The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  After Rebecca and Marco left, Lia told Carlo that she was going out for some fresh air after she made sure that everything was caught up in the kitchen. She really needed to clear her head and she thought a walk might help. She sighed, willing her anxiety to behave.

  Chapter 14

  The next few weeks passed quickly for Lia. She found herself developing a nice routine, spending most of her time in the restaurant. She still had her off days—even days where it was difficult to get out of bed—but she forced herself, and the effort seemed to be making a difference. At least it did from what people could see on the outside, she guessed, knowing that she still fought her inner demons every day.

  She and Rebecca had developed a nice friendship, grabbing coffee or a short walk every few days or so. Lia really liked the bubbly woman and found that they seemed to have a few things in common. Rebecca was happy to be living in Tuscany and completely in love with Marco, but she also missed her family back in America.

  The subject of Antonio hadn’t come up again since the day in Thyme, and Lia was thankful for that. She could tell that Rebecca was someone she could trust; she found herself sharing more and more about her personal life, although nothing too uncomfortable had been shared yet.

  Lia had finally agreed to take a night off from work to go to another of Rebecca’s favorite restaurants in town. She supposed that it was important to check out the competition, and a night off would be good for her. Lia was waiting for Rebecca, who had agreed to pick her up at the inn, when there was a knock at her door. Elena had brought her guest upstairs. Lia suddenly found herself feeling slightly embarrassed, quickly tidying up the space that seemed perfect for her but suddenly seemed a bit small, as she’d never had a guest over before.

  Elena left the two women, and Lia offered Rebecca one of the two seats in the little sitting area of the room. “Would you like a drink before we go?” Lia asked.

  “No, I’m good, thanks,” Rebecca said and Lia couldn’t help but notice her expression as she glanced around the room.

  “Okay, spill it.” Lia laughed. “Go on, what are you thinking?” She was glad that their friendship had felt so easy so quickly. She couldn’t help but be reminded of Gigi, and pushed back a sudden thought of missing her friend, back home, who already knew all of the sordid details of her life.

  “Okay. I will,” Rebecca said. “If you’re insisting.”

  Lia nodded for her to continue.

  “This place is lovely and everything. It really is. But how long have you been here now? Like a month?”

  Lia nodded again. “Yes—and? Where are you going with this?” She tried to lighten the mood with her laughter but Rebecca’s face turned even more serious.

  “Why haven’t you found a place yet? What are you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve just been busy, I guess. And if I’m honest, I’ve grown quite fond of Elena and Franco. I guess I’m comfortable here.”

  “Well, certainly finding a place to rent long-term—or buy, if that’s what you’re thinking of—would be more economical than staying here?”

  Lia hadn’t shared anything about her financial situation—the inheritance—with Rebecca. There’d been no reason to, and it wasn’t a topic that one just brought up. Plus it brought with it so many questions that she knew she’d also have to answer, if she didn’t want to leave the poor woman thinking she’d robbed a bank or something. She had shared with Rebecca already that she’d been working in San Francisco as a personal chef and housekeeper, so the fact that now she had loads of money wouldn’t easily be explained away. Lia sighed, thinking about the best way to answer her questions.

  “It’s not the money. And yes, I do intend to buy a place. I’m just comfortable, I guess.” Lia looked at Rebecca to gauge her next words. “And you’re right. I should start looking. It is about time.” She smiled, hoping that her friend would drop it for now.

  “Okay, then. I happen to know someone. A lovely woman that helped Marco and me to find our place in Greve. Can I call her? And maybe you’ll let me set something up for you next week? I’ll go with you if you like. I absolutely love looking at all the charming villas and apartments in the area.” Rebecca grinned broadly, and Lia laughed in spite of the lurch she felt in her stomach at the thought of moving in somewhere.

  “Yes, that would be fine and yes, I’d love for you to look with me. Now, let’s go check out that other favorite restaurant of yours, shall we?”

