“We will see you at six then.” Cara moved to pick up her suitcase.
“I thought we could talk. Catch up. It feels like forever since we’ve had a real chat.” Corinne’s disappointment was palpable. But Cara only looked annoyed.
“Maybe later, if there’s time.”
“Of course, darling,” Corinne said, but Cara had already moved away.
“Don’t worry about those,” Alessandro said, motioning toward their bags. “We’ll have it sent up. You are the second door on the left.”
Wes and Cara climbed the stone staircase to the second floor in silence. The thick wooden door swung open, and it only took one glance for Wes to realize his easy acquiescence was going to cost him.
The room was nowhere near as large as what Corinne led them to believe. Beneath two tall narrow windows was the chaise she mentioned, but it wasn’t large enough for an adult to sleep comfortably on. A giant, upholstered headboard over the bed dominated the space.
Wes strolled to the open door to the left that he assumed led to the bathroom. “Not bad.” Wes joked as Cara continued to gaze blankly at the huge bed. “I didn’t know if we’d get our own bathroom.”
Cara exhaled as she moved across the room, sinking onto the white duvet. “I’m sorry about this. In all the excitement, I forgot to tell my mom you were coming. I didn’t think the room would be an issue.”
“We’ll make it work.”
Cara worried her lip. “I didn’t tell her to do this.”
“I didn’t think you had.” Wes needed to stop staring at the bed. Imagining…
“I know you’re here to talk with Melody, and I’m not going to do anything to get in the way of that.”
Cara’s words made him irrationally angry. Did shewanthim to be with Melody? And if she did, why did it bother him so much? A knock at the door signaled their bags had arrived, granting them a temporary reprieve.
They unpacked in an uncomfortable silence. Why were things so awkward between them here? Cara hung her dress in the armoire and laid a black silk jumpsuit on the bed. She carried her toiletry bag into the tiny bathroom, hovering in the doorway.
“I’m going to take a shower to wash off the airplane yuck.”
Wes’s mind immediately created a vivid image of Cara, naked, water sluicing over her…
“I’ll go see if I can find us some food.”
He wasted no time disappearing out the door, but once he reached the top of the stone stairwell, he realized he had no idea where to go. Cara had mentioned the villa was fully rented for the wedding, but was it okay for him to explore on his own?
The scent of roasting garlic wafted through the air, and his stomach growled, deciding for him. Wes followed the smell to the kitchen at the back of the house. It was modern for all that it tried to maintain a Tuscan quaintness. A large butcher-block topped island stood in the center of the room, but there was a huge stainless range, with a stone range hood, and a refrigerator built into the cabinets next to it. The light in the oven was on, identifying the origin of the aroma, but there was no sign of whoever had put the dish inside.
Wes grabbed an enormous bunch of grapes from the bowl on the counter and popped them into his mouth, one at a time, as he opened cabinets, looking for snacks. Neither one of them had eaten much on the plane, and he knew Cara must be hungry, too. He found a block of cheese in the refrigerator and cut off a few hunks to put onto a plate with the grapes. Something was better than nothing! Wes had just closed the refrigerator door and was trying to judge how much longer he needed to stall before Cara was safely dressed, when an elegant man about his age strolled in.
The man’s dark eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Ciao! You caught me.”
“Is that your garlic?”
“Si. My uncle and Corinne will murder me if they catch me cooking. I don’t think either of them has ever used a kitchen. But my fiancée is hungry, and what can I say?” He gave a shrug. “Whatever my love wants, she gets.” He chuckled, and Wes smiled back. The man opened the refrigerator and pulled out a ceramic bowl covered with a dishcloth. He set it on the counter and pulled a pot from the decorative collection hanging above the island, filled it with water, and set it on the range.
“Your secret is safe with me.” Wes gestured at the cheese. “This was the best I could find. My…” He hesitated. The words ‘my girlfriend’ almost rolled off his tongue, catching him by surprise.
The man looked at him quizzically and added a hefty measure of salt to the water from a stone cannister next to the stove. “We just got in, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it until the cocktail hour. Corinne said nibbles, but I hope it’s going to involve some actual food.”
“I heard my uncle talking earlier. They will have plenty.” The man uncovered the bowl, revealing a tangle of fresh linguine. He winked at Wes. “I bribed my cook at home to send it with us. I had a feeling there wouldn’t be anything besides what the caterers brought in.”
“Smart man,” Wes said appreciatively. “Alessandro, is your uncle?”
“Yes, more like a father really. Mine died when I was young, and Zio Alex took me in, taught me the family business.” He rolled his eyes. “Delivers all the lectures you’d expect. Are you a friend of Corinne’s? Your accent is American?” His eyes lit up. “Are you one of the sons?”
Sons? It took Wes a second to realize he meant Cara’s half-brothers. “No, I’m here with her daughter Cara.”
