Page 48 of Secret Match
The curb attendant tapped the tablet. “Address?”
She took his arm in her hand and batted her eyes. She needed to get back to Gio, fast. “Do you have a phone book? I need to find Giorgio Morgan.”
“Si.”He typed, then showed her. “The House of Morgan.”
She clapped with relief. “Yes.Si.The House of Morgan.”
He pointed her toward the taxi and she slipped inside after giving him a nice tip.
The driver didn’t ask any questions as he drove into the city rather than down a country road. Kiwi held her tongue as she honestly didn’t know anything about Italy until he stopped at the store that read The House of Morgan.
Drat. They thought she was here to shop.
She glanced at the driver, who didn’t speak English. Without an address, she couldn’t apologize and talk to Gio in person.
She held her phone like she’d call her friends and coworkers, but another thought hit her.
Surely someone inside the store would know Gio’s address so she paid her fare as she said, “His store. Hmm. Okay.”
The taxi driver took off as she stepped toward the store, but once again she dialed Gio’s phone.
Again she went to voicemail. If she called Serenity, she’d hold over her head the ‘I saw straight through to your heart and knew this’ card. She’d call her next if that was her only option, but Kiwi needed to speak to him and left a voicemail as she said, “Gio, please call or text me. I need your address. I’m lost in Milan.”
She then reached for the door handle as an awful thought occurred. What if he wasn’t answering on purpose? Leaving when she did looked bad. Really, really bad. Almost unforgiveable. She winced at the memory. Kiwi needed to see him—even if he kicked her out of his house, she had to try. She pulled the door open and walked over to the counter and spoke to an older man. “I’m looking for Giorgio Morgan.”
“He’s not here,signorina.” He answered in English and then nodded. “May I help you?”
Kiwi straightened her shoulders with false confidence. “Do you have an address for the manor? With the vineyard and pretty veranda? Two stories…” She’d keep describing if it proved she knew him.
The clerk smiled and snapped his fingers. “Si. Giorgio’s villa.”
A huge smile grew on her face as she snapped back mimicking his gesture and raising her hand in the air like she’d just won the lottery. “Yes, do you have the address?”
The older man’s his face turned serious. “Does he know you?”
“I’m… having his baby.” Love had almost just blurted out of her mouth. She swallowed and patted her stomach. “And I was there but got lost without writing down the address.”
The man covered his mouth with both hands as he walked around the counter and then looked at her still flat belly and then back at her. “Congratulations!”
She reached out and took both of his hands in hers and squeezed. “Si.Can you get me there?”
He motioned for a younger woman in the back who looked like his daughter and waved for her. She didn’t stop and ask why he needed his daughter to come too. Right now she needed to see Gio and work out the rest later. The man said, “We’ll close and drive you ourselves. Giorgio is a lucky man.”
“Thank you!” Kiwi’s heart raced as the kind older gentleman reached for his car keys.
The younger woman grabbed a scarf and locked the front door, but then out of the back, his brother walked out in a new suit and a third tailor who clipped the back. Kiwi stopped and ignored the zip in her veins that she was finally on her way and said, “Anthony! Gio’s not answering.”
Anthony’s lips were thin as he stared at the two workers who were ushering her to go with them. “He doesn’t want to see you, Kiwi. I suggest you go back to the airport now.”
Her heart crumpled like a used piece of paper about to be thrown in the trash, but she held her head up. Gio had warned her about his brother and she needed to hear from Gio himself that he didn’t want to see her. But first she needed to apologize. She swallowed and took a step to follow her helpers as she said, “I need to see him. I was wrong.”
She walked to the back door with the two workers as Anthony called out behind her. “Fine, but Kiwi, don’t hurt my brother.”
Anthony sounded like he cared, which was a good thing. “I have no intention of doing that.”
The older man started his BMW and she took the seat in the back. “Thank you for driving me.”
The younger Italian woman in the front seat closed the door and they took off as she said, “No problem. We love helping people in love.”
