The Billionaire's Troublesome Triplets - Holly Rayner Page 0,3
gentleman, offering to buy me dinner like that, she thought. She would have to be mindful not to take advantage of his generosity tonight. At the restaurant, she would pay careful attention to what he ordered and make sure that her own choices were slightly less expensive than his.
She came up out of the water, filled her hands with rose-scented shampoo, and began to scrub her hair. Already, Elise was sure that this was a night that she would remember for a long time. This was a story she would tell her friends and family back home. It might even turn out to be the defining moment of her vacation.
She was determined to make sure every detail of the evening was absolutely perfect.
Chapter 2
Lucas
Lucas was surprised to find that he felt nervous as he sat in the coffee shop waiting for Elise to arrive.
How long has it been since I felt nervous on a date?
It must have been years. Certainly it had been years since he’d taken dating seriously. He had decided long ago that he would never marry. After seeing the kind of unhappiness it had created in his own family, it just hadn’t seemed worth it.
He wasn’t sure why he felt differently today. Maybe it was just the fact that they were in Rome. You couldn’t walk around this city without feeling the romance. Everything was so old and so beautiful; just walking around was like being in a labyrinth full of hidden treasures.
Just this afternoon, he had walked around a corner and found himself face-to-face with the Trevi Fountain. You couldn’t do things like that back at home. You couldn’t be taken by surprise by that kind of beauty. Everything that was remarkable or noteworthy in the United States made a big deal about itself. You had to pay to see it, or you had to join a tour.
But Lucas had walked right up to the fountain today. He had been steps away. He could have reached out and touched it, if he had wanted to. Even now, hours later, he felt breathless just thinking about it.
He had felt the same way when he set eyes on Elise.
He didn’t know why. But she seemed like the fountain to him, like a kind of magical experience that could only have happened here in Rome.
He looked up to see her coming in the door. She was wearing a white cocktail dress that showed off her tan, and she had pinned her long brown hair up off her neck. He got to his feet and went to the door to greet her.
Elise looked up at him and smiled. “I was sort of worried you might not be here,” she admitted.
“Why wouldn’t I be here?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “There’s something…fantastical about all this. A handsome man saves me from being the victim of a purse grabber and then offers to take me out to dinner.” She blushed. “I’m sorry. I feel silly telling you that.”
“You’re afraid I’m going to turn into a pumpkin?” he asked her, smiling.
“Something like that.”
He was flattered. “Did you want to get a coffee before we go eat?”
“No, I’m all right,” she said.
He nodded. “I’ve picked out a restaurant. I hope that’s all right.”
“That’s fine,” Elise said. “Honestly, I’ve been having dinner in my rental apartment every night, so I don’t know what the best places to eat around here are.”
“Are you serious?” he asked. “You’re in Rome and you’ve been cooking your meals at home? You haven’t gone out to eat at all?”
“I go out for lunch,” she said. “But no, I cook my own dinners.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m going to be here for another week,” she explained as he led her out of Gianni’s and onto the sidewalk. “I have to make my budget last.”
He frowned. “I hope that thief didn’t damage your trip too badly, with what he took from you.”
“It’s all right,” Elise said. “I’ll end up spending more than I meant to on this trip, but that was probably going to happen anyway.” She grinned. “I have a weakness for gelato.”
“Oh, so do I,” he agreed. “There’s a great little place down that way. They have the best gelato in the city.”
Her face lit up. “That’s where I go!” she said. “My apartment is that way too. Maybe we should go get some after we finish dinner. That part could be my treat.”
He looked at her, at the soft curves of her dress, wondering if she was suggesting what he thought she