Then she had a ridiculous idea. The restaurant next door might still be open…in the old days when there were more people dining in, they’d stayed open till ten. They wouldn’t turn down a paying customer, would they? Even if she was a Montgomery.

Mr. Castorini didn’t let that stop him from taking her desserts. Of course, that was only if she delivered them to the back door and never let anyone but him see her.

Leo had seen her the other day, though. His father’s taboo indulgence wasn’t a complete secret anymore. Maybe that was enough that she could start using the front door now.

She untied her apron, tossed it into the dirty apron bin, and walked out into the quiet street. The little brick shops were shadowed, their windows warmly lit in the fragrant spring evening.

At first glance, the Castorinis’ place was dark, but then she noticed a very faint glow. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see Leo hunched over a laptop, a small lamp burning at his table.

Call it the moon, call it desperation, call it whatever you wanted, but something made her rap on the glass.

Leo jerked his head up. His brows lifted in surprise, and he gave her the hold-on-a-sec sign.

Her stomach tumbled. What have I just done?

“Hey,” he said as he pulled the door open. His usually perfect hair was a little disheveled, like he’d been raking his hands through it. Dark, dangerous stubble shadowed his face. His discerning gaze skirted quickly over her from head to toe, like he was trying to find some visible reason she’d be here.

This had been an awful idea.

On closer examination, she noticed he had circles under his eyes, and his button-up shirt was halfway untucked. Could it be that he was feeling the same stress that she was?

“Did you need something?” he asked.

“Yes?”

He smiled a little, then stepped aside to let her pass. “Come on in. It’s safe. I’m the only one here.” His voice was low and gravelly, in a way that reminded her of a sexy model in a cologne commercial as he awakened in a breezy-curtained villa, throwing back the silk sheets and walking naked to his balcony overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

Okay, stress was making her imagination go wild. And also, safe felt like a real misnomer.

She followed Leo back to the table where he’d been working and ran her hand along her carelessly swooped-up bun, thinking she must look a mess after working all day and into the night. But why should she care? She wasn’t here to impress.