Page 67 of The Roman Holiday Rule

She opens her mouth, then flushes, taking a slow drink. She’s stalling, and I can’t believe she didn’t take that shot to describe me.

“A hardened case with a wonky conscience?” I offer.

She grins into her glass and slowly lowers it, looking right at me. “Exactly the opposite. I think he was a big softie with a hero’s heart.”

I sit up a little straighter, staring at her. I know that lira is specialto her, but calling me a hero is going a bit far. Still, it’s nice to know she appreciates the trauma of a fake arrest I went through for her.

“No, we can come up with a more exciting explanation than that,” Mariella says. “I bet it was a dare.”

The twins add their theories, less and less plausible, until I announce that I saw a tourist sitting on the Spanish Steps. “Every website says it’s illegal. It’s like this woman did zero research on Italy.”

Lexington’s lips press together and she shakes her head.

Mariella rolls her eyes. “They don’t enforce that.”

“Tell that to the American who got a fine right in front of me.” I gaze at Lexington, who looks ready for anything I can toss at her. This woman is awesome. I give her polite, dinner-guest interest. “Have you visited the Spanish Steps yet?”

She wipes her mouth on the napkin, cool as anything. “Yes, actually. I had my picture taken by a bossy photographer. Took forever with one of the shots. Poor guy. Seemed like he had no idea what he was doing.”

Mariella frowns. “I hope he didn’t charge you much.”

“So what’s next on your schedule?”Luca asks.

Lexington stacks her empty soup bowl with the others and holds out her plate while Mariella loads it up with the cacioepepe. “Tomorrow I’m getting a boatload of free pictures of Rome from a fairly decent photographer. Of course I’ll have to crop and add filters to tidy them up, but it’ll be good to have that stock for our clients.”

It’s my turn to choke. I think she deliberately waited until I had a mouth full of tonnarelli noodles.

Luca frowns at me. “You never have a problem with how much pepper I put in.”

I shake my head, still coughing. Lexington slides the pitcher of lemonade close to my cup. “Ibetthis would help.”

“Free? How’d you manage that?” Mariella asks over my wheezing.

“Oh, I met this guy, he saw how much I love Italy, and he offered to give me all his Rome shots. Must be mywinningpersonality.”

The girl won’t give me a chance to recover. I think I’m going todie from unreleased laughter and food colliding in my throat while they all converse around me. It’s polite on the surface, but Lexington is very well aware that her trash talk isn’t going over my head.

Before I can make a comeback, she tilts her head, all overblown concern in her expression. “Are you okay, Mark? You seem tochokea lot. I hope it doesn’t happen at work or in any high-stakes meetings.”

Behind my glass of lemonade, I shake my head in warning. “Don’t you worry your little head about me. I’m not going to choke under pressure.”

Mariella laughs. “What about today? Because you said you barely survived the interview with the Gallos until it magically worked out ‘like raspberry gelato.’”

Lexington turns wide, interested eyes toward me at this sniff of new ammunition. The fixed, heated look between us is even stronger now than at the gelateria.

“Like raspberry gelato?” Luca narrows his eyes at me. “I’ve learned not to trust Mark’s English. Is that a saying in America, Lexi?”

She shakes her head. “Nope.”

Luca starts telling her about a few of my more antiquated English lessons, and she turns her attention away from me to him.

After dinner, we move out to the thick-cushioned rattan chairs on Mari’s rooftop veranda now that the air is cooler. Several hours of laughter and easy conversation later, Lexington calls an Uber, and before I can walk her out, Luca grabs my arm.

“Lexi’s great, and I can see you like her, but we know how this plays out. It’s girl-goes-back-to-America-and-breaks-you all over again. I hope you’re using your head.”

“I am.” I understand his concerns because they’re mine too. There’s no future with Lexington as long as our circumstances don’t change. I clap Luca on the shoulder and give Mariella a hug. “See you guys later.”

I head down the stairs. Lexington is still waiting on the sidewalk in front of the house.