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“Chris begged me not to tell you.” Julia sounded sincerely apologetic when she met up with me at the bathroom. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal, and… well, I could tell you needed the break.”
I was fuming, but I wasn’t about to take it out on Julia. Besides, she could’ve popped at any second, and I didn’t want that hanging over my head.
“It’s okay,” I lied. “I’ll just stay out of their way until we get back.”
Julia pouted, absently rubbing her belly. “Oh, no, Scarlett, don’t. It’s such a beautiful day; you have to come up.”
“Luca and I don’t exactly get along,” I said, which wasn’t a total lie like the last one. After I abandoned him at the gala, things were more than a little tense in that department. “I don’t think he’d want me around anyway.”
She swatted at the air. “Nonsense. He likes you.”
I bit my lips to keep from blurting out something wrong. If only she knew how much Luca liked me…
“A little creepy…” Julia added then, “but he seems harmless.”
I frowned at her. “What do you mean, creepy?”
She looked around to make sure we were alone then leaned in and dropped her voice to just above a whisper.
“Did you see the server? And not to mention the way he was looking at you…” Julia gave me that look that said she was sharing something most salacious.
I swallowed, a nervous laugh tittering out of me before I could pull it back. “No he wasn’t. I… He was—”
“Scarlett, he’s old enough to be your father,” Julia said, stretching her back. “Which, I suppose, is normal for men like him. Wanting a pretty young thing around his arm.”
A knot of guilt formed in my stomach and twisted uncomfortably. I couldn’t get mad at her for stating the obvious. If I were honest with myself, I’d been thinking the same thing. That was part of the reason I walked out on him at the gala. Because I knew that if I could think it, Christopher would think something even worse. I was his sister, after all, and Luca was his best friend.
“Well, then I’m definitely going to keep my distance,” I said with a bright smile, hoping she’d think it was real.
Julia patted my arm supportively. “You can try, but I’m pretty sure your brother will come looking for you at some point. Now, I really have to go.” She pointed to the bathroom door I was blocking.
“Oh, sorry.” I jumped out of the way, and Julia wasted no time dashing inside.
Once the latch snapped to the locked position, I decided to explore Luca’s yacht in the opposite direction of where I’d left him and Christopher. Julia’s words weighed heavily on me and were still swimming in my head when I walked into the quarterdeck where the captain was seated.
“Looks like you have the best seat in the house,” I said, looking out at the expanse ahead of us.
“Bored already?” he asked with a slight laugh. “People usually wander up here when they’re bored of everything else.”
“Ein bisschen,” I replied, catching his eye.
I got the reaction I expected, and his face lit up at the sound of his native tongue. “A little bit, I see. Sprechen sie Deutsch?”
“German, yes. And French, Chinese, Russian…” I laughed, and the captain nodded, clearly impressed.
“I can speak Italian like my dad.” The little kid I’d seen before popped out from under the captain’s console, giving both of us a scare.
My hand flew to my chest. “Jeez, kid, what are you doing under there?”
“Leo’s hiding from Maria,” the captain said matter-of-factly, like it was something that happened all the time.
The boy—Leo—frowned. “She wants me to get snacks ready, and I hate being in that kitchen. It’s bumpy down there and makes my stomach feel weird.”
“I hear you,” I said and ruffled his hair. The same shock of pitch black hair like his dad’s and the same striking light brown eyes.
“I want to learn German like you and Gunther,” Leo said. “Can you teach me?”
He looked up at me with those big eyes, and I knew there was no way I’d be saying no to him. For anything, ever.
