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With so much to see, they didn’t linger long. They hurried to nearby Saint Mark’s Basilica, with its most amazing mosaics. And then they were off to the Doge’s Palace, where they arrived early enough to tour the hidden rooms followed by a tour of the public rooms. There was just so much history in this amazing city that it was hard to take it all in.
But he had to admit it was so hard to concentrate on the historical artifacts and the culture when the most amazing person was right next to him and all he could think about was pulling her into his arms and kissing her. But completely impossible. He’d promised her they would tour the city as friends—nothing more. It was best for both their sakes.
They shared lunch at an outside café serving authentic Venetian fare, as Stasia insisted they soak up as much of the culture as possible during their brief visit. Stasia chose spaghetti alle vongole and he chose to go with a rice dish, risi e bisi. And with witnessing her bubbly enthusiasm, he was incapable of denying her just about anything. Seeing Venice through Stasia’s eyes was like seeing it for the very first time.
And for dessert, he surprised her with glasses of prosecco as well as some tiramisu. Her face lit up with happiness and he’d never experienced such joy just by watching someone smile.
“Roberto, what have you done?”
“It’s your birthday. We have to celebrate.”
“But I told you not to make a big deal of it.” But the twinkle in her eyes let him know she wasn’t upset with him.
He wasn’t well versed at buying birthday gifts, so he’d called his assistant for some advice. She’d assured him that jewelry was the way to go and the salesperson at the jewelry store at one of the ports had concurred. Now that he was sitting here with Stasia, he hoped they’d been right.
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He placed it in front of her. “Happy birthday.”
Her eyes widened.
When she didn’t move to take the box, he worried that he’d done the wrong thing. “Don’t you want it?”
She nodded, then opened the box. Inside were diamond-and-blue-sapphire earrings. For a moment, she didn’t say a word and his body tensed. He’d messed up. She didn’t like them.
“If you don’t like them, I can exchange them.”
“They’re gorgeous.” Stasia looked at them in awe. “And way too extravagant.”
When she attempted to hand them back, he frowned at her. “Weren’t you taught that it’s not polite to return birthday gifts?”
“Then what am I supposed to do with them?”
“That’s a silly question. Put them on.”
Her mouth gaped slightly. And then to his surprise, she took off her earrings and put on his gift. Talk about dazzling—the woman, not the earrings. No wonder his thoughts and vision kept straying back to her succulent lips.
He forced his gaze back to her earlobes. “The earrings are almost as pretty as the birthday girl.”
She flushed and glanced away. “Thank you.”
“You are quite welcome.”
The afternoon they spent meandering through the Rialto Market, where a kindly older woman offered to take their photo.
Roberto tried to bow out. Having his photo taken wasn’t his thing. But when Stasia pleaded with him, sticking out her bottom lip, he turned to putty in her hands. He moved to her side.
The woman held up Stasia’s phone. “Closer together.”
He hesitated. Stasia inched toward him, still leaving a little space between them.
The woman lowered the camera and frowned. “Closer.”
He stifled a groan. This woman had no idea how hard she was making this for him. Stasia moved until their shoulders brushed together.
The woman still didn’t take the photo. “Bacio! Bacio!”
Suddenly someone stepped up next to the woman and joined the woman in chanting bacio. They wanted them to kiss. Other people in the market added their voices.
Roberto grew uncomfortably warm. He resisted the urge to undo a button on his shirt. What had gotten into these people? Didn’t they have anything better to do than to torture him?
Stasia leaned close, making his heart race. She said in his ear, “I think she’s planning to hold my camera hostage until we, um, you know...”
