“Well then…”
“Yes, but what if I’m wrong?”
“Then you are wrong. There aren’t any guarantees in this life, Constance, about anyone or anything.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Do you know what he’s been doing since you left him?”
Constance frowned. “No. After the first few weeks…no. He hasn’t really been in the papers or anything.”
“Doesn’t that show you he’s already changed?”
“Maybe.” Constance wanted to believe. Desperately. Wanted to think he could change, live away from the spotlight, live as normal a life as possible. He’d never be completely normal, of course, but there was a difference between being famous and being infamous. And until recently, Luca had been on the wrong side.
“I have been informed of at least one thing he’s been doing over the last few weeks. I think you will be pleased. That is actually the reason I brought you in today. He will be on television tomorrow to make his grand announcement. He asked me to meddle a bit and try to be sure you’d watch.”
The thought of seeing Luca again, even on television, made Constance’s stomach flip in excitement and fear. It had taken her weeks to be able to see his face in a magazine without wanting to cry. And that was when she saw him by accident. Purposely tuning in to watch him live on television might be more than she could take. But curiosity was going to get the better of her.
“All right. I’ll watch.”
And hopefully by the time it was over, she’d still be sane.
Chapter Twenty
Luca straightened his tie for the hundredth time and smoothed his hands down his tailored shirt. Joe helped him with his jacket, pulling at the shoulders, picking off imaginary lint. He’d been fidgeting all morning, unable to sit still, but he didn’t want to pace the room like some caged tiger, so he sat on the couch in the studio’s green room, waiting for his segment to be announced.
Someone with a headset popped her head in and said he was up in five minutes. Luca nodded and straightened his tie again.
“Did you give them the list of topics to stay away from?” he asked Joe for probably the fourth time.
Patient as always, Joe answered, “Yes, sir. They will ask about your new project only and will not talk about your engagement or former fiancée or anything else of a personal nature.”
“Good.” He hoped the Reverend Mother had been able to convince Constance to watch today. He wanted her to see what he’d been working on, but he had no intention or desire to go out there and spread more of their personal details around the world, especially if she was watching.
He was done with that, done with the fans and the media and the fame and all of it. He’d thrown himself into his work after Constance had left. His father had finally been convinced that even without her he’d made a change for the better. Grown up. He’d been given control of the New York offices, a move that, in his mind, allowed him to do something worthwhile with his life for once. Maybe someday he could convince Constance that what they’d had was real, and worth giving a second shot.
He took his place behind the curtains and waited for his introduction. When he was announced he went out, smiling and waving for the cameras. He took a seat on the couch with the host and waited for the audience to quit screaming.
The host went through the formalities. Lots of welcoming, joking about how handsome he was, how popular with the ladies. He tensed for a moment, waiting to see if she’d ask him about Constance, but she didn’t. Relief flooded him and he relaxed a bit. Maybe she’d actually stick to the list and keep away from the forbidden topics after all.
He was good-naturedly teased about his cameo in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie and then she got down to why he’d wanted to be there in the first place. Excitement zipped through him at finally being able to reveal the project he’d been working on.
“So, Luca, in addition to working alongside your father, you’ve got a special project of your own in the works, is that right?” the host, a tiny little blond woman, asked him.
“Yes. This has been in the planning stage for a while now and it’s a project that is really close to my heart. We’ve finally gotten the last permissions we need and will be breaking ground in Mykonos on the first Constant Heart Children’s Aid Village next week. We are hoping to be able to build many more over the next few years.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Now, these villages are groups of foster homes, essentially, correct?”
“Yes. With the financial crisis hitting so hard, more and more children need good, stable homes in which to live. The foster families who are part of the Family Emergency Aid organization tend to live near one another for support and help. We call these groupings of such homes villages. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to find homes near each other as more and more homes are needed. The Constant Heart Foundation would like to change that by providing these homes for the foster groups.”