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While Lukos had been in the hospital, he got to the point where he would send her away. Lukos liked to read or as he grew sicker he’d listen to audiobooks during his treatment. She never wanted to go far from him and so she’d made her way around the hospital. She’d ended up learning about all the volunteer programs out there. They’d intrigued her as she’d visited with the children as well as the elderly.
“Stasia?” Roberto’s voice drew her attention.
She turned to the side, finding him heading for her. He was wearing shorts that showed off his long, lean runner legs. Her gaze rose up over his trim waist, broad chest and strong arms. When she reached his clean-shaven chiseled jaw, she paused. Her gaze lingered over his very kissable lips. With a bit of a struggle, she drew her attention upward past his straight nose and stopped at his gray-blue eyes. There was amusement reflected in them.
She swallowed hard. She didn’t normally get caught checking someone out. In fact, she wasn’t in the habit of checking anyone out. But there was something about Roberto—something that had her thinking about what it’d be like to start over.
“Find something you liked?” he asked in a teasing tone.
Heat rushed to her face. “I... I just didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I can leave if you want—”
“No, please stay.”
He took a seat next to her. “I took care of some emails this morning, but I didn’t have anything else planned for the day.”
“So you aren’t a businessman twenty-four-seven?”
His brows lifted. “Is that what you think?”
She shrugged. “It kind of seems that way.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment as though mulling over her words for some validity. “I guess you’ve only seen me at the office and at business events. But I do other things.”
“Such as?” She was genuinely curious to know the other side of this man.
“I like to go running early in the morning just as the sun is rising.”
“It shows in those shorts. You have very nice legs.” Was that a bit of color in his cheeks?
“And I like to cook, but I must admit I don’t bother very often. More times than not I eat takeout at my desk. I always tell myself I’m going to leave the office at a reasonable hour but then I get engrossed in a project and lose track of time.”
“Or is it that you don’t have a reason to go home?” That was what happened when she visited Infinity Island. It was so hard for her to leave her adorable niece and family in order to return to a house full of nothing but memories.
It was funny how life played out. In the beginning, she was the one who found love at an early age, and for a long time, she worried Xander would never know such happiness. And now Xander was the one with the love of a family and she was the one walking through life alone. Life could be so unpredictable.
Roberto averted his gaze. “I’ve chosen work over a home life. It’s the way I like things.”
She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Choosing a career over having a family sounded much safer. “Maybe you’re right.”
This time his gaze did meet hers. Questions reflected in his eyes. “I’m right?”
She struggled not to laugh at his shocked expression. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“Because, well, no one has ever agreed with me before.”
There was a time when she wouldn’t have agreed with him either. But that boat had sailed, so to speak. Maybe it was time to let him in on her special project. “I’ve been looking for a job—but not just any job. I want one that fulfills me the way work does you and my brother.”
“I thought you were going to join Xander in some real-estate deals.”
She glanced away, catching sight of a little boy and his father rolling a bright red ball back and forth. “Don’t tell Xander, but real estate, it’s not for me.”
“Really? Because you seemed so anxious to work on the resort in Italy.”
“You’re right. I was, in the beginning. But I was mostly excited about being able to work side by side with my brother.”
“So what happened?”
