A Map for Bella Books 1-4

by Paula Kay

  “Oh, honestly, I pop in the restaurant whenever I get the urge—”

  “—which I’m sure is often.” Isabella laughed.

  “Well, true.” Lia laughed too. “But, Sofia handles everything. Between her and the assistant manager, I could leave Italy for months and no one would ever even know I was gone.”

  “I’m sure that’s not quite true, but I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe a trip together in our near future?” Isabella winked.

  Something inside of Lia stirred at the mention of a trip with her granddaughter. She had so many beautiful memories of traveling with Isabella’s mother, Arianna, before she died. The idea of being able to recreate some of those memories with Isabella was surreal to think about.

  “Bella, you have no idea how wonderful that sounds. We just might have to consider that. Oh, and speaking about the decorating, I’ve left one thing that I thought we could all do together—with the kids.”

  Isabella grinned. “Does this have to do with the huge tree I saw by the fireplace?”

  Lia laughed. “Yes. I sent Antonio out with orders to get the tallest, fullest tree he could find.”

  “And he delivered.” Isabella laughed.

  “That he did.”

  “You and Antonio seem to be doing really well, and I love the additions you’ve made to the property.”

  “Yes, that was all Antonio’s doing. He said—and I agreed—that he wanted a place where we could have all our friends and family at the villa at the same time. And of course that needs to account for expanded family down the road—all our future grandchildren one day.” Lia winked.

  Isabella laughed, but Lia thought she noticed a flash of something cross her face.

  “One day in the far-off future, I’d say.”

  “Well, you’re young yet, Bella. But one day…”

  “Sure. One day. But enough about my future children. When is everyone else arriving?”

  “Well, you know your parents arrive tomorrow and Blu and her family the day after. Douglas and—” Lia stopped herself, unsure how much of a secret Douglas’s guest was supposed to be.

  “Douglas and?” Isabella said.

  “Douglas arrives on the weekend—Saturday.”

  “I’m sure Gigi is missing him terribly.” Isabella laughed.

  Gigi had arrived the week before and been a big help to Lia with all the decorating and preparations. The two had grown very close over the years and Lia always loved having her at the villa.

  “Oh, you know those two—they’re still like newlyweds.”

  Isabella laughed. “You should talk. I’ve seen the way Antonio looks at you.”

  Lia felt her face turn warm. “Your grandfather is the best thing that ever happened to me—how I ever got so lucky to get a second chance with him, I’ll never understand.”

  “Well, Antonio says that he’s the lucky one.”

  “Well, we’re both lucky, I’d say—and mostly to have a talented beautiful granddaughter such as yourself.” Lia smiled at Isabella, willing her to know just how deeply she loved her. “Now, enough talk about us. Bella, tell me about Lucas—and your sister. Oh, the pictures you sent of Thanksgiving were so sweet.”

  Lia listened to Isabella talk about the meeting with her birth father and family in San Francisco. She loved the way the young girl’s face lit up as she talked about her little sister Annie and the time they’d had together. And Isabella shared with Lia how much she’d enjoyed San Francisco—sight-seeing and Christmas shopping with her best friend, Thomas.

  Lia had heard a lot about Thomas from the first time Isabella had come to visit them in Tuscany. She knew the young man was one of the most important people in her granddaughter’s life, and it was obvious to see that he’d been a huge source of support for Isabella.

  “And you said that Thomas won’t be able to make it for Christmas after all?”

  There was the look. Lia didn’t have to wonder as she saw the quick expression cross Isabella’s face. Something had happened between her granddaughter and this friend of hers, Thomas.

  “No. No, thanks for inviting him, but he’s going to stay in London for the holidays.” Isabella glanced up at her. “He’s got a girlfriend there. But maybe another time you’ll be able to meet him.”

  “I’d like that. Well, he’s always welcome—as are any of your friends.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Speaking of…”

  Isabella looked over at Lia with a question on her face. “Yes?”

