Page 60 of Falling for Mr. October

Wait, does he have amnesia or what? I feel like I’m missing something.

Does anyone else think CONSPIRACY. I’m going to direct message Eva St. Claire. She seems to know more than she’s saying.

Bianca is NOT hot enough for him. She’s, like, a five or a six, and he’s a ten thousand.

Giovanni, who’d started talking about Mr. October and the activities we’ll be doing in Apple Ridge, cuts himself off as soon as the insulting comment appears at the bottom of the screen.

His brow furrows, and he sits up straighter. “No,” he says, his tone furious. “No one talks about my girlfriend like that. You want to tell me my nose is too big, or you don’t like my face, or my gnocchi’s no good, go ahead. I can take it. I’m the one who chose to put my abs and my cooking online. But my girlfriend is bellissima. I’m lucky she wants to look at me twice. I won’t stand for any insults to her or her family, whom I’ve known nearly my whole life. You treat her like the angel she is, or you stay off my channel.”

“It’s okay,” I say in an undertone, even though his words lodged a knot of emotion in my throat.

“It’s not okay.”

“Look,” I add, “I’m not some supermodel. I’m a regular person. A nurse. So, yes, I have a normal person kind of face.”

Giovanni shakes his head and turns toward me. “You’re beautiful. Every time I look at you, you take my breath away. I was trembling before I kissed you that first time. I was worried you could tell.”

I’m tempted to tell him to dial it down, because my knees feel weak, but he’s obviously doing this for the camera. He’s doing it for me, too, of course, but not in the way it seems. I asked him to save our farm, and bless him, he’s truly trying.

He’s still staring at me, his gaze posing a challenge, as if he wants me to tell him I’m wrong so he can whisper more sweet nothings. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to listen to him continue to compliment me, peppering in Italian endearments, without losing my slipping grasp on sanity.

“I was nervous too,” I admit. “Before that first kiss.”

“You didn’t seem the least bit nervous,” he says with a smile. “You did it in a take-charge way, same as you do everything.”

“I knew you’d kissed lots of girls.”

“I’d kissed none,” he says without hesitation. I almost believe him.

Then he dips his head toward me and brushes his lips softly against mine. “I still can’t get enough,” he says, his eyes on mine. “I can never get enough with you.”

My lips tremble as he turns back toward the camera. “Now that we’ve settled that, I expect I’ll see no more stupid comments about my girlfriend. Only praise for this beautiful woman I’m lucky enough to call my own. So there you have it. There’s been no amnesia. No mind control. No coercion. I’m here because it’s the exact place I want to be.”

I just stare at him, nearly believing him. And he smiles in return before shifting his gaze back to the camera.

“If you would like to meet me here in Apple Ridge, I’ll be working at the Evergreens & Apples pumpkin patch.” He grins charmingly, and I can practically hear the collective oohing and aahing echoing in hundreds—no, thousands—of rooms across the country or even the world. “I’ll even sign your pumpkin for you if you ask nicely.”

A new comment floats across the screen, jolting me the moment it catches my gaze:

Will you sign my tits? [kiss emoji]

“No,” I say, scowling at the camera. “Giovanni will not be signing any body parts—and if you try to grab him, or flash him, or talk dirty to him, you will have me to deal with. I may not look tough, but I’ve been trained to take down a two-hundred-pound muscular man. Trust me when I say I will not hesitate to tackle anyone who tries any funny business. That goes for photos too. If anyone sends him any perverted photos, you will be reported to the authorities. I’d never publish anything compromising online, but I won’t hesitate to put your name on blast. Be respectful.”

Giovanni grins at me and adjusts the arm he has wrapped around my shoulder to play with my hair again. “I’m a lucky man. I’m sorry I’ve worried some of you. That wasn’t my intention. I’m just taking figuring some things out.”

I can tell he’s about to sign off, but comments continue to float up on the bottom of the screen.

When can we expect more videos, G? They help with my anxiety. PLEASE say we’ll get more soon. I want to know all about your life on the farm.

I NEED an apple pie video, like yesterday. Please, Giovanni.

Someone else adds:

Bianca, convince him!

Giovanni rubs between his eyes. “It’s under discussion. The thing is…I never intended for everyone to know I was the Shirtless Chef. This has been a big transition for me. I’m still thinking about my next steps, but you all will be the first to know. Thank you for understanding.”

According to the comments now flashing on the screen, there are plenty of people who do not understand, but he ends the video stream and turns toward me. There’s a furrow between his dark eyebrows.