  “Oh, don’t worry. Thyme will always be my favorite here. That happened even before I met you.” Rebecca laughed as the two women got up to make their way to her car.

  Lia thought the outside of the restaurant where they were going was lovely, and made a mental note that she might want to look into changing her table linen and the set-up of the outdoor patio at Thyme. The two women opted to dine outside in the nice evening air and settled in with a bottle of wine. Lia was feeling quite relaxed as the night went on and they shared easy conversation.

  Rebecca shared with her that she’d met Marco just by chance: she was late for her cooking class one day because she had to have her favorite espresso from down the street where she’d been staying. They met while sipping their coffees at neighboring tables, and before she was finished, she’d agreed to hop on his motorbike for a tour of the wine country that she hadn’t yet ventured to.

  “And the rest—as they say, is history.” Rebecca laughed. “Oh, and I never did make it back to that cooking class. I think Marco might just be regretting that to this day. Little did he know.” She winked and Lia laughed, genuinely delighted to hear the story and be reminded of just how charming Marco had been when they were young.

  Marco and Antonio had been inseparable back then, and she couldn’t help but find herself wondering if they were still close.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Rebecca was nudging her playfully across the table. “Hey, where’d you go just then?” They’d drunk nearly the whole bottle of wine, and Lia was feeling more comfortable than she’d been in a long time.

  “Oh, sorry. What were you saying?” said Lia. “I love that story. Of how you and Marco met. He’s a good guy. At least from what I remember.” She smiled.

  “He is. I adore him, really.”

  Lia watched Rebecca’s whole face light up and wondered if it was the wine or simply the adoration of a newlywed for her beloved. Lia felt genuinely happy for her friend.

  “So speaking of handsome Italian men…”

  “Uh, I’m not sure that we were. Well, we were speaking of your handsome Italian man.” Lia laughed, wondering where Rebecca was going with this, and instinctively feeling herself putting her boxing gloves on in defense.

  “Well, Marco and I have this friend…”

  “No, Rebecca.” Lia laughed.

  “He’s so nice and very handsome, if I do say so—“

  “Rebecca, please stop.” Lia interrupted her, not meaning to sound quite as harsh as her voice did coming out of her mouth in response.

  “Lia…”

  Rebecca didn’t look too bothered to Lia as she continued, either because of the wine or the fact that she was feeling comfortable enough with Lia now to know that she wasn’t seriously offended by the conversation.

  “No, Rebecca. I’m not ready to date. I really just want to be focused on the restaurant right now. And maybe finding a place to live,” she added, hoping that she could successfully change the topic of conversation.

  “It’s just that—well, you’re so lovely.” Rebecca looked to Lia as if she was pouting, and Lia smiled in spite of her irritation, thinking that the look probably went a long way with Marco.

  “Honestly, Rebecca. I’ve been through a lot.” Lia sighed and she noticed the strange look on her friend’s face, guessing that there was something else she wanted to say to her. “Rebecca? What is it?”

  “God, you’re going to be mad.” Rebecca cringed as she said the words, taking a deep breath. “Marco did tell Antonio you were here. They we
re messing around—I think they’d both had plenty to drink—and Marco was telling him before I could stop him. I promise I tried to stop him.”

  Lia was a bit upset but she wasn’t surprised. “Okay, and…?” she asked quietly.

  “And, Antonio was so pleasantly surprised. I don’t really understand why you didn’t want him to know. He’s absolutely gorgeous and delightful.” Rebecca stopped for a moment, looking at Lia across the table. “He wants to see you. And I’m pretty sure he’ll be coming into the restaurant soon.” Rebecca rushed on, a concerned expression on her face as if worried about Lia’s reaction to the news.

  Lia sighed, running her fingers through her dark hair. There wasn’t much to be done now except wait for it, she supposed. And she should be thankful to Rebecca for the heads up. She couldn’t really fault her friend, and of course she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit to being curious about Antonio. Especially after the way that Rebecca had just described him.

