by Linda Apple
That would be his prayer, his chant, his mantra.
****
Ty arrived in Florence and strolled through the airport. He bought a coffee and found a place to sit. Searching though his wallet, he pulled the scrap of paper with Jema’s number on it. Scott had done some sleuthing for him to get Jema and Levi’s cell numbers, without Avalee knowing why. The last thing Ty wanted was for her to know he was seeking help from her friends. He tried Levi’s number first.
“Hello? Levi Abrams speaking.”
Relief washed over him. “Hey, Levi. Ty Jackson here. I’m in Florence and I was wondering if I might crash with you guys a few days?”
“Why of course. That would be great. Jema’s out shopping, but she will be thrilled you are here. Where are you?”
“I’m at the airport. If you’ll give me an address, I’ll find a taxi. Hopefully, the driver will understand me.”
“No need for a taxi. I’ve been running a few errands and I’m a few minutes from there. Just wait outside for me.
“Thanks, man. I really appreciate this.”
“It is providential you are here. Jema and I were just talking about you and Avalee’s situation. It’ll be good to get your perspective.”
“That’s just the problem.” Ty ran his hand over his forehead. “I don’t have a clue on perspective.”
“No worries. We have some thoughts about it. Tonight we will talk over supper and drink the most excellent wine you have ever tasted.”
“You don’t know how good that sounds. Thanks.” And it did sound good. It sounded like hope.
****
Ty almost didn’t recognize Levi when he got out of the car. He stuck out his hand. “Hey man, you look good. Life in Italy agrees with you.”
Levi’s smile was broad and honest. “I’ve put on a few pounds, eh? Looks like I’ve found what you lost.”
“All I know is you look like a happy man. Happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
“That I am.” Levi hefted Ty’s duffel. “Jema is anxious to see you. She’s ordered you an Italian feast from our cook, Lilliana. I hope you are hungry.”
“Oh, believe me, I could eat.” The hope Ty felt had bolstered his appetite. Something he’d lost a long time ago.
They settled in Levi’s Ferrari and sped off. The countryside sliding past the passenger-side window made Ty want to grab his camera and ask Levi to stop. The vineyards, olive groves, and ancient stone buildings on the hillsides peeking between the lush greenery flecked with fall colors were a photographer’s dream. He had to work hard at paying attention to Levi’s conversation.
Levi turned onto a steep, private drive. He glanced over and smiled. “We’re almost home.”
Ty tore himself away from the scenery. “This country is amazing. I can’t quit staring.”
“That it is. We love it here.”
“Do you plan on returning to Moonlight?”
“Oh yes, we have some ideas for that town. However, we’ll stay here more often than we had originally thought. But not to worry, we will arrange for our friends to come here as often as they would like.”
He drove through a tree-lined portion of the drive. The fall leaves made it feel like a golden tunnel, which opened to a magnificent stone house with terra cotta roof tiles.
Levi pulled to a stop on the circular drive by a massive wooden double-door. “There she is. Home sweet home.”
“Wow.” Ty faced Levi. “How old is this place?”
“It was built in the sixteen hundreds. Jema and I are working on restoring it to its former glory, but it is livable for now. We’ve finished the wing you will stay in. And we are finished with the exterior.”
Ty opened the door and stepped out for a better look. They had done an excellent job. Even though the outside had been renovated, it still maintained the patina of age. Stone pots with some sort of shrub lined the circle drive. Tall clay pots with all sorts of plants were grouped here and there in front of the house.
“Let’s go in. Jema is anxious to see you again.” Levi extended his arm to pat Ty on the back. “Don’t worry about your things; I’ll have them taken to your room.”
“I’ll take my camera bag with me. I hardly let it out of my sight. You never know when inspiration will hit.”
“Then you had better keep it close.” Levi reached to open the door, but a tiny woman with thin red, no, orange—kumquat orange—hair piled on her head pulled it open and smiled, “Afternoon, Mr. Abrams.”
