The Sweet Life

by Sharon Struth

  “I knew something was going on,” she snapped, her English crisp with emphasis on the vowels and all her “w” sounds spoken as a “v.” “One of your passengers transferred a ticket to someone else, but they failed to call me until after the tour had started. But it seems you let them on anyway.” She raised a brow. “Without my approval.”

  Shit. “Who called you?”

  “A Mr. Carrol called several days into the tour. He gave the ticket to a passenger name Mamie Weber and, only after the tour began, he realized he needed to let me know. So he called to verbally confirm that he’d authorized the transfer. You should have contacted me then.”

  Julian had spoken to Claudia one night in Siena. “Why didn’t you ask me about it when you called me to confirm the villa stay?”

  “A moot point by then, but my call was your chance to tell me. You had clearly broken the rules; however, I needed you to finish out the tour. To be honest, I considered not firing you. But when I got an anonymous call you are dating a passenger, I decided to come out myself to find out what you were doing.”

  Everything he’d been afraid of this year suddenly didn’t matter. The hot air balloon ride boosted him with new power. Even though he liked the job, the safety net it offered was no longer needed.

  Claudia pinned him with her hard gaze. “Well? What do you have to say to defend yourself?”

  “Nothing really. Mamie Weber is a guest on this tour. It just happened and she had a letter showing the package transfer.”

  Claudia raised a thin brow. “And the dating accusation? Is it true?”

  “It is. I’m not ashamed or going to lie about it. Your rules are inflexible, Claudia. You need to look at circumstances, not jump to conclusions.”

  “Don’t tell me how to run my company. I would feel justified in firing you now.”

  He took a breath, realizing she was right about that. “Listen, I like working for Wanderlust Excursions. But before you fire me, meet Mamie, talk to the passengers—”

  She held up her hand. “Nein. After you get them to the airport tomorrow, you’re relieved of your duties with my tour company.”

  Gary stepped out from the building’s shadow. “Good. Maybe you’ll reconsider my job offer?”

  That exact second it hit Julian who might have reported his dating a passenger to Claudia. Of all the slimy things to do, although it shouldn’t have surprised Julian one bit.

  “Who’s he?” Claudia motioned with her chin toward Gary.

  “My old boss.” Julian wanted to haul off and punch Gary, but he bit back his anger and waved a hand Claudia’s way. “Gary, meet Claudia, owner and president of Wanderlust Excursions.”

  Gary tipped his head to her, but quickly turned his attention to Julian. “So? Come on. You don’t need this two-bit operation. You can make more money if you come back to the show.”

  “What show?” Claudia stepped closer.

  Julian ignored her. “Listen, Gary, I told you earlier. I like this job.” He shot a glance at Claudia, hoping she’d reconsider. “Besides, now that I’ve met Mamie, I don’t want the commitment of filming and the tight schedules.”

  “Filming what?” Claudia tipped her head, her expression confused.

  Gary looked at Claudia. “Julian spent many years as host of a TV adventure show, Exploring the World with Eddie.”

  Her eyes widened. “You are Eddie?”

  “I was.” Julian turned back to Gary, rage for him flowing to the brim. The guy hated losing and Julian should’ve known he’d do anything to win their battle. “And I’m not interested in doing it again.”

  “Before you decide, you’d better make sure you know everything about Mamie. She’s not being honest with you.”

  “What do you mean?” He stilled, not sure what kind of game Gary was playing now, but the smirk on his face suggested he had something good.

  “You know those travel books, The Covert Critic’s Guides?”

  Julian had read an article about them in a trade journal. “I do.”

  “I think Mamie is the Covert Critic.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Not really. She’s been reviewing your tour this whole time and I caught her using one of the Covert Critic books as a guide.”

  Claudia mumbled something in German, then in English marked with clear sarcasm, she added, “Nice work, Julian. See what happens when you break the rules? I can’t imagine what kind of review my company will get now.”

  “Claudia, could you just...” He turned to Gary. This had to be a lie. Mamie would’ve told him this if it were true. Wouldn’t she? Julian wanted to believe in her, in them, so he pushed Gary for details. “How do you know all this?”

  He told Julian about finding her notebook with an outline from the publisher and confronting her. “She wouldn’t admit it. I’m not sure you want to make your choice about a career based on a relationship with a woman who isn’t truthful with you.”

  “You promised you wouldn’t tell.”

  Mamie’s voice came from behind Julian and he turned around. Promised you wouldn’t tell? All the warmth for her he’d built up over these past two weeks faded into a distant place, one he tried to reach for but couldn’t grab.

  She stared at Gary. “How could you do this?”

  Gary shrugged. “Hey, he just got fired from the tour company.” He pointed to Claudia. “I figured he needed a job and the only reason he’s not taking the one I’m offering is because of you. He deserved the truth.”

  Her gaze drifted to Julian. “Is that true? You’re fired?”

  “Forget about that.” Agony ripped him apart, but he needed the truth from her mouth, not Gary’s. “You’ve been lying to me?”

  “Not exactly lying.” Her face contorted with pain. “I’ve signed a contract with my publisher that says I can’t talk about it with anybody.”