  “So, when did this all happen?” Lia asked her friend.

  “Just last night.”

  “And do you know where Antonio is staying?” Even hearing herself say his name out loud was causing her heart to pound so hard she thought surely everyone around her could hear it.

  “He’s staying near us at a little bed-and-breakfast at the moment. But he’s actually in the final stages of buying a little winery near here. It’s so beautiful. He gave us a tour the other day. I just know that you’d love it.”

  “Oh.” Lia really needed to collect her thoughts. Suddenly she was feeling very overwhelmed and wasn’t sure if the best thing for her was to be alone or finally have this big talk with her new best friend here.

  Rebecca looked at Lia once more with an expression of worry. “Lia, I hope you’re not too mad. I know Marco didn’t really mean anything by it. I think he just knew that Antonio would want to see you—to know that you’re here.” She paused for a moment, seeming to take in Lia’s expression before continuing. “Is it really that bad? No one’s saying that you need to spend any real time with the guy, but if you were so close when you were young, why not at least take a minute to catch up with one another? I’m not sure exactly what happened between the two of you, but I’m sure enough time has passed to just let bygones be bygones. Don’t you think?”

  If only it were that simple. Lia thought to herself and made a decision that she hoped she wouldn’t regret.

  “Rebecca, are you in a hurry? Or do you have time for a nice long chat?” Lia winked.

  “Oh, I’ve got all the time in the world.” Rebecca settled back in her chair. “Shall we get another bottle then?” She smiled.

  “Yes, I think I’m going to need it.” Lia laughed, feeling more at ease with her new friend than she’d felt since she arrived in Tuscany.

  The two women shared the remaining bottle of wine as Lia proceeded to tell Rebecca the whole story of what had happened since the last time she’d seen Antonio so long ago. They talked for hours—well, mostly Lia talked, and Rebecca was an amazing listener, hardly containing her own emotions as they both wept when Lia told her about Arianna and the death that was such a shock to her.

  When she was finished, Lia sat back, wiping her eyes and her nose one last time and taking a big drink of the wine remaining in her glass. She felt somehow lighter. It had been a good decision—sharing this all with her friend. She didn’t know if it’d been the wine, her tears, or the act of actually retelling the story, but she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In the back of her mind, it did occur to her that she was going to have to retell this all to Antonio—that was really what counted. But she’d not shared the whole story with someone in a very long time and it felt surprisingly good to get it out. She looked over at Rebecca, who actually looked very drained herself.

  She smiled at her friend. “Thank you for that. For listening. I guess I needed it.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine everything that you’ve been through. To even begin to understand.” Rebecca looked at her friend and continued. “And of course I get it now. Your reluctance to speak to Antonio. It’s a lot.”

  “It is.” Lia said in agreement, suddenly feeling very sleepy. “I feel better now, though, for sharing it with you. I guess I feel that it’s all going to have to be said to Antonio. Sooner, rather than later, and I just know that it’s going to hurt him so deeply. That’s the part I care about. Not necessarily the fact that he’ll be angry and not want anything to do with me. That I can deal with. But I just—I never wanted to hurt him. Even back then, when we were kids—when I made the choices I made. Does that make sense?”

  “It does. Yes,” Rebecca said quietly.

  Enough time had passed, enough sipping big bottles of water, that Rebecca would be sober enough to drive, and now the two were both practically falling asleep as they tried to chat about easier topics.

  It had been a good night, and Lia was very thankful for her new friend here in Italy. How lucky she’d been when she chose that seat on the airplane next to her. The two women hugged, Rebecca assuring her that she was fine to make the thirty-minute drive home. And Lia promised Rebecca that she would keep her posted as to what happened when and if Antonio did come into the restaurant. They both knew that it was just a matter of time; and as Rebecca had said that she suspected by his reaction the other day, it would be sooner rather than later.

