Chapter Thirteen
After I slept again, I called Stephanie.
“I thought you’d be back by now,” she said.
“I got delayed by a snake bite.”
“That’s bad. Are you very sick?”
“I was, but I’m getting treatment. I missed my plane and can’t leave for several days. My parents didn’t answer their phones. Would you please call them? Don’t tell them I got hurt. I don’t want them to worry. Just tell them not to go to the airport until I let them know when I’m coming.”
“I’ll be glad to. Are you still seeing Mario?”
I turned away from Mario and covered the phone with my hand, so he wouldn’t hear me. “I think he’s planning to marry his ex-girlfriend because she’s pregnant.”
“Good thing you didn’t fall for him.”
“Well, I sort of did, but I guess I’ll have to get over it.” I wished I could stay longer with him if only he were free. “Look, my battery’s dying. I’ll call you when I get my phone charged.”
“I’m so sorry things turned out bad for you. I enjoyed being with you in Europe. Maybe we can take another trip together again.” Stephanie was a good friend and fun to be with, but it was Mario I wanted to see Europe with. Too bad he was off limits. “I hope you feel better soon,” Stephanie said.
I pushed the button to disconnect. Here I was in an interesting town, but what fun would it be to explore the interesting tourist spots by myself or with a man planning to marry someone else? It didn’t matter whether or not he wanted to. He felt honor bound to support her. Damn.
Oh, well, he wouldn’t want to be tied to an adventure-craving woman like me. He’d already said his mother was the ideal wife, one who stayed home and took care of things. And besides, would I be welcome at the royal palace dinners with princes and princesses who had grown up with royalty and knew what to say and what fork to use?
As soon as I got well enough to travel, I was heading home to my work at the library and a chance to write up some of the places I’d been to. Somehow, that didn’t sound as appealing as I’d thought it would. The only time I’d see Mario would be on the sports channel when I watched the European football games. If his team made the finals, I couldn’t sit in the stands and cheer him on or join him and his buddies for a celebration after winning a game. At least I wouldn’t have to watch him marry that manipulating bitch.
Mario smiled at me. “How is Stephanie?”
“She’s fine. I should see her again soon after they let me fly home.”
“I feel bad that I ruined the last day of your vacation.”
“Except for the snake bite, I enjoyed the plane trip and most of the hike through the mountains. I did get pretty cold, though. I appreciate you keeping me warm in the cave.”
The nurse glanced my way, then returned her attention to adding antivenom to the IV bag. I wondered what she thought we’d been doing. It had been too cold to take off enough clothes to do anything like that.
Mario sat in a chair beside the bed on the opposite side from the IV bag and the nurse. “Are you feeling any better now?”
I nodded but didn’t dare lift my head. After she finished adding antivenom to the IV bag, she disposed of ten empty vials. She examined the wound. “There are two puncture holes. It bit you with both fangs. She gently wiped my skin with some cooling antiseptic fluid. “The area is swollen but doesn’t seem to be getting worse.”
She took blood. The needle hurt, but not near as much as the bite area. “I’m taking this to the lab.” She left the room.
Mario took my hand. “I’m so sorry this happened. I should never have eaten those deviled eggs.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “I hope insurance pays for a new plane.”
He stood and paced. “I hope so. It’s a total loss, but that’s not near as important as you getting well. I should have looked around for snakes. They love to sit in the sun on top of rocks. I know that, but I didn’t notice it.”
“Well, it was pretty near the color of the rock it slid down from.”
He returned to my side and patted my shoulder. He smoothed a lock of hair from my cheek, his big hand exuding warmth. After smoothing his fingers over my check in an almost caress, he pulled his hand away and slid it in his pocket, as if realizing he was promised to another woman.
“Are you going to call Delores and tell her what you decided?”
He sighed. “I will as soon as I know you are all right.”
“I suppose you’ll plan an early wedding to avoid scandal?”
“If her mother is like mine, everything will be carefully orchestrated—and I’ll hate every minute of it.”
“Why go through with it? Why not elope and take her to some romantic place?”
