Valentine in Venice by Kaya Quinsey

Author:Kaya Quinsey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Valentine’s Day, Contemporary romance, romance, venice, italy, travel
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Published: 2019-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

When she woke up the next morning, Valentine instantly felt gripped with fear. It was a total change from the serenity she had felt the day before. Pace yourself, Valentine told herself. The last thing she needed was some handsome man sweeping her off of her feet. She felt like she couldn’t trust herself anymore. Not after Tony.

She flung on a white merino wool tunic and grey leggings, before grabbing her purse and coat and heading for breakfast. Her stomach growled. She couldn’t wait for an almond croissant and cappuccino.

“Buongiorno,” Luca greeted her as she came down the stairs. She instantly felt herself relax. Of course, she had been running things through her mind again and again. She just needed to slow down. “And Happy Valentine’s Day!” he said to her joyfully. The lobby was filled with bouquets of red roses. Valentine couldn’t believe that she had actually forgotten. As a child, she had adored Valentine’s Day, mistakenly believing for a little too long, that her classmates were celebrating her. Her parents had thought her misguided beliefs were cute, and instead of correcting her, allowed her to continue on. They still had a good laugh about it most years as Valentine hid in embarrassment.

“Buongiorno and Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!” she replied as best she could. “Any special plans this evening?” she asked him.

“Yes, of course. But it is a surprise,” he told her, barely able to conceal his smile.

“I’m positive that Giada will love it,” Valentine replied. She couldn’t help but smile back. “I am going to grab myself some breakfast. Is there anywhere you would recommend?”

“Ah, sì,” he told her. He reached for a map, spreading it over the front desk. “We are here,” he said, pointing to one part of the map. “And the best breakfast is here.” He pointed to another part of the map that looked quite far away.

Valentine nodded. “Grazie. Enjoy your evening, if I don’t see you later.”

As she turned to walk out, she stopped in her tracks as Luca spoke. “So I heard you went out with my son last night!” he called out in a delighted tone.

Valentine turned around. She wasn’t used to discussing her dates with anyone. Let alone, the parent of the person she had gone out with. She did her best to cover her embarrassment with a smile. But who was she to talk? She told her parents everything.

“Yes, yes, we went out for a lovely dinner,” she said, trying not to give too much away.

Luca held up his hands good-naturedly. “I will not say anything else,” he said with a laugh. “And good luck finding the café today. It will be busy!” he called out as she waved goodbye.

She punched the address into her GPS and waited for it to detect her location. Luca was right. It was crowded. But it was only a weekday. And besides, it was February. The huge cruise ships weren’t dropping off passengers in Venice. Where were they all coming from? As her phone worked its magic, Valentine began the walk along a crowded walkway.

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