Making me wonder if there’s a time lag between positive thoughts in Italy before they reach the States.
“Oh, I think you’re right,” I murmur. My hand strays to my belly as I catch a glimpse of myself in the tall mirror on the opposite side of the room.
I turn to see Kyle in a big chair, he glances up from his phone like he can feel my eyes on him. A smile instantly on his lips when he catches me watching him.
“I just feel… like me for the first time in my life,” I confide in Mel, but change the topic, asking how her day is going. Listening eagerly to her voice, but feeling my eyes stray back to Kyle.
Wondering what he’s so absorbed in.
Hoping it’s not something that’ll take him away on business.
Knowing as soon as my eyes meet his that that’s not gonna happen.
“So… Did you finally meet Prince Charming?” Mel teases, giving me a mini-heart attack in the process.
It’s like she knows somehow already without me even having to tell her.
“Does it mean you’ll finally get your ass over here where you belong and keep me company?” she asks with a giggle. “My Italian is terrible ya know. I miss seeing you too,” she says in a sulking tone, making us both go quiet.
“I know,” I tell her. “And I miss you, Mel. But I don’t think my chances of going to Italy have changed since we spoke yesterday,” I go on, sounding like a broken record until I notice Kyle sitting up straighter.
His eyes bore into mine and I can literally see the wheels starting to turn in his head.
Uh-oh. So much for taking things slow. So much for the small town life.
Maybe Italy beckons after all.
A firm knock at the door startles me, and Kyle’s eyes dart toward the door of our suite. If we didn’t need that door I bet it would be in pieces from the look in his eyes.
“I gotta go, Mel,” I whisper, and quickly hang up, switching my phone to silent knowing she’ll be messaging me like crazy until I explain myself.
Without Kyle having to say a word, I dart for the bathroom, knowing he’d never let anyone see more than my bare ankles without breaking someone's nose.
There’s a long silence before I hear Kyle open the suite door, and apart from a complimentary robe, there’s nothing much more I can cover myself with.
My heart is pounding in my ears for some reason, my whole body on edge as I strain to listen.
A stranger’s voice is all apologies for disturbing Kyle, but the other voice that cuts in makes my blood freeze in my veins.
“I know you said to call, and we did—” The male voice grouses, but a familiar voice takes its place, making me wonder how much she knew right from the start.
“I knew I recognized you from somewhere. And there I was thinking it was that fella from TV. It was always about buying up Cherry though, wasn’t it?” My mom’s voice practically shrieks. Carrying through the bathroom door of the suite like it’s made of paper.
Biting into a part of me that I know should be worried or even frightened.
But that’s just old habits.
Things are different now. Way different now that I have Kyle, and instead of feeling worried or even scared.
I feel mad.
How dare she. How dare she burst in here like this.
My hand is on the latch of the door, ready to swing it open and give her a piece of my mind.
But something stops me.
It could be the confident tone of Kyle's voice, or it could just be my own common sense.
If she doesn’t know I’m here, she can’t give either of us a hard time about it.
Yet.
And as I listen, it’s clear she’s here to talk about Cherry, her job, and her home.
Not me.
Phew.
I think.
What shocks me most isn’t hearing my mom, knowing she’s tracked Kyle, and maybe me too, down to the inn.
It's how quickly I hear Kyle’s voice shift from scolding what must be one of his business associates to how calm and in control he is once my mom butts in.
I’m dying to swing the door open if only to hear better but I know to stay put.
At least until I learn just how much my mom’s aware of.
“It’s okay Rick. I should’ve called you back, and Adelle? I’m sorry if you felt I was deceiving you or anyone else, but I usually keep a low profile before things get official.” I hear him explaining.
“By the time it was decided to move ahead with the proposals for the town… Well, my right hand man here took it upon himself to come down and get started a little early.”
My mom is quiet but not for long, badgering Kyle with a dozen questions about everything from his plans to how they’ll affect her.