The Italian Billionaire's New Year Bride

He smiled. “No. But we can take a bite of each. Can’t you remember as a kid always wanting to do something like that? Let’s relive a bit of our childhoods.”

It was the most relaxed she’d seen him. They sat back down at their table and the waitress brought over a large tray with every dessert on a separate plate and lots of cutlery. She topped up their drinks, cleared away their other plates, then left them to it.

Phoebe picked up her fork as Matteo raised his eyebrows. “How do you want to do this? A bite each?”

Phoebe put her fork against her lips. “That sounds fair. But who gets to go first?”

He smiled. “Well, that’s easy. My grandmother trained me well. Ladies first.”

Phoebe took a deep breath. The tension was finally starting to leave her muscles. She grinned and reached over, digging her fork into the carrot cake with frosting. It was delicious.

She took a sip of her coffee and sat back in the seat. Matteo grinned back and didn’t hesitate, heading straight for the cherry pie. “You thought I wasn’t really a pie kind of guy? Well, watch and learn. Apple, peach, plum, cherry, I’m not fussy. I’ll take them all.”

“Does anyone else get to try the cherry pie?” She snagged a little from the side. “Hmm. Lovely.”

She gave another smile. “So, I take it the sugar burst is helping with the tiredness?”

His eyes widened in surprise. He’d just gotten a forkful of chocolate cake. He stared at it for a second then nodded. “Actually it is. Do I really look that bad?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. Just tired. Were you working late? I imagine it’s hard coordinating things on different continents.”

He pressed his lips together for a second. “Sometimes.” He lowered his eyes as he ate the piece of chocolate cake.

Phoebe tried the strawberry shortcake. “Oh, wow, this is delicious. It’s my favorite.”

Matteo looked up. “Why don’t you just finish it? Go on.”

She shook her head and put her fork down. “No, honestly, I couldn’t. But—you were right—just being able to take a bite out of each is fabulous.” She put both hands on the table. “Thank you for this, Matteo. I’m so looking forward to getting this job started. The house is just wonderful. And I promise, once I’m sure about the fabrics, I’ll get the order for the drapes placed. The painters start tomorrow and I’ve already agreed on the colors for every room. The only other major thing I need to see about is replacing some of the carpets.” She was starting to babble again. She couldn’t help it. Interior design was the area she was comfortable with. She couldn’t wait to get started on the job.

But instead of being enthused by her response it was almost as if Matteo switched off. The warmth that had been in his eyes seemed to dissipate.

She kept talking. “Do you want to look at some more of my sketches? Is there anything you’d like to discuss about them? I am open to any changes.”

Matteo shook his head and held out his hand. “Give me your phone and I’ll put the alarm code in for you.”

She handed the phone over and he programmed it in a few seconds.

His phone buzzed and he stood up. “Like I said, I’m happy for you to carry on with the changes. You’ve told me about most of them, and I’ve seen some of the sketches. That’s enough. I don’t need to know the details. I’ll contact the bank and make sure your card is activated. You can let me know when you’re done. At that point, we can discuss the house in Rome.”

She could almost feel all the blood being sucked from her body. Rome. A few plane rides away. They hadn’t really mentioned it.

She’d had a chance. She’d had a chance to tell Matteo the truth about her life, and the fact a plane ride might not be so easy for her.

But when the chance had arisen, she just couldn’t find the words. Pathetic really.

It wasn’t as if it were a state secret. But saying the words herself was different.

And saying the words to a man she barely knew, who was confusing her in a dozen different ways, wasn’t exactly easy.

She took back her phone when he offered it and turned it over in her hand. It looked easy enough. She just had to bring up the barcode and show it to the reader on the alarm.

“This will be fine, thanks.”

Matteo nodded and picked up the check. The sparkle from his eyes had vanished. The façade was back in place. What was it with this man?

She watched as he settled the check and then headed to the door. He paused, as if his manners were telling him he should wait for her, but she shook her head. “Go ahead.” She glanced down at the table. “I’m going to pack some of these up. The tradesmen that are coming to do some of the jobs will be grateful.”