his weight. “How much longer are you on duty?”
“I’m off now. Buona sera, Dr. Barsotti.”
He watched her walk away on those long slender legs. Unable to help himself, he followed her. “Princess?”
She turned around. Her exquisite blue eyes lit up. “Yes?”
“I’m headed for the cafeteria for a bite to eat. Would you care to join me before you leave the hospital? Or is there someone waiting for you?” Might as well find out right now.
“There’s no one. In fact, I’m headed to the cafeteria myself to get some work done. But first I need to get my laptop from my locker in the cloakroom off the cafeteria. If it’s all right with you, I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Curious to know the nature of her work, he headed for the cafeteria. After going through the line, he found them a table. When she came in minus her lab coat, everyone stared at her. Whether she was a princess or not, her beauty drew attention, especially his.
She acted oblivious as she made her way to the table and put her computer on another chair. “I’ll be right back after I go through the line.” Upon her return he noticed she’d chosen coffee and a sandwich too. The second she sat down, she started eating. “Forgive me. I’m starving.”
“I can relate.”
Her gaze met his. “This afternoon I dropped in to see Tommaso and bring him a stuffed dog like the one in the story, but he wasn’t there. Obviously you released him this morning.”
Nico nodded as he drank his coffee. “If you’ll give it to me, I’ll pass it on to him when he comes in the office for a checkup. That’ll make his day.”
“He made mine. Thank you for offering. I’ll give it to you before you leave this evening. It’s in my locker.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you bring it to the pediatric floor tomorrow and leave it at the nursing station? I’ll meet you there after your shift has ended and take it with me. If you’re free, we could eat here in the cafeteria again.”
Her lips curved into another of those smiles he felt reach inside him. “I don’t normally have plans after work and would enjoy that very much.”
She radiated a warmth that crept under his skin, causing his pulse to race. How could it be that she wanted to be with him when she could have any man she desired?
“Bene.” He needed to focus before he got lost in those blue orbs. “Are you liking your volunteer assignment?”
She lit up. “I love it. If I’m blessed enough to be a mother one day, I plan to have a lot of children.”
Nico found himself envying the prince who would turn out to be her fortunate husband and father those babies. “What kind of work do you do that requires your laptop after volunteering here half the day?”
“I help fund-raise for my younger sister, Lanza. She’s in charge of setting up low income housing for veterans and others and setting up soup kitchens for the homeless. I spend my mornings calling on potential donors like CEOs who believe in helping with a financial contribution. In the evening I send them information and set up more appointments. That’s what I’m going to do right now.”
Nico finished the last of his sandwich. “I can’t think of a worthier cause.” He actually couldn’t and found her remarkable for caring so much. The male CEOs she met probably fell madly in love with her and would grant her what she asked for without thinking about it.
If he weren’t paying off a debt while he hired people to search for his parents, he would make a donation. “I suspect you’re anxious to get busy, so I’ll leave you to your work and see you tomorrow at the end of the day.”
“I’ll look forward to it, dottore.”
He hoped she meant that because the last thing he wanted to do was put distance between them. “Buona sera, Princess.”
Thursday evening Fausta’s pulse was racing as she left her last patient and walked down the corridor toward the nursing station. But the doctor wasn’t there waiting for her and her heart plummeted to her feet. She couldn’t believe how disappointed she was as she approached the charge nurse. How could she care about him this fast? What was wrong with her?
“Do you still have the stuffed dog I left here when I came on duty?”
“No. Dr. Barsotti took it and said he would meet you in the cafeteria.”
After struggling to recover, she thanked the nurse and left for the cloakroom. Once she’d hung up her lab coat and pulled out the laptop from her locker, she was so eager to see him, she could hardly catch her breath.
A chuckle escaped her lips when she saw him seated in a stone colored summer suit at the same table as yesterday drinking coffee. What a gorgeous man! He’d propped the dog on its backside in the chair next to him, like he was a diner too. Her eyes met the deep blue of the doctor’s and they both laughed. He had an imp inside him that played havoc with her emotions.
“You were amazing to find this terrier for Tommaso, Princess. He looks like the dog painted on the book cover.”
“I think he does too.” She left her computer on the other chair. “I’ll be right back. What are they serving tonight?”
“I hear it’s chicken and rice, but I think we should give it a miss.” He took a deep breath. “If I asked if you’d consider having dinner with me elsewhere, what would you say?”
She cocked her head, causing that golden mesh to swish against her shoulders. “Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Asking me out to dinner?”
His adrenaline surged. “Yes.” Why not. This would probably be the only chance in his whole life to spend an evening away from the hospital with this stunning princess. Naturally she would have to be free of any commitments in order to accept.
“I’d love it” came the response, which astonished him again. She really wasn’t involved with someone? Earlier she’d told him there was no one, but he had to be sure.
“Are you honestly telling me there’s no prince in your future?”
“Nico—it’s true I’m under constant pressure to marry a prince on my parents’ short list, especially now that both of my sisters are married.” He knew it! “And of course, there’s continual speculation about my marrying a prince in the media. There will always be gossip. But in all honesty, I swear to you there’s no prince in my life and there never will be!” she said with such emotion, he knew she’d meant it.
Before he could say anything else, she blurted, “What about a woman in yours? How come you’re not going home to someone important this evening?”
“I date on occasion, but so far there’s been no one special.”
She smiled. “I’m going to take you at your word. Thank you for being truthful with me. Now that we have that settled, where shall we go? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“How about Babbo’s?”
Her heart leaped. He’d just invited her on a date. “I’d love it.”
“Then let’s go.”
As she reached for her laptop, he picked up the dog and they left the hospital.
Fausta couldn’t believe he’d asked her out and was literally floating as they walked the short distance to the trattoria. For a while she could be the commoner she’d always wanted to be, going out to dinner with a fabulous man who wanted to be with her.