Robbie frowned. Why would she snuggle into him for the gondola ride but avoid his hand now? “The tower’s on the schedule for tomorrow.”
“Oh, good.” She gave him a smile that lacked the power of her earlier ones, and she didn’t clap her hands in delight as she often did. What had happened?
She walked off, and he kept pace with her. They made it through the busier tourist spots and onto a quieter side street.
“You’d better point out the way now,” she said. “I’d get us hopelessly lost.”
The sun was close to setting. From a security standpoint, he didn’t want to be out past dark. From a man longing for the love of his life to cuddle in close to him, he wouldn’t mind getting lost on these side paths and walking slowly arm in arm through the streets lit only by streetlamps. This was where she’d always dreamed of going on a honeymoon. If only he could make those dreams come true.
“All right,” was all he said.
“Anything else on the schedule today?”
“Madelyne has us scheduled for a fancy dinner at Il Rodetto. It’s close to our place. Do you want to change into a fancy dress? Or we can walk straight there and be a little early.” The Alice he remembered would want to put on a beautiful dress.
She clapped her hands together and beamed. “We definitely need to get all dressed up.”
Robbie would wear whatever she asked if she continued to beam at him like that. “Should we buy me the yellow suit on the way back?” he asked as they sauntered over a bridge.
“Oh, yes please.” She laughed. “Honestly, no. I don’t have my phone, so I can’t take pictures and send them to Chase.”
He laughed, but then it hit him. “Wait a minute. Do you and Chase keep in touch?”
“No. I was teasing.” She looked askance at him. “You think any of your friends would reach out to me without us being together?”
He mulled that over and knew they wouldn’t. When Brandon had set up this crazy two-week adventure, Robbie had been terrified of being set up with Alice and then furious when he found out that she was in danger and no one had told him about it. Brandon had teased that he’d set Alice up with Emmett if Robbie didn’t want to partner with her. He’d threatened to remove Emmett’s pointer fingers. Emmett had promised he’d only looked twice at Alice, never a third time, out of respect for Robbie.
Everybody else in the room had smiled at that, but he knew his friends were loyal to him and he needed them in his corner. If only he could call Chase and tell him about all the conflicting feelings Alice was stirring in him. All of his friends were doing similar adventures simultaneously. How were they doing? What were their counterparts like? He’d promised Brandon and Madelyne not to reach out to any of Squadron 7 except Brandon or Rockwell these two weeks. Even with his closest friend Chase, he didn’t get into emotional stuff and doubted he’d tell his friend more than that he was a mess.
“Robbie?”
“Apologies,” he said. “I know they wouldn’t keep in touch with you. They’re loyal to me.”
She nodded, but then she looked crestfallen.
They walked quietly for a few moments and finally he got brave enough to ask, “Are you all right?”
She shrugged. “My best friends are dead. It’s rough.”
He reached for her hand then, and she didn’t resist as he threaded their fingers together and hoped his touch brought some comfort. “I lost a friend on a mission. Trace Edgely.” He smiled thinking of the jokester Trace. He’d reminded Robbie and Chase of their friend Parker, who was always messing around. He lost his smile, thinking of the sniper’s fire and the bullet that had gone straight through Trace’s neck. “I understand how rough it is. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” She peered up at him as they plodded along, their steps slowing even further. “I’m sorry for yours.”
“Appreciate it.”
Neither of them said anything else, but there was a camaraderie between them. They made it back to the condo half an hour later and separated to change and get ready for dinner.
Robbie quickly dressed in a button-down pale blue shirt and black slacks. He tried to tame his hair and beard with some water. It didn’t really help. He considered tying the hair back out of his face but feared it would look cheesy. Should he shave the beard and find a way to cut his hair?
He studied himself in the mirror and then shook his head. There was no reason to do either. Alice’s reservations with him didn’t seem to have anything to do with his long hair or the beard. They were deeply buried and festering resentments from years of pain and no contact. She’d acted like she wished he would’ve reached out, but then she’d blocked his number. Their relationship now was a riddle he had no answer for.
He hurried out of his suite, down the stairs, and into the main area. Curtis was in the kitchen, fixing himself something to eat.
“How was the day?” the guard asked.
“Great. Beautiful city, and the waterways were unique. Alice loved the architecture. Have you been here before?”
“No. River and I walked around for a bit. We’ll be with you tomorrow for all the tours.”