Giovanni was not what she expected, although she wasn't even sure about that anymore. He was definitely charming enough, and quite handsome. But the reasons for her visit were still as unclear to her as they were when she arrived.

Knowing that mornings come rather quickly after late evenings, Amanda shut off the lights and attempted to sleep. But thoughts of Giovanni and his probing questions about her personal life kept her awake.

She walked to the window and opened it, hoping that the fresh air would do its' job and clear her mind. However, the sound of lively music and laughter from the ristorante' below was not what Amanda needed to hear, if she did want to sleep.

She went back to the bed, grabbed her briefcase off the floor and started to work on Brava business. Soon, the music at the ristorante' changed tempo and sounded more calming, like a mother's lullaby. That's all Amanda needed. The pen fell out of her hand and she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Gary returned home after working a few hours, he was pleasantly surprised to find Cameron showered, dressed and ready to go out to eat. This was certainly not the way he had left him earlier.

"You didn't need to dress up for me."

Applying some cologne, Cameron smirked. "I didn't. Carson called and I invited her to join us for dinner. I didn't think you'd mind."

"I don't. It will be nice to see her again. At least she got you talking to me."

"Whatever." Cameron answered. He was in no mood to argue, but getting out and having female companionship was better than staying at home with Gary, a microwave meal and reality TV!

They decided on Italian cuisine and Cameron called Carson to tell her to meet them at the restaurant.

The evening was rather enjoyable for two of them. Gary and Carson found a common interest in the NY Yankees and were involved in a heated discussion on who from the Yankee past was the better player: Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. Cameron grinned a few times while they were arguing but he wasn't too interested in baseball. It wasn't his sport.

The food didn't seem to faze him either. What used to be one of his favorites-the warm, garlic breadsticks, sat in a napkin-covered basket next to his glass of wine. Cameron tried sipping on that occasionally but it did nothing for him.

"Tell me about the nurse you hired to take care of this poor defenseless brother of yours," Carson inquired.

"Well, it's not like Cam's an invalid…..but Mrs. Murphy's going to be there to help with some at home therapy……cooking, cleaning-since he won't be able to do any of it himself, and let's not forget the daily sponge bath!"

"WH-H-H-AAAAT????" Cameron gulped the wine that was in his mouth and practically choked on it.

"Just checking to see if you're listening, little brother!"

Cameron had to smile at Gary's attempt to get his out of this mood, and it worked some. From that point on, even he got involved in their baseball discussion.

Laughing did feel good. Much better than thinking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waking up in Rome was a definite plus as far as Amanda was concerned. She had a very restful night and was looking forward to getting the meetings with the Luna Company underway. The sooner the meetings began, the sooner she would go home.

Opening the doors to the terrace, Amanda could see the morning activities of the town were already underway. In the Campode de Fiori, the merchants had filled the piazza with their stands, selling fruits and vegetables, meats including chicken, fish and fresh cut flowers.

The bakery/bread shop was located right below Amanda's terrace and the smells were so inviting that she decided to have her breakfast outdoors. Just as Amanda was about to step into the shower, the telephone rang.

"Good morning Amanda. Did you sleep well?"

"Buon giorno, Giovanni. As a matter of fact, I slept very well, thank you."

"I was hoping to catch you before you ate breakfast. Would it be too presumptuous to invite you to breakfast at my home? May I send my car for you?"

Knowing that she hadn't yet showered much less had breakfast, Amanda was tempted, but only for a brief moment. "Thank you, Giovanni. But I have already had my breakfast and was just getting my things together for our meeting. I do appreciate the gracious invitation, though."

Sounding disappointed, Giovanni told Amanda that the meetings were scheduled to begin at 9:15 and run throughout the day. Would she be ready within the hour? Looking at her watch and adjusting for the time change, Amanda agreed. She would have enough time to shower, then relax with a light breakfast before the meetings.

"Then I shall send my car to pick you up at 8:45. Will you be ready?"

"Definitely. I am looking forward to getting these meetings underway. You still haven't said much about why you needed me here."

"I apologize for being so secretive. That has not been my intention. Everything will be explained to you upon your arrival this morning."

"Then I shall see you soon. Good-bye Giovanni."

"Good-bye Amanda."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car Giovanni sent for Amanda arrived right on time. And once again, the man behind the wheel was his brother, Marcello.

"Buon giorno, Miss Cory. I hope you have found our village to be to your liking."

"Buon giorno, Marcello. Rome is beautiful. But I suppose all visitors say the same thing."

"Not with a voice of an angel like yours."

"My goodness, Marcello. Is everyone here like you and that brother of yours? You could turn a lady's head!" Amanda smiled and Marcello caught a glimpse of that in the rear view mirror. What he didn't see is Amanda shaking her head. She wondered if this way of behaving was genuine or like she believed it to be….just an act perhaps.

No matter. No time to think what was what, at least for now. For the ride to the headquarters of the Luna Company was short. Not quite 15 minutes. Marcello was singing in Italian while Amanda just took in the sights.

