by Paula Kay
“That’s right. We’ll be seeing Lia again in no time at all. Now give her one last squeeze so that the rest of us can have a turn.” Blu and Gigi laughed as they both reached to hug Lia at the same time.
Lia placed her arm around Blu’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Everything’s gonna be just fine. Jemma will be fine.” She kissed her cheek and then tried to make what she hoped was a stern expression. “And missy, you and I have lots yet to discuss. I feel like we didn’t even make a dent in all of the questions I have for you—namely that I saw that write-up in the San Diego paper, and I’m dying to know how everything is going.”
Blu grinned and gave Lia one final big hug. “Business is booming, as they say. I, on the other hand, feel like I could sleep for about a week straight.”
“Well, you are welcome to come visit whenever you like.” Lia turned to Gigi and Douglas; he had now come up to join the little party. “That goes for you two, as well. I know that you are planning to visit Gigi’s family in the south when you come, but you’re always welcome to some extra weeks in Tuscany. I’d love to have you there.”
Douglas looked at his watch. “That is a wonderful offer, and one that we will certainly be considering, but now I’m afraid that we have to get on the road if you’re going to make that flight.”
He winked and kissed Gigi quickly. “Go on and get your last hug in, and I will call you later.”
Gigi, wiping her eyes with the tissue she had balled up in her hand, reached over to give Lia one final big hug. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I’m going to miss you too,” Lia said, sniffling and struggling to hold back her own tears. “You’ve become such a dear friend to me. I want you to know that.”
“I do know that. And the same is true for me. As much as I selfishly want to keep you here, I know it’s time for you to go. We’ll see you very soon.” Gigi pointedly turned Lia’s body round to face the door, giving her a little push. “Now go, before Douglas has to come back and pry you out of my arms.”
Lia laughed, turned and blew one last kiss at the two women and Jemma.
“Arrivederci!”
Lia wiped the last of her tears as Douglas pulled away from the house. She saw him glance at her, and she thought she should try to pull herself together so that they could have at least a somewhat normal conversation.
“You’ll be back, Lia. And we’ll come to see you before you know it.”
“I know. I’ll be okay.” Lia looked at Douglas and put her tissue away in her pocket. “It’s just another change. I should be used to it by now.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Does one ever really get used to such big changes? You’ve been through a lot. Don’t be so hard on yourself. If I could be so bold in saying it, if there’s one thing I want for you, Lia, it’s to stop knocking yourself around so much. I get the feeling that you do that a lot.”
Lia couldn’t help but smile despite the discomfort that she felt anytime someone tried to talk to her about such personal things. But Douglas was different than even Gigi or Blu. For some reason, ever since she’d first contacted him about Arianna all those months ago, she felt a real peace about trusting him. She always felt that he only wanted the best for Arianna and now, thankfully, she felt that he thought the same about her. She was lucky to have such good people in her life.
“I appreciate your concern,” Lia responded after she had collected her thoughts. “And you’re right. I am hard on myself and I suppose it’s something that I should become more conscious of. Maybe I need to learn a thing or two about forgiveness. Of myself, I mean, and yada, yada, yada.” She tried unsuccessfully to lighten the mood.
“Yep,” said Douglas.
Lia imagined that he had a lot more to say on the matter, but was restraining his words at the moment.
“So, you have your ticket? Your passport?” said Douglas. “I suppose I should have asked you that before we pulled out of the driveway.” He laughed.
“Yes, I do. And about that ticket.”
Douglas glanced over at her, nodding his head. “Yes?”
“I switched the seat from first to economy class. So you’ll have a refund to your card for the difference,” Lia said quickly.
“And why did you do that?” Douglas said. “I really thought that you’d learned to enjoy the comforts of first class travel after your trip with Ari—after your last trip to Italy.” He smiled as if to show Lia that he was teasing her.
“I did, and it was the first time that I’d ever not flown economy. And it was very special actually—with Ari. I don’t know. It just seemed odd to me. A bit frivolous, I guess. Does that make sense?”
Douglas didn’t answer right away, as he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “It does. Yes. But you know that you can afford it now. We all can afford it. And I wasn’t worried, buying you that ticket.” He glanced over to her and smiled.
“Oh, I know. And I get what you are saying. I’ll get there.” She laughed and was pleased to hear Douglas laughing with her. “In time.”
“I know you will, Lia. Just don’t wait too long.” He winked at her and they continued the rest of the drive in easy silence, Lia lost in her own thoughts and Douglas seeming to know that she needed the silence just then.
Douglas pulled up to departures, and Lia was pleased to see that she had plenty of time to get herself checked in.
“Are you sure that you don’t want me to park and help you with your bags? I have plenty of time before my first client meeting this morning,” said Douglas.
“Oh no, I’ll be fine if we can just get my bags onto one of those carts.” Lia gestured to the luggage carts a few feet away, and Douglas was immediately off to pull one up to the car. “Besides, I’m sure that you have plenty of other ‘lawyerly’ type things to attend to.” Lia smiled.
“Oh, you mean like playing golf and attending overpriced lunches?”
