The Accidental Engagement, page 14
She had a point there. He was having a hard time imagining his grandfather giving in. Maybe he was getting softer in his old age.
“Unless Brunelli’s lying,” he said. “Angela never mentioned anything about grandfather wanting to see me. Maybe that’s just another part of Brunelli’s lies.”
Ivy’s voice was quiet. “You won’t always have this opportunity. Do you really want to live with the regret of knowing you could have given him peace but didn’t because you were too stubborn?”
Her words hit home. Maybe he’d inherited something from his mother’s side after all—their stubbornness. He sighed and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I know I’m right.” He laughed at her smug look. “I may not be winning any daughter of the year contests at the moment, you know with my big fat lies and all—but I do know this—where there is love there is forgiveness. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Her gaze was filled with such guilelessness. She was such an innocent in so many ways. She actually did believe that love conquered all. And the way she was looking at him at that moment….
Oh no. Oh hell. Oh hell no.
He dropped the arm that was around her and tried to inch away a bit. What had he done? This was supposed to be a fun little tryst. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him. He’d known she was going to get hurt but he never intended to break an innocent girl’s heart. He had to put an end to this.
They heard voices coming from further down the path and he stood, tugging her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get out of here before anyone sees us together.”
* * * *
Ivy overslept. By the time she wandered into the kitchen the next morning, she learned that everyone else had already eaten and were going about their day. Since she had nothing to do while the others worked, she took her coffee out to the veranda to enjoy the peace and quiet. She breathed in the fresh, fragrant air. She would miss this when she was back in her noisy Brooklyn studio.
She was pondering the feasibility of creating a “Tuscany Hills” air freshener when Brunelli came out to join her. “Ah, you’ve found my favorite spot, I see.” He pulled up a cushioned chair beside her and together they looked out over the land.
“Where’s your husband-to-be this morning?”
She glanced over in surprise. “I thought he was with you at the office.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t go into work this morning. I took Daniel over to see his family.”
She couldn’t hide her shock. “He decided to go?”
Brunelli smiled. “He did. He finally came to his senses. I think I have you to thank for that.” She felt her cheeks flush with pleasure and turned her face away. She didn’t know what Daniel had told him about their conversation and didn’t want to give herself away.
“How did it go? With his family, I mean.”
Brunelli grinned from ear to ear. “It couldn’t have gone better. He was welcomed into the fold like the prodigal son that he is.”
Ivy was smiling now, too, unable to hide her excitement. “And his grandfather?”
“Old Maurice burst into tears at the sight of him and embraced him.” He shook his head, his own eyes glistening at the memory. “Italian men, especially in Daniel’s family, they can be so stubborn, so thick-headed. They’d cut off their nose to spite their face, that’s the saying, yes?”
Ivy nodded and laughed. “That’s the saying.”
“I should know,” he added. “I am just as stubborn. That’s how Maurice and I came to be friends, you know. After he lost Daniel…after he pushed him away…he and I became close. He knew I could understand because I too made mistakes with my family. I let pride get in the way…” his voice trailed off and the sad expression on his face made him seem older than his age. “I lost my chance to make things right but Maurice….it wasn’t too late for him.” He heaved a sigh and added, “Sometimes it takes an old meddling fool like me to help them see what’s right in front of their faces.”
Ivy looked at him with narrowed eyes. The crafty old devil had been playing them all along. “That was awfully tricky of you, using the merger to get Daniel out here.”
Brunelli took a sip of his coffee and stared straight ahead, a little grin the only acknowledgement of his deception.
Ivy laughed and leaned back in her seat. “And here I thought you wanted us out here to make sure Jack and I are really in love.” She surprised herself when the words slipped out of her mouth but Brunelli threw his head back and laughed.
“That’s what I like about you, Ivy. You’re so honest.”
Guilt stabbed her like a knife. She had been lying to this man since the moment they’d first met, not to mention everyone she loved.
“And you’re right. That was part of the reason I wanted you all out here,” he admitted.
And? She wanted to say. Are you convinced? Can we finally end this silly game?
She held her tongue and sipped her coffee instead.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” At her questioning look, he explained. “Doesn’t it bother you that he is using you and your love for a business deal?”
He was talking about Jack, of course, but Ivy found herself asking the same question about Daniel. Nerves made her stomach churn. How far would he go? How far would he push her to make this deal happen? She tilted her head to the side and tried to be as honest as possible. “Not really. This deal means a lot to him. And to Daniel, too. I’ll do whatever I can to help make it a reality.”
She’d answered truthfully but knew she was lying by omission by leaving out some key facts. For example, the fact that coming here meant she was going to be financially stable and able to save her parents’ house didn’t hurt either.
He seemed to be studying her and she tried her best not to give anything away. Suddenly she wished she’d taken those acting lessons her sister had always wanted.
“You are more understanding than most. But I appreciate you accommodating an old man.”
Ivy raised a brow. “This whole thing…it’s a bit old-fashioned, don’t you think?”
