“I told you,” Pierre said. “When women are that tired, nookie is not going to happen.”
Gio narrowed his eyes as he grasped the back of his chair. “Are you guys betting on us?”
Chris shook his head no and said, “Yeah.”
Rob pulled out his wallet and handed Nicole twenty euros. “We’re even.”
Gio sat. “Even from when?”
“This afternoon,” Nicole said, making the money disappear in a pocket. “I thought you two would be back by the pool within the hour. Rob bet you’d be out for the night.”
The expressions on Rob’s, Pierre’s, and Chris’s faces were in tune with What? Doesn’t everyone make financial wagers on someone else’s sexual encounters?
“You guys are seriously flawed.” But Gio was smiling . . . because deep down, he liked that he and Emma were that obvious to everyone around them.
They were back on the road in two days.
Weston had an overnight stay in the hospital and a dozen stitches. He and Kimmy were en route back to Florence, where they were going to stay for a few days before flying home.
Kimmy had returned to the villa to thank everyone, gather addresses, and collect their things.
While it was sad to see them go, not one of them thought they’d continue the trip.
Emma switched between sitting beside Nicole and Gio while they moved from one part of Tuscany to the next.
The final week of their tour had only two day stops.
They stopped at the coast in Cinque Terre, where Emma and Gio snuck away for a private dinner on a private boat during sunset.
“How did you come up with this idea?” Emma asked as the captain of the boat helped her on board.
“I had help. My friend Dante suggested it.”
“The friend that married your sister?”
“Right. Brother-in-law. It’s hard to say that.”
“Because of your sister, or because of him?”
“Chloe, of course. I know Dante’s secrets. All of them. The thought of him dating my sister made me ill.”
“Does it still?”
The captain led them to the back of the boat, where a half-round couch looked over the water. On the table by the couch sat a bucket with chilling champagne.
“No. He makes my sister happy, and he knows if he messes up, my brother and I will . . .” He let his words trail off.
The captain said something in Italian to Gio.
“Sì, sì.”
The captain picked up the bottle of bubbly and started to open it.
“You don’t seem like the violent type,” Emma said, getting back to what Gio had implied.
“I’m not. But I am willing to protect the people I love.”
The captain handed them glasses of champagne. “Salute!” he said.
“Grazie,” Emma and Gio said together.
While Emma and Gio sipped, the captain left their side to pilot the boat.
“This is delicious,” Emma said as she picked up the bottle and looked at the label. She’d never heard of the winery. Like so many of the places they’d been.
The boat started to move, and they made use of the couch and the view.
“So, the boat idea came from Dante,” she said, getting back to what they were talking about.
“Yup. He has a boat in San Diego and is starting a business taking small groups on tours and catering private dinners.”
“Just like this?”
“Yup.”
Gio placed an arm over Emma’s shoulders. She was wearing linen pants that flowed in the breeze and a simple loose-fitting shirt that fluttered open enough for him to get a glimpse of the tops of her breasts. The Italian sun had kissed her skin, and the bugbites from their unexpected rescue mission had freckled her body with bumps for days. She didn’t bother with makeup . . . she didn’t need it.
Emma narrowed her gaze. “Do you have Italian citizenship?”
“Ah-huh. My parents were born here. We took advantage of the link. And why not?”
“I would, too. Have you considered moving here?”
He hesitated. “Seriously? No. I couldn’t leave my family. Although it would be less expensive for me to open my own winery here, I’d spend the difference traveling back and forth to the States.”
The boat picked up speed once they puttered away from the dock and reached the open sea.
“That leaves Temecula,” Emma said.
“Yes. This trip has opened my eyes to what I want to make happen.”
Emma twisted a little to watch him more closely. “And what is that?”
“It starts with vines, my own property, and home. But there was an experience we’ve had here in Tuscany that I don’t think the Southern California wineries have completely tapped into. Anyone can put a tasting room on-site. But what about intimate dinners cooked by the family or host staff? What about co-oping with other vineyards the way Claudio’s company does? A bus that takes you into San Diego.” Gio spread his arm to the ocean. “That works with a local ship’s captain to entertain this small party . . . a local restaurant with an Italian chef that teaches the guests how to make fresh pasta? And in all these places the wine is there. Celebrated, drunk.”
“There are plenty of wineries with restaurants all over Temecula,” she pointed out.
“But do any of them have the heart of the home that we’ve experienced in the smaller villas that we stayed in?”
She considered his question. “I’m not really sure. But running a winery and opening up a hotel are different. Besides, there are larger places in Temecula that have that.”
“Large venues. True.” Gio lifted his hand and put an inch of air between his index finger and his thumb. “Not on a smaller scale. I wouldn’t start with overnight accommodations. But while you’re waiting for your first harvest, or first bottle that can sell, there might be a way to pull in some return on your investment.”
Emma thought about what he was suggesting. “You’d need an extensive investigation into the viability of that idea . . . but I like how you’re thinking.”
He grinned. “Are you going to steal my idea?”
She placed a hand on her chest. “I’m not the one with a family with a restaurant or leisure ships at their disposal.”
“Your father doesn’t have restaurants at his wineries?”
“No. Wine tasting, special events for wine tasting . . . gift shops on-site in the Napa tasting room, but Temecula only has a tasting room.”
“A wasted opportunity. Your name has a great reputation.”
“My father was never interested. And in all fairness, I’ve never thought about it either.” She turned to stare out at the ocean as the wind did a great job of tossing her hair all around.
“Maybe you should. Thinking costs nothing.”
“Researching does. At least if you hire to get it done.”
Gio laughed. “My time is free. I’m talking small scale all the way around. I don’t have to build what I create to such a level that my secretary has to speak with my children.”
Emma blinked without saying a word.
Gio sighed, lowered his voice. “Bella, that was insensitive of me. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s true.” Even if it hurt to hear.