A Very Exclusive Engagement(20)

“I went to Georgetown, too. Maybe we were there at the same time.” Francesca recited the years and, thankfully, they partially overlapped with his own. He’d graduated two years before she had. “That’s excellent,” he said. “I think if we tell people that we dated back in college and then met up again this year, it will make the speed of this relationship more palatable. What did you study?”

“I got a degree in communications with a minor in political science. I’d originally intended to become a political news commentator.”

“It’s a shame you didn’t. I would’ve loved to have you on my big screen every night. It’s funny we didn’t meet until now. I had a minor in communications. I’m surprised we didn’t have a class together.”

Francesca shrugged. “Maybe we did. A lot of those classes were pretty large.”

Liam shook his head. There was no way he could’ve been in the same room with Francesca and not have seen her. Even in one of those freshman courses they held in the huge auditoriums. His cocky, frat boy self would’ve picked up on those curves and asked her out in a heartbeat. “I would’ve noticed you. I’m certain of that.”

Francesca blushed and started fidgeting with the gold pendant around her neck that looked like some kind of horn. For dinner, she’d changed into a burgundy wrap dress with a low V-cut neckline and an abundance of cleavage. He’d noticed the necklace earlier, but every time he thought to ask about it, he’d been mentally sidetracked by the sight of her breasts.

“So what’s that necklace about? You seem to have it on whenever I’ve seen you.”

She looked down at it before holding it out a little for him to see it better. “It’s a corno portafortuna. My nonna gave it to me. It’s Italian tradition to wear one to ward off the evil eye. You never know when someone might curse you, especially in this town. I wear it for good luck.”

The way the horn rested right in the valley of her breasts was certainly lucky for him. It gave him an excuse to look at the firm globes of flesh he could still feel in his hands and pretend he was admiring her jewelry. “In the elevator you mentioned spending summers in Italy with your grandmother.”

“Yes, I spent every summer in Sicily from when I was about five until I graduated from high school. My mother would travel with me when I was younger, but once I reached junior high, I got to fly alone. My mother said it was important for me to keep in touch with my culture. My nonna would teach me authentic Italian recipes and tell me stories about our family. My sister and I both learned a good bit of Italian over the years. I don’t remember as much as I should now.”

“You know all the dirty words,” Liam noted.

“Of course.” She laughed. “You always remember the words and phrases that you shouldn’t know.”

“You picked up all your superstitions there too?”

“Yes. Italians are a very superstitious people. My nonna told me she only taught me a few of them. It’s amazing. My mother never really cared for all that, but it was something special I shared with Nonna. She died last year, but the superstitions keep her alive in my mind.”

“Thank goodness she told you the one about ladybugs or I might be in big trouble right now. Any bad luck omens I should keep an eye out for?”

“Hmm…” Francesca said thoughtfully. “There are the ones most people know about—broken mirrors and such. Never leave your hat on the bed. Never set a loaf of bread upside down on the table. Birds or feathers in the home are bad luck. If you spill salt, you have to toss some over your shoulder. The most unlucky number is seventeen. Never marry on a Friday. There are a million of these.”

“Wow,” Liam said. “I’m probably doomed. I’ve been running around for years, cursed, and never knew it.”

Francesca smiled, easing back in her seat to let the waiter place their food on the table. “I think you’ve done pretty well for yourself without it.”

That was true. He’d taken the seed money from his father and built quite a name for himself in broadcast media. He was only twenty-eight. Who knew what else he could accomplish with most of his career still ahead of him? Closing the deal with his aunt and taking full control of ANS could be the launching pad to bigger, better things. Especially if the two-billion-dollar inheritance came through.

His brain couldn’t even comprehend having that much money. He tried not to even think about it. He could only focus on one thing at a time and right now, it was pulling off this engagement and buying ANS outright. He’d put his financial manager on the task before he even sat down to look for a bride. Hopefully, it would all work out. But even his worries were hard to concentrate on with such a beautiful woman sitting across the table from him.