry. I could maneuver this cliff with a blindfold on.”
She believed him, but had to admit she was relieved when they reached the parking area of the hotel. Before she could move, his hand left the gearshift to cover hers. It sent heat up her arm. “I’m taking Dino back to his mother tomorrow. Come with us, then we’ll talk.”
“All the way to Milan?”
“It’s not that far.”
Irena didn’t look at him. “Do you think that would be a good idea? You know what I mean.”
“Are you worried about my ex-wife? Don’t be. If taking you with me were a problem, I wouldn’t have suggested it. You did come to see me, did you not?”
She couldn’t deny it.
“Dino enjoys your company.” He kept talking as if she’d responded.
“Your son is like every child. They’re happy with anyone who pays attention to them.”
“True, but you turned him into a friend when you took the time to see the things in his room and remark on the castle. That’s his favorite picture. With you along for the ride, the trip will turn into an exciting adventure for him.”
He squeezed her fingers a little tighter before letting go. “Do I need to add how much I’ve longed to be with you again? Two months have felt like an eternity. Naturally I don’t expect it has felt that way to you. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone back to Greece, leaving me without any hope of ever seeing you again.”
Vincenzo had no idea of the depth of her feelings. But when she’d discussed her plan with Deline, she hadn’t known he had a son. The very fact of Dino’s existence altered the situation drastically.
Yet Vincenzo’s words let her know nothing had changed for him personally. That tiny window of opportunity was still open for them to talk. If she didn’t seize on his invitation, she might be sabotaging her only chance to salvage her life and that of the baby growing inside her.
The second doctor she’d gone to see hadn’t been as convinced it was Andreas’s baby. As he’d explained, pregnancy and conception were not hard and fast rules. It was just as likely to be Andreas as it was Vincenzo’s and no one could actually tell her this for certain, especially since she’d only slept with Andreas twice! No doctor could be one hundred percent certain based on a few fleeting encounters. The agony weighed heavily with Irena, more so every day, and she knew that she had to talk to Vincenzo about the situation. If only she could be sure that baby was his!
“How soon do you want to get away to Milan?”
“We’ll pick you up at nine.”
Irena nodded. “How do you say tomorrow in Italian?”
When he told her, she looked over her shoulder. “Domani, Dino.” She got out of the car and hurried toward the hotel.
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