Giovanni was waiting for both of them at the entrance to the building. He took Amanda's hand as she got out of the car, and kissed it slightly. She blushed at his treatment of her. This did not seem like the behavior of a man who was due to begin several business meetings. He walked over to where Marcello was standing, whispered something to him, and then walked back towards Amanda. He showed her inside and the meetings began soon afterwards.

First came the formalities. Introductions. Giovanni took time to walk Amanda around the oval shaped table, introducing each member of the board. Out of the nine people present, she was not surprised to find 3 more Luna's working there, two cousins-both female, and Giovanni's youngest brother, Mariano. Once that was finished, Giovanni asked Amanda if she could tell the members a little about herself.

Amanda felt uncomfortable, never being one to talk like this. She explained how she became interested in magazine editing. She talked about her father and the impact he had on Cory Publishing. "If it wasn't for my father," she said…."I would not be here today."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amanda sat down at a chair next to Giovanni. Looking directly at each board member as she spoke, Amanda addressed them; " I want to thank you for inviting me here. Now, shall we all get down to work? " Between the nodding of the heads and the brief applause, Amanda knew she had made an impression on them. She just wasn't sure what kind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amanda didn't know what to think when she got back to her hotel at the end of that first day of meetings. Now she understood why Giovanni and the Luna Company wanted her there. Carnevale' was in trouble. Subscriptions had fallen off. Advertisers were not pleased at the content of the magazine and wanted certain 'changes' put in place. Changes that the Luna's were not willing to make.

Carnevale' was not a family magazine, per se, but the advertisers and some board members were sure that if more of a 'suggestive' nature were taken, people would be eager to read it! Sales would go back up, jobs would not be lost and those board members would continue to collect those rather large salaries.

This is not what Amanda had expected. All she thought she'd be doing is helping them create their own "Valentine's" issue and be done with it. Now it seems that Carnevale' was in serious financial trouble. Members of the board had been keeping a close eye on the rising numbers surrounding Brava, and its' success, and had instructed Giovanni to request Amanda's assistance as soon as he could.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Amanda wondered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With Gary being at work most days, Cameron found it very easy to sleep longer. Things between the brothers had improved some, but they never talked about anything too personal. It was usually about Gary's business or Carson and Cameron's modeling job. The name of Cory was taboo.

The relationship of Mrs. Murphy and Cameron had an uneventful beginning. She came in, took care of any household duties, did the cooking and the cleaning. She did try and do some therapy with her 'patient', but Cameron wasn't one for taking assistance from anyone! He did the majority of work on his own: on the treadmill, some resistance work with his legs, including strength and condition.

This particular morning found Cameron, once again, sleeping late. Staying with Gary did have some perks. His food was prepared so literally, he could get up, shower, eat, work out and go back to bed if he chose. Not today! Cameron got up, did some stretches, looked out the window at the glorious sunrise and walked into the kitchen. He just wanted to grab some juice, perhaps a piece of toast, take the paper back into his room and relax. What he neglected to remember was that today was the day that Mrs. Murphy was coming in early. She had a daughter coming in from St. Petersburg and wanted to spend time with her, so Gary told her if she came in a little early, then she could leave before 3pm.

Cameron walked into the kitchen, hair looking like it had been parted by Moses at the Red Sea. He forgot to grab his robe and sauntered in, wearing only his boxers. Imagine his surprise when he wiped the sleep out of his eyes and caught the disapproving eye of Mrs. Murphy.

"Mr. Sinclair……really!!" Cameron could hear the 'tsk tsk's' in her voice.

"Mrs. Murphy! Why didn't you say something?" Cameron hurried to his room, and grabbed a pair of jeans.

"I thought you were up already. If I had known you wanted a sponge bath, I would have been prepared for you!" Chuckling, Mrs. Murphy turned away so he couldn't see the smile on her face.

"I see that somehow, my brother's sense of humor has rubbed off on you. That's not something to be proud of!" Cameron poured himself some juice, took the paper and headed back to his room.

"Mr. Sinclair, you do remember you have a doctor's appointment today, don't you? Your brother said he cancelled some appointments so he can go with you. He'll be by to pick you up about 11."

"Lucky me!" Cameron's voice trailed off as he went down the hallway, into his room and closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amanda had a restless night. The fact that Giovanni never disclosed the true meaning behind her 'requested' visit made her angry. She didn't know how to save a floundering magazine. When her mother entrusted Brava to her, it was successful. There may have been a few things that needed her gentle touch, but the majority of the work in print, prior to Amanda's involvement, was very good. The fact that she was involved with the St. Jeune agency certainly enhanced her contribution to Brava. The Valentine's issue itself was a million-dollar seller. Had it not been for that one issue, the magazine would have been doing an adequate job. Not quite what a Cory expected. Adequate.

A breakfast meeting with Giovanni was scheduled. Wanting this week to be over as soon as possible, Amanda was more than ready when his car arrived. But, she was puzzled when the car did not take its' usual route to the Luna Company and found herself riding in the country for more than 20 minutes. The car entered a circular drive, causing Amanda to wonder where she was.

"Excuse me, Marcello. But where are we? I thought I had a meeting bright and early with Giovanni today."

