Page 86 of Royally Matched
Sofia
“Who the heck is Hadley?” Marco asks as we follow the two ladies through the throngs of people enjoying the festival.
“It was the first name I could think of in a pinch,” I reply.
“But isn’t Hadley a teddy bear?”
I chortle. “Is she?”
“He. Hadleythe Bear is a he.”
I quirk a brow. “You seem very knowledgeable about teddy bears for a man in his mid-twenties.”
He shrugs, clearly enjoying our easy banter. “What can I say? I’m a knowledgeable guy.”
“About teddy bears?” I ask with a laugh.
“About teddy bears.” He flashes me a grin. “And don’t think you’re getting out of answering my question. Why Hadley?”
“Don’t judge me.”
He places his hand over his heart. “I would never.”
“It’s the name of a character in a movie I watched recently. Just a silly romcom. Not your cup of tea, I’m sure.”
“Hey, I already admitted to likingSerendipity. Try me.”
“Okay. It’s a movie calledLove at First Sight, and it’s about a couple who meet at an airport and fall in love, but they lose one another’s numbers, and it’s left up to fate if they ever meet again.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“It sounds to me like a rip off ofSerendipity.”
“It’s so not!” I exclaim, nudging his arm with my hand—and trying to ignore how firm and muscular his arm is.
“Hey, don’t handle the goods, lady,” he retorts, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “You haven’t thrown a ring at this, you know.” He wriggles his fingers in front of my face, and I laugh.
Erma comes to a stop by an elderly man so lined he resembles a raisin more than a person. “This is my brother, Dr. Felix Esposito. Felix, this young couple has come to see you.”
“At last, the professor,” Marco whispers in my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck.
The professor peers at us over a pair of gold reading glasses balanced on the end of his nose. His lips lift into a warm smile, trimmed with a bright white mustache, and his eyes sparkle. He’s wearing a dark suit, a gray sweater vest, and a navy cap, looking every bit like he belongs in this stunning ancient village, perched at the top of a mountain.
“And who do we have here?” he asks in a throaty voice.
Marco reaches out to shake his hand. “I’m Marco Revera, Dr. Esposito. We spoke on the phone about a translation.”
“Ah, yes. The young man with the mystery scroll,” he replies. His eyes slip to me. “Hello, miss.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Dr. Esposito. I’m… Hadley.” I almost forget my made-up name—a bad start, particularly considering I only just chose it a few minutes ago.
“She’s his lover,” Erma adds.
Considering the tension between Marco and me, I’m finding the way these ladies like to throw the word “lover” around quite awkward. Okay, a lot awkward.
I don’t look at Marco.