Douglas laughed, and it reminded Lia how much she always enjoyed his sense of humor. He was the first lawyer she had actually known so well, and she had been pleasantly surprised that he didn’t live up to any of the stereotypes that she’d grown up believing.
“Yeah, something like that.” Lia laughed too and reached up to give Douglas a big hug. “Thank you so much for the ride. And for everything, really.” She took a deep breath. “I am not going to cry any more. Or at least not until I’m seated on the plane.” They both laughed. “But I feel like I owe you a lot. You and Gigi. You’ve been such good friends to me.” She looked Douglas in the eye as she spoke.
“You owe us nothing. The same should be said—and is said—about you, my dear. You are a good friend to us and we’re lucky to have you in our lives. And that is not changing just because of a few miles.” He winked. “Now scoot. Before you miss your flight.”
They shared one final quick hug and then Lia was off to find her check-in desk. It was happening. And she was ready for it. At least she thought she was, even as she was fighting those last bits of doubt that she was slightly worried might never leave her. But she’d been fighting doubts all her life. It was something she was used to. It was only the niggling idea in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe, it was time to be done with that. Sometimes she swore that what she thought was the strangest of ideas was actually Arianna’s voice she was hearing. Even the thought of it now made her smile as she waited at the gate for her row to be called for boarding.
Chapter 9
Before long, Lia was making her way to the window seat that she’d carefully chosen a few days ago. She liked being able to rest her head near the window and look out at the world literally passing her by.
She got herself adjusted, and within a few moments the seat next to her was being occupied. There was a game she used to play every time she flew—trying to guess the story of the people sitting around her. It was always so interesting to think about the randomness of life, sitting in one place with all these different people who had only their departure city and destination i
n common.
Sometimes she would speak to the person sitting next to her, but often she liked to keep to herself when she flew. Truth be told, she hadn’t flown that much really; and whenever she did, there was something major going on in her life, so she had lots to think about as the miles spread out beneath her. She looked around and couldn’t help but wonder if anyone saw her on this plane and wondered about her life. Or what they’d think about her if they did know the details of her life.
Before Lia had much time to cry again or think about what was happening, the instructions had been given by the flight attendant and they were in the air. She laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. Maybe now she could really process what was happening in her life, with no distractions, ends to tie up, or people to see. She sighed. She should be more excited—elated, in fact. Who wouldn’t be? She’d been given the chance of a lifetime to fulfill her dream. All she’d ever wanted, since she was a little girl cooking dinners with her grandmother in Tuscany, was to be a chef and ultimately to have her own restaurant. She smiled despite the inner scolding she was giving herself for being such a brat. She was excited about Thyme. She would make this work. It was what Arianna wanted for her.
“Are you staying in Florence?”
The pleasant voice of the woman sitting next to her interrupted Lia’s thoughts.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you were sleeping,” she said when Lia’s eyes popped open and she turned slightly in her chair, even though the thought had crossed her mind that she should pretend to be asleep. She wasn’t sure yet if she was up for conversation so soon after take-off. It was going to be a long flight, and there were plenty of things that she wanted to sort through in her mind.
Lia smiled at the woman sitting next to her, despite her initial resistance. She had a great smile and the most gorgeous curly red hair. “Not to worry. I wasn’t asleep. I’m going on from Florence to a town in Chianti.”
“I’m actually going to Chianti as well. I live there—in Greve. Are you visiting Tuscany?”
“I’ll be in Castellina in Chianti—I’m moving there,” Lia said, recognizing that she wasn’t being overly friendly or inviting conversation, but unable to stop herself. She wasn’t sure yet of her mood.
“Oh, you are only about a thirty-minute drive from me.” The woman reached out her hand to Lia. “I’m Rebecca, by the way.”
“Good to meet you. I’m Lia.” She shook Rebecca’s hand and felt her resistance disappearing. Perhaps they were destined to be friends; God knew that Lia could use a friend in the near future. She wasn’t sure if she would feel lonely in Italy, but she’d grown used to her easy friendship with Gigi and she imagined that she’d be missing that a lot.
“I’m sorry, Rebecca. I don’t mean to be so short with you. I’ve just had a lot on my mind—and—well, I’m not really sure how I’m feeling right now about this trip, to be honest.”
“Oh, you’ll love Tuscany. I can promise you that,” Rebecca said with such exuberance in her voice that it was hard to doubt her. “I’ve lived there for six months now—with my husband.” She grinned as only a newlywed could.
“I grew up there, actually,” said Lia, making the mental decision to engage a bit with this friendly woman sitting next to her. “So, I guess it’s sort of a homecoming for me. Is your husband Italian, then?”
“Yes, my husband—Marco—is from the region as well. I met him when I first came to Italy about a year ago.” A funny expression crossed Rebecca’s face as she continued. “God, I can’t believe that it’s only been a year. Funny how much things can change in a year.” She laughed, and Lia was intrigued enough to want to hear more of the woman’s story.
“Were you there on vacation then? When you met your husband?”
