Adriana laughed as Michael leaped onto the amphitheater stage. “You should have been an actor.”
He stretched out his arms. “Why’s that, milady?”
“Oh, no.” She headed across the lawn for the lagoon. She wasn’t about to tell him how gorgeous and charismatic he was or how her bones vibrated like a tuning fork whenever she saw him. Or how adorable he looked jumping over benches and rebounding off boulders. “You’re like a giant puppy.”
“First an actor, now a dog? I’m not sure how to take this.”
Adriana laughed again and looked at her beautiful school.
Isabel’s father had done a remarkable job integrating nature, architecture, and ecology. It showed in the pebbled swales that led excess rainwater to the school’s lagoon, and in the gentle bowl of the stone amphitheater, naturally shaded by towering jacarandas.
Michael jumped onto the base of a lamppost and hung out from the pole. “This place is amazing. Is this why you’re pursuing a master’s degree, so you can teach here?”
A master’s degree?
Adriana walked faster, so he wouldn’t see the surprise etched on her face. Where had he gotten that idea? How could she answer a question based on such an astounding misconception?
“Did you say this school is run by the government? That’s hard to believe.”
“Government funded.” Adriana jumped on the opportunity to direct the conversation away from herself and back to the school. “It’s run by a board of directors. Half of the students are on full or partial scholarship.”
“Really? Half the students?” He jumped off the lamppost, picked up a rock, and skipped it across the lagoon. “That’s impressive.”
“It is. Without a full scholarship, I would never have been able to attend.”
“Really?”
“Does this surprise you?”
“A little. You seem so refined.”
The tone of his voice carried disappointment. Did he want her to be more like him?
“Actually, my mother’s family was quite prominent in Bahia. It was my father who was poor. My grandfather made him a manager for one of his many factories and bought us a house down the street from his Coconut Coast estate. My grandfather paid for my piano lessons, bought me fancy clothes, and made sure my mother and grandmother taught me how to live in polite society. We were close. And then my mother died.”
Michael touched her arm. “I’m sorry.”
She waved off his concern. “It was a long time ago. But I learned that my mother’s family did not love me as much as I thought they did.”
“What do you mean?”
“They rejected me.”
“Rejected? What, like disowned you?”
She felt her mouth crease in what must have been an ugly grin. “I wasn’t told the details. I only know that my father and I had to leave.”
“Why?”
“He was from the slums. I guess my skin was a little too much like his.”
Michael looked both astonished and disgusted. With her? With her family? Adriana couldn’t tell.
“Where did you go?”
“Into the forest to my grandmother’s cabin. This school had just opened up, and they were searching for impoverished students with potential.” She laughed and held out her arms. “That was me—impoverished with potential.”
Her bitter attempt at humor fell flat.
“How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was very hard. Even with the scholarship, it cost my father so much to move me here he wasn’t able to visit for four years.” She took a breath. “Then he died.”
“And you just stayed in Rio? Alone?”
She shook her head. “I was taken in by my best friend’s family.”
“Oh, thank God. I’m so glad you found a happy ending. This story was killing me.”
Adriana closed her mouth. She had almost told him of the animosity that had developed between Papá João and Jian Carlo, but that would have meant admitting that she was married. Michael’s caring reaction had stopped her from telling him the whole truth. Now the moment was gone and she was relieved.
She forced a smile and infused her voice with happiness. “Would you like to see the Cristo Redentor? No trip to Rio is complete without visiting our famous statue. And you must see the view from Corcovado.”
She tried to make it sound casual, but the truth was that she was in desperate need of forgiveness. Perhaps the giant arms of Christ Redeemer could comfort her soul.