She led him to the next doorway, peeked inside and turned around with a wide smile on her face. ‘Now, this one will be perfect.’
He glanced inside. It seemed exactly the same as the others. ‘What is it?’ he whispered. ‘What did I miss?’
She pointed with her finger. ‘That.’
He followed her finger to the hugely stacked sponge cake layered with strawberries and cream. ‘What is it?’
‘Strawberry cassata cake—ricotta, whipped cream, Chambord, sponge and strawberries. That’s what I’ve been searching for. What more could a girl possibly need?’
He laughed. ‘I could be quite insulted by that.’ He glanced back at the cake. ‘Instead, I think I’ll just order two.’
They sat at a table just across from the monuments and ordered the cake and two cappuccinos. One taste was enough. She was right. It was delicious.
‘How on earth did you find out about this?’ He was trying hard not to stare as she licked her fork.
‘They had it at a café in London. Addison told me when I got to Italy I had to try the real thing.’ She leaned back in her chair and looked first at the view and then at Reuben. She sighed. ‘I think I’m in heaven.’
There was something about the way she said it that made his heart swell. It was absurd. It didn’t matter that she’d been looking at him while she’d said it. He knew that she was talking about the whole experience. Was it wrong that he hoped she considered him part of it?
Four hours later, Lara was slumped against him as they walked slowly back to the bus. Today was officially the hottest day Italy had experienced in years. And every part of their bodies felt it. ‘I can’t believe my phone is full,’ she grumped, her hat crushed beneath her fingers. She’d given up wearing it on her head, claiming it made her sweaty, and had started using it as an impromptu fan instead. Both of them agreed it was entirely useless.
Reuben pulled his T-shirt away from his back for about the tenth time that afternoon. They’d walked around the cathedral, the Baptistery and climbed the two hundred and ninety-seven steps to the top floor of the Leaning Tower. Lara had almost wept when they’d reached the top as, although the cathedral and Baptistery had been cooler, outside on the tower the heat was scorching. Their tour guide’s joke about frying an egg on the pavement had been met with hard, exhausted stares.
‘When we get back I’m going for a sleep,’ Lara said, her head still resting on his shoulder.
‘Me too,’ he agreed. He could hardly believe he was used to working sixteen-hour days and yet a tour of Pisa had just about finished him. It didn’t matter that there was something oddly comforting about having Lara slumped against him. She just seemed to fit so well.
He closed his eyes and it seemed like only a few seconds later that the tour guide was brushing against his arm. ‘Wakey-wakey, everyone, we’re back at the ship.’
Reuben stretched his back and stood up, holding out his hand towards Lara. Maybe it was time to have a conversation about what happened when they got back? They’d danced around the subject a few times. But after today’s recognition about how he felt, maybe it was time to find out if his feelings were reciprocated. His stomach did a few flip-flops. The scary thing for him? Right now, he felt about as far away from his bad-boy reputation as humanly possible. There was a gorgeous woman only a few inches away who could potentially mash up his heart like modelling clay. Was he really brave enough to find out if she would?
He touched her shoulder and gave her a shake. ‘Come on, Sleeping Beauty. We need to decide if we want to go to the theatre after dinner or just go for a few drinks.’
Her eyelids flickered open, revealing her blue eyes—a perfect match to the Mediterranean. He leaned forward a little. ‘Maybe you should wear that blue dress tonight? It looked gorgeous and you haven’t had a chance to show it off.’
Something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. The two elderly ladies from the cruise ship—Doris and Daisy. Doris’s voice was getting louder and her actions more frantic as she tried to wake her counterpart. ‘Daisy? Daisy? What’s wrong? It’s time to wake up. We’re back at the ship now. Come on.’
Reuben didn’t hesitate. He took a few steps closer. He was no doctor—he’d had no medical training at all—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help. Daisy’s colour was terrible, she was ashen and slumped to one side.
He touched Doris’s arm. ‘Why don’t you go forward and speak to the coach driver?’ He could see the pink of Lara’s dress at his side. ‘Lara will go with you and get some help. Let me sit next to Daisy for a few minutes.’