“Neither she or her parents would want that. I have to be reasonable, but I’m not looking forward to all the planning and ceremony.”
I wondered if he just didn’t want to be part of a wedding or if it was because he was marrying Delores. Would he object to all the ritual if he loved me and were marrying me? I didn’t need to be thinking about that, because it would never happen, but I had to know how Mario felt about me.
“Mario, am I important to you?”
“Of course, you are, cara mia,”
“Then why won’t you insist on a pregnancy test before you agree to marry her?”
“I can, but that won’t prove the baby is mine.”
“What about making her submit to a lie detector test?”
“She’d throw a fit if I even suggest it.”
I clamped my mouth shut. “You’re hopeless. Maybe you deserve to marry her. Get out of my sight.”
He left, his shoulders slumping.
I hadn’t been very nice to say that, but why should she have him when I could make him so much happier?
I spent the night in the hospital. I slept fitfully. Each time I woke, I saw Mario sitting in the chair, sometimes watchful, sometimes dozing, but his eyes would spring open if I made any noise. He made me feel cared for and safe by the way he watched over me. I loved that about him. I loved the way he treated me, the way he threw everything he had into his games, and I loved the way he complimented me, making me feel like I was the most desirable woman he’d ever met. And he’d taken me to all those exciting places I’d always wanted to visit. I was in love with him, but he wasn’t even available. As sick as I was, how could I compete with the glamorous Delores and a baby that might be his?
It was noon the next day before they pronounced me well enough to leave. Mario offered to hire a wheelchair and push me to see the castle in Bolzono. I shook my head. “My leg and ankle hurt all over. I don’t feel well enough to do anything. I just want to get back to Monterra and fly home.”
Mario shook his head. “There’s no commercial air service from here. We’ll have to take a train.”
He made arrangements, and we barely got there in time to make the last run for the day. The train snaked through a less mountainous area, occasionally running beside a river.
After we reached Imperia in Monterra, Mario took a taxi to a little restaurant. “This is the last dinner I’ll have with you. Order whatever you want. I’ve made reservations for a ten o’clock flight.”
After he pulled out a chair for me and sat down beside me, I enjoyed the warmth from his arm and thigh next to mine. “How did you manage that on such short notice.”
“Seeing how tired you were and how anxious you were about getting home, I made arrangements while you were at the hospital in Bolzono.”
“How thoughtful you are. Thank you.” Or was he just trying to send me away so he could be with Delores?
After we ordered, Mario’s phone rang. He answered, then held his hand over the phone. “It’s Gino. I’ll tell him to call me tomorrow.” However, after he did, Gino must have persisted, because Mario said, “I don’t know why you think l even want to talk to you.” He listened and finally said, “All right, you can come here, but only for five minutes. I have to take Kelly to the airport, and I want to spend some time with her before she leaves.”
Mario took my hand. “I’m sorry, but he insisted on meeting me here.”
Our food arrived. I ate whatever was set before me, but I didn’t pay much attention to the food. All I could think of was I would never see or talk to Mario again.
Ten minutes later, Gino came in. He walked up to our table. “I don’t know how to begin.”
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough? Go away. I don’t even want to see your face,” Mario said.
Gino took a deep breath. “I want you to know how sorry I am for the way I’ve acted. We’ve been friends for years, and I haven’t been acting like a friend.”
Mario frowned. “No, you haven’t. I’ll listen to what you have to say, but you’d better make it short.”
Gino took a deep breath. “Well, I wanted to outshine you so I’d be named captain….” “But all I’ve done is screw things up.”
“You sure have. We could have—"
“Wait. Let me explain. I was the one who trashed your locker. “
Mario frowned. “That was a bit more than the usual prank, but—”
“I thought the coach would think you irresponsible if you showed up without a uniform, but you managed to get the right clothes in time. I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m sorry.”
Mario leaned back in his chair. “Hey, I could forgive you for that. Ambition causes us to do things we wouldn’t ordinarily do, but—”
“And I’m sorry I doctored your paper copy of the blueprint. I don’t know what I was thinking. That might have caused problems with the palace if you hadn’t caught it.”
