He closed his eyes and thought.
“Just to your room.”
Pardon me?Who the hell was this man to tell me what I was allowed to do?
He stepped back, and I marched out into the hallway and into my room, slamming the door behind me.
I stripped, hopped in the shower, and let the cool water soothe my aching eyes. After what seemed like forever, I washed and toweled off then brushed my teeth. I slipped into my pajamas and crawled under the foreign hotel sheets, cringing at how they didn’t feel like Elio’s Egyptian cotton ones. I turned my head into the pillow and sobbed, hating that I broke for the second time today.
* * *
My body felt like I’d been hit by a train by the time I made it downstairs to eat the next morning. I texted Elenora when it came time to order, but she told me she had a meeting to attend and couldn’t join me. I had yet to figure out what she did for a living to have the kind of wealth she seemed to have.
I opened my book and tried like hell to retain what I was reading.
“I owe Niccola sixty euros,” Vinni snickered as he sat down across from me and took a menu from the waitress who trailed behind him. He gave his order of a glass of water then looked at me with a question, as if I’d asked him to join me for breakfast at my hotel.
“Um, good morning?” I tried for a smile.
“Is it? Because I’m out money, and you look hungover.”
“I wish.” I rubbed my aching head. “What did you bet?”
“That you were doing just fine.”
“Far from it, I can assure you.”
“I can see that now.”
“I do appreciate you hoping I was fine.” I felt my eyes water and tried like crazy to hold back the levy. “Did he send you?”
“He didn’t.” He pulled out his phone and set it on the table. “But the family is worried about you, and Elio is spinning dark pretty hard, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Spinning dark?”
“He’s got a lot going on and, with this last trip, his mind is in a dark place.”
“We all have a lot going on,” I reminded him.
“He took care of Jacob Raine.”
“Took care?” I shifted in my seat, remembering how terrified I was of him.
“I can safely assure you he won’t ever bother you again.” He made a face, and my stomach rolled. “Look, he loves you, and while we have no idea what is going on in his head right now and why he’s behaving the way he is, it would really do him some good to see you.”
“I’m not sure I can do that, Vinni.”
“Why?”
“Because while he was dealing with Jacob Raine, I was dealing with some things that I’m not sure I can deal with just yet.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning Piero, Andrea, and Elio have some explaining to do.” I folded my arms to hold myself together.
“I won’t pry, but I will give you this.” He reached into his breast pocket and handed me a Sunflower Fields Wine Festival brochure. “It’s being held in town, but we host the event. It gives us and other Italian vineyards a place to showcase their own wine. It’s been a tradition for some time now, and Elio will be there.” I stared at him for a moment and wondered what the catch was. “No catch, Sienna. I just think it would be good for him to see you.”
“I’ll think about it.”