It was then that he really looked at her, taking in her spiky, short hairdo and those vivid blue eyes. He’d never seen eyes of that vibrant color. They were stunning, just like the rest of her.
She frowned at him. Oops. He’d missed something she’d said, but he refused to let on that he’d gotten utterly distracted.
“You want me to go with you?” he asked, hoping he was on the right track.
“Well, this is your home, is it not?”
He thought of his afternoon appointments. His calendar was full. Bu
t more importantly, he had that meeting with Giovanni Grosso. This was the man who held the keys to Ric’s company expanding into charitable work—a can’t-miss opportunity.
But then Ric’s gaze moved to the puppy. It needed help, and it did get hurt on his property.
With a resigned sigh, Ric nodded. “We better hurry.”
He would call his assistant on the way. Hopefully, his appointment with Mr. Grosso could be moved around. He knew the man was only in town for a short period.
The woman limped along beside him. He felt bad for her.
“Do you need some help?” When she sent him a puzzled look, he added, “You know, walking?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just sprained it. It’ll be better in no time.”
They rounded the house, and he came to a stop next to his car. He reached in the open window for his gym bag. He withdrew a muscle tee and pulled it on.
Ric turned back to the woman. “Do you want to lead? Or follow?”
“I... I don’t have a car.”
Interesting. But there was no time for questions—even if he had a lot of them. He opened the passenger door. “Hop in.”
She did so without argument.
Once they were on the road, he realized he had absolutely no idea what this woman’s name was. They’d been thrust into saving the puppy and had dispensed with the pleasantries. But if they were going to help the puppy—together—they should at least exchange names.
“We didn’t introduce ourselves,” he said. “My name’s Riccardo Moretti. You can call me Ric.”
“My name’s Gia.”
No last name. Interesting. He supposed he didn’t blame her for being a bit reserved. After all, she didn’t know him at all.
When he glanced her way, he found her head turned to the side as she stared out the window. So much for making small talk. Besides, he preferred the silence. He wasn’t one to get close to people. After his mother dumped him on his aunt and uncle at the age of seven, he’d learned not to trust people. And the fact his mother never told him who his father was only added to his distrust—distrust that morphed into anger. Not knowing how to deal with such strong emotions at such a young age, it came out at all the wrong times.
It wasn’t until he was older that a teacher took him under his wing. Mr. Rinaldi told him that he should take all the energy he put into being mad at everyone and use it to make a difference in the world. He had to admit that his fourteen-year-old mind didn’t think the man knew what he was talking about, but when he began applying himself to his classes, just to see if he could do it, he was quite surprised with how easy mathematics and computer sciences came to him. And soon he was at the top of his class—for the first time in his life. When he realized the only thing holding him back was himself, he excelled at most anything he tried.
Ric swore to himself that he was never going to need anyone again. He built his life so that he could be totally autonomous. He lived his life behind a computer screen. He ordered food, clothes and anything else without the need to interact with people. He would never be let down, used or hurt again.
Minutes later they arrived at a very busy veterinarian’s office. Thankfully, the staff took notice of the severity of the cut and rushed them back to an exam room.
While Gia was inside, seeing that the dog was properly taken care of, he moved outside. He phoned his assistant, trying to figure out how to reorganize his afternoon.
When Ric ended the call, he heard the office door behind him open. He turned to find Gia limping toward him with the puppy in her arms. It now had a red collar and a matching leash. “How’d it go?”
“They said the cut looked worse than it was. The vet put in stitches and gave me some medicine. And a cone. They also supplied me with a care package of food and toys to tide us over until we get to the pet store.” Gia lowered a big white bag from her shoulder and handed it to Ric. “Poor guy. We’re good to go.”
He was relieved to hear it was nothing more serious than stitches. “I’ll just go inside and pay.”
“I already took care of it.”