Emma’s eyes sprung wide. She hid her face in his chest, hoping he hadn’t noticed her flash of hope at his words or the pulse that had begun to throb at her throat.

“Emma?” he said quietly, his fingers massaging her scalp.

“Yes?”

“When we return to the States . . . I don’t want any more of this talk about the weeks and the days. Do you understand?” he asked, his fingers stilling.

“Yes,” she whispered against his chest, although in truth, his statement had brought up a dozen questions, all of which made her wildly anxious—but also intimidated—to hear his answer.

Chapter 39

Emma said good-bye to Mrs. Denis that night. When tears sprung to her eyes as they hugged, Mrs. Denis noticed.

“There’s no need for that,” she soothed, smoothing Emma’s hair fondly. “You make Vanni happier than I’ve ever seen him, even when he was a boy. We’ll see one another again.”

Emma nodded, but perhaps Mrs. Denis noticed the brittleness of Emma’s smile, because her expression fell. These days and nights with Vanni had been heaven-sent and poignant. Although wild, desperate hope had sprung into her breast out there on the beach when he’d insisted he wanted more than their total time of eight weeks together, he’d never returned her admission of caring. He certainly never suggested that their affair was anything beyond the sexual variety.

He’d certainly never spoken the word love, as Emma had, and that absence was beginning to haunt her. Would he ever be capable of anything more than an affair—a sweet, sublime one, yes, but a sexual affair at heart nonetheless?

It was only a matter of time before these days became hellish memories because he was no longer in her life. She was beginning to regret saying yes to an indefinite extension of their affair. At least doubt would slink in when she wasn’t in his immediate presence. When he was there next to her, stroking her, touching her, making love to her with every glance, Emma felt woefully incapable of saying no to him even for an additional second.

Yet she also knew perfectly well every additional moment would just tear at her spirit more.

The rude intrusion of reality onto their happiness came earlier than she’d expected, however, during their last night at La Mer. It was still dark out when Emma was awakened by the sound of a phone ringing. She blinked, disoriented, her eyelids heavy with sleep. If she had to guess, she’d have said she and Vanni just drifted off to sleep an hour or two ago. Vanni didn’t turn on a light, but she sensed him leave the bed. Was there a house phone in here? She’d never noticed one, but that wasn’t a cell phone that had been ringing so jarringly.

“Hello?” she heard Vanni say, his voice rough, but alert. “Yes,” he said, and she sensed the tension in his tone. She sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up over her bare breasts. She started getting worried in the silence that followed. “Was anyone hurt?” he asked. Her concern escalating, Emma rose from the bed, turned on the light in the bathroom and retrieved a robe. “Well, that’s something. And it’s definitely out? Any idea of the damage yet . . . Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can. In the meantime, please call Sheldon and Devitis and inform them, and of course the insurance company. We’ll cease any operations until we can better assess the damage and determine whether it’s safe or not. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“That was the night security officer at the Montand plant in Antibes,” Vanni said, walking toward her in the dim bedroom. “There’s been a fire.”

“Is everyone all right?”

Vanni nodded, but looked worried. “Yes, there was no crew on duty except for night security, and they’re fine. But it looks as if the damage might be extensive to the property and equipment.”

“Should I get ready and come with you?” Emma asked.

She saw him squinting at the bedside clock. “No. Two of my vice presidents will be meeting there to assess the damage. Besides, it’ll be dawn soon. Marco will be here in a few hours to take us to the airport.”

“We can call him and postpone.”

Vanni shook his head, distracted. “He has the flight scheduled with the airport, and you have work tomorrow. I’ll ask him to try to delay it for an hour or two and try to catch up with you at the airport.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” she said.

“I will,” he stepped forward and kissed her, his hand cupping her head. “With everyone safe, it’s just a matter of figuring out what needs to be done to get operations up as quickly as possible,” he said against her lips. “You just go with Marco, and I’ll tell you about it later.”

She nodded, looking up at his shadowed face. He touched her jaw.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be. I’m just glad no one was hurt.”

He kissed her once more on the mouth and entered the bathroom to shower.

She had a strange prescience as she waited on the plane later that morning that she wasn’t going to see him anytime soon. Sure enough, her phone rang at a little after ten o’clock and she saw it was Vanni.

“Hi,” she said, staring out the window of the luxurious private plane. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“It’s worse than I thought,” Vanni admitted. “The insurance adjustor won’t be here for an hour still, and the fire inspector is still trying to figure out the cause and assess any structural damage. We’re also trying to figure out what parts we need to order to get things up and running as soon as possible. Marco can’t stretch things out any longer with the tower. I told him to go ahead and take off and get you home. I’ll follow you as soon as I can.”

“Of course. I’ll be fine. I’m so sorry about the fire.”

“Crap happens,” he said grimly.

Emma smiled sadly. “I guess our little jaunt into paradise is at an end.”

“Our time together isn’t done just because of an accidental fire. Call me as soon as you reach Chicago?”

She assured him she would. He was right. There was every reason to anticipate more hours in his arms and by his side in the days and nights to come. They had time left.

Still, she hated the idea of flying away from that golden, azure coastline where she’d known paradise with him.

On Tuesday morning, she was leaving a patient’s house in Lake Forest, when she saw that Vanni had called. They had spoken both when she’d gotten home and last night, when Vanni had wearily told her he would be returning to Kenilworth most likely this evening. Before she even got into her car, she eagerly listened to the message, her heart jumping when she heard he planned to land tonight.

“Can you meet me at the Breakers at seven?” he asked. “I don’t know how much I’ll be good for, but I’ll try to sleep on the plane. Maybe I’ll get a second wind,” he added more quietly, and it’d almost been like he was there, speaking the words to her intimately, his words gruff and warm in her ear, his aquamarine eyes gleaming a promise.

She walked on air the rest of the day, having to take pains to tone down her euphoric mood while in the somber atmospheres of her patients’ homes. On the way to her apartment, she stopped at the grocery store and splurged on an expensive bottle of champagne to commemorate Vanni’s homecoming. It was expensive for her. She was sure he had much more expensive, premium bottles of the stuff at the Breakers, but Emma wanted to give him something she’d purchased.

Amanda wasn’t home when she returned to the apartment at five thirty, so she left a note not to expect her back tonight. She carefully got ready, packing a few items so that she could go straight to work from Vanni’s tomorrow morning. She donned a sundress that showed off the light gold tan she’d received in the French Riviera. At a few minutes before seven she arrived at the Breakers, her heart pounding with excitement.