“How do you say it? Pretend to be my girlfriend? It’s no different than what you’re having me do at Christmas, Elizabeth.”
I clear my throat. “You called Kieran your ex. Does that mean you do have girlfriends? Real ones, not pretend ones?”
He casts his gaze down at me. “There are always exceptions.”
“I see why Kieran is an exception,” I mutter, even though I don’t mean to open my mouth again.
Taking me by the elbows, he spins me to face him. “Are you jealous?” Instead of letting me answer, he pulls me close and kisses my neck. “You have nothing to be jealous about. I don’t want anyone else. After I tasted you, it’s only you.”
“That’s flattering.”It really is.“But you barely know me.” I amend, “You barely know me clothed.”
He brings his lips up to my mouth and leaves them there. “What else do you want me to know?”
“I want to know how not to embarrass myself when I meet your family.”
“Same,” he replies.
Grabbing my cheeks, he kisses me softly, then pulls away. “They’ll love you. Especially Gams. They stay at the house next door when they are here. They’re just popping by to say hi. I wanted them to meet you.”
“I think I might vomit.” I hold my stomach. “You always introduce your vacation flings to them?”
He shakes his head, guiding me out. “No, never.” Luca grabs my ass. “But you’re also my new Social Media Director.”
“Oh,” I reply.
My response amuses him. He’s chuckling under his breath as we take the elevator down a floor to the entrance where he tells me there is a tea parlor I haven’t seen yet. I flatten the top of my hair, hoping I don’t have many flyaways. “How do I look?” I ask Luca.
He smirks. “You’re perfect. Their English is great. Talking to them will be easy.” He pushes open the heavy door and the room feels charged. That really is the only way to describe the colorful people standing and sitting about in this room.
“Elizabeth,” an older Italian lady coos as soon as she locks gazes with mine. “I’m so happy to meet you. I’m Maria.” Her hand is warm as it folds in mine. “I’m glad my son released you long enough to grace us with your presence.” Ick. They know what we’ve been doing.
I do a weird curtsy, bow, trip over my own feet thing while trying to be polite. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”Your majesty?This is a catastrophe, and I do feel a little anger toward Luca for not giving me more time to prepare. Or at the very least, time to conduct a thorough internet search on these people so I could have something to talk about. I lean into the one thing I know for certain. “Your son is so lovely to have me here. He’s a great man—an amazing host.” I’ve been wrong before, but I don’t think I am this time. Luca hits me with a liquid stare and my insides melt into lusty lava.There it is. Truth. I’m falling for him. How cliché.
The woman who must be his sister has a brightly colored parrot on her shoulder as she sips champagne from a goblet. After his father introduces himself, she comes over. “I’m Gabby,” she tosses my way casually. “I saw this bird at the airport and bought it off a local. His name is Pierre. Isn’t he beautiful?” I nod, unsure how to respond to the odd greeting.
“My sister has a thing for animals,” Luca explains, clearing his throat. “Gabby has a zoo at home.”
“A menagerie,” Gabby corrects, petting the bird. “My contribution to the world is animal sanctuaries. I fund places all over the world. Animals love me.” Luca makes a funny face his sister doesn’t see. It’s endearing, and totally a sibling thing I can’t relate to.
Their dad, Antonio, grunts. “All the money she spends on those things. Those nasty animals.”
“She saves animals, Antonio. That’s a noble cause,” Maria defends. “A lot more noble than Luca’s cause.” Antonio looks at his son and lifts and lowers one shoulder, like he doesn’t believe it at all. He thinks Luca’s cause is perfectly wonderful. As any man might.
Luca groans. “We all have our place under the sun.” He looks at me. “Tea?” Then he looks at Gabby. “Or champagne?”
“Tea, please.” Kieran was standing in the corner, by another doorway that must lead to a kitchen. She heads to the bar when she hears me ask for the drink. It seems she’s only helping out because she heard me ask for tea.
Gabby sits down and pats the seat next to her on a buttery leather love seat. “Tell us about yourself. When Luca told us he wanted us to meet a woman, we dropped everything and ran to paradise.”
I nearly choke on my spit. “Oh, this wasn’t a planned vacation for you?” I meet Maria’s eyes.
“No, but we keep the end of the year open, so it’s a welcome trip. We haven’t been to the beach house this year.” The bird walks down her arm as she speaks and now it’s on her hand. “Here, hold him.”
I extend my hand and let the bird hop on my hand. It has nails like razor blades. Gabby downs her glass and grabs the bottle off the end table to pour more. Kieran sets a tea tray down in front of me. With my free hand, I pick up the small cup and sip its dark contents. After setting it down, I grab a small sandwich and nearly swallow it whole. “Tell us about yourself,” Antonio prods, sitting on the sofa facing us. “How did you meet?” My hand shakes.
Luca leans next to me, straddling the arm of the love seat. “Online,” he says. “She was looking for a job, and I flew her here for an interview.” Oh, thank God. “Sparks flew and the rest is history.” Kieran was right, he is good at coming up with things on the fly.
I clear my throat nervously. “I’m from New York. Born and raised. Never moved away—couldn’t really. My entire family is there. I live with my best friend.”Hobbies, Lizzy. Tell them things.The bird squawks and jumps back on Gabby’s head. They’re all staring at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “I play on a recreational soccer league.” I swallow hard. “I volunteer my time at a children’s charity once a month. Teaching phonics and reading skills.” That’s relatable to these people, right? “Interior design is something I love. Kind of meshes well with the social media platforms these days with the beautiful aesthetics that are required to attract attention.” They’re still staring, and I feel Luca’s eyes burning a hole in the side of my face. “I went to sommelier classes for a year, but then I became too busy with college classes to finish the program. I loved it so I’d like to finish one day.” I’m making this into a reverse interrogation by continuing to rattle on. I am offering information before they can even request it. “Tell me more about your family,” I say, hoping it sounds more like a command. “Being a royal is far more interesting than my boring life.”
