AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you feeling better now?” Her mother sent her a concerned look.
“Yes. You’re the one who needs to take it easy. I feel really bad about leaving you again.”
“Nonsense. I’ll be fine.” Her mother smiled.
She and Luca said goodbye to her mother and headed outside. Once the door was shut, Elena said, “Sorry about that. You know how my mother can be.”
“So there’s nothing to her worries?”
Drat. Now wasn’t the time to get into her pregnancy. It would wait until the end of the week, just like she’d planned. “No. I am not sick. I promise.”
Luca arched a brow. “But something is wrong. I can feel it. Are you sure you’re up for the picnic?”
She nodded. “It sounds like a lot of fun.”
He paused as though evaluating her sincerity. “I still can’t believe my sister is taking this long walk down memory lane with all these activities that we did when we were kids.”
“I think it’s sweet. She gets to share a bit of her past with her fiancé, and it’s a way of saying goodbye to that part of her life before she sets out on a new journey.”
Luca’s smile broadened. “You got all that out of my sister’s invitation?”
Elena nodded. “I think it’s quite original and a lot of fun. Has she said what she’s planning for the wedding?”
“She said the engagement is the fun part and her wedding will be formal. The best part, she said, will be the honeymoon.”
“I like the way your sister thinks.”
“And how about you?” Luca asked. “Have you met anyone special?”
“No.” The answer came out too quickly and too vehemently. She inwardly groaned. “You know how it is with work and traveling. I hardly have a minute to myself.”
Luca’s inquisitive gaze was full of questions. “Is that the only reason?”
He was referring to their night together. She wasn’t about to let him know that it had meant more to her than it should have. “Of course.”
He nodded and looked away.
And then she knew exactly how to jerk him out of this train of thought. “The way you’re questioning me, I’m starting to think you’ve been spending too much time with my mother.”
“Ouch. That bad, huh?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’d rather talk about this picnic.”
“Someone in your line of work probably doesn’t eat much.”
“Oh, come on. You know me. I love food.”
He gave her an appraising look. “You sure don’t look like it. You have all of the curves in just the right places.”
A tentative smile pulled at her lips. “Well, thank you. I think. I’m just fortunate that I have a really fast metabolism, because there’s hardly a thing I don’t like.”
He didn’t say anything. They continued to walk along the dirt path to the bluff, and the silence dragged on. So much for their conversation.
She glanced over at Luca. She was surprised he hadn’t chastised her for disappearing on him last night. Perhaps that was why he’d grown quiet.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she said, trying to break the tension.
He glanced up from where he’d been studying the ground. “Uh, yes, it is.”
