“I worked a lot this week. Had a date on Wednesday. Went out with some friends on Friday…it passed in a blur.”
He told me the truth so casually, and this transparency was nice. Maybe we really could be friends. “How’d the date go?”
“Well.” He drank from his glass and didn’t elaborate.
That told me he slept with her, but he was too much of a gentleman to actually say it. “Are you going to see her again?”
He shook his head. “No. I enjoyed her company, but we didn’t hit it off that well.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “They say there’s a lot of fish in the sea, but that doesn’t mean there’s plenty of fish that are right for you…” He swirled his wine and took another drink. “What about you?”
“What?” I asked blankly.
“Any dates?”
“Oh.” I laughed. “No. I’m not going to date for a long time. Our date was such a disaster… I’m so not ready. I promise you, I’m polite, interesting, and spontaneous. You just didn’t catch me at my best time.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I don’t think our date was that bad. You’re being a little hard on yourself.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“If I were, why would we be sitting together right now?”
I didn’t have a rebuttal to that. “Honestly, I have no idea why you want to see me again.”
“I like you,” he said. “You’re honest, interesting, gorgeous…what’s not to like? I’m not interested in seriously dating you when you’re hung up on some other guy, but eventually, you’re going to be over him. I’m basically holding my place in line until you’re ready.”
“That’s a long time to wait…”
“I’m still living my life and not making any sacrifices.” His implication was clear, that he was still having lots of sex with lots of women.
That was fine by me. I was touching myself and thinking about Bones every night.
“Well, I could use a friend right now. It’s been a rough month.” I finished my glass of wine then refilled it. “How are your restaurants doing?”
“Great. I usually stop by each one before noon and check on things. Then I go to the gym, the grocery store, etc.”
“I heard you opened all those businesses on your own.”
He nodded. “Didn’t take a cent from my father.”
“Any reason why?”
“Just wanted to prove I could be successful on my own. I think my father was offended in the beginning, but now I can tell he’s very proud. He tells people that every chance he gets, which is why you must know about it,” he said with a chuckle.
“My mom told me my father thinks very highly of you because of that.”
“That’s quite a compliment coming from a man like him. He has the most successful winery in all of Italy—and it’s only forty years old.”
“My father has always been a hard worker.”
“I see a lot of him in you.”
“Really?” I asked. “People say I’m a perfect blend of both my parents.”
“I mean in personality. You’re headstrong, disciplined, and hard-working. Barsetti qualities.”
I felt my cheeks redden. “Thanks…”
We had our dinner and talked about sports, the opera, and music. It started to feel like two friends just spending time together. He was a family friend, so being close to him wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
There didn’t seem to be any secrets between us anymore. “Sure.”
“You love this guy?” He asked it bluntly, his eyes watching mine with intense focus.
I didn’t squirm under the stare or consider what my answer would be. I went with the truth. “Yes.”
“He loves you?”
“Very much.” He was the first one to say it, but I think I was the first one to feel it.
“And you really can’t work it out?” he asked incredulously. “There’s something that strong keeping you apart?”
I wouldn’t tell Matteo the specifics because it was too risky. It would be devastating if he mentioned anything to my parents. “Unfortunately. There’s no way to compromise. There’s no way to overcome it…we just can’t be together.”
“That is unfortunate,” he said seriously. “Do your parents know about this?”
“My mom does a little. I’m sure she mentioned some of it to my father, but we’ve never had a real conversation about it. I’m not a private person and I’ve always been open with my parents, but I don’t want to waste their time and energy on a man who won’t be around for the long haul, so I’d appreciate it if you kept all of this to yourself.”
“Of course. I just feel bad for this man. He’s lucky enough to have your love, but he can’t really have you.”
I felt bad for both of us.
“I’ve never been in love, but if I were, I imagine I would do anything to be with her…and wouldn’t let anything stand in my way.”