Mario slammed his hand down on the table. “Not just problems. That could have made the whole north end of the palace collapse.”
“I would have stopped you at the last minute—"
Mario scowled. “I don’t believe you.”
“I was going to, but when Kelly intervened—well I lost my nerve. I hope you can forgive me for that, but I’ll understand if you don’t.”
Mario scowled, looking as if he didn’t believe Gino. “You’re damn lucky Kelly noticed it in time to stop the blasting. However, she pointed out you must have whitened out the number and changed it, then made a copy so the changes wouldn’t show. Why the hell did you take a chance like that?”
“I wanted to make you look incompetent.” Gino rose and shoved his chair back. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
Mario walked around the table and got right in Gino’s face. “Wait a minute. That’s not all. What about the poisoned eggs? I got so sick I crashed the plane in the mountains. We could have both been killed. And then we had to hike through the mountains in the cold. It’s a wonder we didn’t freeze to death.”
Gino looked surprised. “What eggs? I didn’t give you any eggs.”
“You’re lying. Ernesto said the deviled eggs were something you sent.”
“You can ask him yourself if I was the one who gave them to him.”
Mario waved Ernesto over. “Did Gino hand you those eggs?”
Ernesto shook his head. “No. A little girl who said she was Gino’s sister gave them to me. I tasted one and thought it would be okay to give them to you. I hate eggs, but I should have taken a bigger bite before letting you have them.”
“Damn,” Gino said. “That sounds like Vito’s doing. He knew how much I wanted to be captain. And to think he dragged our innocent sister into doing this without telling me. I remember wondering why you missed practice two days in a row, and then you and Kelly turned up missing.”
Mario clenched his hands into fists. “You must have begged Vito to do something to keep me from being named captain.”
Gino shook his head. “No. I didn’t. Honest. You have got to believe me. I would never go so far as to risk getting you killed.”
Mario glowered at him. “It wasn’t just me. That put Kelly in danger as well, and she almost died from a snake bite. I’ll be sure to have him prosecuted for that.” Mario shoved his plate away. “My appetite’s ruined. If anything suspicious happens again, you’ll be the first one I’ll look at.”
Gino rose. “That’s fair enough, and I’m sorry Vito put you at risk. I’ll see you at the game tomorrow.” He walked out of the restaurant.
Ernesto watched him walk out, then came back to stand beside Mario. “Your other bodyguard and I will be extra vigilant from now on.”
Mario took hold of my hand. I loved the feel of his large hand warming mine.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “that you had to hear all that. I can’t trust him anymore.”
“But won’t he cooperate with the team while you’re playing a game.”
Mario nodded. “Probably. It’s in his best interest to be a team player. I don’t want to tell the owner what he’s done until after the successor to the captain is named. I want to be picked for captain on my own merits. But before tomorrow’s game I need to give the coach the facts. Gino can’t be trusted.”
I squeezed his hand. “Well, I think you’re the best player by far. I hope you get picked as captain.”
He smiled. “You are so encouraging to say that, but we’ll just have to wait and see. However, I will press charges against Gino as well as Vito.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “I’m going to miss you, more than I can say. Why can’t you stay? You have shown me there’s more to life than football and parties. Surely, you could finish getting your masters in library science at a university nearby.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” I wasn’t going to tell him I loved him. What good would it do?
As we walked out of the restaurant, Ernesto left and soon drove up in the Ferrari. “I brought all your things from the hotel.” He pointed to my bag in the back seat.
After he drove us to the airport, Mario walked with me to the security line. There, in front of everybody, he kissed me heartily. And kissed me again as if he didn’t want to let me go. It hit me then. I was leaving the man I loved, never to see him again, except on television. I clung to him, then pressed another kiss on his sensuous lips. “Take care of yourself and good luck in the tournament.”
He hugged me and then let go. A man behind me said, “It’s your turn.”
