by Paula Kay
She turned to Lia now to respond. “I don’t know about being beautiful but I do like it that I look like her. It’s kind of amazing to me, really.”
Lia leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “I like that too.”
Isabella smiled in return and followed Lia to the small table where she’d set their pasta down.
“Has anyone told you that Arianna bought Thyme for me?”
“Time?” Isabella didn’t understand what Lia was telling her.
“The restaurant. It was part of the inheritance that Arianna left me.”
Isabella shook her head. They’d talked about the restaurant a lot but hadn’t gotten around to talking about how Lia had come to own it.
“I can remember being here with her almost as if it were yesterday. Even though we hadn’t spent that much time together—not in the sense of actual days—we learned so much about one another during that time, especially when we were here in Italy together.”
Isabella was nodding, taking it all in. “So my mother knew that you’d want the restaurant?”
Lia smiled. “Ari knew that it had been a dream of mine when I was younger—to own a restaurant. It was a dream that I’d given up on long before we’d reunited. She was very thoughtful in planning everything that she’d prepared for each of us—you included, Isabella. I want you to know that.
“Like Jemma’s, your trust fund was set up to help you realize your dreams—whatever that looks like for you. Ari was very clear with me about letting you know this. So for you—I’d imagine this will really help you with college. I know you have a scholarship, but I’d think there would be plenty of other expenses and you won’t have to work. You can focus on your studies.”
Isabella was thoughtful.
“What is it?”
“I can’t even tell you what that amount of money will mean for me at school. Nothing about coming here—about contacting Douglas—has been about the money, but I can see now after meeting you all and hearing about my mother’s wishes, that what she’d set up for me meant a lot to her. For that reason, it’s starting to mean more to me too. I mean, just that it’s got me thinking more about my dreams and about the things that I may have wanted for my life if money wasn’t an obstacle.”
“I wanna hear more about these dreams of yours.” Lia winked at her and Isabella would have had a hard time putting what she was feeling to words in that moment.
Isabella opened up to her grandmother as they ate their lunch, sharing things with her that she’d only ever shared with Thomas and Ms. Carlson. She told her about some of the pressure she’d been feeling and also about her love of writing. She even shared her dreams of travel and how, now that she felt confident that she could handle flying, she felt that maybe this trip to Italy just might be the first of many trips for her. Now that she wouldn’t have to worry about working during the summer months, she could easily see herself spending future summers there in Italy with her grandparents.
“Sorry, I know I’m talking a lot.” Isabella laughed, thinking it was the understatement of the year. She felt like she’d never talked this much to people she’d only just met—ever. It was strange and felt oddly right.
Lia reached across the table to grab her hand. “Don’t you apologize to me for anything of the sort. You have no idea how much our conversations mean to me. To be honest, I’m going to have a very hard time seeing you go.” She squeezed Isabella’s hand. “I want it to be very clear that you are more than welcome to stay here with us for as long as you like. If you wanted to move in, we’ve got a wing of the villa just waiting for you.”
They both laughed and Isabella’s heart felt full. She did know how welcome she was here, but she also felt a twinge of guilt because as much as she might like to stay, she’d never do it without considering her parents back home. They’d been texting and she’d already spoken to them twice on the phone, even doing a video chat to show them around the villa and introduce them to everyone.
“Thank you, Lia—Grandma.” Isabella felt a bit shy, but it felt right to call Lia Grandma. “And I do feel welcome here. I guess I’ll just take it one step at a time right now, enjoying this next week that I still have with you all. I’m excited to meet Blu and the rest of Jemma’s family.”
Her grandmother’s smile widened. “Yes, it will be a real celebration when they arrive. I know how excited Blu is to meet you and I know that Jemma already thinks a great deal of you. Having you young women around here is good for Grandpa and me.”
Isabella laughed and dug into her pasta for a last big bite. “Well, as if your warm welcome and hospitality weren’t enough, I must say that your cooking is going to have me spoiled rotten for good Italian food forever.”
