Page 22 of I Think Olive You

“I don’t know,” I say. “You’re doing the volunteer program. There was a mention of a multi-part business plan. It sounds like you’ve got ideas for something different.”

I’m not trying to push; really, I’m not. Giuliana is just too damn compelling and it’s not even about absorbing information at this point. If only I can get the frown on her face to melt away so her mood matches the pleasant warmth radiating from above.

“It’s something. We’ll see how well it goes.” Giuliana shrugs.

“No pressure, Matteo.” I chuckle at myself, trying to lighten the mood and I see a smile playing on her lips. Giuliana could have protested and tried to appease me, but she got enough of a taste of my humor the other night to know I can handle it.

“Yeah, don’t mess it up for the rest of us, Matteo. Nonna has placed a bet on you. I may have joined the pool.” She drops the words with a small smile fading when she catches herself teasing.

Why her cold professionality bothers me, I can’t say. But Giuliana walks back toward the big house, leaving me to ponder what the exact terms are.

“Hey! Hold up. You can’t drop that little tidbit and rush off.”

“I have no idea what you mean. If I’m hurrying, it’s because I have a lot of work waiting for me at the office.” It’s terse, and I can’t help but persist.

“Come on, I know you’re not the boring businesswoman you’re making a show of being. We’ll always have red wine and Gravina. No amount of pretending otherwise can change my mind. You’re a firecracker and we both know it.”

“It was a joke, Matteo. Leave it be.” Her pace is quick, bordering on a jog and I rush after her.

“Seriously. Don’t make me chase after you. Tell me the bet and I’ll leave you be.”

“Or what?” Giuliana throws it over her shoulder, the ghost of a smirk, and her pace picks up to a near jog.

“Wait!”

The pathways are unfamiliar to me. Weaving in between the trees to try and catch her, my shouted warnings are met with footfalls and the whisper of her breathing. I skid to a stop to try and get a handle on her position.

“Giuliana, what exactly did you guys bet on?” I shout after her.

“Can’t tell you. It might mess with the results!” Her voice comes from further than I expect and before I can launch after her people start to fill into the grove.

“I’ll corner you later, I swear!” I whisper-yell, hoping she’ll hear me without me having to embarrass myself in front of the other grove workers.

“Don’t threaten me.”

Her voice comes up right behind me and I startle in surprise. At least it breaks her facade and she gifts me with a laugh. My heart pounds with fright, and something else.

“The only thing I’m threatening you with is a good time.” I turn, giving her my signature cheeky smile but she doesn’t take the bait. The teasing cools from her face into that professional facade I’m starting to hate.

“I think, Matteo, it doesn’t matter what the bet is. Her expectations and mine are irrelevant. All I want is for you to learn from this experience. How you choose to use what you’ve gained here this summer is up to you.”

Her words stir up uncomfortable feelings in my stomach, the sentiment hitting a little too close to home, but before I can say any more her phone rings.

Giuliana reaches into the back pocket of her linen pants and raises it to her ear, rapid-fire Italian following. The words are tinged with anger and I wonder what’s going on. It’s hard to tell but I think I hear her say the name “Berto.”

Midway through a response she covers the receiver and whispers, “I will see you at dinner around seven. Feel free to explore the grove for today. Something else has come up. If you are hungry before then tell Chiara and she and Nonna can help you with food.”

All I can do is nod and watch her walk away, the curve of her hips as she struts back up toward the house leaving my mouth dry. Giuliana is an enigma, soft and serious. Reluctantly joking and sharp. The woman holds multitudes and frankly, it’s a little scary. It’s better I get some time to look around unsupervised.

Walking for what feels like an hour, I get lost in the grove. I won’t wander back to the house before I’ve gleaned something from the time out here. How the hell am I going to pull this off? Should I even keep trying?

Her family is here. They’re letting me sleep in the same house and feeding me. Sure, I reacted badly when Giuliana shut me down, but it makes sense? Kind of? If I was a professional and one of my one-night-stands showed up to the Palmer building the next day, I’d have HR on that in a heartbeat. It doesn’t have to go this way. If I can figure out how to get it to work for both of us…

I make it back toward the main gate, the small road stretching over hills back toward Gravina, before my phone vibrates in my pocket.

Alan.

What does that fuckwad want now? I consider hanging up but it might be important—even though I haven’t screwed anything up yet.

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