Levi stepped in and wrapped his arm around her. “This is Carina, our housekeeper. Carina, this is our friend Ty Jackson.”
“Hello, Mr. Jackson.” She reached for Ty’s bag.
“Hi there Carina. Nice to meet you.” He shouldered the bag closer to his body. “I’ll take this though, it’s pretty heavy.” Not to mention extremely expensive. “I’m glad you speak English.”
She nodded. “I speak three languages.”
“I speak one, well maybe two. He patted his bag. I speak in pictures.”
Carina nodded even though she was clearly confused.
“Ty!” Jema jogged down an elegant curved staircase. “It’s so good to see you.” She rushed to him and enveloped him in a tight hug.
Ty hugged back just as tight. She had no idea how good it was to see her. Maybe she could help him know how to convince Avalee to come back to him. When she released him and stepped back, Ty studied her face. She looked so young and like her husband, she’d gained a few pounds, but they looked good on her. They both looked alive and vibrant—a love makeover.
Jema studied his face, too. “Honey, at the risk of sounding like Cladie Mae, you look like a starving feral. There is nothing left of you.”
“I lost my appetite a couple months ago.”
A tender sadness shaded her eyes. “I know. But Levi and I have some ideas.” She gestured to Carina. “Look at this skinny man. We must fatten him up.”
Carina clapped her hands. “I’ll tell Lilliana.”
Jema wrapped her arm around Ty’s. “I’ll show you to your room and you can freshen up then meet us in the sun terrace which is right over there.” She pointed to a stone arch leading into a room of glass walls giving a panoramic view of the orchards and vineyards. Curling her finger, she said, “This way.”
He followed her across the foyer’s marble floor and up the staircase. At the top of the stairs, she stopped in front of a heavy wood door and pushed it open. “These doors are so heavy, but they are original so we kept them.”
“They’re amazing.” He ran his hand over them touching the centuries.
“I chose this room especially for you. It has a great view of the park and woodlands. The colors are so pretty this time of year.” She took his hand. “It is so good to have you here. See you downstairs. Lilliana has a beautiful antipasti waiting for you.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be down in a sec.”
After Jema left, Ty set his camera on the marble top of a gilt-wood table positioned between two gilt-wood armchairs. Hand-painted frescos donned each wall except the one made of stone, which had an arched window that opened to a magnificent view of the mountains. Massive exposed chestnut beams drew his gaze upward. Astounding. He sank on the canopied iron bed, and the mattress almost claimed him then and there. He could use a nap. However, knowing a feast waited for him motivated Ty to freshen up and hurry downstairs.
He grabbed his travel bag and went into the bathroom and again his mind was blown. The same massive beams crossing the ceiling and the stone walls were the same as in the bedroom, making it feel true to its ancient history. But that is where it ended. The black marble floor was heated. The freestanding tub, the toilet, sink, urinal, and bidet were ultra-modern with a sleek design in white and chrome. Jema and Levi had certainly been busy in the short amount of time they’d lived here.
His stomach started growling even before he made it to the sun terrace. The aroma of fresh baked bread, garlic, rosemary, oregano, teased his nose. If he’d known what w
as waiting for him downstairs, he wouldn’t have spent so much time gawking at his room. Platters of food covered the buffet table that stood under the large tone arch between the dining room and the sun terrace. Prosciutto, pork shoulder, salami, wild mushrooms, truffles, pickled vegetables, chunks of cheeses, bruschetta, focaccia, and several bottles of wine.
Jema poured a glass and brought it to him. “Come and enjoy the first course of your supper.”
“First course? You’re kidding right?” The wine was amazing. Levi tipped his glass toward Ty. “And now you can understand our expanding girths, eh?” He pulled Jema close and kissed her. While gazing at her he said, “And we don’t mind it a bit, do we, darling?”
A smile spread across her face. “No. We don’t.”
Ty took a drink of his wine. Watching them—their happiness—renewed his ache, his longing for Avalee.
Jema must have noticed. “Honey, have a seat over in the terrace by the fireplace. Let’s eat in there so we can relax by the fire and talk.”
