if his motives weren’ t entirely honest.
Anna was perched at the garden bar, sipping a glass of white wine and admiring the sunset when Rafael came in. She started when she saw him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighbourhood and I thought you might like to go out to dinner?”
Anna stared at him. He looked more rugged than when he’d pounced on her first thing this morning, thanks to a generous smattering of five o’ clock shadow around his jaw. She liked it. It made him seem less smooth, less controlling somehow. More human.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
She didn’t know what to say. “Er...no, I haven’t eaten yet. But why would you want to take me out for dinner? You don’t even like me.”
Blunt, sure, but it was the truth. What was he doing here? They had a scheduled appointment tomorrow morning. Couldn’t he wait until then to harangue her about her background? She searched his face for a clue , but the dark brown eyes just crinkled at the corners.
“I thought it was the charitable thing to do,” he replied, a half-smile teasing his lips. “You are new in town and I am the only person you know in Capri, right?”
Anna thought for a minute. Perhaps it was time to make amends. After his suspicions about her identity and her subsequent stunt this morning there was plenty of distrust between them. Maybe they could finally set the record straight. At the very least, she might learn something about her father. Rafael had obviously known him pretty well. Well enough to give her some clues as to his personality and his life here on Capri.
“Okay, dinner would be lovely,” she conceded, offering a small smile in return. “We didn’t get off to a very good start, did we?”
“No. You are right about that,” he chortled. “I know a local tratoria which is run by a friend of mine. Luigi makes the best pasta on the island. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect.”
Anna stood up and pulled her shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing a beautiful floral summer dress that she’d bought in London at the beginning of the season. It flattered her in all the right places. Being cut above the knee it broke her long, tall silhouette and the floral pattern made her seem less of a bean pole. This was the first chance she’d had to wear it.
She stood up, careful to make sure the dress didn’t’ ride up in the process. Rafael gazed not-so-surreptitiously at her bare legs while she finished her wine . She wasn’t so sure she liked his attention, although admittedly he was being rather gentlemanly tonight. What a change from his previous uptight attitude.
“Right, I’m ready when you are,” she told him, picking her clutch bag off the bar and giving the forlorn bartender a brief wave.
The tratoria was situated in a quiet street off the main tourist routes. As her heels clicked on the pavement, Anna thought once again how different Rafael seemed tonight. Gone was the cold, cynical demeanour and suspicious frown. Instead, his broad shoulders looked more relaxed and he walked with a casual gait, like they had all night to get to their destination. Even his clothing were different. Instead of the power suit from the day before, he wore a white shirt which showed off his dark Mediterranean tan, and a pair of jeans. Even that looked glamorous on him.
Anna felt like she should say something, but she didn’t know what and he didn’t seem perturbed by the silence. So she gave up thinking what to say and thought instead of her behaviour over the last two days. She’d been in turns pushy, frantic, angry and desperate. Not to forget foolish! Her stunt this morning was embarrassing in its stupidity. But it did have one positive outcome. S he knew about her father’s death now. If she hadn’t climbed over that wall this mo rning, she’d still be ignorantly trying to track him down.
At least now she could be herself. She didn’t need to solicit his help to find Giovanni
Anna was perched at the garden bar, sipping a glass of white wine and admiring the sunset when Rafael came in. She started when she saw him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighbourhood and I thought you might like to go out to dinner?”
Anna stared at him. He looked more rugged than when he’d pounced on her first thing this morning, thanks to a generous smattering of five o’ clock shadow around his jaw. She liked it. It made him seem less smooth, less controlling somehow. More human.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
She didn’t know what to say. “Er...no, I haven’t eaten yet. But why would you want to take me out for dinner? You don’t even like me.”
Blunt, sure, but it was the truth. What was he doing here? They had a scheduled appointment tomorrow morning. Couldn’t he wait until then to harangue her about her background? She searched his face for a clue , but the dark brown eyes just crinkled at the corners.
“I thought it was the charitable thing to do,” he replied, a half-smile teasing his lips. “You are new in town and I am the only person you know in Capri, right?”
Anna thought for a minute. Perhaps it was time to make amends. After his suspicions about her identity and her subsequent stunt this morning there was plenty of distrust between them. Maybe they could finally set the record straight. At the very least, she might learn something about her father. Rafael had obviously known him pretty well. Well enough to give her some clues as to his personality and his life here on Capri.
“Okay, dinner would be lovely,” she conceded, offering a small smile in return. “We didn’t get off to a very good start, did we?”
“No. You are right about that,” he chortled. “I know a local tratoria which is run by a friend of mine. Luigi makes the best pasta on the island. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect.”
Anna stood up and pulled her shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing a beautiful floral summer dress that she’d bought in London at the beginning of the season. It flattered her in all the right places. Being cut above the knee it broke her long, tall silhouette and the floral pattern made her seem less of a bean pole. This was the first chance she’d had to wear it.
She stood up, careful to make sure the dress didn’t’ ride up in the process. Rafael gazed not-so-surreptitiously at her bare legs while she finished her wine . She wasn’t so sure she liked his attention, although admittedly he was being rather gentlemanly tonight. What a change from his previous uptight attitude.
“Right, I’m ready when you are,” she told him, picking her clutch bag off the bar and giving the forlorn bartender a brief wave.
The tratoria was situated in a quiet street off the main tourist routes. As her heels clicked on the pavement, Anna thought once again how different Rafael seemed tonight. Gone was the cold, cynical demeanour and suspicious frown. Instead, his broad shoulders looked more relaxed and he walked with a casual gait, like they had all night to get to their destination. Even his clothing were different. Instead of the power suit from the day before, he wore a white shirt which showed off his dark Mediterranean tan, and a pair of jeans. Even that looked glamorous on him.
Anna felt like she should say something, but she didn’t know what and he didn’t seem perturbed by the silence. So she gave up thinking what to say and thought instead of her behaviour over the last two days. She’d been in turns pushy, frantic, angry and desperate. Not to forget foolish! Her stunt this morning was embarrassing in its stupidity. But it did have one positive outcome. S he knew about her father’s death now. If she hadn’t climbed over that wall this mo rning, she’d still be ignorantly trying to track him down.
At least now she could be herself. She didn’t need to solicit his help to find Giovanni
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