With a heavy heart, I dug out my driver’s license, passport, and boarding pass and joined the line. A few minutes later—stamp, stamp, stamp, went the checker, then said, “Next one in line, please.”
I lifted my bag onto the conveyor belt and turned to look at Mario. He smiled and blew me a kiss. I waved and hurried on. I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.
After collecting my bag, I headed to the terminal as they called for people to board the plane. I hurried along, hoping I could sleep all the way back, so I wouldn’t have to dwell on the fact the man I loved would marry someone else.
Sitting on the plane, I dreamed of marrying Mario in the palace ballroom with an orchestra playing. I awoke, dismayed to find it wasn’t true.
When my parents picked me up at the airport, it felt good to be hugged by my family. They might not always agree with my goals, but they appreciated me. When I told them about Mario, my mother said, “I’m sure you care about him, but if he doesn’t love you, coming home was a good decision.”
That night, she cooked my favorite dinner, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and chocolate cake.
“Dear, why don’t you stay with us for a few days and get your strength back.”
“Mom, I’m fine now. Quit hovering.”
Monday morning, I trudged off to work. I couldn’t seem to bring back the enthusiasm I’d once felt about work. I kept thinking about Mario and how I’d like to see him again. No other man would satisfy me like he had.
I met Stephanie for lunch at Panera Bread. The smell of brewing coffee greeted us as we ordered.
Later, my broccoli cheese soup smelled and tasted good, despite my feeling downcast. I told her all about my experiences since she left and all the wonderful things I’d learned about Mario.
“Sounds like you’re in love with him,” she said.
I set down my chicken salad sandwich. “I am, but I have to forget him. He’s marrying someone else.”
“You mean you didn’t fight for him?”
“What good would it do? Another woman is carrying his baby, and he feels honor bound to marry her.” I took a sip of my ice tea.
Stephanie took a bite of her salad. “Did he say he loved her?”
“No. I remember he said she was a bad-tempered redhead. His parents loved her, but Mario told me she was manipulative and put on a good face when she was with them.”
“Did you tell him you loved him?” she asked.
“I did, but he said he was going to marry her.”
“Did he ever say he loved you?”
“I think he did once, while I was in the hospital being treated for snakebite. But he did call me cara mia a couple of times.”
“You idiot. Do you know what that means in Italian?”
“No.”
“It means ‘my love’ or ‘my darling.’”
“Oh. And after the plane wreck, we had to hike through the mountains. When we were sleeping together in a cave, he muttered, ‘so sweet’ but he was still asleep, so I don’t know who he was thinking of.”
“Wait a minute. You were sleeping together?”
“Literally. It was so cold we had to lie beside each other to keep warm.”
“Wow. That must have been some hike over all those mountains.”
“It was a lot of hard climbing, but the snake bite was the worst. I had to be helicoptered to a hospital in Bolzono at the foot of the mountains. They gave me ten vials of antivenom. Mario stayed in my hospital room with me all night.”
“Wow. Must have been a bad snake bite. How many days did you stay in the hospital?”
“I just stayed the one night. They let me go the next afternoon. Mario offered to rent a wheelchair and take me sightseeing, but I didn’t feel up to it, so we took a train to Monterra. My ankle still hurts, but I can walk on it okay.”
Stephanie took another bite of salad and leaned forward. “It sounds like he really cares for you. You’re a fool if you don’t try to talk him out of marrying – what’s her name – Delores.”
“But he feels honor bound to marry her.”
“He can offer to pay child support if he marries you and you’re okay with that.”
“But if I marry him, I won’t be able to finish my graduate degree or work here.”
“They must have universities there where you could finish your studies—if that’s what you want.”
“But he wants a stay at home wife, like his mother. I don’t know if he’d want to travel with me so I could do travel writing.”
“You could at least travel to all his games and write about those places.”
“I could, couldn’t I.”
“So.” Stephanie leaned back against the booth seat. “What are you going to do now?”
“I guess I could call him and talk to him.”
“Better yet, you could go there. Kelly, you have to try, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”