He laughed again. “You say ‘old-fashioned’, I say ‘wise.’ I put a lot of faith in family values.” He gestured around him. “The love that comes with family, that is everything. I’ve been approached by countless corporations and conglomerations, all trying to make a deal with me. They’ve all offered plenty of money and resources but they all lacked one thing.” He tapped a hand against his heart. “They didn’t have soul. They didn’t have true passion for their projects or for their employees.”
“And you think the only way someone can have this…passion, is to be in love?”
His smile was warm and kind and she was reminded that this was a man who’d raised a brood of children and even more grandchildren. “The kind of love I’m talking about means placing people above profit. It means loving someone else more than yourself. It’s not necessarily a love between two married people. However I do believe that the sort of love I’m talking about cannot be understood until it is experienced.” His next words surprised her. “Daniel, now there is a man who is capable of great love.”
Ivy shot the older man a sidelong look. “And Jack?”
He took another sip. “I have watched Jack at work—it is clear that he has passion for his work.” She noted his vague answer; he was still not convinced that Jack was in love with her. What on earth would it take with this man?
* * * *
Daniel sipped his coffee on the back porch of a house he used to call home. His reunion with his family had gone remarkably well but it had been emotionally exhausting. He couldn’t believe the change in his grandfather. He was an old man now. He had known that before he arrived, obviously, but seeing the frail man with his own eyes had still been disconcerting. And it wasn’t only his appearance that had changed. The once rigid and stubborn man had actually apologized to Daniel for the things he’d said all those years ago. He still couldn’t believe it.
Angela came out to join him, plopping down with a sigh of exhaustion. “The kids are finally asleep.”
“Good, then you can join me for a nightcap.”
She nodded to the coffee in his hand. “I’m surprised you didn’t opt for something stronger after the day you’ve had.”
Daniel laughed. She had a point. After the initial emotional reunion with his grandfather, he had been enveloped into the animated and loud family reunion. He’d seen relatives he’d spent countless hours with and met many new additions to the family. It seemed all of his cousins had settled down and were now the proud parents of a small army of children.
“So, who was that woman you were with at the festival?”
Uh oh. Here it comes. He hadn’t missed the looks his family had exchanged when they discovered that he was single and childless—a fate worse than death in this family.
There it was again. The image he’d had the other day of Ivy round with child. Ivy walking down the aisle. Ivy growing old at his side.
Snap out of it, Danny boy. She deserves better.
“She’s nobody, just someone I work with.” He hadn’t meant to sound so defensive. He offered a small smile. “No setups, I’m begging you. Take my word for it when I tell you I am not marriage material.”
Angela feigned innocence. “Who said anything about marriage?” She caught his eye and they both burst out laughing. “Okay, okay. Maria, Juliette, and I may have come up with a few available women we’d like you to meet—I’m serious, stop laughing.”
Daniel shook his head. “You guys are too much. I’ve only been here a few hours and already you’re trying to boss me around. Just like old times.”
Angela pretended to be hurt. “Are you calling me bossy?”
Daniel looked at her in disbelief.
“Okay, fine. Maybe I’m a little bossy. You would be too if you were the oldest of five.”
“Touché.”
They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, enjoying the fresh night air before Angela picked up where she’d left off. “So, seriously. What’s the deal with you and that woman?”
Daniel sighed and put down his coffee cup. She wouldn’t stop until he spilled. “It’s complicated. I’d rather not talk about it.”
Angela made a snorting noise and waved away his protest. “That excuse might work on your employees but it won’t work with your family.”
When he still didn’t speak, she kept pestering. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“No,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
Her eyes searched his face. “Does she know that she’s not your girlfriend?”
Guilt swirled in his stomach. Guilt and something else he couldn’t name. Disappointment maybe. Or regret. He didn’t want to be having this conversation. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m a woman,” she said as though that answered everything. She rolled her eyes at Daniel’s blank look. “I can tell when another woman is in love.”
Love. The word hit Daniel like a punch in the gut. He’d suspected it from the way she looked at him, the way her eyes lit up when he entered a room. But he had hoped he was wrong. Hoped maybe she was harboring a schoolgirl’s crush.
How had he gotten himself into this? She was everything he’d always avoided in women. And now he’d gone and done the unthinkable. He was going to break an innocent woman’s heart. Despite all of his precautions, he was still no better than his father after all.
Angela had been watching him and her voice lost all of its mockery and flippancy. She talked to him like she did one of her children, like a patient mother. “You care about her too,” she said.
He didn’t respond because he didn’t have to. It wasn’t a question and there was no point denying it. Yes, he cared. Of course he cared. And that was why he had to keep his distance.
Too little too late. Where had that resolve been a week ago? It was too late to undo what he’d already done, but from here on out he would create distance. He would back away and when the time was right, he would end it for good. A clean break. She was young and beautiful. She’d find someone else, someone who could help her to move on.
