The House by the Cypress Trees

by Elena Mikalsen

  As she explored, Daniel returned and laid a few old paint-stained sheets on the floor.

  “Are we painting the entire house?” Julia asked.

  “Only the living room.”

  “That shouldn’t take long.”

  “That depends on whether you know what you’re doing,” Daniel teased.

  “Me? I’m not the one who is a British lord related to the Queen or whatever,” she said in a mocking tone and picked up a paint brush. “I’ve been doing hard work all my life.”

  “Well,” he said, taking another paintbrush and pointing it at her and then to the different walls. “You take this side of the room and I’ll take this one, and we’ll see who can do it better.”

  “You are on,” she said.

  She rushed to pour out the paint into a tray and start on the door frame. She worked fast; she’d painted many times before. Minutes later, she was pleased with her progress, despite being drenched in sweat from the Tuscan heat. She peeked at Daniel, who was half done with a wall. Darn. She needed to go faster against his biceps. What would they look like when they were next to her in bed? She shrugged off the thought and kept going, taking a roller and going up and down on the wall.

  Julia’s arms became sore in minutes. She shouldn’t have challenged him. She kept going; she would not give up. Up and down, up and down. The paint dripped on her forehead, onto her toes. She was a mess. Daniel worked methodically, without breaking a sweat. This was not an equal challenge.

  “I’m almost done,” she heard behind her as she was refilling the tray.

  “Drat.” She still had half a wall left.

  “I’ll just relax over here and watch you when I’m done,” he said. “That couch looks very tempting.”

  Julia doubled her speed, her arms about to fall off with pain and tension. But as she dragged her roller for the last time, she was rewarded when she noticed Daniel had a few more spots to finish.

  “Yes!” She raised her roller triumphantly, ending with a few more paint splotches on her head. “I win.” She dropped her roller and danced around, her hands on her hips, two-stepping across the floor. “I win, I win.”

  Daniel finished painting and dropped his roller into a bucket. He walked over to her. “I capitulate,” he said. He took her arms by the elbows, leaving little space between them. “You, painting, is the sexiest sight I’ve ever seen.”

  “What?” She tried to laugh but his eyes stopped her. They were serious and dark. Tempting. He wanted her, she realized.

  He confirmed it by pulling her against him and pressing his mouth against hers. His kiss wasn’t gentle this time. It was demanding, and she surrendered to it, her legs buckling as he caught her. She was lifted in the air, his arms under her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around him for support. He was hard, and she was suddenly filled with so much desire she suspected she might erupt like a fiery volcano.

  She kissed him harder, her tongue seeking his, her fingers lifting his shirt and searching for bare skin. He set her down on the dining room table for support, and his hands found her naked back, stomach, then breasts. She heard a moan and wasn’t sure which one of them made the sound. His hands were everywhere, and her body was on fire. His skin was smooth and cool, and she wanted the touch of his skin against hers so desperately she tugged on him hard, pushing her chest into his. She stifled a scream. She wanted him inside. She wanted all of him. What was happening to her?

  “Julia, slow down,” he gasped, not letting go of her hips and rocking gently. “I’m getting hard. You said you wanted nothing to happen between us.”

  “I don’t want to slow down,” she whispered and kissed his neck, licking it in circles. He smelled of paint and his lavender soap, and she expected she might lose her mind altogether. “I want you to make love to me.”

  She felt him grab her hands, his breath shallow now. “Not here, not in my mother’s apartment. Let’s go to your room.”

  She stopped, the realization hitting her. “I’m sorry.” She jumped off the table and straightened her clothes. “Come to my room then. If you’d like.”

  He gave her a gentle lingering kiss, without touching her this time. Then he looked at her, eyes deep with wanting, filled with the promise of a long afternoon full of kisses and slow touches. “If I’d like? I would be the luckiest man in the world. But are you sure?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his promise with hers. “Yes.”

  He straightened his shirt. Then he took her by the hand and pulled her toward the main house.