  After saying goodnight to her friend, Lia made her way into the quiet house, stopping in the kitchen to get a bottle of water, surprised to fine Elena up at the stove making some warm milk.

  “Can’t sleep?” Lia said, trying to be careful not to startle her friend.

  “Ah, bella. Did you have a good night with your friend? Rebecca was her name, si?”

  “Si, we had a very good night.” She smiled.

  “Would you like a cup of warm milk? I’ve got enough here for two,” Elena said, already getting another mug out of the cupboard as she spoke.

  “Sure, grazie. Maybe I could use some help getting to sleep tonight.” Lia saw the quizzical expression on her friend’s face. “A lot on my mind.” She pointed to her head and laughed.

  “Ah, this will help then,” Elena said, handing her the warm mug. “Sleep well. I will see you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight, Elena.”

  Chapter 15

  The next day, Lia was in the kitchen at the restaurant, busy finishing up after the lunch service when Sofia burst in the door.

  “Lia, someone’s here to see you.” Lia looked up to see her grinning at her as she spoke. “It’s a man, and he’s very handsome.”

  Lia’s heart skipped a beat and she instantly felt panicked. It had to be Antonio. She thought she was prepared to see him, but now that he could possibly be standing right in front of her, she knew that she wasn’t ready at all. God, maybe she should tell Sofia to tell him that she’d stepped out. She glanced out the doorway to see if she could catch a glimpse of him. There was a tall man with his back to the kitchen. Even without seeing his face, she knew it had to be him.

  “Okay, thank you. Please tell him that I will be out in a minute and sit him at one of the tables—towards the back of the restaurant.” She suddenly felt that maybe the best thing would be to blurt it all out and be done with it, and she didn’t want to take the chance of having an audience when she did so.

  She took off her apron and told Carlo that she would be back to help in a little while. She quickly went into their small bathroom to check herself in the mirror. Smoothing her dark hair, she tried to feed courage into the eyes staring back at her. You can do this. He deserves to know everything and then it can be over. Don’t think about it. Just tell him you have something to say that he is not going to like. She took another deep breath and walked out into the restaurant.

  Just as she was making her way across the floor to where he sat, he turned towards her, standing up to cross the short distance that separated them.
Lia felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. God, he was so handsome.

  “Lia, I can’t believe it.” He was kissing her on each cheek before she even had a moment to step away. “It’s really you.”

  She swore that she could feel his eyes taking in her entire body as he spoke. And it shocked her, this visceral reaction she was having to being so near him. “Antonio, hello.” She tried to smile, hoping that her face was responding in some way that wouldn’t let him know how very nervous she felt. “It’s good to see you too.” And she meant it. Even though she had been dreading this moment, it was as if the past years had just vanished and she was a young schoolgirl standing in front of the boy that she loved.

  “The years have been good to you,” Antonio was saying, still staring at her very intently. “Bella, you look wonderful.”

  Lia felt her face growing hot, and it shocked her that he was having this effect on her after all these years. “Let’s sit.” Lia motioned to Sofia, who was across the room watching the couple. “Sofia, would you get us a glass of the Chianti, please?” She tried to look at Antonio without blushing any more than she already seemed to be. “Is that okay for you?”

  “Si, anything is good.” He reached for her hand across the table, his touch startling her in her chair. “I see that I can still make you blush.” He laughed, as did she, despite her discomfort. “I have been looking forward to this moment ever since Marco told me that you were here. Is it true then? That you are here to stay?”

  Lia thought he sounded like a little boy asking for something that he wanted to believe but just wasn’t quite sure in the possibility. If she was being honest with herself, his obvious interest in her was catching her off guard. It had been a long time since a man had looked at her the way that Antonio was right now. He seemed genuinely very happy to see her, and she knew that any big secrets would not be revealed to him today. She’d enjoy the moment, even if it was all that they’d ever have.