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He’d missed this.
Angelo maneuvered the low-slung sports car over the windy roads of the Tuscany hillside toward his home in Monte Calanetti. He was grateful to be behind the wheel. It helped to center his thoughts. On the plane, he’d noticed his assistant in the most unexpected way. With her peaches-and-cream complexion, he’d been tempted to reach out and caress her smooth skin. But it was her green, almost-jade eyes that sparkled and hinted at so much more depth to the woman than he already knew—or would expect to know. The last thing he needed to do was get distracted by his assistant.
Actually, now that he’d noticed her—really noticed her—it was getting harder and harder to keep his mind on business around her. Perhaps bringing her on this trip wasn’t his best decision, after all, but it was a necessity. He needed her help. He assured himself that, in the end, it would all work out as long as he stayed focused on the business at hand.
Thankfully, Kayla was just temporary help until his assistant returned from maternity leave. Then life would get back to normal. As far as he was concerned, that wouldn’t be soon enough.
“This is wonderful.”
The sound of Kayla’s excited voice drew him out of his thoughts. He took his eyes off the roadway for just a moment to investigate what she found so fascinating, but he only saw vegetation. “Sorry. I missed it.”
“No, you didn’t. It’s this. The long grass and the trees lining the roadway. It’s beautiful.”
What? The woman had never been outside of the city? He supposed that was possible. He honestly didn’t know much about her other than her excellent work ethic. That, in and of itself, would normally be enough for him, but since they were traveling together, what would it hurt to know a little more?
“Is this your first time outside New York City?”
“I’m not a native New Yorker.”
They had something else in common. Still, after all of those years living in New York, it was home to him now. He thrived on the constant energy that flowed through the city. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “Where does your family live?”
He could feel her curious gaze on him, but he didn’t turn to her. “They live in a small town in Pennsylvania.”
“So you really didn’t move all that far from home.”
“That’s not what my parents think.”
He glanced at her and saw she’d pressed her lips together in a firm line. Something told him that she hadn’t meant to share that bit of information. But why? What else was she holding back?
“Your parents aren’t crazy about the big-city life?”
There was a moment of hesitation as though she were trying to figure out how to answer him. “It’s not New York so much as the fact that I’m not in Paradise anymore. They had my whole life planned out for me, but I rejected it.”
“You must have had one of those chopper mothers I’ve heard about.”
Kayla laughed. The sound was melodious and endearing. In that moment, he realized that he’d never heard her laugh before. He really liked it and hoped she’d do it more often, but for the life of him, he had no idea what he’d said to cause such a reaction.
“Do you mean a helicopter mom?”
He shrugged. “I guess. I knew it was something like that.”
“My mom wasn’t too bad. I know friends that had mothers who were much more controlling. But my mom is pretty good.”
Wait. Something wasn’t adding up. He pulled to a stop at an intersection. If he went straight ahead, it’d lead them up the hill to the village. But if he veered to the right, it’d take them to Nico’s boutique vineyard—their childhood home.
Checking the rearview mirror and finding no traffic behind them, he paused and turned to her. “So if your mother is so great, why did you flee to the big city?”
Kayla shifted in her seat as though she were uncomfortable—or was it that he was digging too deep into personal territory? He knew what that was like—wanting to keep a firm lid on the past. But he couldn’t help himself. There was just something about Kayla that intrigued him—and it went much deeper than her beauty. He was genuinely interested in her as a person.
Her voice was soft when she spoke, and he strained to hear. “I didn’t live up to my parents’ expectations.”
That was so hard to believe. He was a very particular employer, and Kayla lived up to and in some areas exceeded his expectations. “Do they know what a wonderful job you’ve done at Amatucci & Associates?”
Her gaze widened. “You really think so?”
Angelo didn’t realize he’d kept his approval of her work under wraps. Then again, he wasn’t the sort of man to go on about someone’s performance. Yet, in this moment, something told him that Kayla really needed to hear his evaluation of her performance.
“I think you’ve done an excellent job—”
“You do?” She smiled brightly and practically bounced in her seat before clasping her hands together.
“I do—”
A horn beeped behind them.
The interruption was a welcome one. This conversation was getting a little too emotional for his comfort. He thought for a moment that in her glee she might throw her arms around him. He didn’t do hugs—no way—and certainly not with an employee. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let the lines between them blur.