He slammed his coffee cup down with such force the table shook and Angela sat up with a start. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Talk to me, Danny. If you care about her and she’s clearly smitten with you—what’s the hold up?”
He stared at her in disbelief. He’d thought Angela would understand. She’d been there for every missed birthday, every heartbreaking disappointment. She’d watched by his side as his mother hid her tears every time. “You of all people should know what would happen to this girl if we actually stayed together.”
He sighed in exasperation at her confused look. “You saw what life was like for my mother. And for me. I couldn’t put any woman through that, especially not Ivy.”
Her eyes widened in understanding. “You don’t really believe that’s true? You’re nothing at all like your father.”
Daniel squashed a wave of anger. “I’m exactly like him. I made my decision to follow in his footsteps a long time ago and I haven’t looked back.”
Angela pursed her lips. It was clear she wanted to debate the issue further but was holding herself back.
“Trust me, Angela. If you knew Ivy, you wouldn’t wish that for her either.”
“Have you asked her what she wants in all of this? Because it sounds like you’ve made up your mind for both of you.”
“She’s young and naïve. She’ll thank me for it one day.” One day when she was happily married to some other man. There was a loud cracking sound when he accidentally snapped off the handle of his mug. “Stupid piece of….”
He looked up to see Angela smothering a laugh at his expense.
* * * *
Ivy was dying for a moment alone with Daniel. He hadn’t returned to the villa for dinner and she hadn’t seen him before everyone retired to their bedrooms. She was hoping he’d slip into her room if he got in late, but she had no late night visits either. The next morning she sought him out so she could hear every detail of the reunion. Maybe he’d thought to take pictures. Probably not.
Daniel finally made an appearance during breakfast. She tried to catch his eye when the others were talking but he looked distracted. Maybe the reunion hadn’t gone as well as Brunelli thought or maybe they’d gotten into a huge fight after he left. Ivy played with the pastry on her plate and silently urged everyone to leave them alone. Just for two minutes, she begged telepathically. But no such luck. She was forced to smile and play lovebirds with Jack until he left for the office with Brunelli’s son and then Daniel and Brunelli went off to discuss business.
She was in the living room, watching some of the younger children play when Brunelli and Daniel walked into the room. It was Brunelli who finally gave her the golden opportunity.
“Poor Ivy is stuck inside all day, waiting around for Jack.” He made a tsking noise. “Daniel, you know your way around town, no? Take this poor girl out and show her a good time, for heaven’s sake.”
Ivy clapped her hands in excitement. She was desperate for time alone with Daniel but she still had to play the role. “Don’t you want to come? And what about the children?”
He made a shooing motion with his hands. “You both look like you need some sunshine and fresh air. Go, go. No arguments.”
And so Ivy found herself alone at last with Daniel. “First thing’s first.” She scooted across the middle seat and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He pulled back a little too quickly and put the car in gear. “We’d better keep moving. I wouldn’t put it past Brunelli to have spies watching us.”
Ivy gave him a questioning look but let it go. “So, tell me everything. I’m dying to hear how it went.”
He smiled at her and she felt a chill run down her spine. There it was. There was that dreaded, slick smile she despised. She hadn’t seen that since they slept together.
Shaking off a sense of foreboding, Ivy paid attention as he described the same scene that Brunelli had told her about and went on to give her the gist of his conversation with his grandfather. “We both decided to put the past behind us. He’s in poor health and he wants to put away the grudges and misunderstandings and I told him that I’d like very much to have him back in my life.”
Ivy reached over to squeeze his arm. “I’m so happy for you, Daniel. “
“I know I have you to thank. Well, you and Brunelli.”
“Speaking of Brunelli….” Ivy took a deep breath and recounted the conversation from the other morning. When she was finished, his jaw was clenched.
“Dammit.” He pounded a fist against the steering wheel, causing Ivy to jump.
“Do you think he suspects something? Between us, I mean?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. But clearly he’s still not sold on you and Jack. Where is he, anyway? The whole point of coming up here is so Brunelli can see the two of you together.”
“He’s been working.”
“Well, he can work all he wants once this deal is signed. Until then, his only job is to convince Brunelli he’s a man in love. And a man in love wouldn’t choose to work over spending time with his fiancée during her first trip to Tuscany.”
Ivy was watching his profile closely. What had happened between yesterday and today?
The rest of the afternoon was a miserable failure as far as Ivy was concerned. She’d been so looking forward to an afternoon alone with Daniel and instead she found herself walking beside a bored tour guide.
“To the left is the first church built in the town, I believe it dates back to the Renaissance.”
She was only half listening. At one point she tried to ask him about his change of behavior but he played dumb and said he didn’t know what she was talking about.
When he wasn’t explaining the history of the town, he was strategizing over how best to sell Ivy and Jack as a couple. After lunch he scrutinized the way they greeted each other, their pet names and how often they held hands. “There’s not enough PDA between you two, that’s definitely a problem.”
