The question shook me to the core. Was I reading too much into this assumed connection? Was I so rusty I couldn’t tell anymore between truth and lies? He probably acted like this with all women. He was charming enough to make me feel special, but I was a paying customer and his tip and review were critical to his job. I shrugged off the faint hurt and confusion, stepping back. My voice came out husky. “I don’t know.” The silence screamed volumes. “I better go.”

The wall slammed between us, and once again, he was a complete professional, his gaze barely revealing any signs of interest. “Of course. I shall see you at seven, then?”

I nodded, and he’d already disappeared, swallowed up by the next group, who joked with him and asked him dozens of questions in a flurry. I walked over to Allegra. “Are you staying with Nonni again?”

I knew she’d been ignoring me and was pissed about my missing dinner last night. I didn’t blame her, but that awful Instagram video had put me into a full-fledged panic, so I’d called my team to have them monitor our social media pages, making sure I didn’t get tagged and none of my clients discovered the video. Thank God, my daughter had been right. Within twenty-four hours, the views and shares had declined. I was no longer fresh material. Unfortunately, the damage had been done.

I was grateful she didn’t respond with a smart-ass comment. “Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll come to your door at seven and we’ll have a quick drink, then go for dinner. Do you both need anything?”

Mom shook her head. “No, just a long nap.”

I studied her face, which seemed a bit strained. “Mom, we can skip the drinks. I can even bring you some dinner if you want to stay in the room tonight? We did a lot of walking.”

“Nonsense, I just need a bit of rest. No need to fuss.”