“Now you let me know anytime you want to join me in the kitchen for some lessons. I love to cook and I love to teach—as does Chase, whom you’ll meet very soon, by the way. Nothing would please us more than to have a couple of sous chefs to pass some of our favorite recipes down to. My guess is that you have the Italian cooking gene, anyway.” Lia winked at her.
“Did Ari—did my mother like to cook?”
“You know, she didn’t really cook growing up.” Lia looked thoughtful. “And she and I only had a very few occasions to cook together, but I think she loved being in the kitchen with me. I know that I loved having her there.”
Isabella loved the way her grandmother looked whenever she told Isabella stories about her times with Arianna. She made a mental note to be sure to allocate that time in the kitchen with her before she left. She smiled as she thought about it. Isabella wanted to know herself if she had that Italian cooking gene—if it was possible that she’d inherited any of that natural skill that her grandmother seemed to possess.
Chapter 23
Isabella curled up on the small sofa in her room and waited for Thomas to pick up his phone. They’d been playing phone tag and she’d not spoken to him since before she’d left. She was anxious to fill him in and tell him about everyone that she’d met so far in Italy.
“Izzy! My long-lost best friend!”
Isabella laughed, delighted to hear her friend’s voice. “I know. It’s good to finally talk to you too. How are you?”
“Oh, you know. All the same here, but how are you? How was the flight? How’s Italy? How was it meeting your grandparents? Tell me everything.”
Isabella laughed at all the questions he was firing at her. “The flight—can you believe I hardly even paid attention to the fact that we were in the air? I was a little anxious right before take-off, but having Douglas there was great. And of course we had tons to talk about. so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about the fact that I was finally on an airplane.”
Isabella knew that Thomas understood what a big fear this was to have conquered. She hadn’t thought a lot about it because she’d had so much else on her mind, but she could now easily imagine herself flying again. This was a very big deal, and talking about it now with Thomas was like a light bulb going off in her head. What did this really mean for her life?
“I knew you could do it—well, I knew you would do it anyway, but that’s great, Iz. Really. And how’s Italy? Do you love it?”
“Thomas, it’s so gorgeous here. You can’t believe where Lia and Antonio—where my grandparents live. It’s the most fantastic huge villa on top of a hill and it looks over their entire vineyard. It looks pretty much like what you’d imagine Italy to look like. I’ll have to bring you sometime. I’m sure that they would love that. Honestly, they’ve made me feel so welcome it’s unbelievable, really. I feel as though I’ve been coming here my whole life.”
She could hear Thomas laughing on the other end of the line. “So, I take it you’re enjoying meeting them all then. No weirdness, huh?”
“Nope, not at all. I’ve met my grandparents—oh, and they’ve got a daughter—Gabriela, who’s eight. You know how I told you that Gigi and Douglas run an orphanage in Guatemala? They adopted her from there when she was a baby.” Isabella sto
pped to catch her breath, realizing that she was talking nonstop.
“What about the girl that’s our age? What was her name?”
“Oh, yeah. Jemma. She’s really great—and such a good artist. I feel like we’re gonna be pretty good friends. I just met her a few days ago and we’ve been hanging out a bit every day since then. Her mom and the rest of her family are coming in tomorrow. I think I told you that her mom—Blu—well, actually she’s really Jemma’s sister but she raised her—anyway, Blu was my mom’s best friend.”
Thomas was laughing again. “This sounds like a very interesting group of people. I’m really glad that you’re enjoying your time with them, Iz. You know, I’m not being overly dramatic when I say that I’ve not seen you this excited since—well, I was going to say ever, but maybe since the day you first got the idea of going to Harvard into your head.”
Isabella’s heart beat faster at the mention of Harvard and she didn’t know exactly why. She brushed the feeling aside.