"You do, Signorina Cory." Marcello stepped out of the driver's seat and opened her door. Amanda took hold of her briefcase and hesitantly stepped out of the car. The door of the house opened and there stood Giovanni.

"Please excuse my methods this morning, Amanda. But I knew the tone of the meetings yesterday upset you. I thought having breakfast with my family might make amends for that. Would you join us?"

This man in front of her was definitely full of surprises, but Amanda was hungry and anything to take her mind off of the pressure of the meetings was more than welcome. "Thank you, Giovanni. It sounds lovely!"

Amanda met all of the Luna's, except for Giovanni's two sisters. His mother, Maria, graciously extended her welcome to Amanda and invited her to sit next to her. As they ate a hearty breakfast, Amanda heard stories of the Luna boys when they were young. Mrs. Luna told Amanda that Giovanni was not ready to move back to Italy when she did. But his father's death came as a shock to the family and Giovanni literally had no choice.

Amanda also learned that love had come and gone out of Giovanni's life and that his mother hoped that soon, he would find someone special.

"What about you, Amanda? Is there a gentleman waiting for you when you get back to the states?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't!" Amanda shook her head.

" That's hard to believe, my dear. From my son's description of you and now after having the chance to meet you, I think someone has let you slip through his fingers."

"Thank you for saying that, but if the truth be told, it's the other way around."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the delicious meal and spending some time with Mrs. Luna in her garden, she and Giovanni left for company headquarters.

"Giovanni, I must admit that at first, I was not happy with this turn of events today. But your family treated a stranger like she was family! It was a very nice way to begin our busy day. Thank you."

"I am glad you enjoyed yourself. I knew that I had been secretive with why we wanted you here. I thought that if I could give you a 'home away from home' for even an hour, you would realize that I'm really not so bad."

"Oh," Amanda began, "I knew that already. It's just that, as I told the board yesterday, my experience in resurrecting a struggling magazine is next to nothing. Do you honestly expect things to turn around with one issue?"

"You accomplished quite a bit with your Valentine issue. We're hoping that with your help, we can make Cardinale' a money maker for us here in Europe."

"But I thought there were some that wanted to change things to more of a suggestive nature. How can you convince them not to?"

"Amanda, there is no need to underestimate me. I am famous for getting my way when and if I have to!"

"Somehow I knew that about you!" They both laughed. It seems that the early morning breakfast at the Luna home did both of them some good.

The rest of the meetings that week went more smoothly than on that first day. Amanda's 2-½ hour presentation on Brava's Valentine issue impressed the board, and the advertisers as well. She had facts and figures to back up her claims that magazines will sell themselves if the content is what the majority of people want. She reminded them that the billboards worked in conjunction with the 'teasers' on the radio. While the costs were rather high, taking into account the models' salaries and other added expenses, the finished product was worth it.

Before she knew it, Saturday evening had arrived and Amanda hadn't yet had a chance to visit Venice, the scene of the coming shoot. No matter. Things had ended on a more positive note than she had expected, and she was more than ready to go home.

Giovanni had promised to be at her hotel 2 hours before her plane was due to leave. He wanted to take 'the long way' to the airport. Amanda didn't mind. She had come to enjoy Giovanni's company more than she thought she would.

She was packed and waiting by the time he arrived the next morning. They made idle chit chat on the ride, not really talking business.

"If you had the opportunity, would you ever come back to Rome on your own?" Giovanni wondered.

"Your family welcomed me into your home like I belonged there. Everyone I have had the chance to meet has been gracious. How could I not want to come back?" Amanda smiled at Giovanni and then continued being mesmerized by the view of the Roman countryside.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" In no time, Giovanni and Amanda arrived at the airport. He helped her on board with her luggage and briefcase.

"Before you leave our fair city, I have something for you. When you think of Rome, I want you to think of this…."

Amanda had no idea what he was talking about. "What is it?"

Giovanni took his hand and placed it gently on the side of Amanda's face. He leaned in slowly and brushed his lips against hers.

"I look forward to your next visit!" Giovanni left the plane and the stewardess closed the door tightly.

"Miss Cory, please take your seat. We'll be airborne in just a few minutes." Then the stewardess asked, " Did you enjoy your first trip to Rome?"

Startled a bit by what had just happened, Amanda regained her composure and said, "Very much so. But I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, in my own home…eating my own food. I think Dorothy was right. There is NO place like home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cameron's doctor's appointment went better than expected. His blood pressure and pulse were normal. His broken bones were healing nicely and his bruises had begun to fade too.

On the ride home, Gary was telling Cameron that business meetings were scheduled in LA next week and that he'd be leaving later today. Although Cameron wanted to take Gary to the airport, Gary would not allow that. The doctor had yet cleared Cameron to drive. That would probably not be for another week. Gary decided to take a cab and after being cooped up in the apartment for what seemed like forever, Cameron wanted to join him. Reluctantly, Gary agreed.

The cab left the Sinclair brothers off at the gate, and Gary went over to check his bags. Cameron found himself at the corner shop, which sold magazines, candy and souvenirs. After picking out a Snickers bar, Cameron's eyes caught sight of the latest issue of Brava. He began paging through this month's issue, until he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"Cameron? What are you doing here?"