Miracle for the Girl Next Door / Mother of the Bride: Miracle for the Girl Next Door. Rebecca Winters
came as a shock to discover that when we was with Clara, the thought of chucking it all in and whizzing back to Monaco held less and less appeal. This had never happened to him before.
Valentino drove in the alley at the side of the restaurant and pulled up to the back door behind the Ferrari. He got out of the truck and undid the tailgate to carry the baskets of produce into the kitchen. When he unlocked the door, Giorgio smiled at him and came out to help him bring everything inside.
“The Ferrari is sweet,” he said in a low voice, kissing his fingers. “The paparazzi chased me everywhere.”
“Better your picture than mine showing up in the newspaper. Many thanks for the use of your truck, Giorgio.”
“My pleasure.”
“I wasn’t harassed once and would like to use it again sometime soon.”
“No problem at all. We can make a permanent trade any time you want,” he teased. “Look at the size of this!” He picked up one of the lemons. “The olives are big, too. Where did all this wonderful-looking fruit come from?”
“The Rossetti farm.”
“Ah. I’ve heard of it. Did you sign a contract with them?”
Valentino had a hunch the type Giorgio was talking about would have to be done over Silvio’s dead body. “That’s up to my father. Has he been downstairs tonight?”
“No. I haven’t seen him.”
“What about Isabella?”
“She’s out in front setting up for dinner.”
“Then I won’t disturb her. I’m going back to the villa. When you see her, tell her I’ll be over tomorrow.”
“Bene, Valentino.”
They traded keys before he left Rosa and rocked up the mountainside in the Ferrari full of his plans for tomorrow. Clara posed an intriguing challenge, but no one loved meeting one more than Valentino.
When Clara entered the kitchen, her mother had already started cooking breakfast. She looked over at her. “Up so soon? Do you feel sick?”
“No.” Just weak. She rubbed her palms against her hips in a nervous gesture.
“That’s good. Your papa will be happy to hear it. He worries on these days.”
“I know.”
“Sit down and I’ll serve you now.”
“Not today, Mamma.”
“But you have to eat!”
“I know. I’m having breakfast in town early.”
“Are you getting together with Gina?”
“No.” She hadn’t talked to her friend in several weeks. “Valentino asked me to meet him at Bonelli’s. He’s trying to help expand his father’s restaurant business.”
“Why would he want to do that? It’s been doing well, hasn’t it?”
“Between us, his father is in debt.” Her mother made a tsking sound in her throat. “We had dinner at a competitor’s yesterday. This morning we’re going to discuss what worked and what didn’t. If he can find a way to increase tourist traffic, it will be good for his family…and him.”
Clara had seen suffering in his eyes yesterday. She hadn’t realized he’d had serious problems with his father. Evidently the breach between them went back years. The pain in his voice had haunted her all night.
A worried look crossed over her mother’s expressive features. “Do you think it’s a good idea to get this involved with Valentino?”
“We’re old friends, Mamma.”
“That may be true for him because you’re the best friend any person could ever have and he knows it! But the difference is, you’ve loved him since the first time you met him at grade school.”
“Yes, I loved him and I always will. You’re confusing it with being in love.”
“That’s good you recognize the difference. You’re almost twenty-eight, too old to still be nursing a dream that could never become a reality.”
Clara lowered her head.
“Forgive me if that hurts you, but you see the news on television,” her mother continued talking. “Valentino’s been involved with that French actress lately. Last year it was a German model. Before that, an American Olympic skier.” With every word that poured forth, her mother drove the nail a little deeper. “How long is he going to be in town?”
“For the summer. His father’s not well.”
Her mother looked shaken by the news. “Even if he stays that long, which I doubt, his home and his business are in Monaco. Eventually he’ll have to go back. In the meantime you can be sure the women in his life have followed him here and won’t leave him alone. Don’t forget he can be with them whenever and wherever he chooses because he has the means.”
“I know.” I know.
Her mother sniffed. “If he’s sandwiching you in between them for a diversion, it’s only natural for him, but you’re a Rossetti and Rossettis aren’t content to be the crumbs off anyone else’s table!”
“I agree, Mamma.”
“That’s good because I don’t want my sweet bambina getting hurt in the process.”
“Silvio gave me the same lecture earlier.”
“Your brother feels more fiercely than the others because you grew up together. What affects you, affects him. That’s how it is with twins.”
Clara knew that, too. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She took a ragged breath. “When I’m with him, he treats me like we were young again, you know?” She didn’t dare say she felt like an invalid around the family or it would hurt her mother. “You think I should just tell Valentino it’s time for us to let the friendship go?”
“It’s not what I think—it’s what you feel that matters!” She threw her hands in the air. “I’m just afraid you’re too vulnerable right now. He wasn’t voted the world’s most irresistible playboy for nothing!”
She blinked. “How did you know that?”
“I happened to see it in a magazine Bianca was reading. I’m afraid your sister used to have a terrible crush on him. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? If my words sound cruel, I’m sorry because you know I love you to death.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered in turmoil.
“I would never say such a thing in front of the men in our family, but I say it to you. And now that I have, it is your decision what happens from here on out.”
Her mother’s words stayed with her while she washed the tears from her face. “I’ll see you later today, Mamma.” On the way out the door she grabbed an apple from the bowl to eat on the bus.
By the time she joined Valentino a half-hour later, she’d made up her mind to enjoy this morning’s get-together. Maybe by the end of this day she would have gained some wisdom and would know how to tell him she couldn’t see him anymore.
The problem was, he was sensitive deep down; Clara knew that and she would never want to hurt his feelings. No one would believe an insecure man lived beneath his famous persona. It stemmed from the troubled relationship with his father. He’d let her see inside him just enough for her to feel a little of his torment.
Oh, Tino.
Valentino stood at the bus stop waiting for Clara. Through his sunglasses he watched the activity in the piazza. So far his navy headscarf and striped sailor shirt with the long sleeves had