Keeping the mood light and easy, Gianna offered a cheerful smile and shrugged. “Oh. Okay. Keep your shoes on if it makes you more comfortable.” She held up the bag of goodies. “Hungry?”
“What did you bring for us?” he asked, only too happy to go along with the change of subject.
She grinned. “Everything.”
The next half hour turned out to be a brief moment of enchantment. They spent the time together eating and laughing, using the chopsticks that came with their meal to feed each other tidbits from the selection of cartons. The office setting faded into the background while they sat on the butter-soft blanket she’d liberated from his apartment. The light from his desk barely reached them, illuminating their impromptu picnic with a muted, distant glow.
“Will it always be like this?” she asked at one point while she refilled their wineglasses.
He paused, chopsticks lifted halfway to her mouth. “Like what?”
“Fun. Romantic.” She shrugged. “Wonderful.”
Raw pleasure shot through his gaze. “Considering who I have to be fun, romantic and wonderful with, it shouldn’t be too difficult,” he replied, much to her delight. “Have you thought about what you’d like to do this weekend?”
She hesitated. “There’s one thing…”
“Name it.”
“My family owns a place about three hours north of here. It’s on a good-size lake. Great fishing and sailing. Over the years we’ve acquired all the property around it, so it’s pretty private. Maybe Ariana mentioned it to you?” she asked uncertainly. “The entire family goes each summer for a huge Dante blowout.”
“Sounds like fun. Is this weekend the family blowout?”
“No, not for another few weeks.” She hesitated. “I thought we could go ahead of time, just for the weekend.”
“I’m not sure this is what Primo had in mind when he gave us a month to get to know each other better.”
“True.” She caught her lip between her teeth. “Even so, I’d like to go.”
He studied her for a moment and she wondered if he could read the truth in her face, if he could tell she had an ulterior motive. “If that’s what you’d like, of course we can go to the lake. Do we need permission from Primo?”
She shook her head. “My brothers and cousins and I all have carte blanche to visit anytime we want. We can either stay at the main house or in one of the cabins by the lake. You can decide which you prefer when we get there.”
“What’s going on, Gianna?” he asked bluntly.
She drew her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. All the while she avoided his gaze. “I’d just like to take you to the lake without my entire family watching our every move.”
“And…?”
She blew out a sigh, deciding to come clean. “And, I’d like you to help me get over my fear of the water without my relatives catching on.”
He sat up straight. “Accidenti! Of course I’ll help you if I can. But I’m not qualified to handle something so serious.” He reached for her, unwrapping her arms and legs, and tucked her tight against him. The firm beat of his heart steadied her as nothing else could have. “What has caused this fear, do you remember?”
She leaned into him. “It started when Uncle Dominic and Aunt Laura drowned. I was terrified to go in the water after that.”
He considered that for a moment. “They drowned while sailing, yes? It didn’t occur at the lake?”
She shook her head. “I’d never have been able to return to the lake if it had happened there.”
His frown deepened. “Why hasn’t your family helped you get over this fear?”
“They don’t know,” she confessed. “I’ve kept it hidden all these years. I sunbathe and splash a bit in the shallows. But I spend my time there hiking or reading or any activity that doesn’t involve swimming.” She searched his face. “Would you be willing to try to help me?”
“For you? Anything.”
She made a sound, half laugh, half sigh. “I’m not sure whether to be grateful or sorry.”
He lifted her face to his. “I vote for grateful.” He feathered a kiss across her mouth. “Very grateful.”
As it turned out, Constantine didn’t return to work until a long time later.
Constantine picked up Gianna early the next morning. One look at her face warned she hadn’t slept well. He took her overnight bag and tucked it away in the trunk of his Porsche.
“We don’t need to do this, you know,” he informed her as they headed out of the city. “You’re allowed to change your mind.”