There was something different about Luca. Claire had tried to give him his space the past few days after their unexpected encounter. He'd given her confusing signals, so she decided that perhaps that kiss was the result of exhaustion and bad judgment. That was probably for the best, anyway, if this was how he was going to react to something like that. He'd been quiet and withdrawn, almost moody.
But since they'd come back from the beach, his mood had greatly improved. When she was done bathing Eva and put her down for her nap, she'd come out of the master bedroom to find him humming to himself and cooking up something tasty in the kitchen. The dark cloud that had hovered over him the past few days had disappeared, and she wasn't sure whether she should be happy about it. It was easier to ignore Luca's charms when he was distant and scowling. The smiling, happy Luca wore away her resistance too easily.
"I have a surprise," he announced when he noticed her in the living room.
Claire wasn't that good with surprises. More times than not it wasn't a good thing. "What?"
"My baby sister, Mia, is coming to the house tonight."
Claire couldn't help the frown that instantly furrowed her brow. That was not at all what she'd expected him to say. Luca had made a point of telling her that he'd kept Eva and the whole situation from his family, and yet he seemed awfully chipper for a man who hadn't had things go his way. "Why? Did she find out about Eva?"
"Yes," he admitted, "but only because I told her. I actually invited her to stay with us for a few days. Mia lives not far from here in Newport."
She was listening, but she couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Eva was a huge secret, then suddenly he was rolling out the red carpet for his family? "I'm confused," she said. "Why did you tell her? Does your whole family know the truth now?"
"If my whole family knows the truth, I'm going to skin Mia, so no, they don't all know. I just told her and swore her to secrecy."
"Again," Claire pressed. "Why?" Was he so uncomfortable being alone with her now that he took the risk of inviting his sister here?
"So we could have a babysitter," Luca said with a smile. "I'm taking you out tomorrow. I've got a whole day planned. Mia is going to stay here with Eva so you can relax and enjoy yourself."
Taking her out? "I appreciate the gesture, Luca, but I'm not sure about this. I don't even know your sister. I don't know how comfortable I'm going to be leaving Eva with her."
"Mia is great with kids, I promise. Not only is she an elementary school teacher, she's watched all of my nieces and nephews a hundred times. She will be fine with Eva while we're gone."
It all seemed sensible, and yet Claire felt her hackles go up with his presumptuous tone. He seemed to think Eva was an asset of his corporation, not a child she had any say in. "That's all well and good, Luca, but you didn't even ask me before making that decision. This is the kind of stuff that worries me about our arrangements. I don't mind letting you in on some of the parenting decisions, but I'm not about to get pushed out of them entirely."
Luca seemed dumbfounded by her irritation. Could he really not see what he was doing while he was doing it?
"Fair enough," he said after a moment's consideration. "I'll leave the final decision up to you. When you meet Mia, you can decide if you trust her to watch Eva. If so, I'll take you out. If not, my sister will just be visiting for a few days."
Claire sighed with relief. All she wanted was a voice in the process, even if she already knew that in the end she'd let his sister watch Eva so they could go out. Whatever was going on with Luca had inspired all of this, and despite what he'd just agreed to, he wasn't likely to change his mind easily. He wanted to take her out, so she would let him. It might actually be nice. It had been a long time since she'd had an evening out for a little grown-up time. She worked so much that she felt guilty leaving Eva with a sitter after spending all day with Daisy.
"When will she be here?" she asked instead.
Luca glanced down at his watch. "Less than an hour. She texted me when she got on the ferry. She'll definitely be here in time to eat, so I thought I'd make her favorite chicken tetrazzini. Does that sound okay to you?"
Claire chuckled and walked past him to the refrigerator to get a drink. "Any meal I don't have to cook is great by me. It certainly doesn't hurt that you're an excellent cook."
"I'm a passable cook," Luca clarified. "My sister is an amazing cook. You'll see."
"Does your sister know you just invited her up here to watch children and cook?"
Luca laughed. "When my family gets together, that's what we do. Lots of food, laughter, playful bickering and kids. You keep an eye on whichever one is closest. It won't faze her in the slightest, but yes, I did tell her why I wanted her to come up. She's excited to meet you and Eva."
Claire wished she was as excited to meet his sister. She suddenly felt anxious about the whole thing for an entirely different reason. What would his family think of her? Would they hate her for fighting Luca for custody? Would they read something into the two of them being here together, alone? Her stomach started to ache with worry. She was a fairly quiet and reserved woman who often came off to strangers as aloof or stuck-up. What if they didn't like her?
"Are you okay?" Luca asked. "You don't look very excited about Mia coming."
"I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous about meeting some of your family, is all. I'm not really the loud, laughter type."
Luca turned away from his sautéing chicken to take Claire's hands. He pulled them to his chest and held them there. Claire's breath caught in her throat. She could feel his heart pounding in his rib cage almost in time with her own. His dark gaze focused on her. This close, she could see the gold and caramel colored flecks in his hazel eyes. Looking into them, she started to relax. He could have such a soothing effect on her one moment, then with a simple wicked smile, he could heat her cheeks and make her think thoughts she hadn't entertained in a very long time.
"You're going to be fine," he insisted. "Mia will love you, and when you meet the rest of my family, they'll love you, too. They're used to intimidating new people, so if you're quiet, they'll think it's them, not you. Besides, just meeting Mia without everyone else will be a nice icebreaker."
"Are you not worried about the rest of your family finding out what's going on?" Claire didn't care if his family found out the truth, but she knew it concerned him. She didn't know what it was like to have a large, overbearing family, so she didn't understand his issues with them. This did seem out of character for him, though. What had changed his mind? That was a big change just for the opportunity to go out to dinner.
Or was it more than that?
"There's always that risk," Luca said. "But things will be fine. I wouldn't have called Mia if I didn't think I could trust her. Carla, on the other hand, would blab to everyone. And even if they did find out, it will be okay. I think you and I are getting along pretty well and can probably work out a custody arrangement we're both comfortable with. Eva seems to have taken to me. Besides, it's not like we're engaged or something."
Claire was following along until he brought up that last point. It was true, but for some reason it bothered her to hear him say it so dismissively. It must be because it felt like something. It felt like more than it was because of their daughter and the strange circumstances. In truth, all they'd shared was a kiss. They hadn't even gone out on a date. Whatever this beach house arrangement was, it wasn't a date.
Pulling away so he wouldn't see the touch of disappointment in her eyes, she started to walk from the kitchen. "I'm going to spiffy up for company."
"Okay," she heard Luca say, but she didn't turn around.
In her suite, she changed from her yoga pants into a sundress, then sat at her vanity staring at herself in the mirror. She fussed with her hair for a while, not happy, but finally settling on putting it up in a bun. She applied a little lip gloss and mascara. They might be on a lazy beach vacation, but she didn't want to look like it when she met his sister. If Mia did report back to the family, Claire didn't want them to think she was a slacker.