Page 164 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

And if his phone hadn’t beeped he might have studied a little more deeply the shades of blue in her eyes.

‘Damn...’ He glanced at his phone. ‘Scusi, I have to...’

‘Of course.’

He left the table to take the call and she sat there, looking out to the square. She felt the waiter looking over, so resisted checking her reflection in her phone.

Gosh, this morning felt thrilling.

She had to meet Mimi soon, and usually she loved their hour together, but this morning she was tempted to cancel...just for more moments with Dante...

‘Sorry about that.’

His voice, though it was now familiar, still made her jump.

‘It’s fine.’

‘No, it’s not.’

He let out a low, wry laugh and took a sip of coffee, and then he looked up at her eyes, and then down to the full lips that had stayed closed when he’d pushed for information on his grandfather. Somehow he simply knew she was discreet.

‘I have a client... My last words to him were, “Don’t contact your wife.” Hah!’

‘I’m assuming he didn’t take your advice?’

‘He did not.’

He reached for his coffee, to take another sip, yet even as he lifted the small cup he replaced it.

Was it her patient silence that gave him pause, or was it that she didn’t demand information?

Or was it something about sitting beneath the umbrellas in Piazza dell’Anfiteatro on this gorgeous Saturday with her gentle conversation and beauty that had his guard down a touch.

‘He got drunk last night and wrote a six-page letter admitting his failings, offering to change.’

‘Oh!’ She gave a small giggle.

‘And he mailed it.’ He hissed in annoyance. ‘If he’d sent an email I could at least have read it.’

‘Do you read a lot of love letters?’

‘Only if I’m being paid to,’ he said, and now she really laughed.

The bigger surprise for Dante was that he wanted to tell her more.

Without names or identities, of course...

Perhaps that was it, he pondered.

Susie was from England.

After this weekend he would never see her again.

‘I told him yesterday to stay back,’ he went on. ‘I knew it could only cause trouble. People say and do things they regret when they’re upset.’

‘I don’t.’

Her response caused him to frown, his eyes narrowing, and he leant forward a little in an invitation for her to elaborate.