  Chapter 20

  Daniel led Julia through a narrow side door to the guest area, avoiding being seen by the tourists or his family. They ran upstairs, impatient, excited, fingers still clasped. Julia stopped at the door to catch her breath, getting ready to remove Daniel’s shirt for good, and the phone rang in the back pocket of his jeans.

  He looked at her with deep regret. “I have to check if it’s Mandy.” He let his fingers linger on her neck, tickling behind her ear, and she pressed herself against his chest as he answered.

  “Yes, Mandy. How is my niece?”

  It was quiet for a moment, and she felt his body tense and pull away from her. Something was wrong. She looked up. He rubbed his forehead, eyes no longer full of desire for her.

  “How long will she have to stay?” He walked away from Julia. “No, of course. I’ll be right there. All done with Mum’s room. Yes. I’ll tell her, don’t worry.”

  He hung up, looking at Julia with distress.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Mia has a blood infection. It’s not good news. She is very sick. Mandy is trying to make it sound all right, but she is obviously very frightened. I think it’s very serious. They’re keeping her in the hospital with IV antibiotics. I’ll wash up and go to Firenze to see them. I’m sorry about this.” He gave her a brief kiss. “Will you come with me?”

  Warmth spread through her chest, numbing the fear for the little girl she’d come to love already. He wanted her to come along. “Of course.” She stroked his shoulder. “Go change. I’ll be ready right away. Just need to wash off the paint.” She pointed to the paint specks in her hair.

  He touched her hair, stroked her head. “Your hair is so beautiful. It’s exactly the color of chestnuts.”

  She kissed the soft part of his forearm. “Go change. We should hurry.”

  “As you wish, my chestnut lady.”

  His chestnut lady, she repeated as she walked to meet him by the car half an hour later. His. But this was just a fling, wasn’t it? Not a relationship. Not love. It was perfectly okay for her to have a fling in Tuscany. Most young girls did when they went backpacking to Europe. She’d missed her opportunity. She had her chance now.

  He had the Audi running already. Francesca ran to her, a package in her hands. “For mia fragolina, for Mia.”

  Daniel leaned in his seat and called out from the window, “Francesca, cara mia, Mia is sick. She won’t be able to eat your food.”

  “Don’t listen to him. We’ll take it,” Julia said, taking the package out of the older woman’s hands. Francesca had been crying. Julia leaned over and gave her a hug. “The food in hospitals is awful, I know,” she whispered.

  “You are a lovely girl,” Francesca said, kissing Julia on the cheek. “Give Mia a kiss from me.”

  “We will.”

  “Are you going to manage dinner all right?” Daniel asked.

  “Basta. Go.” Francesca waved them toward the exit gate.

  Daniel drove out of the driveway and started on his way down the hill. Julia opened the package Francesca had given her. “Bread and salami.”

  “Foccacia con salame,” Daniel corrected. “She can’t eat that. She has an infection.”

  “Well, Mandy and Gian might.” She looked at him with defiance.

  “I love how you always think of others,” he said, placing a hand on her knee.

  “So do you. You’ve been taking care of me ever since I got kicke
d out of my apartment in Rome.”

  “Maybe I had an ulterior motive.”

  “You hoped to trap me on this estate and ply me with expensive wine, so I could accompany you to visit a sick niece? And help you paint?”

  “Well, free labor is scarce in Italy.” He took a turn and took hold of her fingers, stroking them. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend an afternoon in bed. I had plans for you.”

  Heat rose in her chest and flowed to her thighs. She shifted. “What kind of plans?”

  “The kind we can postpone until tonight.” He moved his fingers down her arm and to her leg, stroking. “Thank you for coming. I’m terribly worried.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It seems I have to rely on you all the time to help me.”

  She shook her head. “You are the one helping me, Daniel. I’m taking advantage of your family’s hospitality.”

  “You could never take advantage of anyone.”

