Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance) by Helen Scott Taylor Page B

the stable door after the horse had bolted. "I can look after myself, "she offered, but she didn't sound convincing.
    "How does he feel about you?" Chris asked.
    Maria shrugged.
    "When is he leaving?"
    "I don't know."
    "Well, has he said anything about continuing to see you after he goes?"
    Maria shook her head. She'd been in a good mood, but with every question Chris asked, her spirits sank.
    "What does he do for a living?" Chris continued relentlessly.
    "I don't know. Can you just leave it, please?"
    "Oh, come on, Mari. You must agree I have a point. You two have been cozying up here together for two weeks, and you don't even know what he does for a living."
    "We're not cozying up. And I know lots about him, where he comes from, all about his family and stuff. It's just his job has never come up, all right?" But that was a lie. She had asked Dino what he did a couple of times, and he'd avoided answering. She hadn't pursued the matter in case it upset him again.
    "I still think he's an actor. I'm sure I've seen him in something," Chris mused.
    "Well, I haven't," Maria retorted. "Don't ask him, please." She didn't want to bring back any memories that might make him unhappy.
    Dino and Eric came downstairs a while later, chatting together. Chris helped Maria set the table and serve the roast beef. Charlotte and Poppy were strapped into high chairs, and they all sat down. The conversation flowed easily, Dino and Eric having a friendly argument about football teams and cars, while Chris and Maria discussed the children and the playgroup fundraiser.
    Charlotte dropped her toy monkey and Dino picked it up for her. "Say thank-you-Dino," Chris said to her daughter.
    "Tank 'ou, Dino," Charlotte copied, then babbled the words again and again until everyone laughed.
    "Trouble with kids is there's no off switch," Eric said.
    "It does not get easier," Dino added with a wry smile. "The problems just change."
    "You have children?" Chris chipped in, and Maria stilled, her heart faltering. She had tried so hard to avoid subjects that would remind Dino of his lost baby son.
    The question seemed to hang in the air unanswered for an eternity, and she imagined how Dino must be feeling. Then he smiled and shrugged. "No children of my own, but many nephews and nieces."
    "Oh, well, that's good," Chris said.
    "Very good," Eric added. "Nephews and nieces you can give back at the end of the day."
    They all laughed, but Dino's sounded forced. Chris and Eric chatted and without planning it, Maria's hand crept across the tablecloth to settle over Dino's in silent support. Their gazes met, and gratitude flickered in his brown eyes. She suddenly realized that the talking had ceased and looked up to find Eric and Chris watching them.
    Chris was right. Although Dino was a kind man and would not hurt her on purpose, her heart was already cracking at the thought of him leaving.
    ***
    For the next few days, Maria worked hard to finish the decorating and Dino helped. Much of the time they labored together in companionable silence, and being with him felt so comfortable, so right. Occasionally, the thought he would soon leave sneaked into her mind, and she shoved it away. She would worry about that when it happened. At the end of his third week, they decided to spend a day out together to celebrate finishing the painting.
    Maria sat beside Dino in the BMW. He switched the radio to a classical music channel as they cruised along the narrow Cornish lanes towards Mevagissey. "You like this type of music?" she asked and he nodded.
    "It is my favorite. Close your eyes and listen, Maria. Classical music is the sound of beauty and emotion." He fisted his hand over his heart. "Do you not feel the music inside you?"
    She concentrated and tried to sense what he meant, but the music just sounded too complex to her, the notes all over the place. She preferred a simple repeating melody she could sing along to.
    Maria directed Dino to park on the outskirts of Mevagissey to avoid