"I came to talk to you," he said. "So it would be my pleasure,Amy."
He had? Her named rolled off his tongue with ease. Her chest warmed from his nearness, and her cheeks must be scarlet at this point. "If you’re here to order an analysis of your country, you’ll need to come back in the morning and sign a contract with myboss."
"I'm not here to hire you." A servant with a six-foot wide umbrella met them at the front door and Lucio led her toward his waiting limo on the street corner. "Not exactlyanyway."
The servant opened the rear passenger door and she slid in across the leather seat. As Lucio closed the door, sitting so close to her their legs touched, she was rocketed back to high school Amy, who’d stared at him with longing as she wished he'd notice her, but then her sister would jump in front of her and throw herself at him. Evie had been relentless in her quest to one day be a princess. Amy shook off the memory as the car rolled down the street. She said, "I live out inClapham."
"I know. You're doing pretty well for yourself." Drops of rain glistened on Lucio’s shoes. "I was hoping you'd join me for a quick dinner so we cantalk."
Dinner? With him? It seemed like a dream where any second someone would yell "gotcha", but she reigned in her imagination. He was a prince, and he’d belonged to Evie. She lifted her chin, intending to say no, but his brown eyes persuaded her to change her mind. "Okay. Dinner. I am curious, I’lladmit."
Giving in was a bad trait she needed to work on. His hand brushed against her leg but jerked back fast so she knew it had been an accident. However, the jolt she felt was unexpected. "Thanks." He turned toward the driver. "Please take us to Alain Ducasse at theDorchester."
"Yes, Your Highness." The driver raised the partition to give themprivacy.
Amy had goosebumps all over her. This was the closest thing to a date she'd ever have with Lucio. She’d had a crush on him all freshman year, watching him study so intently from her spot across the index files. She’d write notes she hadn’t been brave enough to pass but it all ended the day her sister stormed the library and sat on his table, with her miniskirt hiked to well above her knees to showcase her longlegs.
Lucio had been forced to break up with Evie and returned to Avce, never returning to their high school. She met his gaze and said a silent prayer that this wasn't about her sister though it probably was and asked, "So, what is it you want to talk to meabout?"
"I think that's best over dinner, at our privatetable."
Private really did make this sound like a date. She pressed her lips together and decided to be upfront about her sister. Evie had always said he’d been the one to get away. "Evie doesn't live with me. She's up in Edinburgh, planning her wedding, but I'm sure if I called her, she'd swoop down this evening to seeyou."
"I know where she is." His eyes rounded and he somehow seemed sweeter than the well-built sexy man he now was. "I came to see you, notEvie."
No. She'd not let her hopes up. She wasn't a teenager anymore. Her gaze narrowed. "Why? You dated mysister."
He shrugged and turned away to the window. "That was a long time ago. It doesn’t matternow."
It felt like sharp glass edges ripped at her skin. So, he loved Evie still. The feeling of nausea would pass, but she tried to remember that her sister wasn'tthatbad. "It really does. She's engaged, but I'm sure she'd want to hear fromyou..."
He interrupted and placed his hand on hers. "While I was curious about Evie, it's you I'm here for, Amy. You're exactly what Ineed."
She wasn't a replacement. Not for Evie. If Lucio still loved her sister, he should go to her and let her sister choose between both men. The knots in her stomach tightened. "And it's not workrelated?"
"No."
The limo stopped in front of a high-end French restaurant located within the Dorchester. The outside seemed an ordinary building that blended into London’s greystones, but Amy had heard about opulence inside, though she’d never had occasion to tryit.
The door opened to the sidewalk and she fixed her pearl necklace at her throat. The place smelled of old money and the aristocracy. Her skin jumped as if she was the intruder here, but she slid out after Lucio. Not a drop of rain hit her head because the chauffeur held the umbrella for them. They walked to the front door in silence, and Lucio opened it forher.
Part of her wished this was a date. She unbuttoned her frumpy jacket and took it off, hanging it over herarm.
Men and women in expensive business suits milled around the marble arches in the lobby, holding cocktails. Lucio put his hand on her back and she was glad that her blouse was real silk. Her wardrobe might be understated but it wasquality.
"I am intrigued," she said. He didn’t say a word. "You never noticed me in high school. Then your parents reclaimed their throne and you left. Back then all you ever spoke to me about was my sister." At the time, his every question was like a knife to her heart that threatened to leave her bleeding and alone,forever.
Savory smells of roasted lamb and garlic teased them down a long hall to where a host in black greeted them with a slight bow. They walked arm to arm as they made their way through the lobby of the old hotel but instead of checking in, they went toward the restaurant’s doubledoors.
She caught the eye of one woman in a designer dress who was clearly someone with money, and Amy turned toward Lucio, half afraid of what others might think, even though this place was no longer just for the aristocracy. Besides, she’d been invited by a prince. He kept the conversation light. "You were skinny and wore those glasses that I was hoping to see again. Those black rims were way too big for yourface."
She laughed as they made it to the entrance and the maitre'd picked up two menus. They followed and she kept their conversation strictly on the past. "Yes, they were. And you were too into rugby and physics to ever care about anything other than sports." UntilEvie.
"I still read physics, forpleasure."
The lemon butter taste from the last time she’d had French pasta caught in her throat as they passed people at white linen-covered tables with their entrees in front of them. She almost tripped on her own foot when the maitre'd shifted the white luminescent oval fiber-optic curtain to reveal a hidden table. He was serious? This was where they would be eating? She blinked, unable to process. Lucio urged her forward and she moved a tiny bit. "We're here. Shall we goinside?"
For a dinner that wasn't a date because he was in love with her sister, the setting was extreme. She curled her hands together. "I can't wait to hear what this is allabout."
