Marianna turned to Kayla. “Will you stay, too?”
“Yes, Kayla,” Nico chimed in. “Will you help my brother? I get the feeling that he won’t be able to do it without you.”
Kayla’s eyes flashed with surprise. “I don’t know that I need to stay in Italy to do it.”
“It’d be most convenient,” Marianna pointed out. “I’m sure Angelo will need your input. After all, we’re talking about a wedding. And my brothers, well, they aren
’t exactly romantic.”
“Hey!” Nico and Angelo protested in unison.
Both women burst out in laughter. Angelo supposed the dig was worth it as his sister’s face broke into a smile. And when he turned to Kayla, the happiness reflected in her eyes warmed a spot in his chest. She was a very beautiful woman. Why, oh, why did it have to be now when they were practically attached at the hip that he truly realized his attraction to her?
When she caught him staring, the breath hitched in his throat. He should glance away, but he couldn’t. He was in awe of her. Was it being away from the office that had him more relaxed about the proper conduct between employer and employee? Nonsense. He knew what he was doing. He could keep this together.
He gazed directly at the woman who took up more and more of his thoughts. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Will you remain in Italy and lend a hand?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THIS WAS A very bad idea.
But it was so tempting. How could she let such a rare opportunity pass her by?
Kayla worried her bottom lip. Though she wouldn’t be working directly on the royal wedding, she’d be close at hand. Perhaps she could add an idea here and there. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to actually work on the project itself. Yet, she understood with the magnitude of a royal wedding that only the best of the best would work on the project, and that meant Angelo.
But she was needed back in New York. The ICL fund-raiser was quickly approaching, and seeing as it was her idea—it was her responsibility to make sure it went off without a hitch. However, she had put Pam, an associate at the after-school program, in charge while she was gone. And how much could possibly go wrong in three weeks?
“Please say you’ll stay.” Marianna looked so hopeful. “I could use someone on my side against my brothers, who think they know everything.”
That sold her. Marianna could definitely use some help keeping her brothers in line while she figured out her next move. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
Everyone smiled except Angelo.
Aside from the fund-raiser, there was nothing waiting for her back in New York, not even a goldfish. When she wasn’t at the office, she was at the after-school program helping kids with their homework followed by a game of dodgeball or basketball or volleyball. She wasn’t very good at any of the games, but she gave it her best effort.
For the moment, she was giving herself permission to enjoy Italy before she set to work. And this was the perfect place to start. She’d love to see more of the vineyard, and it’d give Angelo some private time with his siblings.
“Would you mind if I had a look around the vineyard?” Kayla’s gaze met Nico’s.
“My apologies. I should have offered to give you a tour earlier. I’ve had other thoughts on my mind—” his gaze strayed to his sister and then back to her “—with uh...the royal wedding.”
“That’s okay. I totally understand.” Kayla got to her feet. “I’ve never been to a vineyard before. I’ll just show myself around.”
“Nonsense. Angelo can give you the grand tour while I make some phone calls and spread the good news. And make sure he shows you the chapel.” Nico turned a smile to Angelo. “You can handle that, can’t you, brother?”
Angelo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Kayla took that as progress between the brothers. Not wanting to give Angelo time to change his mind, she set off for the vines, hoping Angelo would follow.
He did, and he proved to be quite an insightful guide. He explained to her the difference between a larger vineyard and this boutique vineyard. While Nico produced fewer barrels of wine—less than five thousand cases a year—it was carefully processed to the highest quality with the least amount of oxidation.
As much as the history and current production of wine interested her, it was the bell tower in the distance that drew her attention. She headed for the weathered building that sat on the other side of the wall that lined the edge of the vineyard. “Is this the chapel your brother mentioned?”
“Yes. Nico and I explored it as kids. We considered it our castle. I was the king and Nico was the daring knight fighting off dragons.” Angelo smiled at the long-forgotten memory.
“You and your brother must have had a lot of fun.”
“Now that I think about it, we did have some good times.”
She smiled. “This looks like a great place for an adventure. Can we go inside the chapel?”