Rebecca Winters - The Vineyards Of Calanetti

She inwardly groaned. As fantastic as that kiss had been, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Angelo at last had noticed her work and complimented her professionally. And what did she turn around and do, stare at him like some lovesick teenager—encouraging him to kiss her.

Sure, she was wildly attracted to him. What woman with a pulse wasn’t? He was gorgeous with that short, dark hair, olive skin and dark, sensual eyes. But he was her boss—the man in charge of her professional future—her dreams.

She couldn’t afford any more blunders. She had to remain aloof but professional. Surely it wasn’t too late to correct things between them. At least he hadn’t mentioned anything about sending her back to New York on the next plane, but then again they’d rushed out of the hotel so quickly that he didn’t have time to think of it. His thoughts were on his sister.

Kayla sure hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with Marianna. This was the first time Kayla had ever witnessed Angelo visibly worried. He obviously cared a great deal for his family though he never let on at the office—when he was working he was 100 percent professional—

So then what happened back there at the hotel?

Angelo pulled the car to a skidding halt in front of the villa. Before she could summon an answer to that nagging question, Angelo had her car door opened. She would figure it out later. Right now, she would offer her support in whatever capacity to Angelo’s family.

Nico rushed into the drive. “About time you got here.”

“We came right away.” Angelo frowned at his brother. “What’s the matter with Marianna?”

“Marianna?” Nico’s brows drew together in a questioning look. “This has nothing to do with our sister.”

“Then why in the world did you have us rush over here?” Angelo’s voice took on a sharp edge.

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. She had no idea what Nico wanted, but she was fully relieved that mother and baby were okay. However, she did have to wonder why Nico wanted her here? Was he hoping that she’d play referee?

Nico’s eyes opened wide and his face became animated. “You are never going to believe this—”

“I might if you’d get to the point.”

Nico smiled in spite of his brother’s obvious agitation. “What would you say if I told you that I was just approached by representatives of Halencia? Monte Calanetti has just made the short list of locations for the royal wedding of Prince Antonio and Christina Rose.”

Angelo rolled his eyes. “Nico, this is no time for joking around—”

“I’m not. I’m perfectly serious.”

Kayla’s mouth gaped open. A royal wedding. Wow! She really was in Europe because nothing like this ever happened back in the States. Wait until she told her family. They would never believe it.

Her gaze moved to Angelo. He still wasn’t smiling. In fact, he didn’t look the least bit excited about this news. She had absolutely no ties to this village and she was over-the-moon happy for them. So why was he so reserved?

Angelo pressed his hands to his trim waist. “You called us back here to tell us this?”

“Brother, you’re not understanding. The royal family of Halencia wants us to make a pitch as to why Monte Calanetti should be the location for the soon-to-be king and his intended bride’s wedding.”

“And?”

Nico shook his head. “What aren’t you understanding? This is where you come in. You and Kayla. This is what you two do for a living—pitch ideas, convince people to go with the products you represent. That’s what we need.”

Nico wanted Angelo and her to help? Really? For a royal wedding?

The breath caught in her throat as she held back a squeal of excitement. If she’d ever wanted a chance to stand out and gain a promotion, this was a prime opportunity. Plus, it’d mean continuing to work with Angelo. But once they got back to New York, away from this romantic countryside, things would go back to normal. Wouldn’t they?

Surely they would. This project was huge. It was amazing. An honest-to-goodness royal wedding. She didn’t even know where they’d begin, but she couldn’t contain her excitement. She’d show Angelo how good an ad executive she could be. Just wait and see.

* * *

Pitch a wedding to royalty?

Angelo had never done such a thing. Weddings weren’t his thing. He knew nothing about love and romance. He was highly unqualified for this project. But he wasn’t about to admit any of this to Nico. No way. So how was he supposed to get out of this?

Nico smiled as he led them straight through the modestly decorated villa that still looked much the same as it did when he’d been a child. Once everyone was situated on the veranda with cold drinks, Nico turned to him. “So what do you think?”

“About what?”

“You know, coming up with a pitch for the village?”

Angelo wanted to tell his brother that he was too busy and that he couldn’t possibly fit it into his schedule. He highly doubted his brother would hear him. Nico had selective hearing when he wanted something bad enough—like Angelo being a silent investor in the vineyard.

Angelo turned to Kayla to see what she thought about the idea, hoping she’d make some excuse to get them out of this situation. But her green eyes sparkled with excitement. How wrong could he have been to look to her for support? Was there a woman alive who didn’t get excited about weddings? Or was it the part about pitching it to a real-life prince that had caught her full attention?

Angelo’s gut tightened when he thought of Kayla being starstruck over the royal prince. He shrugged off the uneasy sensation. It was none of his concern. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was attracted to him. She couldn’t dismiss their kiss fast enough.

His jaw tensed as he recalled how easily she’d brushed off their moment. He could have sworn she’d been as into him as he was into her. It just showed how little he understood women.

He drew up his thoughts, refusing to dwell on the subject. In the meantime, Kayla had engaged his brother in light conversation about the vineyard and how it’d been their childhood home. Angelo looked around the place and was truly impressed by what his brother had done to bring this place back to life. It looked so different than when they were kids, when the place was dying off.

Angelo had actually thought that his brother was crazy for wanting to devote his time and money into reviving the vineyard, but with Nico’s determination, he’d made a go of the place. In fact, this boutique vineyard might not produce a large quantity of wine, but what it did produce was of the finest quality. Angelo kept his private wine collection stocked with it. Calanetti wines impressed a great number of influential guests that he’d entertained.

The chime of Kayla’s laughter drew his thoughts back to the moment. Nico was entertaining her with a tale from when they were kids. As the oldest, Angelo had always been put in charge of his siblings while his parents went out. But this one time, Angelo hadn’t been paying attention and they’d sneaked off. What Nico failed to add, and what he probably didn’t know, was that had been one of Angelo’s scariest moments—not knowing what had happened to his brother and sister.

“Are you telling them about the royal wedding?” Marianna joined them. Her face was a bit on the pale side and there were shadows beneath her eyes.

Nico leaned back in his chair. “I just told Angelo about it. He’s thinking it over.”

Marianna turned to Angelo. “You have to think it over? But why? This will be the biggest thing you’ve ever done.”

“You really want me to do the pitch?”

She nodded. “Please. It would be so wonderful for everyone. Couldn’t you just this once help your family?”