Greedyprobably wasn’t the right word, Lillian thought, but she let it go.
“I’m amazed by all this, Anton. You’re very talented.” She rose to her feet and turned to him. “Is there anything youcan’tdo?”
Attractive laugh lines crinkled around his eyes. “Plenty. But isn’t that what life is about? Trying new things? Finding out what you love doing? Then taking a deep dive into it?”
She wondered how many paintings were stored in this studio. One hundred? How long had it taken him to paint all of them?
She strode slowly toward him. “Thank you for showing them to me. I feel honored.”
An awkward silence ensued as she and Anton watched each other under the stark light from the chandelier—although it was only awkward for the others, who turned away and pretended to be looking at the paintings.
“I should probably get going,” Lillian said. “Thank you for dinner and for showing me this.”
The air around her felt electrified, but then she noticed a look pass between Domenico and Caterina. She remembered that Anton was a married man, and everyone in the house must be acquainted with his wife and children.
“I can drive you,” Francesco said.
Domenico frowned at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, Francesco. You’ve had too much grappa. Anton will walk with you, Lillian. Lord knows he needs the exercise.”
“That’s true,” Caterina agreed.
“Speak for yourself, Domenico,” Anton replied with laughter as he turned and headed for the door.
A short while later, Anton and Lillian were making their way down Cypress Row, where the air smelled of sweet pine and damp earth. Fireflies sparkled in the greenery.
“I’m still thinking about your paintings,” Lillian said. “Would you let me look at them again sometime?”
“If you like.”
Their footsteps tapped lightly in unison. Wispy clouds passed in front of the moon.
“You know ...,” she put forward, carefully. “I have a thought, but I don’t want to step over the line. When I say it out loud, you might regret hiring me.”
He chuckled at that. “Never.”
Lillian inhaled a slow, deep breath. “All right, then. I’ll just throw this out there. Anton, have you ever considered putting some of your artwork on the wine labels?”
Anton said nothing for several seconds, and she worried that she had indeed crossed the line and he was trying to decide how to respond tactfully. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. “That’s very interesting.”
She put one foot in front of the other, glancing up at him as she walked, trying to gauge what he was thinking.
“But the Maurizio family name is a national treasure here in Italy,” he finally said. “This winery has had the same image on its label for over a hundred years.”
“I know. And it’s a sketch of the villa, like every other old-world wine label out there in circulation. Don’t misunderstand. I wouldn’tchange that, not for the vintage wines. But the new ones that you’re developing ... I can’t imagine a better way to put your own stamp on those bottles. The Maurizio family name is the foundation, of course, but from what I’ve gathered about you, Anton, you’re very passionate about this place. A hundred years from now, your wines and your contribution to the collections will have equal historical value. Perhaps you could try the new labels out with the Americans. Do a test batch. See how it plays.”
He turned his eyes to meet hers. “That’s interesting as well.”
They reached the little cluster of stone buildings where her guest suite was located. All the windows were brightly lit, except for hers.
“Here we are,” she said, stopping on the gravel driveway. The wet grass in the surrounding yard glistened in the light from the lampposts.
Anton looked at her door, shrouded in darkness. “You’ve got me thinking,” he said. “It’s quite an innovative idea. It feels risky, though.”
“I don’t think so at all,” she replied. “Would you like to come inside for a bit? We could talk about it. Brainstorm a little.”
As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she regretted the suggestion. There was an obvious attraction between them. She’d be a fool to deny it. If anything was risky, it was this.
“Sure,” he said, but there was a hint of unease in his tone. Nevertheless, he followed her up the stone steps, then held the flashlight steadily to illuminate the keyhole as she unlocked the door.