That sounded good to Ty. He sank onto the deep leather couch and watched from across the room as Jema filled his plate.
She soon joined him and handed him a pile of food. “Have you spoken with Avalee lately?”
“No, she still won’t answer her phone or my emails.” He bit into the butter and garlic goodness on the bruschetta. Around the bite of bread he mumbled, “I still have no idea what happened.” He swallowed. “Well, actually I do, sort of.”
Levi pondered before asking, “I don’t have to ask you if you love her because I know you do. But what have you learned during the time you’ve been overseas, cut off from all communication with her?”
Ty sipped his wine and mulled over Levi’s question. The sun had lowered behind the yellow and scarlet woods, sending orange and golden rays above and through the leafed branches. “I always thought I wanted to be somebody. I felt I had to prove myself, especially to my parents. And then, through a miracle named Avalee, I got that chance. My talent was finally recognized and media outlets from all over the world are contacting me. It is, and I have to use this overdone word but nothing else fits, it’s surreal. To be where I am in this short space of time is beyond my wildest hopes and dreams.”
He paused before continuing. “And yet, it means nothing to me without Avalee. To be honest, once we got together, I didn’t really care about being a successful photographer. She was all I wanted. I joined Cadence because of Avalee. I didn’t want to disappoint her after all she’d done for me.”
Levi nodded and set his glass on the table beside his chair. He leaned back and crossed his leg over the other while looking Ty in the eyes. “Would you give all this up for her?”
He didn’t even have to think about his answer. “In a millisecond.”
Levi looked at Jema, then back at Ty. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Jema grabbed a tissue and dabbed the corners of her eyes. “Avalee and I have spoken almost every day this past month. Ty, she broke up with you because she felt she’d be an encumbrance. She knows how many hours it takes to be successful and how you have to be ready to pick up and leave at a moment’s notice. She didn’t want you to always have to make a choice between her and your job. Avalee knows the guilt of choosing one over the other. She doesn’t stay in contact with you, because she’s afraid she will lose her resolve and beg you to come home. Cladie says she has wasted away to a string, like you, and frankly I think it is time to do something about it.”
Ty clenched his jaw at the thought of Avalee suffering for his sake. What woman would do that? None he’d ever known, that is until Avalee. “What can I do, Jema? How can I prove to her that none of this means anything to me without her? She won’t answer her freaking phone, my texts, or my emails.”
Jema sat forward and propped her arms on her lap. “Sugar, Levi and I have a plan.”
When Ty returned to his room, he felt more encouraged than he had since leaving Moonlight. He pulled the scrap of paper he’d written on the night before and transferred his thoughts to his computer. When he finished he walked to the window and searched the inky Tuscan sky as he tore the paper into pieces before tossing them into the trash. He contemplated the fingernail moon and sighed. “Baby, don’t give up on us.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Want some cheese with that whine? Yes, please, and make it Italian.
~Avalee Preston
I stared out at the open field after the last of the Moonlight Market tents had been hauled away until next spring. Today marked the last event for the season. Mom’s and my venture proved to be a glittering success. We worked hard and frankly, the market kept my mind off my troubles. The old adage, time heals, is a lie.
Skye, bless her, visited often. We had developed a deep friendship apart from Ty and Nathan. At first, I thought she sought me out just to get close to Nate; however, she hardly ever mentioned him. She’s smart enough to want to make it on her own and not be a namedropper in order to get ahead. Even so, I made myself a promise to help her, and keep my involvement in the background. That girl has what it takes to be a better investigative reporter than even Nathan, and I’ll do all I can to see her successful. Her visits, along with Glen’s, helped ease Momma’s sense of loss as well. As far as she was concerned, she was still their grandma, their Big Momma. They felt the same way.
The downside to my deepening relationship with Ty’s children was it deepened my longing for him. I read somewhere that love was not the briefly blooming rosebud; rather it was the thorny stem that protected the flower and provided nourishment. That was exactly how I loved Tyler Jackson.
