“So what did you say?”

“Nothing. But I wanted to hit her with one of her spike heels.”

Ross lightly chuckled, and it made Eliana happy to hear his laughter.

“So you really like my portrait?”

“It’s beautiful work. I see great things for you.” He grinned. “Even though I sound like a fortune cookie saying that. I admit that I’m a little disappointed that you’re giving it to me.”

“Why?”

“I had hoped that you might want me hanging around.”

“I would hang it on my bedroom door if I could. But I don’t think Maurizio would go for it.”

“No, I don’t suppose he would.”

She took his hand. “Besides, I have the real thing.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

CHAPTER 30

“I frutti proibiti sono I piu dolci.” Forbidden fruit is sweetest.

—Italian Proverb

They ate and flirted and laughed, then ordered coffee as the restaurant grew in occupancy and noise. An hour later the restaurant’s ambiance had grown too loud for them to hear each other without shouting.

“Want to go for a walk?” Ross yelled.

“Love to,” she shouted back.

Ross signaled the waiter from across the room by pretending to write in his palm. Ross handed payment to the waiter. “Tenga il resto.” Keep the change.

“Grazie, signore.”

It was night when they emerged from the restaurant. Holding hands, they wound their way through the narrow city streets until they reached the Arno. Neither spoke for a while.

“I suppose I’m rather awkward at this,” Eliana said.

“Awkward at what?”

“Dating.” She turned to him. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? A date.”

Ross didn’t answer immediately. “A rose by any other name.”

They walked east for several more blocks parallel to the river, until they came to a place where the crowds had thinned. They stopped and looked out over the river. The water ran slow and dark, like ink beneath them, reflecting the thin, quivering half moon as clearly as if it had fallen into the river. Ross found a gradual slope and led Eliana down to the bank of the river, where a fence sequestered a private boating club. A “No Trespassing” sign spelled out in five different languages was posted on the fence, but Ross ignored all of the languages and climbed around the fence then helped Eliana.

They sat down on the soft grass, and even though the temperature had been falling with the season, the heat from their bodies was enough for them to keep each other comfortable. Ross laid his head in her lap and they sat in the quiet, the moon high above them, bright and smooth in the sky. Eliana ran her fingers up his cheeks to his hairline, where she gently massaged his temples.

“Have you ever seen a moon like that?” Ross asked.

“Only here. I’ve decided that the moon really belongs to Florence. The Florentines just share it with the rest of the world.”