  “Antonio and I were talking about your father—sorry, about Lucas.”

  Isabella smiled. “I know. It’s kinda weird. But right now, he’s Lucas. I mean, I have a father and mother. And thank God, they’ve been so supportive with everything. Or else—well, who knows. Maybe it would have been way harder for me to come and meet you all, had they not accepted everything so well. Not to say I wouldn’t have, but you know—it’s so much better having everyone’s support. And also they love you all as much as I do.”

  Lia smiled. “We feel the same. Of course. They’ve done a great job raising our Isabella.”

  Isabella laughed. “I guess. So, you were saying? About Lucas?”

  “Yes, so Antonio and I wanted you to know that you should invite him—and the whole family, of course—for Christmas. If you wanted to, that is.”

  Isabella’s face seemed to light up. “Really? Hm. How would that work? There’s not much time, but it would be incredible to have them here.”

  “Well, logistically, I know Douglas could make it happen—get them on a good flight and everything. It’s really up to you—how you feel about it. And I’m guessing that might have to do with your parents.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I’m not quite sure if they’re ready for that meeting, but they sure have surprised me these past months.”

  Lia knew exactly what Isabella meant. Emily and Richard had been fully onboard once their daughter had explained to them why she’d wanted to put Harvard on hold. Receiving Arianna’s inheritance had had a big impact on Isabella’s life, creating new opportunities for her—just as Lia’s own inheritance had done for her so many years earlier. And Emily and Richard had been very supportive of the decisions their daughter had been making along the way.

  “Well, you decide, honey—and just let us know. They are more than welcome, and we’ve got more than enough room for everyone. I know that Gabriella and Kylie would love having another playmate, and any excuse for me to add place settings to our ever-expanding dining table makes me that much happier.”

  “Thank you very much. I appreciate the offer. I’m going to think about it and not decide one way or another until my parents arrive. If it feels right, I’ll have a conversation about it with them first.”

  “Perfect. Now, tell me more about everything that’s been going on with you. Tell me about the travels, the writing, how things have been going between you and Jemma…” Lia took a sip of her wine and leaned forward in her chair. “Don’t leave anything out.”

  Isabella put the forkful of pasta down that she’d been about to put in her mouth and leaned forward in her own chair, the big grin back on her face and the comfortableness between them as easy as if they’d known one another for a lifetime and not the mere months that it had been.

  Lia loved this time with Isabella. Yes, she’d been blessed—beyond anything she’d ever deserved, in her own opinion. Sitting there across from her granddaughter, who looked every bit like Arianna, brought back a rush of memories and just a hint of sadness. But Lia had made peace with the mistakes of her youth a long time ago. Now it was only about cherishing the times that she had with those she loved and creating new memories.

  Chapter 2

  Gigi loved shopping at the market in Castellina in Chianti whenever she was visiting Lia and Antonio. Today she was in charge of picking up the ingredients for the upcoming Christmas dinner that Lia and Chase would be preparing. This alone was enough to make her feel entirely useful and happy,
but today was extra special because Isabella had come along to help her.

  She smiled as she heard Isabella’s decent attempt in Italian to request the cheeses that Gigi had sent her in search of. It was wonderful to see how confident and comfortable the young girl seemed. She looked like she belonged there—in Italy.

  She walked up to where Isabella stood waiting for her change.

  “Did you find everything, honey?”

  “I think so, yes. Oh, did you see all those gorgeous flowers on the other side? I wanna get some for the bedrooms.”

  “You have a knack for beauty, Bella.” Gigi flashed on a quick memory of Arianna rushing into the Sausalito house with arms full of flowers and requests from Gigi to put them everywhere throughout the house. “Just like your mother,” she added.

  “Do I?” Isabella turned toward her, always seemingly ready to have a conversation about her birth mother. “I feel like Arianna was such a fashionista—something I’m so obviously not—I’ve never really thought about the fact that I do like to make things beautiful, though.” She grinned and gave Gigi a quick hug. “Thank you for saying that.”

