Turn Towards the Sun (27 page)

“He’s amazing in every way. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“A
mazing.
Good enough for me. So have you finally moved on from Steve?”

“I moved on from him right away Cass.”

“I mean the anger and not cutting yourself some slack.”

I realize I haven’t thought about him since the first few days
after
I met Enzo. “Yes. I’ve moved on.”

“Good. I didn’t want to have to kick your ass.” Cassie
cackles,
and I follow suit.

Two hours with Cassie passes like two minutes. She talks a mile a minute and fills me in on all the gossip since I left. I realize I don’t miss a thing about Denver. Just her. And my parents.

“We should get ready for dinner Cass.” I glance at the
clock,
noticing the time. Cassie takes at least two hours to get ready. She looks like a natural
beauty,
but a lot of work goes into it. Taming the curls alone takes an hour.

“You can shower first.” I offer. I show her the towels and l
eave her to it. It’ll take me thirty
minutes,
so I let her go first.

I head out into the living room and watch Enzo work from the hallway. He’s on the couch wearing shorts and a t-shirt, looking more like a college student than a highly successful architect. His hair is swept back from his
face,
and he’s wearing black framed glasses. Glasses! I haven’t seen those before. He’s enthralled in whatever it is he is doing and doesn’t notice me. I take the opportunity
to
delight in his presence. He reaches over to grab some papers and notices me staring. Ha! The table is turned Enzo.

“What are you doing?”

“Watching you. Since when do you wear glasses?”

“Since my eyes are too dry to wear contacts.” He grins and starts to remove them.

“No please, keep them on. I think they’re sexy.”

“Sexy huh?” He smiles and motions for me to come and sit.

“Are you having a good time with your friend?”

I lean my head against his shoulder. “Yes. I’m happy she’s here. I’m happy you’re here too.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll always be where you are Ava. That’s a promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise.”

“Please do.”

“Promise me something else.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll do what you did to me this morning again.”

A seductive smile spreads across his face. “As you wish.”

I snuggle up against him
and wait
for Cassie to finish.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

“Is this okay?” Cassie is wearing a bright pink and coral maxi dress.

“It’s perfect Cass. You look great.” I slip on a pretty
pink sundress and tan wedge sandals.

We walk out of the bedroom to meet a waiting Enzo. He’s
wearing his usual linen shorts,
pressed white shirt
,
and flip flops. He kept his glasses on. Man he’s a beautiful sight.

“Well I’m a lucky man tonight. Two lovely dining companions.” He winks at Cassie but pulls me to him and kisses my neck.

Cassie talks incessantly on the ride over about everything from the heat to the palm trees to how nice the car is.
Enzo focuses on driving but with a grin on his face the entire ride.

We walk into Milano and are treated with the usual pomp and circumstance reserved for the owner of the property. Paolo comes out to see us and meet Cassie. I look over at Cassie and see her
shell-shocked
expression at the
red-carpet treatment.
Ah yes, I remember well.

“Why don’t you order for us Enzo?” It’s far more impressive when he’s running the show.

“Certainly.” He proceeds to discuss with Paolo the evening’s meal in Italian. I look at Cassie
again,
and she’s melting. I pinch her arm and she jumps, smiling sheepishly.

“We’ll have some Pinot G
rigio and start with an antipasto platter.”

Cassie and I nod our heads. Cassie shoots a hundred questions at Enzo about his
life,
and he answers them all openly and honestly. I can tell he wants her approval.

“Do you want to get married? And have kids?”

I cannot believe she just asked that and smack her arm.

Enzo smiles. “It’s okay Ava. I honestly hadn’t thought about it before.
I know I want
children,
so
I suppose in the back of my
mind,
I thought I would marry someday,
but it hasn’t been a serious thought.”

Cassie’s face
falls,
and mine is about to go with hers.

Enzo continues. “Until recently that it is.” His eyes meet mine and pure joy washes over me.

“What else would you like to know about me?” Enzo is being such a good sport fielding her interrogation.

Then she asks about
Italy,
and he lights up. He tells us about the property plans and how
eventually
he would like to spend more and more of his time in Italy.

“I’m going to build a house and live there at least several months a year. I want my children to experience Italy as much as possible.” He glances in my direction and damn
it
if I’m not blushing.

A waitress brings us several platters of
food,
and we eat family style. Cass is just like me and can put down some serious food. She digs into the lasagna for a second time. Enzo watches us both with rapt attention.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing.” He’s smirking.

“Enzo?”

“I just like the way you eat. Both of you. It’s refreshing to see women enjoy their food.”

Cassie looks confused.

“Have you noticed the overabundance of thin women yet?” I ask.

She looks around the restaurant then nods her head.

