And why couldn’t she shake the odd feeling of pride in his achievements? What Gio had done to his father’s house had nothing whatsoever to do with her.
The helicopter ride to London had gone smoothly enough; the noise in the cabin making it impossible for them to speak without shouting. Gio had worked on his laptop and she hadn’t disturbed him, even though a million and one questions about the Hall and what he’d done to it had kept popping into her head.
This was a business trip. And she had to keep it that way. Asking Gio questions about his motivations for restoring the Hall felt too personal.
Unfortunately, every time his thigh had brushed against the silk of her dress, or his elbow had bumped hers on the armrest, business was the last thing on her mind. And by the time they’d arrived at City Airport and been whisked into the terminal building, Issy’s hormones had been cartwheeling like Olympic gymnasts.
She’d only had a moment to introduce Gio to Maxi, and watch her friend gush all over him, before he’d excused himself again, explaining that he had a few calls to make and would meet her on the plane.
The ludicrous thing was, she was starting to get a bit of a complex about how eager he seemed to ignore her. Which was totally idiotic. She didn’t need his attention. Or want it. It would only encourage her cartwheeling hormones.
Maxi’s excited chatter wasn’t helping. Reminding her of all the giggly conversations she’d once had about Gio in her teens.
‘How do you know him?’ Maxi asked, still gushing like his number one fan. ‘It’s obvious there’s a connection between you. Is that why he offered to fund the theatre?’ Maxi turned wide eyes on her. ‘You’re having a fling, aren’t you?’
Colour flushed into Issy’s cheeks. ‘We are not,’ she said, pretty sure one bout of wild monkey sex didn’t count. ‘We grew up together. He’s an old friend.’
Maxi’s eyes narrowed. ‘Then why are you going to Florence with him? And why are you blushing?’
‘I’m not blushing,’ she lied, cursing her pale skin. ‘And I have to go to Florence to sign the sponsorship papers. It’s just a formality. I told you that.’
‘Iss, don’t get me wrong,’ Maxi said, putting on her sincere face and grating on Issy’s nerves even more. ‘I think it’s fab that he’s taking you to Florence. You absolutely deserve a break. Especially with someone as tasty as that. You don’t have to pretend with me. We’re mates.’ She nudged Issy’s shoulder. ‘And I’ll give Dave and the troops the official story, I promise.’ She smiled. ‘So, how long have you two been an item?’
Good grief.
Issy yanked up the handle on her suitcase. ‘It’s not an official story. It’s the truth.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Maxi scoffed. ‘Let’s examine the evidence here,’ she said in her no-nonsense voice. The one Issy usually appreciated. ‘First off: no one needs to travel anywhere to sign a few papers these days, because it can all be done by e-mail.’ She began to count off points on her fingers. ‘Second: it’s obvious you’ve had a shower in the last few hours, because your hair has started to frizz at the ends.’
Issy touched her hair self-consciously, remembering how observant Maxi was.
‘And then there’s the rip in the back of your dress to account for.’
Far too observant.
‘And, last but by no means least,’ Maxi continued, ‘there’s the way he looked at you just now.’
‘What way?’
‘Like he wanted to devour you in one quick bite.’
Okay, that was an observation too far. Gio had gone out of his way to avoid her for the last two hours. She ought to know. She had the inferiority complex to prove it.
‘No, he didn’t.’
‘Yes, he did.’ Maxi’s quick grin had Issy blinking. ‘I saw him. Those dreamy brown eyes went all sexy and intense, and he stared at you so long even I started to get excited. And I’m just an innocent bystander. If you aren’t already having a hot, passionate fling with that guy, you should be.’
‘But that’s…’ She sputtered to a stop, embarrassingly excited herself now. ‘That’s not possible.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because…’ Her mind went totally blank as her hormones cartwheeled off a cliff.
‘Miss Helligan? Mr Hamilton has asked me to escort you through Security.’
Issy turned to find a man in a flight attendant’s uniform hovering at her elbow.
‘Right. Fine.’