ONE ITALIAN LOVE

- Chapter 10 -

For someone whose sprained ankle forced to slow down her pace, Bianca pracrically flew down the narrow street surrounded by the tall narrow buildings, past the Museo/Mostra Leonardo da Vinci - Il Genio le Invenzioni as she headed toward Piazza Navona. She did not look back. She neither cared nor wanted to do so. She was hurt, and not in the proverbial physical sense. Elisabella, of all people, should have known that. She should have. Not only about her utterly ill-timed attempt at matchmaking, but most importantly about her sudden idea of visiting Alberobello.

Elisabella wanted to visit nonna Gia? Fine. She had every right to do so. Gia Foxx always welcomed her family. But to blindside Bianca with that sort of information right after she virtually twisted her hand, or ankle so-to-speak, into making the trip with Massimo? The way Bianca saw it, Elisabella was free to accompany Signore Piccante on his trip. Bianca would be absolved of her responsibility, and everyone would have been better for it. Sure, she would visit Alberobello, but on her own terms, in her own time...

"I always thought Italian women had a feisty temper. You proved me right in an impeccable way," Massimo's amused tone of voice behind her back both annoyed and surprised her.

"I always thought American men were self-absorbed and stubborn. We were both right," Bianca replied without glancing back at him.

"Why did You rush off?" He asked, no less amused.

"I needed fresh air."

"I reserved our table outside the restaurant?"

"Reserved?" She chuckled dispassionately. "Elisabella could learn a thing or two from You."

"Veramente?" Massimo raised his eyebrow and debated whether he should quicken his pace to keep up with her or pass her and stop in front of her. He chose the first - safer - option. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"She works fast. You work faster," she scoffed in a purely sarcastic manner. And miscalculated her assumption of his intentions.

"I was raised to be a gentleman. In all manners of life," he noted in a stern tone, causing her to pause and look at him. "You agreed to accompany me to Alberobello. I offered to assist You until we arrived at the destination. This neither confirms Your best friend's pushy expectation of any possible romantic connection between the two of us, nor does it deny the fact that I am more of a man than You take me for."

"That was... a nice speech for a lawyer," she said quietly, and the way his words blew all the steam out of her temper did not go unnoticed to him.

"I may be a lawyer, but I am much more than that. I also know better than to give two thoughts about a woman who wants nothing to do with me." His retort all but burned the soles off her shoes. "I am here on a business trip. Nothing more. I told You once before, and repeating it again proves pointless if You do not choose to believe me."

"I fail to see validity in that neat little statement of Yours," she narrowed her eyes on him. She hated being proven wrong, and Massimo managed to do so effortlessly, whether he knew it or not. She resumed walking and quickly changed directions around the corner of the building only to change it again a couple of meters later. "Why then put up with Elisabella's pitifully pushy idea if You think otherwise?"

"For two reasons," he caught up with her once more, and smiled to himself when he realized where they were heading. "First of all, it would have taken a considerable amount of effort to prove Your best friend wrong, and I seldom waste energy on fruitless efforts."

"And what's the second reason?"

"She's Your best friend. My friends know better than to feed me to the vultures," he clicked his tongue in a witty way.