* * *
As Alessandro drove Ariana the short distance to her nearby shop, Ariana turned over Ruby’s advice in her mind. She gazed out the window at the lake, its surface broken by the occasional ferry or pleasure craft. What lay beneath that surface?
Glancing at Alessandro and catching his admiring smile, Ariana realized that she was not unlike that lake. He was unsuspecting, unaware of the secret she was concealing that could destroy their nascent relationship—the innocent party in her subterfuge. Guilt gathered in the pit of her stomach.
Since arriving in Bellagio, Ariana had been trying to partition the unpleasant thoughts in her mind and live in the moment. Isn’t that what Ruby had always told her to do?
Yet, in a few short months, Ariana’s dilemma would be evident for all to see. Was she crazy for quitting her job, turning down Phillip’s mother’s offer, and signing a lease on a shop in Italy that she could barely afford with the far-fetched dream of being a fashion designer? Maybe she’d been following Ruby and her exuberant way of living for so long that now she thought she could do it, too.
But there was only one Ruby Raines.
She, Ariana Ricci, had to make her own way. And she had to be smart about it. As she’d learned with Phillip, depending on a man was often fraught with complications. Or, Alessandro might have secrets of his own. She couldn’t count on her mother, and she didn’t want Ruby’s handouts, even though her aunt always gave freely.
As much as Ariana loved her aunt, she could tell that something in Ruby’s psyche had shifted. She was seizing opportunities—such as buying a villa that must have cost a fortune.
And then it hit Ariana. Maybe Ruby is having one last fling. Was her aunt ill? The thought troubled her, and she swallowed hard.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Alessandro said. “If there’s anything you’d like to talk about, I’m here for you.”
The opportunity was before her, and yet Ariana couldn’t take that step. Instead, she turned to him and smiled. “I have so much running through my mind right now.” That much was true. “From the shop renovation to the collection design to the thousand details about running a business here… It’s a lot to think about.”
“It will all fall into place,” Alessandro said. “It won’t always be this overwhelming.”
Ariana reached into her purse for the key to the shop. “On top of that, my aunt wants me to ‘be social,’ as she puts it.”
“You can’t work all the time,” Alessandro said. “Why would you want to anyway? Look around.” He gestured toward the calm lake and the snow-capped mountains. “Here, enjoying life is a pleasure and a privilege. We cannot squander such riches of nature.”
Realizing he had a point, Ariana smiled. “I suppose I should go out and meet people,” she said, extracting the key. “Aunt Ruby found a local theater and wants me to attend an opening night performance. Would you like to go with us? She always gets the best seats.”
“I’d like that very much,” he said. “As long as Paolina can watch the children. What’s the production?”
“Roman Holiday. Or, Vacanze Romane. She must’ve watched that movie a thousand times.” Ariana slid the key in and tried to turn it.
“One of my favorites, too.” Grinning, Alessandro said, “My uncle has underwritten that performance.”
Alessandro started to say something, but Ariana cried out. “Ouch, something bit my hand.”
“Here, let me help you. These old locks can be temperamental, and I see there’s a jagged piece of metal that should be filed.” Alessandro jiggled the key, and the door opened under his ministrations.
Once inside the shop, she gazed around. Overhead, a chandelier dimmed with dust hung from the coffered ceiling. “It’s a beautiful starting place, but the floors are tragic.” Layers of linoleum tile from different eras were curling at the edges.
Alessandro scraped his stubbled chin with his knuckles. “I know someone who could strip that floor for you.”
“And then what would I do with it?”
“Looks like concrete under there.”
Ariana had an idea. “I can paint and stencil the concrete, or even leave it as it is and put a high-gloss or satin finish over it. I could arrange some rugs to delineate different sections. And then, I can use drop lights to illuminate the collections. Wouldn’t Murano glass flutes be amazing?”
Alessandro laughed. “I don’t think you needed me here at all.”
As her imagination came to life, Ariana felt better. Her doubt about her ability to pull this off dissipated. “In the car, I was feeling overwhelmed. But now that I’m here, I know exactly what needs to be done.” She pulled a notepad from her bag and began sketching her vision.
“An entrepreneur’s most important asset is her decision-making ability.” Alessandro put his arm around her shoulders. “I think you’re going to do just fine.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me.” The sureness of his grip filled her with sudden attraction. Alessandro was everything that Phillip wasn’t. Supportive, interested, mature, authentic. How could she have thought Phillip was right for her? They’d started dating just after her graduation. Had she been so naïve that she accepted his actions as the norm?
Now that Alessandro had come into her life, she saw how different a genuine relationship could be.
Ariana raised her gaze to a pair of large, baroque framed-mirrors. The gold paint had faded and chipped, and dark spots peppered the beveled glass around the edges. Yet the old mirrors had a certain appeal. “What do you think about those?”
“Once they’re cleaned, they’ll be beautiful,” Alessandro said. “They have history. That’s important.”
Ariana considered his words. “It is, isn’t it?”
“We don’t have to cover up history with a shiny new surface,” Alessandro said. “Instead, we can expose imperfections and embrace them. Each scar is a triumph, each blemish unique. That’s much more interesting.”
“More philosophy?” Ariana asked, taking a step toward him. “You would have made a great professor.”
“Maybe I’ll write a book someday,” he replied, his eyes twinkling. Drawing Ariana closer, he touched his forehead to hers.
Reaching up, she looped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. Every nerve in her body seemed to crackle with an electrical charge. “Do you have any blemishes I should know about?”
“Plenty,” he said. “Sometimes, I lose my patience with the children. It’s hard to be a single parent. And my business occasionally demands more of my attention than I would like. Still, I tried to put life first and work second.” A smile danced on his lips. “What about you? Any imperfections that you’re hiding?”
“Definitely a few scars.” Ariana stared into twin pools of gold-flecked, hazel eyes that sparkled with…was it a spark of love? And then she thought, What does he see in mine?
Alessandro raised his brow. “Are you going to make me guess?”
Ruby’s admonitions rang in her mind, yet she dreaded breaking the spell. “There is something you should know, but I don’t know how to tell you.”