I had not spoken with Mrs. Jackson since he left. When we notice each other in town, we both pretend we hadn’t seen the other. Each time I pretended not seeing her, something stirred inside me. I knew I could not go on hating her much longer. It was time to free myself and let it go. I just had to figure out how.
“Hey girl.”
I turned to see Lexi. “Hi Lex.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist from behind and whispered, “You okay? I declare you are thinner than when you came home last summer.”
I pressed my hands against hers and leaned back. “Sort of, but not really. I’ve lost my appetite for food. I’m beginning to lose my appetite for life. Now that the market is over, I’m wondering how to fill my days, fill my mind. This will be the first year I’ve ever in my life dreaded Christmas.”
“I understand, sugar. I do.” Lexi turned me around and hugged me.
“Oh, Lexi.” I rested my head on her shoulder. “I thought this Christmas would be Ty’s and my first together as a married couple.”
“We all did, hon.” She turned me around in a big hug and patted me as if I were her child weeping over not getting asked to the prom. “Hey, I have a great idea.”
Stepping back, I sniffed and rubbed my face with my palms. “What?”
“A double-fat, salted-caramel mocha, with extra whipped cream at Molly’s. She held her finger up. “Plus an iced cinnamon scone.”
That Lex. She always knew what to say. “Let’s go.”
“Want to take my car?”
“No, I want to walk.”
Lexi lifted her eyebrows. “Walk?” She crossed her arms. “If I’m walking, don’t give me none of that ‘let’s split a scone’ nonsense. I want a whole one to myself.”
“Deal.” I entwined my arm with hers. Have I mentioned how much I loved my friends?
****
Molly Kate’s bakery, buzzed with business, as usual. I readied myself to wait for a seat but when I got in line to make my order, MK waved at me and pointed to a table with a reserved sign. Lexi waved back and headed over to it.
“What’s with this?” I pulled out a chair and sat. “Reserved table? We didn’t even order.”
“No worries. I texted her our order and ‘A911’.”
“A911?”
“Avalee emergency.” Lexi pointed her finger at me. She was in bad need of a nail
appointment with Tryna. “We’ve all gone our separate ways the past few months and things are falling apart. Especially you.” She glanced at her finger. “I need to see Tryna.”
Molly Kate bustled over with our drinks and scones. “Serotonin lifters at your service.” She set the tray down and joined us. “Now, before we dig in, I have a suggestion.”
I couldn’t wait. I picked up my latte and took a sip of the creamy hot coffee. It made me feel better immediately. “You better hurry. That scone is calling out to me.”
MK lowered her chin and stared up at me. “The whole thing or only half of it?”
“The whole thing and maybe half of yours.”
“Whoa.” Molly glanced at Lexi. “This is serious serotonin depletion we are dealing with here. I’m glad I came up with such an amazing idea.”
Lexi grabbed a scone and her coffee. “So, what already?” Biting into the corner of her pasty, she rolled her eyes upward. “Oh my. Just out of the oven. Yum.”
Molly patted the table. “We need a Whine Wednesday and today is Wednesday. How about it? We can Skype Jema in, too.”
Lexi lifted her cup to her lips. “What’s she got to whine about for heaven’s sake?”
“It would just be good to be together again. We could have a Martini Monday.” Molly cast a sympathetic look at me. “But I don’t think it is the time for that.”
I thought about it a minute. “I like it. Let’s do it.”
“Me, too.” Lexi spread some cinnamon butter on her scone. “My place?”
“Perfect. Now don’t y’all worry about food. I’ll bring that.” Molly turned to me. “So keep your little wagon at home. But you can bring Miss Cladie.” I opened my mouth to say something, but Molly held her hand up. “I know. Wheel of Fortune. Does that little lady realize all the fun she misses out on?”
I nudged the last bite of scone in my mouth and mumbled, “She wonders the same thing about us.”
Lexi grinned. “That woman is a hoot. She’s returning to her old self, isn’t she? Only, I think she’s improved.”