Page 192 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8
She looked down the street and then back to Dante. The collar was up on his coat, and he looked brooding and completely irresistible, and for the first time she glimpsed the hell of getting over him.
Did it really have to end?
Were there never exceptions to his temporary lover rule?
Any chance for an extension?
She’d been so happy with one night. Deliriously happy with two. And now...?
‘Susie? Everything okay?’ he checked.
Why not tell him what she was thinking? Susie pondered. For it was as if last night had somehow freed her—as if the liberty he’d brought to her body had also converted her mind. She would tell him how she felt. And maybe...just possibly...
‘I was just...’ she began.
But it was as if some sleeping guardian angel had been startled awake and had grabbed her by the collar of her trench coat, squeezing her throat tight on the surely forbidden words.
Do not fall for him, Susie, the angel warned.
You might be a bit late, she replied silently, though thankfully the moment of madness was over.
She liked the honesty between them, how he’d told her to speak up and say how she felt, but in this instance she knew that honesty possibly wasn’t the best policy when dealing with a playboy of Dante’s calibre.
So she pushed back her shoulders, conjured a smile and dashed down the steps to his side.
‘I just adore magnolias.’
Sure enough, Gio was dressed and ready.
‘You’re late,’ he told Dante.
‘No...’ Dante glanced at the clock and saw he was actually on time.
He didn’t point it out to Gio, though. He knew this was very emotional for him.
They were silent as they passed the church where Dante knew his grandparents had married, then they turned and walked along a small cobbled street. Naturally Gio knew practically everyone they passed, and stopped for a greeting, but as they approached the small group of shops he paused.
‘I want to ensure all the jewels are taken care of,’ he said. ‘And then I might have a private conversation with Signor Adino.’
‘Of course,’ Dante said.
‘It might take some time.’
‘No problem.’
The jewellers had been there long before Dante was born, with its dark wooden façade and gorgeous windows that displayed both modern and antique jewels.
‘You and Sev used to look at the watches here.’
‘We did.’
He’d forgotten that. They had been there often. Not just with Gio. Mamma would sit trying on rings, and all the other things that had seemed boring, and he and Sev had stared at the clocks and watches.
He saw the flash of his own stainless-steel watch now, as he rang the bell for their private appointment. The store would be closed to others.
‘Welcome, Signor Casadio,’ said Signor Adino as he opened the heavy glass door. ‘Ah, and Sev...’
The jeweller stopped and laughed at his mistake, and Dante felt the sweep of Signor Adino’s eyes briefly register his scar.