  He went quiet then, keeping his eyes on the road as the car sped toward Florence. Julia tried to focus on the road as well, the sunflowers and yellow fields whizzing by. Perhaps she wanted more than just a fling. He wasn’t just a vacation lay for her. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She wanted romance that lasted more than a few days, and a man who would tell her she had beautiful chestnut hair all the time. And she wanted someone to look at her with as much desire as Daniel did every day. And more than anything, she wanted someone to hold her hand like Daniel did for the rest of her life.

  She closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see her thoughts in her eyes.

  “Don’t fall asleep, Julia. Here is Firenze,” he said, taking his hand off her leg, and that was that.

  Florence. She sat up. All those years she’d looked at pictures of Florence and never expected she’d ever see it in person. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “Scusi, l’Ospedale dei Bambini?” Daniel stopped by the police car, asking for directions.

  She hurried to take it all in as he started the car again. The river, the bridges, the Renaissance buildings. “It’s breathtaking.”

  “It gets tiring after a while.”

  “Are you serious? It’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

  “My niece is dying in this most beautiful city in the world,” Daniel said, and she shrank in her seat, embarrassed to have forgotten.

  They parked in front of the hospital and rushed in, Daniel quickly getting visitor badges. They walked through the large arched hall covered in glass.

  “Impressive for a hospital,” Julia remarked.

  “This hospital is over a hundred years old, but it was renovated about ten years ago. I believe this area represents the story of Pinocchio being trapped in a whale or something of the sort. And, inside all the buildings, they have skylights shaped as Pinocchio’s hat.”

  “That’s very cute,” Julia said.

  “This is the kind of architecture I want to be doing. Take a historical building and make it useful for people, make it sustainable. See that roof over there?” Daniel pointed. “It has unique insulation to lower the temperature inside the hospital by several degrees. I’m envious of what the architects have done here. I came to the grand opening when I was still a student.”

  “I bet it helps the kids to see all this sunshine and nature through the windows.”

  “It does. You don’t want children to be enclosed in gray walls with only a tiny window when they’re hospitalized. We’re building all children’s hospitals this way—lots of color, lots of natural light, gardens all around and on the roof.”

  They reached the end of the hall and entered the infectious disease section where Mia was. Blue doors led to the children’s rooms. It was cool and quiet, with only a receptionist at the large round blue desk, reading a magazine. She gave them directions and went right back to her reading.

  “Her room is right there.” Daniel led the way and rushed in.

  Mia’s room was hushed and cold despite the bright colors. She lay still in her hospital bed, tubes and machines all around her. Gian was asleep on the couch next to the window. Mandy jumped up from the armchair where she had been reclining.

  “How is she?” Daniel asked.

  Mandy burst into tears. “Not good. She keeps falling asleep. The doctors were just in. They tried a new antibiotic this morning, and we’re waiting for the lab to let us know if it worked. She has a blood infection, and her heart might not take it. They are planning to let the machine breathe for her soon.”

  “It has to work, Mandy. They must be able to find something that works.”

  “They said if it doesn’t work, they’ll try another antibiotic, but, after that, they’re not sure of what to do. She might die, Daniel.” Mandy collapsed back into her chair.

  Julia watched Daniel turn white. “It will work. It has to work,” she whispered, not sure of what else to say.

  Mandy looked at her, noticing her for the first time. “Hello, Julia.”

  “Is there anything we can do? Anything we can help with? Anything we can get you?”

  “Yes, do you want us to bring you some food? Or how about we stay here and you go get something to eat?” Daniel offered.

  “My stomach can’t hold any food. Not until she is out of danger.” Mandy looked exhausted, as if something had taken all the air out of her. “Mia was up earlier for a bit. She was asking for the dog. She didn’t want me to hold her, but she wanted her dog.” Mandy began to cry. “I asked the nurse if I could fetch her dog, but they said no. You can’t bring a dog to the intensive care unit to a child with a blood infection. It has to be all sterile.”

  “Well, I don’t think the dog is what’s causing her sepsis, though,” Julia said.

  “Doctors and their bloody rules,” Daniel swore.