Angelo eased the car forward, focusing once again on the road and his destination. He urged himself to ignore the funny feeling Kayla’s obvious excitement had given him. He trained his thoughts on the scene he’d be walking into at the vineyard. His fingers tightened on the black leather steering wheel.
On second thought, maybe he should have dropped Kayla off at the hotel before venturing out here. But he hadn’t exactly been thinking straight—not since Nico had dropped the bombshell that their little sister was about to have a baby. Angelo was about to become an uncle. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He’d worked so hard to distance himself from his family—from his emotionally charged parents and their chaotic marriage. But now that they’d moved, what excuse did he have to stay away from his birthplace—the home of his brother and sister?
“Is this the way to the village?” Kayla sat up a little straighter.
“No, this is the way to my brother’s vineyard.”
“Oh, how exciting. I’ve never visited a vineyard. I can’t wait to see it. I bet it’s beautiful like those magazine photos. Will we be staying there?”
“No.” Angelo’s tone was brusquer than he’d intended, but her endless chatter combined with his pending reunion had him on edge.
He chanced a glance her way and found her eyes had widened in surprise. He couldn’t blame her, but how did he explain his family dynamics to her? Then again, why did he feel a need to explain his family at all?
“It’ll be best if we stay at a hotel in the village. I’m not sure if the internet at the vineyard has been updated.” There, that sounded like a valid reason for them to have some space between him and his siblings.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that. I know the Van Holsen account needs to be updated as soon as possible. I already contacted the art department and let them know that a whole new strategy will be coming their way.”
“Good. I want everything to move ahead without delay.”
Whether he liked it or not, he’d been right to bring Kayla along on this trip. She was efficient and quite good at her job. Now, if only he could be just as professional and keep his mind from meandering into dangerous territory. However, the more time he spent around her, the more he found himself being anything but professional.
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_3bf54f9c-6198-5944-9fb3-64d25453b9e6)
THE CAR TURNED to the right and lurched forward. Kayla grabbed for the door handle. She had no idea that the vineyard would be so far out in the country, but then again, this was her first trip to Italy. In fact, other than one business trip to Canada, this was her first expedition out of the country.
“Welcome to Calanetti Vineyard.”
Kayla glanced around, taking in the neat lines of grapevines. “Does all of this belong to your brother?”
“No. His vineyard is just a small portion of this land, but he produces some of the highest quality wine in the country.”
“And you grew up here?”
“I did.” Angelo pulled the car to a stop in front of a two-story villa. The home featured earth tones that blended in well with the land. “My brother will be expecting us. I phoned him from the airport.”
As if on cue, the front door of the villa swung open and a man stepped out. Kayla did a double take—it was like looking at a slightly younger version of Angelo. The man approached the car wearing an easy smile. His eyes were dark brown like his brother’s, but there was an easiness in them. They were quite unlike Angelo’s dark and mysterious eyes.
When Nico opened the car door for her and held out his hand, she accepted his offer. Then she noticed the biggest difference of all. Instead of her stomach quivering with nervous energy in response to Nico’s touch, she had no reaction at all. What did that mean? How could two men who looked so much alike have her reacting in such opposite ways?
It had to be that Angelo was her boss. That must be it. There was simply no other reasonable explanation for the electric charge that Angelo gave her every time she felt his gaze on her or when their fingers brushed as they passed papers back and forth.
“Benvenuta.” Nico’s voice carried a thick, warm Italian accent. When she sent him a puzzled look, he smiled. “Scusi. Welcome.”
She smiled back, immediately liking Angelo’s brother. “I’m so glad to be here.”
“My brother doesn’t bring many visitors home. In fact, you are the first. You must be special—”
“Nico, this is my assistant.” Angelo frowned at his sibling.
Nico’s dark brows rose and then a knowing smile pulled at his lips. “I hope my brother doesn’t work you too hard while you’re in Italy. There’s so much to see. I’d love to give you a tour of the vineyard—”
“She doesn’t have time for that stuff. She’s here to work.” Any hint of the easiness Angelo had displayed in the car was gone—hidden behind an impenetrable wall. “Now where is Marianna?”
“I don’t know.”
“What? Didn’t you tell her that I was on my way?”
“I did.” Nico folded his arms over his broad chest and lifted his chin. “I think that’s the reason she left so early this morning without even bothering to grab a bite to eat. I haven’t seen her since, but then again, I haven’t looked for her, either.”
“You let her walk away—?”
“What did you want me to do? Lock her in her room?”