“Well, it is all very exciting, I guess. It’s more than I ever imagined anyway. That’s for sure. I mean, I fully intended to find out everything I could about my birth mother and that is happening for sure, but I…” Isabella had to stop for a moment to clear her throat, overcome by sudden emotion. “I just never would have imagined that I’d see myself feeling so comfortable with them this fast. They really do feel like family to me. Sorry to get so emotional on you.”
“Nah, you know you don’t have to apologize to me about that—not ever. I’m happy for you. And I miss you. I’m really kinda counting on seeing you late this summer now, so I hope this trip is going to give you the travel bug.”
Isabella laughed. “There’s a good chance of that, I’d say.”
Isabella heard a light knock on her door. “Come in.”
Jemma stuck her head in the door. “Lia’s got a snack for us outside when you’re ready.”
“One sec, Thomas.” Isabella put her hand over the phone.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were on the phone,” said Jemma.
“No problem. Be down in five minutes?”
Jemma nodded and shut the door.
Isabella turned her attention back to Thomas on the phone. “Sorry about that. Lia’s been cooking the most delicious food. I swear I’m gonna come back ten pounds heavier.”
“You’d look fine if you put on a little weight, Iz—not that you don’t look great now. But I’m jealous of the food. That sounds so great.” Thomas laughed. “I wanna be in Italy with you.”
“You’ll be in Europe soon enough. And I miss you. I’m glad we finally connected.”
“Me too. Keep me posted.”
“Will do. Bye.”
Isabella clicked off her phone and changed into a pair of jeans. She put her hair up in a ponytail and made her way downstairs.
Chapter 24
Isabella sat upstairs in her room writing in her journal. Journaling was something she missed when she wasn’t doing it every day, and she’d been so busy since she’d arrived in Italy that she’d skipped a few days. Now she was finally getting caught up with her thoughts about being there and first impressions of everyone that she’d met.
Today was the day that she was going to finally meet Blu, who was due to arrive any minute. Isabella was slightly nervous but mostly excited. She’d talked to her on the phone the day before when Jemma had called Blu, and from what everyone had been telling her, Blu was very anxious to meet her too.
She turned her thoughts back to her writing. She’d been feeling very creative ever since she’d arrived in Tuscany—maybe it was the beautiful scenery, maybe it was watching Jemma painting outside. She’d been having some character ideas for a few stories that were in her head. She’d canceled her writing class before she’d left home for Italy but she could pick up another one when she got back. In the meantime, she’d been working on a few ideas, thankful that she’d packed her laptop at the last minute.
She saw a red convertible pulling up the driveway and knew that it was Blu. Jemma had told her that when they had the time, her mom and Chase loved to rent a car and make the drive from Florence to the villa. Isabella watched out the window as Gabriela ran outside to the car and soon after she watched as a little girl who could only be Jemma’s sister, Kylie, got out, followed by Blu and Chase. Isabella felt her heart pounding. Blu was the last of the missing pieces in the puzzle that was her connection to her mother.
She heard the footsteps running up the stairs and then down the hallway, stopping outside her door, followed by loud giggles that made her smile.
There was a quiet tap at her door.
“Who is it?” She smiled in anticipation of meeting Jemma’s little sister, Gabriela’s good friend that she’d been talking about to Isabella for days.
“It’s me. Gabriela.”
She heard whispers.
“And me…I’m Kylie.”
“Isabella, can we come in please?” Gabriela said.
“Yes, please.”
Isabella set her journal down and got up in anticipation of meeting the two little girls across the room as they burst in, all smiles and still giggling.
“Isabella, this is my friend Kylie.”
The little blonde girl stuck her hand out toward Isabella. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Isabella. I’ve heard a lot of very nice things about you.” She grinned and Isabella thought how adorable she looked with two of her front teeth missing.
Isabella shook her hand. “Likewise. I’m pleased to meet you too, and I’ve also heard a lot of nice things about you. You girls sure are very polite, aren’t you?”