  Gigi laughed. “Bella, you’re such a sweetheart. It makes me so happy to spend time with you.”

  Isabella looked at her for a few seconds, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I love spending time with you too. And on that note, shall we get a coffee before we go home? We can pick one up on our way out and go sit in the square.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. I think we’ve got everything we need. We’ll stop by the butcher on the way back to place our order—strict orders from Lia to get it in early, so she can be sure to get the best cuts of the meats she wants.”

  “Ooh, my mouth is watering just thinking about the feast they’re going to prepare for Christmas dinner.”

  Gigi nodded. “I know. Me too. Douglas and I have been looking forward to this time for weeks.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Yes, honey. I always miss him when we’re apart. It’s hard to imagine I lived so many years without him.” Gigi laughed and noticed a look on Isabella’s face. “What’s that look I’m seeing?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I just really love being around such happy couples—especially during the holidays—and I hope I can find that one day, you know?”

  “And why wouldn’t you?”

  “Well, so far I’ve not been so lucky in that department.” Isabella laughed, but Gigi could sense something going on with her.

  She’d noticed a quietness about Isabella since she and Jemma had arrived. In the back of her mind, she wondered if it had to do with the fact that Thomas had decided to stay back in London, but Gigi didn’t want to pry, especially when Isabella had been so open with her during their time in San Francisco together. No matter how it might look, Isabella and Thomas were only best friends. That’s what she had said when Gigi had asked about their relationship.

  Gigi turned toward Isabella now as they sat on the bench in the square with their espressos in hand. “Bella, you’re so young. You’re sure to find love—if that’s what you’re talking about. Love will find you. Take it from someone who knows.”

  Isabella laughed. “When I least expect it, I suppose. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

  “That’s right, my dear.” Gigi smiled. “Speaking of—do you want in on a little surprise?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, Douglas is bringing a guest with him—someone that I hope Jemma is going to be very happy to see.” Gigi laughed. She had talked to Douglas about the possibility of Jemma wanting a heads up, but Douglas had insisted that she’d be happy about it—that she and Rafael had kept in touch over the past months and Rafael really wanted to surprise her with his arrival.

  Isabella’s eyes were wide. “Is it Rafael?”

  “Ah, so Jemma has talked about him to you. Very interesting.”

  Isabella laughed. “She has. Yes. She told me about how good a friend he’d become since she stayed with you at the orphanage—well, Jemma told me all about that time. And I’ve met him on video chat. He seems sweet.”

  “He really is. I hope she’ll be happy to see him.”

  “I think she will be.”

  Gigi saw a look pass over Isabella’s face.

  “What is it, sweetie? Are you okay?”

  “What? Yes, I’m fine. Maybe just a little tired, I guess. But I’ll have a rest when we get back. Right now I want to hear all about you and the kids. You know, Jemma and I were talking about a possible visit sometime soon. She’s dying for me to see the orphanage and everything that you’ve both told me so much about.”

  “We’d love to have you, that’s for sure.” Gigi grew silent for several seconds.

  “What is it? I know that look.” Isabella smiled at her. “Is everything okay? With the orphanage? With you and Douglas?”

  “Oh yes. Everything’s good. I probably shouldn’t talk about it yet, but—”

  “But? Go on. I promise your secrets are safe with me.” Isabella laughed.

  “Oh, I know, honey. Douglas and I have been talking lately—about Casa de los Niños, our future plans. We’re not getting any younger, you know. And it’s important that we think about the future of the orphanage—for the sake of the children.”

  “Well, first of all, you and Douglas are the most active retired people I know. It’s hard to imagine you two slowing down any time soon. But what are you thinking?”

