She found Alessandro in the same place she had left him, lingering outside the door of his father’s hospital room. Liz slowed her steps to a stop, observing him for a moment. He was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. He put his hands in his overgrown hair, then ran them over his unkempt clothes.
She came closer. Alessandro spotted her and groaned aloud. “You just don’t understand the word no, don’t you?”
“It’s a part of the English language. I know that much.” She glanced curiously at the door. “What are you doing out here?”
“Not that it’s any of your business but…” Alessandro sighed heavily. “I can’t go back in. It’s… just too much.”
He looked on the verge of crying. Liz suddenly wanted to take a step back. Emotional support was what he needed right now, but Liz didn’t know how to provide that. She allowed him a moment, letting him take a deep breath as he faced the door once more. “You need a break,” she said after a few seconds.
He looked back at her, curious now. “What do you mean?”
“Take a break from all of this. It’s the best thing you can do for your sanity.”
“I can’t leave him alone.”
“It’ll only be a for a few hours. You won’t be missed.”
Alessandro hesitated. Hope flickered in his eyes and Liz jumped on it. “I know a great place near here. It’ll help take your mind off everything just for a while. It won’t hurt.”
He sighed heavily. “I know you’re only doing this for your own agenda but… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Let me just tell him goodbye first.”
Liz nodded. He peeped his head in through the door first before slipping inside. Liz spent the time on her phone, searching the best restaurants around the area. She found one with a gorgeous view and a five-star rating on the food. She had just slipped her phone back into her bag when Alessandro came back out looking more haunted than ever.
“Let’s go,” he breathed.
Liz led the way. She heard his every step, huffing and waddling behind her but she didn’t turn. Eyes followed them all the way and Liz knew they struck an odd pair. The disheveled man bundled up in clothes following behind the small, sharp woman with direct eyes. It was bound to bring curious looks their way.
It was between a cab or a boat. Liz made the choice for him. As much as she was doing this to wear him down, she didn’t want to waste any more time than was necessary. The quicker she got him to sell her the painting, the quicker she was out of Italy. And away from Michael.
They didn’t exchange words on the way to the restaurant. Liz didn’t mind the silence. One look at him and she could tell he was lost in his own mind, burdened by chaotic thoughts. Whatever it was that had been bothering him before had followed him outside the hospital. She left him to it.
It wasn’t until they were seated at the restaurant, the open breeze caressing their skin and rustling their hair, did Liz break the silence. The view was indeed magnificent, facing the brilliant waterways. It would have been even more spectacular during sundown, but even now she was taken aback by how breathtaking it was.
So was Alessandro, clearly. “Where did you find this place?” he asked her, lifting the menu.
She didn’t look up from hers. “I found it on Google while I was still at the hospital. When you were saying goodbye.”
“So, you didn’t know of this place before?” Alessandro snorted. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You people lie a lot to get what you want.”
Liz didn’t let his words bother her. She had definitely heard worse. It was something else he said that caught her attention. “You lot?”
“I’m sure you know you aren’t the first to be bothering me like this. Although,” he continued, his tone considerably lighter. “You are the first to treat me to lunch.”
“Who else came to you?”
“I don’t remember their names.” Alessandro took a sip of his water, eyes still on the menu. “Most called. A few showed up at my home in person.”
“I thought you’ve been off the grid.”
“So did I.”
Liz put the information to the back of her head. It was good ammunition against Harold if he ever thought of forcing her into vacation again. If she hadn’t been away from her work, she would have been ahead of everyone else a long time ago. What if Alessandro had given into one of the others? They would have lost this sale before it began. “Alright, well enough about that topic. Let’s order.”
Liz let the quiet seep back in, the noise of the restaurant buzzing around them. Within ten minutes, they both had their food before them.
“So, your father,” Liz broached tenderly. As tenderly as she could manage anyway. “Is it bad?”
Alessandro huffed a humorless laugh. “You don’t care.”
“On the contrary, I understand what you must be going through. I had a relative of mine in the hospital once. My grandmother when she had Alzheimer’s. She didn’t last very long, but it was hard on all of us. She was big a part of all our lives.”
“When did she die?”
“Around six years ago.” Liz shrugged. “Not long, but she’s still felt in everything we do.”
“That must have been hard on you.”
“It was. So, believe me when I say, I know how you must be feeling.”
Alessandro eyed her warily. She could feel his heavy gaze on her, but she continued eating, unbothered. “He also has Alzheimer’s. It’s severe. They don’t think he has much time.”
“Is that the reason why you’re wearing so many clothes?”
Alessandro looked down at himself, as if he hadn’t remembered he looked like a stuffed turkey. “Huh? Oh yeah, this. He remembers me, but when I was a young fat kid. I put on all these clothes so that when he sees me, he at least remembers my name.”
Liz paused at that. Her heart pained her at the thought. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Alessandro waved his hand. “I’m one of the lucky ones. With a case as severe as his, it’s a wonder he even remembers me at all.”
“So, you came up here to spend whatever time you could with him.”
