“It’s on the street where the cab probably dropped you off—next to the gym. It serves food, coffee and delicious crepes. Meet me there at ten?”
“Grazie,” she said with a nod and turned back to Lilly as he walked away without so much as a hug for the girl he was leaving in her care.
“I wouldn’t have come all the way from America if I didn’t want to meet you,” she said to her half sister, but if she thought that would be enough to reassure Lilly and get her to lower her guard, she was sadly mistaken.
Lilly glared sullenly—testing her to see if that was all it required to get her to head back to the States, Charlotte supposed. The girl resented her own need. That much seemed clear.
Julian introduced himself and Sloane, which elicited only a slight nod from Lilly. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Shall we go inside?”
Charlotte’s heart nearly broke when she saw Lilly turn toward all the boxes Luca had stacked up as if she didn’t know what to do with them.
“I’ll get those,” Julian murmured. “You go in and have a look around with your sister.”
There was a flash of relief in Lilly’s eyes—and it was then that Charlotte realized if anyone could win her over it would be Julian. She wassoglad he’d come to Italy with her.
Being handed to three total strangers made the girl Julian had just met prickly and defensive. She had to be terrified about her future. If he had his guess, her life hadn’t been very stable up to this point and had just gotten a whole lot more unstable, so she was braced for further disappointment. That she didn’t shed a tear when Luca left, didn’t even say goodbye, made Julian respect her strength and self-possession. It seemed she wasn’t about to let Luca know how badly his abandonment hurt, wasn’t about to let anyone know.
Except she was overcompensating, which made it easier to figure out than she probably thought.
“This villa is pretty cool, isn’t it?” he said, walking over to join her when he found her standing at the edge of the terrace alone, staring out at the sea.
She didn’t answer. She just watched him warily, as if she didn’t dare lower her guard in case whatever kindness he was offering would prove to be a trap.
He persevered with a smile. “I mean, life could be worse than having our own suite—and there’s a hot tub with a view of the Mediterranean.”
She corrected quietly, “It’s the Tyrrhenian Sea.”
The Tyrrhenian was part of the Mediterranean, but he didn’t bother explaining that. Technically, she was right. It wasn’t an important distinction, anyway, especially at this moment. “Whatever it is, I’m certain I’ve never seen a more beautiful coastline, and I’ve been all over the world.”
She studied him, presumably to decide if he was credible. “Even Antarctica?”
She thought she had him. “Even Antarctica,” he replied.
Her eyes widened. “You’re so rich you just travel the world?”
“No, I travel for work. I’m a landscape photographer. I take pictures of beautiful places like this and sell them to magazines, online sites and galleries.” He pulled his phone from the pocket of his khaki shorts, found his Antarctica album and handed her his phone.
She studied each picture closely, seemingly mesmerized. “I think it’s just as pretty as it is here,” she said as she handed it back. “Maybe even prettier.”
“It’s an entirely different kind of beauty. Everyone should see it at least once. But—” he gestured at the houses built on the cliffs to the right and left of them “—this place is much more comfortable.”
“Does anyone live in Antarctica?”
“Just scientists who stay at various stations. There aren’t anyhomes or businesses. Did you know that planes can’t even fly over Antarctica?”
He could tell he’d piqued her curiosity despite her desire to remain completely aloof. “Why not?”
“Weather’s too unpredictable.”
“Where else have you been?”
“Russia, China, India. Lots of places.”
She peered over her shoulder toward the villa as if checking to make sure they were alone. And they were. Charlotte and Sloane were still inside getting settled in their rooms. “Are you my sister’s boyfriend?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Just a friend.”
“Like... really?” she said skeptically.