  “We’ve talked about moving here, actually—to Italy.” Gigi felt lighter just speaking the words. She wanted the move. It was something that was feeling more and more right to her. “You know we have Tori there—she’s been there longer than we have and she’s more than capable of taking over. And she’s ready for the challenge of it, I think. And it’s not like we’d just disappear or anything. It’s really more about the day-to-day running of things. Tori can handle all that and we’d visit for good long periods of time, of course.”

  Isabella was looking at her with a big grin on her face. “And you’ve mentioned all of this to Lia, I assume?”

  “Of course, and your grandmother is fully on board—ever supportive and gracious with her invitation to us to stay at the villa for as long as we like.”

  “I’ll bet. Well, I think it’s a fantastic idea—one that I fully support.” Isabella grinned and reached over to give Gigi a hug.

  “Good. I’m glad you think so. Douglas and I are still having conversations about it. You know, the two of us tried being retired before and it didn’t work so well.” Gigi laughed at the look on Isabella’s face. “Oh, nothing bad happened, we just found ourselves a bit bored with it all.”

  “Well, if you move here—near Lia—I’m pretty sure you won’t be bored.” Isabella winked at her.

  “I love being here—helping Lia with the cooking.” Gigi laughed. “You have no idea how far I’ve come in that department. Douglas loves it that every time we go home, I’ve learned a new recipe or two—not that it’s easy to find such lovely ingredients in Guatemala. It’s not—not out near the orphanage anyway.”

  “So if you moved here, you’d get a nice big villa with your very own huge kitchen again? Or Lia would just talk you guys into moving into one of the guest houses.” Isabella laughed. “I think it sounds perfect.”

  Gigi put her arm around Isabella’s neck, bringing her in for a tight squeeze. “Me too, Bella.”

  And in that moment, as Gigi looked at Isabella’s smile and that twinkle in her eye that reminded her so much of Arianna, she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than being able to spend more moments like that in this place that she’d grown to love so much.

  Chapter 3

  Blu waited outside the villa in the convertible that she and Chase had rented. She had a meeting in Florence at eleven o’clock, and Jemma and Isabella had said they’d wanted to tag along for the ride through the Tuscan countryside. She beeped the horn lightly, laughing, as the two young women came running out the front door.
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  “Sorry, Mom. My fault—all my fault.” Jemma threw her purse in the backseat. “Bella, go ahead. You take the front on the way there and I’ll have it on the way back.”

  Isabella looked back toward her friend and smiled as she opened the front door. “Don’t listen to her. It was me. I was on the phone with Douglas. Sorry, Blu,” she said.

  Blu reached over to put her hand on Isabella’s arm. “We’re fine for time. Don’t be sorry. Are you sure you two don’t want to stay here?”

  “Mom, no. We want you to drop us at the shop you were telling us about—the one owned by your designer friend. I’m making Isabella buy something cool—at least some new shoes.”

  Blu laughed at the look Isabella shot Jemma.

  “What? You know it’s true, Bella. You haven’t bought new clothes in a long time.”

  “What are you talking about? I have the new dress we got in London.”

  “Okay. Good point. But you have been borrowing a lot of my clothes lately.” Jemma laughed.

  “Which I’m sure you encourage,” Blu chimed in.

  She’d enjoyed watching the two girls interact since she’d arrived at the villa the night before. It was apparent to everyone that they’d become the best of friends, and nothing could make Blu happier. It was like watching an updated version of all the memories she had of herself and Arianna when they’d been about the same age in San Francisco.

  She glanced at Isabella beside her as she drove the car down the long driveway. “So did Douglas manage to get the tickets sorted out for you?” Isabella had made the announcement the night before at dinner that Lucas—along with his family—was going to be joining them for Christmas.

  “He did. Can you believe it? They’re arriving on Monday. I really can’t wait for you all to meet them. I think the girls will really love Annie.”

  “Wait—Mom, did you know Lucas? From when he and Ari dated?” Jemma asked.

  “No, that was a few years before I met Ari.”

  “Did Arianna—did my mother ever tell you about Lucas?”