  “But I bent every rule for you. Put my faith in you.” The pain of her not trusting him stung. How stupid he’d been. “But on this one thing, you couldn’t trust me?”

  “It’s not so black and white. I tried to get permission. I wanted to tell you, very badly.”

  “Hey! Julian, Mamie....” Bob stuck his head around the corner. “You’re on.”

  “Perfect timing.” Julian walked away, mumbling, “I’ll do this alone.”

  * * * *

  Mamie waited until Julian turned the corner. She spun to a pretty woman with crisp, short blond hair and round eyes. Her accent sounded German. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Claudia, owner of Wanderlust Excursions. I hope your review won’t be negatively affected by what Julian did.”

  “No! Of course it won’t. I’ve had a wonderful tour. Julian does his job extremely well.”

  “You say that, but how can I be sure you mean it?”

  Gary snorted. “Your credibility is sliding downhill fast.”

  Before Mamie could respond, Claudia turned to Gary. “You. I recognize your voice. You’re the anonymous caller who told me about Julian dating a passenger. Ja?”

  Gary shrugged, showing no outward concern he’d been caught. “So what if I did?”

  Mamie couldn’t believe this guy. But she needed to make sure Julian didn’t get blamed for everything that went wrong. She turned to Claudia. “Julian pushed hard to keep me off this tour. Please, blame me for what he did. I pushed and he resisted.”

  “But in the end, he gave in to you?” Claudia raised a thin brow.

  “Yes.”

  “You will write the report and all Julian’s infractions will no doubt be reflected.”

  Mamie shook her head. “No. I told you before, I have nothing bad to say about your operation.”

  “I believe it when I see it in print.”

  Mamie’s blood pressure rose. Claudia gave new meaning to the word stubborn. “There is one thin
g that could be a problem.”

  “Ah, see! What is it?”

  “The total lack of flexibility from the main office.”

  Claudia’s dark eyes opened wide, but Mamie swung around and faced Gary. “As far as you go, I can’t believe you’d do all this just to get him to go back.”

  “Hey, a producer’s got to do what he’s got to do. I’ve got people breathing down my neck about Julian’s return.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know how you can live with yourself.”

  Turning away from them both, she rushed toward the patio. As she rounded the corner, Julian stood with his back to the others, picking up the guitar leaning against a stone wall that Beppe’s brother had let him borrow. Dread filled her heart as she approached him.

  She came up from behind. “Julian, I wanted to tell you but—”

  “Save it, Mamie. I can handle this number by myself. Now if you don’t mind, I’m up.”

  He walked away from her and took a seat at one of two bar stools they’d requested on stage to do their song. Tuning the guitar, he ignored her.

  He cleared his throat and the noise level died down. “I’ve never told any of you, but my dad went to Woodstock. He was twenty-one at the time. He also taught me how to play the guitar.”

  “Why, you rascal.” Bob’s face brightened. “Holding out on us?”

  Julian smiled, but it lacked in his usual enthusiasm. “Guess I was.”

  She’d ruined everything. All the trust he’d handed her this morning meant very little if she couldn’t reciprocate. Her eyes filled with tears.

  She left the patio area just as Julian started to strum his guitar to the song they’d practiced multiple times. The idea he’d rejected her hurt too much for her to stay and listen. Not that it wasn’t deserved. She’d betrayed him, although she never intended to hurt him by keeping her job secret.

  She walked around the compound, dazed and upset, not really thinking about where she was going. Eventually she ended up outside Julian’s apartment. The only place she really had to go.

  She wandered to his bedroom and fell onto the bed, finally giving into the tears she’d fought. Everything about these past two weeks bombarded her like hard pellets. Nothing made sense. Her choices. His. The loyalty she clung to for her job, albeit a legal necessity but a rule. And yet, she so easily asked Julian to break the rules he’d been expected to follow. She’d never been more wrong but couldn’t change it now. The myriad of thoughts inside her head made her temples throb, punishment for the mistake she’d made. She closed her eyes and took her punishment, drifting off with her regrets.

  She woke shivering. The fog of a nap made it hard to open her eyes. As she turned her head to the side, she saw the time. Eleven p.m. Would he even return here tonight? She crawled under the covers and tried to get warm, knowing she needed to own one very real fact; Julian had every right to feel angry.

  But she’d always be grateful to him. And while she might have owed him honesty, she gave him all she could within the legal restraints of her job. She’d tried to give him more of herself. Like stepping into the hot air balloon basket. Mostly so he could face his fears, but also to face her own. She cared about him, more than she could even comprehend in this short amount of time. Two weeks. Barely a blip on the radar of life.

  Yet they were two weeks that had flipped her world right side up. She no longer wanted to hide in her apartment. She also didn’t want Felix’s job, but did believe she needed a change.

  All she knew right now was that the gift of time had once again been bestowed upon her here in Tuscany, yielding some generous rewards.

  New friends. Special moments shared with Julian. Good food and drink. Beautiful scenery. Every encounter presented a world filled with possibilities. A world she couldn’t have imagined while sitting inside her apartment alone and sad.

