Page 38 of The Fall Affair

I hadn’t even seen the rest of the set, but I already understood why my grandmother had been collecting them. The teacups and sentiments were both so beautiful, it almost made me believe in love again. Almost. But let’s not go crazy.

The next teacup I unwrapped had the Eiffel Tower in the background. Two people sat in a piazza with cobblestone streets, drinking wine under a striped umbrella. The back of the photograph was dated August 4th, six years ago, and underneath read:

Confession #4: Doing nothing with you in Paris feels like I’m doing everything I was meant to accomplish.

One by one, I pulled out each of the teacups and read the confessions on the back of the matching photographs.

A colorful sunset washing the sky with purples and pinks, set over a field of tall yellow sunflowers.

Confession #7: The warmth of the Tuscan sun doesn’t compare to the warmth I feel when I’m near you.

The next had a painting of the sea and a star-filled night above the blue-domed rooftops of the island of Santorini, Greece.

Confession #9: Underneath the night sky, my love for you outshines all the stars.

I read a few more, and as I lifted the last of the teacups from the box, my heart felt full of hope. At least until I got to the very bottom and found a photo that didn’t have a matching teacup. On the back it read:

Confession #12: Forgive me. I never meant to hurt the one I loved most.

Chapter 12

Allegra

KNOCK. KNOCK.

I looked out at the beautiful sunset while waiting for Matteo to answer the door. Electronic dance music blasted from inside the house, and it was not what I’d expected to hear. I would’ve taken him more for a classic rock fan, or maybe some Pavarotti. After a minute of waiting, I knocked a second time, this time louder. That did the trick. The door swung open. Only it wasn’t Matteo who’d answered. It was a woman. And she was absolutely stunning. Long shiny black hair, high cheekbones, full lips, and sparkling blue eyes. She wore a short black silk robe that barely skimmed the top of her tanned thighs, and the longer I stared at her, the more familiar she looked. I thought perhaps she might be famous? Maybe a model?

“Hi,” I finally managed. “Umm…is Matteo here?”

The woman’s deep, raspy voice and sexy Italian accent made me wish I’d brushed my hair before coming over. “Parli Italiano?”

I shook my head. “Not very well. I’m sorry.”

“It is okay.” She smiled. “I love speaking Inglese!” She looked down at my hands and licked her lips. “Is that pie? I haven’t had carbs in a week.”

Of course the gorgeous woman could speak perfect English, too. And apparently, I’d come at the perfect time—from the looks of things, to deliver Matteo and this bilingual beauty an after-sex pie. I forced a weak smile. “Matteo helped me out this morning, so I wanted to do something for him.”

“He’s in da shower.” She stepped aside with an animated wave. “Come in. Come in. He’ll be out soon.”

Shaking my head, I extended the pie. “Oh, no, I don’t want to interrupt.” I already felt awkward and couldn’t wait to get the heck out of there. “No, I need to—”

“Allegra?” Matteo’s deep voice rang out as he came up behind the woman. He was wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. Damn. I really hated her right now.

“Hi. Uh…” I lifted the tin. “I wanted to say thank you for the lesson this morning, so I made you the pie you like from my grandmother’s recipe.”

“Damn.” He licked his lips. “That looks good.”

Not as good as you in that towel. I didn’t want to get caught ogling him in front of his date or whoever she was, so I forced my eyes elsewhere and waved awkwardly as I turned away. “Welp. Enjoy.”

“Allegra,” Matteo called. “Hang on a minute. Why don’t you come in and have a piece?”

The woman glanced between us and smirked. “Oh. This is her?”

I felt my brows pull tight. “Her who?”

Matteo rolled his eyes. “Ignore my sister, like I try to do when she drops in unannounced and informs me she’s staying for a full week.”

Oh! His sister! An unexpected flood of relief hit, and I felt my face flush.