  They heard a knock on the door, and the doctor came in. “Can I speak to Signor and Signora Paccaloni alone, please?” she asked.

  “This is my brother. He can stay,” Mandy protested.

  “It’s all right, we’ll just wait outside,” Daniel said.

  Outside, in the still, empty hallway, Daniel paced back and forth, his hands in his pockets. “What am I going to do, Julia? I have to do something. I can’t just wait here for Mia to die.”

  “She will not die. Children don’t just die these days. She’ll be fine. The antibiotics will work,” Julia said in a reassuring voice, but her stomach flip-flopped with anxiety.

  The door opened to let the doctor out, followed by Mandy looking gray and lifeless. The doctor walked away and disappeared into another hallway.

  “What? What did she say?” Daniel croaked, fear clear in his voice.

  “The antibiotics didn’t work. Her blood cultures show several kinds of bacteria, and the drugs are not working. They will try one more, but they want us to prepare.”

  “For what? Prepare for what?” Julia asked.

  “That they have to put her on machines. That she may die,” Mandy said and collapsed on the floor with Daniel barely catching her head in time to keep it from hitting the marble floor.

  “Get me some water, Julia,” Daniel cried out.

  Julia ran to the receptionist, and the nurse appeared in seconds with a paper cup of water and a wet washcloth. She woke Gian but didn’t have the heart to tell him what had happened. They watched Mia get connected to a new IV bag, and she stepped away to allow Daniel to kiss her and talk quietly with her for a few minutes before the child’s eyes closed in exhaustion again. Gian held Mandy in a tight embrace on the couch, whispering something to her.

  Julia pulled on Daniel’s shirt, leading him out of the room. He tried to shrug her off, but she resisted, winning in the end.

  “What is it?” he said in irritation as the door closed behind them.

  “I figured out what we need to do.”

  “And what is your grand plan?”

  “We will go home and get Lizzy.”

  “What?”

  “Like a therapy dog. Mia needs h
er. Forget the doctors. If Mia has Lizzy, she’ll get better, I know it. You can’t get better if you have nothing to live for.”

  “She has her parents right there.”

  “It’s not the same. I know she needs Lizzy.”

  “You are mental. How will we get the dog in here?”

  “She is tiny, I’ll sneak her in. She’ll fit into my purse.” Julia showed him her purse.

  “By the time we get back here, it’ll be night. They won’t let us in.”

  “No, look.” She pointed to a sign. Visiting hours: Parents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “We look like someone’s parents. We’ll take a few of these green paper gowns, just in case. Go distract the receptionist for a few minutes.”

  “You frighten me,” Daniel said but complied and went to talk to the receptionist, blocking Julia from the woman’s view.

  Julia opened the cabinets next to Mia’s room. Green paper gowns, masks, gloves. She grabbed several sets and placed them into her bag in a flash of a second, then walked over and patted Daniel on the back. “Ready to go, honey?”

  He turned around, eyebrows raised. “Of course, sweetheart. Grazie, Signorina.” He nodded to the receptionist, and they hurried out of the building.

  They called Gian from the car and let him know what they were doing. He was certain Mandy wouldn’t approve, but he laughed in relief. Someone needed to do something. He well understood the frustration of sitting and waiting.

  Chapter 21

  He couldn’t believe it. He was sneaking a bloody dog into a hospital. In the middle of the night. Well, technically, Julia was. The animal appeared content for the moment in Julia’s large purse, zipped three quarters of the way, allowing a little air for it to breathe. He kept glancing at the opening, expecting the tiny head to poke out at any moment.

  Julia was incredibly calm. How could she remain so calm while he was shaking with nerves? She insisted they arrive as late as possible so there would be the least amount of staff on duty. They changed into the green paper gowns by the car, and Julia handed him a stuffed bunny and a blanket to carry. She said it was to pretend they were bringing Mia her comfort items, in case security stopped them. He looked at her in admiration as they walked past the security desk. It was empty, as she’d predicted.