Her Return to King's Bed(60)

                Teresa let that statement go because it was pointless to argue with him about the Coretti family business. He would never understand the centuries-old legacy that Dominick was so determined to keep alive. Teresa’s worry was that her father wasn’t getting any younger and perhaps his skills weren’t as good as they had been once—though she would never suggest such a thing to him in person.

                She didn’t want to see her family in prison, though. And heaven knew the Corettis had more than enough money to retire. It wasn’t, she thought, the actual stealing that her father loved so much as the adventure of having every day be a different one. Of finding a way into a heavily guarded estate. Of out-thinking security parameters and disabling electronic surveillance equipment. He liked pitting himself against an adversary, so thinking of a way to get her father to hang up his black gloves was going to be difficult.

                That was a problem for the future, though. She only had a little more than two weeks left with Rico. She could spend that time arguing with him over the Coretti family business…or she could simply enjoy what she had while she had it.

                “Oh, my.” She stopped dead in front of a shop window, drawing Rico to a stop, as well. “How beautiful.”

                In the jewelry shop window, on a bed of black velvet, sat rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces, all set with blue-green stones that Teresa had never seen before. They shone in the sunlight like pieces of the sea, trapped forever in settings of gold and silver. Pure avarice struck her and the Coretti legacy reared its ugly head as she curled her fingers into her palms to keep from trying to grab them all right through the glass. “They’re beautiful.”

                “They are.” Rico stood beside her, but in the reflection of the glass, she saw that he was looking at her, not the jewelry. “They’re Tesoro topazes. The gemstone is found only on this island.”

                “So jewel prospecting is a pretty good job on this island, then?”

                He laughed shortly and she suddenly found his eyes even more appealing than the glittering stones and precious metals spread out in front of her. “Occasionally a hotel guest will stumble on a find while out for a hike. But the islanders know where to look for the best stones.”

                “It would be fun,” she mused as her gaze swung back to the shop window. “Like a treasure hunt.”

                “The jewelry you see here is Melinda’s work,” he said after Teresa spent another minute or two practically drooling on the glass.

                “Melinda?” Teresa looked at him.

                “She makes the jewelry and it’s sold here.”

                “She’s incredibly talented,” Teresa murmured. “And I think I’m more than a little envious.”

                “On the other hand,” Rico told her, capturing her hand in his again, “you are a chef and Melinda is a miserable cook. So for survival’s sake, I would choose your gifts over hers.”

                A flush of pride and pleasure filled her and just for a second or two she allowed herself to fully enjoy the look in his eyes and the warmth of his hand in hers. But even as she watched, the gleam in his eyes faded slightly. So she spoke up and kept her tone light.

                “Well, then,” Teresa said with a half smile. “Guess it would be pointless to buy her that lovely bracelet as a new-mom present. I mean, since she made it.”

                “True.” He pulled her hand through the crook of his arm and steered her along the street after she gave one last look at the shop window. “When Sean and Melinda became engaged, he bought her a ring and only later found out that she had made it herself.”