“A lot of salad eaters.” I add.

Cassie guffaws. “The only salad I want is on my burger.”

After a round of espresso and after dinner
drinks,
Cassie’s questions have died
down,
and she seems satisfied Enzo is good enough for me.

“Ladies, it’s getting late. We should go.” Enzo rises and waits for us.

“I stayed in that room over there the first four days I was in town.” I point, showing Cassie.

“This is a great hotel Enzo.” Cassie smiles sweetly at Enzo and I know she is officially under his spell. Even Cassie is not immune.

E
t
tu,
Cassie?

We drive
back,
and Cassie continues talking away telling me all about Chris and her job and how she thinks she should cut her hair. The wine loosens her mouth even more than usual. She talks and talks, not really expecting a response. Enzo shakes his head and laughs.

We walk into the apartment.

“I can sleep on the couch if you want to stay with Cassie.” Enzo offers.

Cassie throws her hands up in the air, slightly tipsy from the wine and the heat. “You think she wants to sleep with me when she c
an have you?” She laughs
hard,
and I can’t help but laugh in return.

Enzo shakes his head and walks to the linen closet returning with linens for the couch. It’s so big and plush I know she’ll sleep well.
Besides,
she’ll be passed out in a matter of minutes.

“Let’s change Cass.” She follows me into my bedroom and finds her t-shirt and shorts.

“He’s so hot Ava.
I’m
happy for you.” She’s obviously tipsy
now,
but I know she means it.

“I know Cass. Let’s get you to sleep.” We walk out to the living room where Enzo is fixing the couch for her. He stands and turns to leave but Cassie throws her arms around his neck, surprising him.

“Thank you for taking care of my girl.”

“She takes care of me too.”

She unwraps herself and climbs onto the couch.

“Night Cass.”

“Night Ava. And keep it down in there.” She laughs again.

“She’s certainly animated.” Enzo
shakes
his
head,
but a smile fills his face.

I nod.
“She’s a force of nature.”

“I can see why she’s your friend. Shall we go to sleep?” His eyes
twinkle
.

“Sure. As long as we keep it down.” I laugh as Enzo grabs me and pulls me tight.

“Buon giorno.” Enzo is already working away in the chair in my bedroom.

“I’m heading out in an hour for my flight.” His voice is low and soft.

I climb out of bed and snuggle in his lap, burying my face in his neck. He holds me tight.

“I’ll miss you bella.”

“Not as much as I’ll miss you.”

“Impossible. I’ll call you when I get there.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“I love you.”

“I love you back.”

“I trust you.” He kisses my cheek.

“I trust you.” I return his kiss.

I brush my teeth and brace myself for his departure. I know I’ll miss
him,
but this time with Cassie will be really good. I walk him to the door. Cassie is still sound asleep on the couch.

“Be safe Ava,” he whispers.

“I promise.”

He kisses me softly. I stand looking up at him in the morning light. He kisses me again, this time with depth. He
walks to the car and
blows me a
kiss,
and then he’s gone. I head back to bed and sleep until the sun comes up.

“Alright Cassie. Shopping or spa?”

Cassie is messing with her curls trying in vain to tame them.

“Yes.”

“It was an either or question.”

Cassie giggles.

I give in.
“Okay both. In that order.”

“I don’t want to go to a mall. I’d rather go check out some cool funky
little
shops.”

Cool and funky? I have no clue. I call Gabby.

“Hi Gabby. My friend is visiting from out of town and she wants to go shop somewhere quirky. I have no idea where to go.”

“Oh sure. You can take her to this area called Avalon. It’s a bit of a
drive,
but it’s worth it.”

“Want to join us? There’s a spa day in it for you.”

“I don’t want to
intrude,
Ava.”

“I
want
you to meet Cassie. No intrusion.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Of course. Meet us here at ten.”

“Okay I’ll come over.”

I hang up and call Grayson.

“Are you available to take us around this morning?”

“Of course. I’ll be there at ten.” He responds professionally. I have a feeling that’s his job for the weekend.

“You have a driver?” Cassie is astounded.

“Well, he’s Enzo’s driver but it does come in handy.
Besides,
I still don’t know my way around that
well,
and I’d rather focus on the company than the driving.
You can meet Gabby too.”

“Fantastic.”

Gabby shows up moments before Grayson and we head out. I introduce the girls and know they are going to hit it off.

“We’re going to
Avalon,
Grayson.” He nods.

“This is so cool Ava. It’s like Driving Miss Daisy or something!” Cassie practically shrieks. Gabby nods in agreement.

I laugh. “It’s taken me some time to get used to it, but yes it’s nice. I’ve only known him a few weeks even though it feels like years. The abundance of money is the hardest thing to get used to.”