  Faith, love, and life. Three things she took for granted many years ago, but the possibility of them was restored. Maybe it had been the long talks with Julian or the magic of Tuscany. It didn’t matter where it came from. She’d changed and deep down, she’d always known all of this would have to come to an end.

  She got up from the bed and took out her notebook with a pen. Propping a pillow against the teak headboard, she returned to the bed and opened the notebook onto her lap. Even if she had to leave, she couldn’t do it without Julian knowing how much he mattered to her. Given his anger, she wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t come back here tonight.

  So she started to write...

  Dear Julian,

  I never meant to hurt you or lie. I’m sorry you had to learn about my real purpose on this trip the way you did...

  Her lids got heavy but the pen kept moving. She struggled to fight sleep because she wanted Julian to understand the reasons behind everything she’d done.

  Chapter 23

  Julian opened Beppe’s car door and laid the guitar case on the backseat. He walked around to the car’s front and leaned on the hood. From here, he could see the bedroom light on in his villa. He wasn’t ready to face her yet.

  Damn her, stealing his trust while she walked around with a lie. Why had she done any of the things she did for him? Was it for her story, to give it a human element?

  Doing his show had taught him that drama pulled in viewers. Maybe adding some color to her review about meeting an adventurer gone sour and her steps to save him would make for better sales. He’d been stupid. Real stupid. Or was he? Every second spent in that hot air balloon with her seemed so right, exactly where he’d been meant to be.

  A twig snapped and Julian looked up. Beppe approached, walking toward the car in a path of light from a nearby lamppost. He took a bite of a cannoli. “The partygoers have all gone to bed.”

  “It was a fun show.” Julian tried to sound normal.

  “Sì. What happened earlier? And why was Claudia here?”

  “She found out I let Mamie on the tour and, well, everything else. She pretty much fired me.”

  He nodded. “Maybe I can talk to her?”

  “At this point, I’d appreciate any good words that might get her to change her mind. I also found out tonight Mamie has been lying to all of us.”

  “Mamie? How so?”

  “She’s reviewing the tour for a pretty big travel publication. People aren’t always who you think they are.”

  Beppe remained quiet for a moment then said, “You know, my nonna used to say ‘Accade di più in un’ora che in cent’anni.’”

  Julian considered the words. “‘More happens in an hour than in a hundred years’?”

  “Sì. Look at you. I have known you since were seven. You’ve gone through some big changes, but they all happened in an instant.”

  “It’s true. Like my parents’ death, or watching another man die?”

  “Yes,” Beppe spoke softly. “Or like meeting Mamie.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, well, she’s on this tour under false pretenses. How can I trust anything between us now?”

  “I see.” He slowly finished off the cannoli then wiped his hands on the side of his pants. “Even if she is, I know her desire to get you on that hot air balloon came from a genuine place.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because we talked about her husband and child. When she asked me to get my cousin to do this, she told me how scared she was, but she knew her husband would want to see her do it. And she wanted to do it for you.”

  Julian didn’t want to believe it, but the bond between them during that ride still carried undeniable power. “So you’re saying I’m an ass for being mad?”

  “I see a different man than the one that started this tour. A short time for such a transformation. It’s either Mamie, or these Woodstock worshipers.” Beppe laughed.

  Julian couldn’t stop a smile. “They are a fun group.�
��

  “Yes, but maybe not the reason you have changed.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Don’t let her leave here believing you don’t see that.”

  Julian looked away, feeling some shame over his prior behavior.

  “Now you need to get off my car, so I can go home.” Beppe put a hand on Julian’s shoulder. “You know you are like a brother to me.”

  “And you to me.”

  Julian hugged Beppe, lucky to have found a brother in a friend.

  Beppe got in the car and took off down the dark driveway. Julian headed to the villa. He entered, the place quiet and dark except for the bedroom light. Walking to a spot just outside the bedroom doorway, he saw Mamie curled on her side, asleep on the bed. The Yankee emblem on her T-shirt rose and fell with each long breath. He stepped closer.

  A notebook lay on top of the blanket. He glanced at the open page and saw the words “Dear Julian.”

  He leaned closer to read the first lines.

  I never meant to hurt you or lie. I’m sorry you learned about my real purpose on this trip the way you did. If it matters, the piece I planned to write contained nothing but good things. Because it is the truth.

  I didn’t share why I first came to Tuscany for one simple reason: my employer required me to sign a legally binding agreement not to make my identity known as part of this book series. Otherwise, I’d have told you, not at first but most definitely after these past days together.

  It occurs to me as I sit here writing this that maybe us parting on not-so-great terms makes the end of our two weeks easier. The universe’s forces might have known it wouldn’t be easy if everything had remained so good.

  We live in two different worlds. Your choices and mine don’t follow the same path. And we both have choices to make about our careers at this junction.

  For what it’s worth, these two weeks have been the best I’ve had in a long time. This beautiful country will always live in my heart. And so will all the moments we have shared. I will never forget how you made me see beauty I might otherwise have missed.