Chapter 11 - A Date Without Bodyguards
On Saturday, Luca asked me to dinner exactly as he'd promised. He called at noon, not from an assistant's phone, and sounded almost nervous.
"Hannah, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"
"Are you asking as the head of the Moretti companies?"
"No. As a man who has spent a week wondering whether you'll say yes."
I laughed. "Then yes."
We chose a small Italian restaurant far from the glamorous places where people knew his face. I wore a blue dress I already owned. Luca arrived in a simple jacket, carrying a single white flower because he remembered I disliked extravagant gifts.
We talked about ordinary things first: Eli's obsession with dinosaurs, Teresa's terrible television mysteries, Duke's habit of stealing the warmest blanket. Luca told me how his father had taught him to fix bicycles and how his mother still corrected his grammar when he was angry.
Then the conversation turned serious. I asked about the Moretti family's reputation. Luca did not pretend the past was clean. He acknowledged that the family had profited from intimidation and corrupt relationships, and that he had inherited systems he should have challenged sooner.
"I'm restructuring the businesses," he said. "Independent compliance, audited contracts, no off-book arrangements. It won't be fast, and it won't erase what happened."
"I don't need a perfect story," I said. "I need a truthful one."
"That's what I'm trying to give you."
We walked along the river afterward. The city glimmered on the water. Luca asked before taking my hand, and the small courtesy moved me more than any diamond could have.
At my car, he kissed my cheek. Nothing more. I drove home smiling, and then felt frightened by how much I wanted to see him again.
The next day, Eli asked why I was happy. "Because I had a nice dinner," I said.
"With Mr. Luca?"
"Yes."
He considered this. "Did he do the dragon voice?"
"Not at dinner."
"Then you should make him practice."
Teresa laughed when I told her. She had known, of course. Mothers who had raised stubborn sons seemed to know everything.
But happiness did not stop the legal case. Luca testified before investigators about the old arrangements, including decisions that reflected badly on his own leadership. The publicity was painful. Headlines questioned whether his reforms were genuine.
He refused to blame the reporters or hide behind lawyers. At a press conference, he admitted the companies needed independent scrutiny and committed to publishing the results.
I watched from the foundation office. He looked exhausted, but he answered difficult questions without attacking anyone.
That evening, he called to ask whether the attention was too much for me. "You can walk away from this," he said. "I won't make it harder."
"I know I can," I replied. "That's why I can choose to stay."
We were still learning each other. Some nights were awkward. Some conversations were uncomfortable. But nobody had to pretend to be smaller to keep the peace.
A week later, Duke collapsed briefly while trying to stand. The veterinarian came immediately and helped him recover, but she explained that his age was catching up with him.
Teresa sat beside his bed, terrified. Luca knelt on the other side. Eli placed his little hand on Duke's shoulder.
"He's not leaving today," Eli whispered.
Nobody could promise that. So we stayed with Duke, giving him warmth, comfort, and the company he loved.
By morning, he was eating again. Teresa cried with relief.
May you like
Luca held his father's old collar and said, "He has already given us more time than we had any right to expect."
And I knew our happy ending would have to make room for the truth that love cannot stop time.