“Well, it sounds silly to say but I was having a bit of a crisis, in fact. I call it my ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ period.”
Lia nodded her head to show her understanding of the book reference. “Well, it certainly sounds as though it was a good move on your part.” She smiled at Rebecca, noticing how genuinely happy the woman seemed.
“Oh, yes. I wouldn’t change a thing. At the time, I was feeling so stuck. I’d been divorced for about a year and was really having a hard time getting past it. Finally, I just decided to sell my house, pack up my bags, and go to Italy to take a cooking class. Best decision I’ve ever made.” Rebecca laughed.
“You like to cook, then?” Lia asked, thinking it pretty great that they already had this one thing in common.
“Oh well, yes. I do like to cook. Now, am I good at it? That’s another story entirely.” Rebecca laughed. “Marco teases that his mother will give me cooking lessons because she is so worried about him not getting enough to eat.”
Lia laughed at the comment, because she was well aware of the doting antics of an Italian mother when it came to her sons.
“I do love Italian food, though. And unfortunately I am paying for that.” Rebecca pointed to her stomach comically. “I’ve put on twenty pounds since I arrived, and I really do need to get that under control. My husband says that he likes a little extra padding, but good grief—Italian women are so thin and gorgeous. I’m not sure that I completely buy it, so I’m going to be working on getting this weight off right away.”
Lia thought Rebecca looked fine, but she couldn’t really relate to the idea of wanting to look good for a man. It had been so long since she’d even thought about dating—since she had even felt a man was the least bit interested in her. But then again, she’d not been putting any vibes out about being available either. She sighed. She really didn’t see that changing in the near future. She was more interested in the restaurant than anything, really.
Lia suddenly remembered the woman sitting next to her and silently reprimanded herself for being rude. “I’m sure that your husband does appreciate you just the way you are.” She smiled at Rebecca. “And speaking of Italian food, I actually am going to Castellina because I own a restaurant there.” She smiled, hearing herself say this for the first time out loud.
The look that crossed Rebecca’s face was priceless. “You do? Which restaurant? My husband and I go there quite often, actually.”
“It’s a small place, near the town center. It’s called Thyme.”
“Are you kidding? We love that place. I can’t wait to tell my husband.”
Lia smiled at her reaction. “How funny. I can’t believe that you’ve eaten there. Yes, I’m a chef myself and this is kind of a new thing for me. No, actually it’s a completely new thing for me.” Lia laughed, but inside she was thinking about the complexity of explaining the whole situation to a complete stranger, and she didn’t know if she was up for that.
“Wow. I can’t believe this either. How did you come to own that restaurant and how long have you had it? I really thought that the cook we met—Carlo, I think his name was—was the owner.”
“He was—he has been.” Lia sighed and just decided to be honest. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“It’s okay. I understand long stories. Believe me.” Rebecca laughed. “We can save it for another day—if you think that’d be alright? I’d love to come in some time to eat and to have a good chat once you’re settled.”
“I’d really love that,” said Lia, thinking that she actually would look forward to seeing Rebecca again. She had a strong feeling that she was someone that Lia could be friends with and even though she didn’t feel like talking much now, she knew there might come a time in the near future when she could use the listening ear of a good girlfriend.
“I think I should maybe have a nap now. I’m just realizing how emotionally drained I’m feeling after all of my goodbyes this morning. Suddenly, I’m exhausted.”
“You sleep then. I won’t bother you.” Rebecca smiled. “I have the feeling that there will be plenty of time later for conversation.”
Lia adjusted her pillow, leaned her seat back, and fell asleep for the better part of the remaining flight
.
Chapter 10
Before she knew it, Lia was awoken from her fitful sleep by the flight attendant asking her to put her seat up in preparation for landing. She collected her belongings and said goodbye to Rebecca with the promise of seeing her very soon in the restaurant.
Lia was a little bit annoyed at herself for sleeping the whole trip, as she would now probably have to deal with a serious case of jet lag as she worked to adjust to the new time zone. She did have sleeping pills that her doctor had prescribed much earlier in the year, so she’d use them if she had any problems after the first couple of days or so.
She made her way through immigration and customs, and then collected her bags, all with no problems. She’d booked a driver to take her from the airport to Castellina; she saw him holding up the sign with her name on it right outside of the luggage collection. So far, so good, she thought. And she really hadn’t had much time to think about things since shortly after boarding the plane. The sleep may have actually been the best thing for her.
Once she was settled in the car, she sat back to take in the beautiful countryside for the nearly one-hour drive to the guest house where she’d be staying. When they were arranging her trip, Douglas had wanted to book her a nice villa just outside of town. But she’d thought it best to stay at one of the local inns near the restaurant to make it easy upon her arrival. She promised him that she’d start looking at places to eventually buy shortly after, and he’d volunteered to help her when it came to the paperwork and the many financial pieces that needed to be put in order. He and Gigi were constantly reminding her that there was more than enough money there for her to buy a nice home that she’d be comfortable in. To Lia, it seemed a huge step, never having owned her own home before. So she’d convinced him to book her in the inn, promising to settle in quickly thereafter.