Kylie giggled. “Isabella, please tell that to our mothers.”
Isabella laughed. These two kids were cracking her up.
“Do you want to go down to meet Kylie’s parents now?” asked Gabriela.
“Sure.”
She followed the two girls down the stairway and into the kitchen, where everyone seemed to be congregating.
Blu turned around just as they entered, and her hand covered her mouth. “Oh wow.” She burst into tears and took the few steps forward to pull Isabella in for a big hug.
Isabella, a bit stunned, hugged her back, thinking how this emotional reaction didn’t fit the idea of who she thought Blu would be. She’d spent a little time online, watching some interviews that Blu had done at various fashion events and she always seemed very put together and quite edgy, unlike the woman who now held her in her arms as she cried.
Blu took a step back now, holding Isabella at arm’s length, looking at her intently as she seemed to be sizing her up from head to toe. But it didn’t really make Isabella uncomfortable because she appreciated the honesty of the moment.
Finally Blu’s tears stopped and she stood holding Isabella’s hand. Isabella could see that Jemma had entered the kitchen and stood quietly to the side watching the scene with a smile on her face, as was the case with everyone else nearby.
“I’m so sorry, Isabella.” Blu finally spoke. “I had no idea that seeing you was going to affect me like this. You just—you look so much like Arianna. It’s absolutely incredible. It’s as if I’m being transported back in time and it’s your mother standing in front of me.”
Isabella smiled at Blu, feeling oddly relaxed despite the emotional scene that had just taken place. “There’s no need to apologize. I’ve been feeling pretty emotional about meeting you also.” She leaned in to give her a hug. “And it’s really great to meet you. I’m guessing that my mother would have been pleased that this day has come.”
“Arianna would be beside herself,” Gigi said, tears streaming down her face. “She wanted this so much—for us all to meet you. And we’ve wanted it too.”
“I say it’s cause for an Italian celebration,” Kylie said from the corner of the room, where she was holding onto Jemma’s hand.
The grown-ups laughed and as if on cue, Lia and Gigi started grabbing platters of food that were already laid out on the counter.
Jemma kissed Kylie on the forehead. “That, my dear sister, is a fantastic idea. Why don’t you and Gabriela get the napkins and I’ll start setting the table outside.”
Isabella was introduced to Chase, and the two of them along with Blu made their way out to the patio. She liked the couple right away as they settled into easy conversation, assured by the others that the lunch preparations were taken care of—that they should spend a little time getting to know one another.
By the time lunch was served, Isabella had heard several stories about Arianna, including how she’d been responsible for Blu and Chase meeting all those years ago. Blu had laughed about it, saying that especially for that last year of Ari’s life, she’d been very busy playing matchmaker for both her and Gigi—two matches that Isabella and anyone could see had been perfect.
It was becoming clearer and clearer to Isabella that Arianna had had a huge impact on the lives of these people who loved her—an impact that was felt long after her death and one that also didn’t have to do only with the physical things that she’d left for those she loved.
Chapter 25
Isabella looked over at Blu where she sat in the driver’s seat of the convertible. It was a perfect day for a ride with the top down—that was what Blu had said earlier that morning when she knocked quietly on Isabella’s door to see if she was up for a drive to the coast. Isabella didn’t have to think twice about her answer. She was anxious to get to know this woman who had been such a big part of her mother’s life; plus a drive through Tuscany sounded fantastic.
They drove in silence but it didn’t feel awkward to Isabella at all. Blu glanced over at her, smiling widely.
“Honestly, I can’t get over it, Isabella. I hope I’m not making you feel strange. It’s just that you look so much like her. I can’t tell you the number of times I rode with your mom, driving her red convertible over the Golden Gate Bridge for a drive just like the one we’re taking. For some reason, she always loved riding in the passenger seat and I always did love driving her car, so it worked for both of us.” She laughed and Isabella smiled in response.