Page 58 of Chasing You

I walkthrough the doors of The Sugared Plum, and the first thing I see is Vanessa’s smile. “Buongiorno Miles! Come stai?”

“Bene, grazie,”I respond with a smile. And if she is surprised I can answer a basic question in Italian, she doesn’t show it. I ended up learning more than the basics while I was living in Sorrento that summer. I spent hours with Marina learning anything she was willing to teach me, though I’ve forgotten most of it now.

“Black no sugar?” she asks, knowing my order now that I’ve been here a few times. It makes me wonder how many locals’ orders she has living in her head.

“Yes, please. And a lemon tart if you have one, I need something to sustain me today.”

Vanessa yells something in Italian into the kitchen behind her that I don’t catch before her attention is back on me. “Well, a lemon tart will do exactly that. Are you going to get your girl back?” she asks, her voice dropping to a whisper.

The idea that I can somehow win Marina back in the next few days is a fairytale dream.

She doesn’t want to hear what I have to say, she made thatvery clear that day in the water. And if I can't explain things to her, if I can’t get close enough to show her my intentions, I don't know what is left except some grand gesture to tell her just how much I love her, and what a colossal mistake I made leaving all of those years ago. But I feel like that would do more harm than good.

Winning back Marina’s trust is going to be a slow burn, and I don't have that much time, not right now, not when I'm due back at work in a few days. If I weren’t captain, I would simply extend my leave. I've got enough of it. But I just got this promotion. I can’t disappear as soon as I get the job, that's not fair. Instead, I've been looking at my calendar, trying to determine how long an appropriate time is before I can be back on a plane into Ruby Cove.

I chuckle, not knowing how to sum that up to Vanessa. “No, I’m actually going to do some boxing. I’m hoping to get into a tournament the day after tomorrow, but it might be a bit late notice.”

“A boxing tournament?” She places my coffee in front of me. “Isn’t that dangerous,bambino?”

“It can be,” I nod. “But I’ve been fighting for years. I’ll be fine.”

She gives me a look that says I’ve done a poor job of convincing her.

“After the tournament, I’ll be heading home, well, back to the States.”

Her face drops. “Oh no! Well, you come and see me before you go, okay? I’ll give you a little something for the road.”

A smile breaks out on my face. “Grazie.”

At that moment, a head of dark curls comes bounding out of the kitchen. “Here, Ma, I—” Marina stops in her tracks, staring at me. I can’t pinpoint the look in her eyes. The same way I couldn’t read her when she asked me about the tournament at Isla and Caio’s. She seemed worried for a second there, but then it was gone. “What are you doing here?”

She talks as if it’s suspicious that I’m here getting food anddrink at the most popular place in town. I hold up my takeaway cup. “Getting a coffee.”

“You two know each other?” Vanessa asks, her gaze flicking between us like she’s watching a tennis match. She must catch onto the energy between us because the look in her eyes changes. “Oddio, is your girl my girl?” she asks me.

“What?” I look between them, and I can’t ignore the similarities. The curls paired with tan skin, the bright smile, and warm energy.

“Ma, this is Miles, Isla’s brother. Miles, this is my mom.” I watch Vanessa’s face as she puts the puzzle pieces together just as I am.

I sat here talking about how I hurt someone, someone I was trying to win back. Vanessa told me that everyone deserves a second chance. I wonder if her answer would’ve been different if she knew that we were talking about her own daughter.

“And I’m assuming this is your lemon tart.” Marina drops a brown paper bag on the counter that separates me from the two of them.

“Yeah, uh…thanks. I better get going, thanks, Vanessa.” I can count on my left hand the amount of times I’ve escaped a building so quickly. It’s lucky I'm going home after the tournament, because the list of places I need to avoid to keep on my side of the boundary line is getting longer with each passing day.

I take a breath when I step out into the fresh air, inhaling the smell of salt on the breeze.

“Well, don’t you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Leo’s voice calls from where he’s sitting on the stone wall across the street. He looks the most casual I’ve ever seen him in a lightweight T-shirt and basketball shorts.

He stands up, walking over to meet me. I look back to the bakery. “Yeah, um,” I shake my head. “Never mind.”

Leo just chuckles like he knows something I don’t. “Luna’s gym is just around the corner. I asked her about this Boulder guywhen I saw her at the market yesterday and she said he’d be around today.”

“Perfect. I’m not feeling too optimistic that I’ll be able to get in, it’s only two days away.”

“And in Sorrento,” he says.

That piques my attention. “Oh really?”

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