Hired:The Italian's Bride

Her voice was soft. “And I lost my temper before and owe you an apology.”

“Accepted.”

They couldn’t go on being at each other’s throats all the time. It wouldn’t be good for the hotel, or the staff, or for either of them. And the first step was for him to offer her an olive branch. “It’s a beautiful day outside and from what I hear, one of the last. Let me treat you to lunch. Now that we’ve cleared the air.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He began to hold out his hand, but pulled it back. He normally would have taken her fingers in his, but he remembered her aversion to touching.

“I’m offering a truce, Mari. I would like us to be friends. I’d like for you to be comfortable enough with me that you can feel free to offer an opinion. You know this area. You know the staff far better than I. You are a great asset to the Cascade, Mari, and it won’t be good for either of us if we cannot find a way to work together. We can’t have more arguments like we did today. It’s counterproductive.”

“Luca, I appreciate the gesture, but I have a list of phone calls to make, not to mention the actual running of the hotel. We’re shuffling so many things around I’m having to adjust everywhere…”

“You need to take a break and come back refreshed. A little relaxation now means higher productivity later. Besides, I’m hungry. You have to eat. I insist.”

For someone who didn’t like orders, she seemed to understand them well enough. He saw her capitulate as her shoulders slumped slightly.

“Oh, all right.”

He smiled, his mind already working. She was still uptight—they both were. This wasn’t finished. The best plan was to get away from the hotel altogether, somewhere they could meet on middle ground. He wanted her to look at him without the guard she put up all the time.

He wanted her to trust him.

“Meet me in the courtyard. And bring a sweater.”

“The courtyard?”

He went to her, reaching around and opening the door. “Fifteen minutes, si?”

She stepped outside into the courtyard, her boots making dull sounds on the cobbled walk. He was standing by a bench to the right, by the remains of the rose garden. Now that most of her anger had dissipated, she felt that unfamiliar crawl again. No matter how hard she tried, he pushed her buttons. Either one extreme or the other. And she didn’t know which was more difficult—fighting with him or fighting the attraction that seemed to be budding. He’d been completely right this morning, and then had offered an apology. To her recollection, no man had ever apologized to her before. Damn it, she was starting to like him.

He was talking to another couple—Mari recognized them as the Townsends, the anniversary couple—and it took a lot of effort not to turn around and go back inside. The morning, combined with their argument and then apology had left her exhausted and off balance. She wasn’t sure what to say.

He’d apologized for arguing with her. He wanted to establish a better working relationship. And she knew by Christmas he’d be gone back to Italy and everything would go back to normal. It was only for the short-term. It all should have made her feel much better. But it didn’t.

She approached with a smile. “Good afternoon.”

“Ah, Ms. Ross. You’ve met Mr. and Mrs. Townsend?”

She appreciated Luca using her surname. She held out her hand. “It’s nice to see you again. Are you enjoying your stay with us?”

Mrs. Townsend beamed. “We are. It’s just beautiful here. And that dinner the other night…what a lovely way to celebrate our anniversary. Thank you so much.”

Mari smiled. “You are very welcome. Such a milestone deserves special treatment.”

“Indeed it does,” Luca remarked.

Mr. Townsend noticed the picnic basket. “We’re keeping you.”

Luca smiled back. “Not at all. We’re just testing out a new program we may implement, and the day was too beautiful to waste.”

Mr. Townsend lifted a hand in farewell. “Enjoy then. And thank you for a memorable week.”

“Congratulations,” Luca and Mari said together, then looked at each other and smiled. As the Townsends walked off, Mari lowered her gaze as she felt her cheeks bloom.

“Thank you for coming.”

“When the boss gives an order…” She chanced a look up. Their brief encounter with the Townsends only served to remind her of how personable he was. He remembered details, and knew how to put people at ease. She admired that; it was a quality she’d never mastered. She tried hard to ignore the older couple’s smiles as they’d seen Luca holding the picnic basket. A warmth spread through her at the thought of them paired together.