A gondola pulled up and let out its passengers below. The couple climbed the steps and passedthem.
Blackwell nodded at the conductor and then motioned for her. “Is a canal ride on yourlist?”
“Yes.” Her heart skipped a beat. He was here and this was easily the second best date she’d ever had, with last night still winning. Harry hadn’t done anything half as grand asBlackwell.
He placed his hand on her back to help her down the narrow steps. “Then let’s go. Your gondolaawaits.”
Halfway down the steps she glanced at the rules posted on the wall and she saw the no food warning. She held her cone higher, looking for a trash can. “Blackwell,wait.”
“Yes?” His deep voice made her knees weak as it had done lastnight.
She looped her free hand around his waist but ate as much as she could. On the platform, she swallowed and said, “I’m glad you’re here. I liked yourcompany.”
He winked and went to talk to the driver. “Good, because I intend to keep you, for the rest of my life if youagree.”
Blackwell had to be exaggerating forever but he sounded romantic. She ignored the twist in her heart and held his hand so he didn’t go. “We can get the next one. I should finish my icecream.”
He glanced down at her hand. “It’smelting.”
“I get hot near you.” She laughed and took another fullbite.
He stopped and leaned closer. “Donna, don’t say things like that unless you meanit.”
Fire grew within her, and her face heated. She said whatever came to her mind near him, which never happened before—she’d been too shy. She stepped aside to let another couple get on thegondola.
He spoke to the conductor or whatever she was supposed to call the gondoladriver.
And she ate through her cone as fast as shecould.
Blackwell turned toward her and held out his arms. “Come. I’ll pay extra so no one says a word about your icecream.”
She trashed the last of it and took out a napkin from her pocket to clean her hands and face. Done, she held out both hands and hoped her face was clean. “You don’t have to. I’mfinished.”
“You should have brought it on.” He helped her into theboat.
She took a seat so she could look forward when they moved. He took the seat next to her and she offered her hand. “It was delicious but I’d had plenty. I want to go on this withyou.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good, because I want to ask you somethingimportant.”
No. If this was about some job or some other hand out, she wasn’t interested. She shouldn’t have told him that she’d lost her job. This trip was about her figuring out what she wanted and who she wanted to be for the rest of her life. She shook her head. “Important sounds serious. I’m not ready forthat.”
He made a face like she’d slapped him, but a moment later, it disappeared. “While we’re in Venice, together, I’m hoping you’ll stay withme.”
Last night hadn’t been enough for her either. She nodded. “Oh, a weekend with you soundslovely.”
The waters of the Grand Canal were around them, but all she cared about was handsome Blackwell, who’d come for her. He took her breath away with those dark eyes of his though the setting sun still gave the magical glow on the waters as Venice floated around them in the distance. She cuddled closer to Blackwell, glad he was at herside.
He massaged her back lightly but asked, “Weekend?”
The plans. Right. She intended to see everything she could. She glanced into his warm brown eyes. “I’m going to Florence next and then Rome and then Naples before I head north to begin my trek toParis.”
“I still have an apartment in Paris.” He answered as if everyone had multiple homes around the continent. “Why are you in a hurry to see all theseplaces?”
Guess it was time to explain her goals of this trip before she went home and threw herself into a job search. She held onto his hand like it was an anchor. “I want to travel to findmyself.”
His eyes widened as he stared back at her. “Find yourself? Are youlost?”
A giggle escaped her throat as a small chill went down her spine. She scooted closer to him as he was warm and inviting. “When the library closed, I decided to actually do things on my list and not just dream about them. I’ve lived all my life happy enough with a book to help me escape, but I never gave my own happiness or who I was any thought. I don’t know what I want or who I’m supposed to be, and I’m thirty years old. Most people have plans and an agenda for themselves, but I’mlost.”
