‘A tour of the kitchen for the three of you!’ Marco declared as a man Ben recognised as one of the chefs, and two waiters,strode towards the table holding a tray filled with colourful drinks. ‘Here’s a selection ofdigestivosfor you to take with you while you’re exploring.’
‘Aldo and I would love to see the kitchen.’ Aurora stood and rubbed her stomach. ‘But I’m not sure if I could eat or drink another thing,caro.’ Despite her declaration, she quickly grabbed a glass from the tray and took a sip. ‘Well, maybe just a small Limoncello.’
‘I’m not sure I can either,’ Luna said, grinning at Marco and kissing him on the cheek. ‘But I’ll try like Aunt A. Thank you, it’s a lovely idea, and I know Rose will enjoy meeting the team.’ She picked up anamaroand apassitoand offered both to her friend. Rose stood and went to join the two women, taking one of the drinks, before giving Marco and Ben a suspicious look.
‘What about the demon? You can’t take her into a kitchen,’ Rose said, eyeing the dog which Luna was still carrying.
‘We’ll leave her with Marco.’ Luna grinned. ‘They can get to know each other. It’s important they get on. She’s going to give him the rings during the wedding ceremony.’
‘She’s more likely to eat him,’ Rose said darkly.
Luna tried to pass the shih tzu to her fiancé, but he waved his arms and shook his head.
‘I’m sorry,tesoro.’ He blinked and then sneezed again. ‘I’m allergic.’
Rose looked over at Ben, and he could read her triumphant expression.Dammit.
‘To dogs?’ Luna sounded shocked. ‘But?—’
‘I’ll take an antihistamine later. We’ll work it out,cara,’ Marco soothed, his brown eyes crinkling. ‘If you love Coco, then I’m sure I will learn to love her too, eventually.’ His face contorted as he fought another sneeze.
‘I’ll take her,’ Ben offered, taking the bundle of fluff in his arms. Coco immediately settled into his chest, wagging her tail.
‘We’ll be waiting for you – and I’m sure Coco will do exactly as she’s asked,’ Marco promised, his eyes continuing to water as he eased away from Ben. He watched the three women leave the terrace, before taking the seat Rose had just vacated.
Then Marco stared at the dog for a moment, his expression brooding before he leaned away as if trying to avoid her scent. ‘We need to do something about your Rose,’ he whispered.
Ben’s heart skipped. ‘She’s not my anything,’ he said roughly. Never would be – only trouble lay in that direction. Trouble he had no intention of seeking again.
His attention shifted to the other side of the terrace, to the doorway Rose had just walked through. He tried to catch of glimpse of her before he realised what he was doing.
What had got into him? He was behaving like a horny teenager. The waitress who’d been serving him wine had scribbled her mobile number on a card and sneaked it to him earlier, but he’d barely acknowledged it at the time. He’d been too caught up with teasing Rose. He’d fish the card out of his pocket later, see if she wanted to meet for a drink. That would be the best way of getting the Love Doctor out of his mind.
‘Regardless – you need to help me keep her away from Luna. At least until after the wedding,’ Marco muttered, falling silent as a new waiter appeared and placed cups, a jug, sugar and a coffee pot on the table before disappearing.
Marco poured them both a shot of espresso without a word. The liquid was thick and black, and Ben knew it would help clear some of the food and wine from his system. Maybe it would straighten out his wayward hormones too.
‘I know I sound possessive, but Rose and Luna must not be left alone,’ Marco repeated, his brown eyes worried. ‘At least not until Rose has had a chance to settle in. She should get to know me and see how happy Luna is. I can’t lose her – not now I’ve finally found my true love.’
Ben sipped his coffee and winced. ‘You just sent them off together. They’re going to have plenty of time to chat now.’ He added a couple of sugars and a large dash of milk to his cup, leaning back in his chair and trying to relax as a cooling breeze skipped across the patio, ruffling his hair.
‘No.’ Marco shook his head. ‘I asked the team to keep the three of them busy. They will fill them in on the history of the restaurant, the food, anything they might find remotely interesting. There will be no opportunity for alone time at all.’
Marco, looking concerned, scrubbed a hand through his thick dark brown hair. ‘I know Rose is important to Luna and that she will listen to whatever her friend has to say. She’s told me about Rose’s job as the Love Doctor.’ His forehead creased. ‘How she counsels people and helps their relationships work. She has many rules, apparently.’ He winced. ‘Luna respects her and wants Rose’s approval for our wedding.’
‘Which I’ve told you Rose is unlikely to give,’ Ben said, taking another sip from his cup.
‘Sì.’ Marco looked unhappy. ‘I don’t want to interfere with their friendship. It’s important to Luna.’ He sighed. ‘But I don’t want Rose to talk her out of marrying me either.’
‘She’s going to try,’ Ben said seriously. His friend had looked happy when his fiancée was here, but now he could see the lines of concern etched around his eyes. He knew how much Marco had been hurt by his last girlfriend and didn’t want that to happen again.
‘She can only try if she gets the chance,’ Marco said, his unhappy expression morphing into something more determined. Ben knew that look from work – usually when Marco was trying to convince a client to choose his most innovative architectural design.
‘What do you mean?’ Ben asked slowly, taking another sip of the hot liquid. It was at least thirty degrees in the shade, but the coffee was still doing a good job of cooling him down.
‘There are four days until the wedding,’ Marco said. ‘I need you to keep Rose occupied so she doesn’t get a chance to talk my fiancée out of marrying me. At least until she sees for herself how well suited we are.’ He tapped a finger on his chest. ‘Which of course she will.’
Ben wasn’t sure of anything. Rose had some very rigid ideas and was overprotective of her friend. With good reason, if her stories about Luna’s previous relationships were true. He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll do whatever you want. But Luna will get suspicious if we lock Rose in the wine cellar and she disappears.’ He laughed just in case Marco thought he was serious. His friend was clearly smitten with his new fiancée, and Ben wasn’t sure how far he’d go to make sure the wedding went ahead.
