Cristiano smiled then. “Are you asking for my permission to move on from your Shane? With me?”

Keira pressed her lips together. Cristiano’s honesty and openness made her feel uncomfortable. But she put her awkwardness to one side, because in his quiet, unassuming way, Cristiano had hit on something, the word permission.

Was she waiting for some kind of sign, or some kind of permission to move on with her life? Hadn’t she resisted falling in love with Shane because she’d been clinging to her past with Zach and had taken the coward’s approach, waiting until he cheated on her for the relationship to end? Was she doing it again, staring at her phone every evening waiting for some kind of sign from Shane that gave her permission to move on with her life, something that really told her it was over for good?

She glanced up at Cristiano and realized it was about time for her to become the author of her own destiny.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Keira’s time on the Amalfi Coast soon came to an end. With Cristiano by her side, she boarded the ferry back to the mainland, heading toward Naples. Like the gentleman he was proving himself to be, Cristiano took care of her luggage.

“I’m not much looking forward to being in Naples again,” Keira told him.

“It’s not the best of cities,” Cristiano agreed. “Especially compared to somewhere like Capri. But it is not as bad as some make it out to be.”

“My first guide seemed to think the city was controlled by the mafia and that everyone fought each other all the time. I still don’t know if he was just trying to scare me.”

Cristiano seemed amused by the anecdote. “You must be pleased to have been paired with me,” he said, boldly.

Keira allowed a smile to flit across her lips before breaking eye contact. She still wasn’t sure where she stood with Cristiano. In the restaurant last night she’d felt a shift in herself while being in his presence, a greater awareness of the ways in which she expected life to somehow tell her what to do, rather than taking control of it and molding it in her own way. But last night had still ended with her making no moves toward Cristiano, and she’d been wondering why ever since. The Blue Grotto had provided the perfect opportunity, but dinner last night had provided an even more perfect moment. That Keira hadn’t allowed anything to happen either time was playing on her mind.

She tried to figure it out now, as she sat side by side with Cristiano in relatively easy silence. The ferry cut through the azure waves and the sun high above them was making the sky a dreamy haze, providing the perfect backdrop for quiet contemplation.

Keira came to the conclusion that she just wasn’t confident enough to take that step of her own accord. She was no Bryn. Her sister wouldn’t have worried whether she was attractive enough, or dressed smartly enough, she’d just see what she wanted and go for it. Keira herself could not do the same. She had too much self-doubt to contend with, and the heartbreaks she’d endured recently seemed to have set her back even further.