Page 158 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

‘When?’

‘When I said about Gio beingyourgrandfather...’

‘Heismy grandfather—and you were right to stick up for yourself. That’s not being mean.’

‘It felt mean.’

‘Not in my world,’ he said, but she wasn’t listening.

He saw her eyes actually light up—clearly the ice cream had come into view. Her chosen venue was popular, because even this late there were people lining up in the street.

‘Do you want one?’ she offered.

Dante was about to decline, and tell her he wasn’t a fan of ice cream, but he’d already been rude enough.

‘Let me get these.’

‘No, no...’

‘It’s an ice cream, Susie,’ he pointed out. ‘What flavour?’

‘Oh, God!’ She looked at the board, as anxious as if he’d demanded the answer to some impossible mathematical equation. ‘Pistachio,’ she said. ‘Actually, no... Espresso...’ She shook her head.

‘Red velvet?’ he checked, and she gave a resigned nod.

‘I’m so predictable,’ she sighed as he ordered. ‘What are you getting?’

‘Amareno,’Dante said. ‘Sour cherry.’

Soon they stood with their chosen ice creams. He could see her eyes on his.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Well, I’m that way...’ She gestured with her head. ‘Goodnight.’

‘Buona notte.’

Oh, my...

Her brain certainly wasn’t too fried to appreciate being wished goodnight in silky Italian by someone so delicious.

Susie walked off with her treat and a whole barrage of new sensations, and wished Gio had warned her how devastatingly handsome his youngest grandson was...

‘Susie?’

She was barely two steps into her journey home when he halted her.

‘Can I ask one question?’

She turned around and stood a short distance apart from him. He was beautiful in the rain. ‘You can ask...although whether or not I’ll answer...’

‘How did you move the furniture?’

She let out a small laugh and then beneath her umbrella, ice-cream cone in hand, she flexed her arm. ‘I’m deceptively strong.’

He nodded, but instead of leaving it was Susie who now prolonged things. ‘I also have a question.’