“All my life. My grandfather founded the company.”

She knew all about family concerns. “Any siblings to share the responsibility?”

“No.” He shrugged. “My father died when I was a kid. My mom passed away a few years ago, though we were never close. Now there’s just my grandfather and myself.”

The waiter appeared and set their salads in front of them. Francesca stared at the artful arrangement of baby greens, apple slices, blue cheese, and walnuts. Her mind whirled with possibilities.

Married? No. That wasn’t an option. Her luck couldn’t be that bad. There was no way the first guy she’d been attracted to in the past three years could be-

“You’re not married, are you?” she blurted.

Sam paused in the act of bringing his fork to his mouth. He set the utensil down.

She braced herself for a joke or teasing, or something snide. Instead his expression turned serious. “I wouldn’t have asked you to dinner if I were married or involved.”

Relief blended with the flavor of the cheese. “Okay.”

“And you? Any current or former Mr. Marcellis floating around?”

“No. Actually, Marcelli is my maiden name. But I was married several years ago. He passed away.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “You must have married young.”

“At eighteen. Right on time, according to my rather twisted family’s expectations.” She speared a slice of apple. “I come from an Irish-Italian family. Very large, very traditional. We’re supposed to marry young and procreate with abandon.”

“Kids?”

She bit back a smile. “Not that I know about.”

He chuckled. “I had an ill-fated marriage. I was all of twenty-two, off in Europe, out of college, and on my own. We didn’t make it to our first anniversary.” He shrugged. “We were both too young. No kids, which is good. Divorce is tough on them.”

“I agree.”

He picked up his wine. “Enough serious conversation. Do you plan to seduce me later?”