“Maybe if you’d have done that a while ago, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Nico’s arms lowered and his shoulders straightened. “You’re blaming me for this?”
Angelo’s body visibly tensed. “Yes...no. If only I’d have known something was wrong, I could have...”
“Could have what?”
Kayla’s gaze darted between the two men who glared at each other. It was time to do something and fast. “This certainly is a beautiful place you have here.” She acted as though she were totally oblivious to the torrent of undercurrents. “Angelo told me you produce some of the finest wine in Italy.”
At last, the brothers quit glaring at each other. Nico turned to her. “My brother got that much right. I’d be happy if you’d sample some while you’re here.”
“I’d be honored.”
This palpable tension certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting for a family reunion, but then again, after overhearing the heated conversation when Nico had phoned the office, she shouldn’t be too surprised. She turned her attention to her always-in-control boss, who looked as though he was about to lose his cool edge and have a meltdown. Intriguing. There was definitely a lot more to him than what she’d witnessed so far.
“I should have come back before now.” There was a weary, pained toned to Angelo’s voice. “I let the past keep me away.”
Nico turned back to his sibling. “What happened to you was a long time ago. It wasn’t right, but a lot has changed since then. You no longer have an excuse to stay away.”
“But I still have a company to run. I don’t have time to drop everything and travel halfway around the globe to check up on things. As far as I knew, everything was all right.”
“Maybe if you didn’t work all the time and bothered to call occasionally, you’d know how things were going around here.”
Questions crowded into Kayla’s mind—questions that were absolutely none of her business. But that didn’t stop her from wondering what had happened to drive Angelo away from his family. He obviously loved them or he wouldn’t have let his cool composure slide. And what caused him to keep his emotions under lock and key in the first place?
Angelo raked his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I should have called more.”
“Yes, you should have.”
The thud of a door slamming shut punctuated Nico’s words. Kayla hesitantly glanced off in the distance as a young woman marched toward them. Her brown hair was wild and curly as it fluttered in the breeze. Her lips pressed into a firm line and her eyes narrowed in on the two men. This must be Marianna.
“Enough!” The woman came to a stop between Angelo and Nico. “You two are being ridiculous. Anytime you both want to quit with the overprotective-brother routine, we can talk.”
Though she was at least a foot shorter than her brothers, Marianna certainly didn’t hesitate to step between them. Something told Kayla that little sister wasn’t a shrinking violet with these two as her brothers. She’d definitely have to be strong-willed. Silently Kayla cheered her on.
Angelo’s broad chest puffed up before he sighed. When he spoke, his voice was much gentler. “Marianna, if only I’d known—”
“Stop.” The young woman pressed her hands to her hips and pulled back her slender shoulders. “Neither of you are to blame for my choices.”
Angelo’s brows drew together in a formidable line. “But—”
“I’m not done.” Her shoulders remained ramrod straight. “I’m a grown woman, if you hadn’t noticed. But then again, you’ve been off in the States and missed the fact that I’ve grown up. Maybe if you’d spent more time here, you’d have realized this.”
Kayla’s heart went out to Angelo. He’d obviously made mistakes where his family was concerned, and they weren’t shy about calling him out on it. In his eyes, she could see pain and regret. Beneath his hard, protective shell lurked a vulnerable man.
Angelo’s stance eased and his head lowered. “I know I should have been here for you—”
“No. This isn’t what I want.” Marianna shook her head, sending her hair flying. “I don’t need you feeling guilty. I need you to understand that I can make my own decisions.”
“See, I told you,” Nico piped in. “Trying to deal with her isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
Angelo turned to his brother. “Maybe if you’d have told me sooner—”
Nico’s dark brows drew together in a formidable line. “Told you—I tried calling you but I always got your voice mail. And you didn’t call back.”
“I...I was getting around to it.”
Nico shook his head in disbelief. “I’m glad to know where I fit on your list of priorities.”
“You don’t understand.” Angelo rubbed the back of his neck. “You don’t know what it’s like to have a lot of people relying on you to produce cutting-edge promotions and other people looking to you for a paycheck. It’s not as easy as it sounds to run a successful company.”
Nico expelled a disgusted sigh. “And you think turning this place into a renowned boutique vineyard has been easy? Yet I still found time to call you.”
“Your message never said it was important.”
“Stop!” Marianna pushed Angelo back. “You aren’t helping anything by coming here and fighting with Nico.”