“They don’t know when he’ll… pass. All they know is that he doesn’t have much time. Which means I don’t have much time with him.” He sighed heavily, chewed slowly. “I rent a place near the hospital, but I spend most of my time with him. Sometimes I go days without showering. Sounds disgusting, I know.” Liz nodded, which made Alessandro chuckle. “Can you blame me?”
She couldn’t, which was why she put the rest of what she had wanted to say aside. She had been hoping to wear him down, to get him to open up before she proposed their sale again, but she didn’t think that was a good idea anymore. At least, not now. She wasn’t that awful.
It seemed, though, that Alessandro had other plans. “So, what’s the pitch this time?”
“Excuse me?”
“You brought me here for a reason, didn’t you? It wasn’t to get my mind off everything. It was for your own agenda. So, tell me. What’s the pitch this time?”
“I don’t have any pitches.”
“Bullshit. I don’t know you that well, but I know you wouldn’t do this unless you have something to gain from it.”
“It’s no secret that I want your painting, but I think you’re giving me more credit than I’m worth.”
“Is that so?” Surprisingly, he laughed, and a few of the shadows cleared from his eyes. “If you say so.”
They continued eating, talking about normal things. As they went on, Liz found it more and more difficult to avoid bringing up the painting, but the chance had flown out the window. She could put that aside for another day. At least now it seemed Alessandro wasn’t so opposed to her presence as he had been.
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” he said once they were standing outside the restaurant. “I didn’t know I needed some time away. Turns out I did.”
“It was my pleasure.”
He nodded. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”
“You can count on it.”
He laughed again, throwing up a hand in farewell. Liz watched him go, waddling away. She wondered how he hadn’t fainted from heatstroke yet.
Finally, she turned, intending to take a cab back to her own room, but she didn’t get very far.
There was a man blocking her path. Hunter was dressed differently this time, in a black sweater and a pair of jeans. His hands were tucked into the pockets, a smirk on his lips. Liz’s heartbeat tripled.
“Two men at one time? Liz, you surprise me.”
It took a lot of effort to pull her shoulders back, and even more to look him in the eye. It shocked her to see the satisfaction in them at her fear of him. Had he always been this cruel? “You should know I’m not the type to put all my eggs in one basket.”
That brought a laugh out of him, sounding as terrible as his eyes looked. “Was that the case with us? Were you in someone else’s bed when you weren’t in mine?”
“I don’t see how that concerns you.”
“It does, actually. I’ve been watching you with your new guy. The way you two look with each other is very… close. As if you two have been like this for a long time. Did you have him at the same time you had me, Elizabeth?”
“I’m not having this conversation.” She attempted walking away, knowing he wasn’t going to let her get far. Whatever hopes she had were dashed when he clamped down on her arm, keeping her at his side. He smiled at her.
“Watch it now,” he whispered. “We wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”
Liz knew he did this on purpose. Approaching her here on the street where she couldn’t do much. He knew she wouldn’t call him out right here. She should try to handle it calmly. That was what he was counting on.
“What do you want, Hunter? I thought I told you to go home.”
“I can’t leave without you, you know that. And until you get that in your head, it’ll make things strained between us.”
“I can’t leave yet. My business here isn’t finished.”
“Your business with him, you mean.”
Liz didn’t respond. She didn’t think anything she said right now would make him think otherwise. “Then what are you going to do? Stalk me until I leave him?”
“You don’t worry about what I’m going to do, Elizabeth.” He turned her suddenly, forcing her to face him. He kept a tight grip on her arm. To others, they probably just looked like a couple embracing each other. “I just wanted to see you one last time.”
“What do you mean? What are you planning to do, Hunter?”
“Nothing you need to worry about. It’s for the good of us.” Absentmindedly, he reached up and stroked her hair. “I’ve always wanted to do this, you know? Hold you like this, rub your hair. You never gave me the chance.”
“Because you know I don’t like those things.”
“Don’t you?” he asked thoughtfully. “Doesn’t look that way anymore.”
Liz tried pulling herself away, but his gripped tightened. It would be sure to leave bruises. “What do you expect is going to happen, Hunter? Say I call the police right now? What are you going to do then?”
“The police won’t be a problem, because nothing you say is going to fly with them. They’re going to need proof. Where’s your proof, Elizabeth?”
She couldn’t answer. Hunter huffed a laugh. “I wanted so badly to call you at night. Sometimes I thought I would go out of my mind if I didn’t hear your voice, but I resisted because I knew the detriments. Now, if you go to the police, not only will they have no reason to believe you, but they’ll have no way of finding me if they do.”
Liz let it sink in. She knew, but to hear him say it, to find out that he had planned it exactly like that, made her breathing shallow all of a sudden. “Let me go, Hunter.”
His hand stopped. “Just a few more seconds,” he murmured. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. “I should have never gotten caught up with you.”
The feeling’s mutual. Liz stayed silent, heart pounding as he took another deep breath then released her. She tried not to step back too quickly.
“You won’t have to wait very long, Elizabeth,” he said to her.
Liz let the words follow her, trying to get away from him as quickly as she could. She hopped into the closest cab but even when it drove off, and she looked over her shoulder to see he hadn’t move from that spot, she still didn’t feel any safer.