by Lise Gold
The doorbell rang, and she got up from the kitchen table to see who it was. Expecting Luca, or the delivery of her dress for tonight, she was surprised to see that it was Rome.
“Hey, I didn’t expect you here today. And so early? This is a nice surprise.” She frowned when she noticed Rome wasn’t her usual carefree self. “Rome, come here, honey.” Nadine’s heart broke when Rome started sobbing in her arms, and she held her close as she took her inside and sat her down on the couch. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Matteo came to my office,” Rome said through her tears. “I didn’t think it would affect me so much, seeing him again, but I swear, I couldn’t function after I’d sent him away.” She shrugged. “So, I left the office and I’m sorry but I wanted to come here. I know you have to work tonight and…”
“Shh… it’s okay.” Nadine kissed her temple and pulled her further in. “I’m here. Tell me what happened.”
“Nothing. He wanted to talk, explain the ‘misunderstanding’,” Rome said, making quote marks with her fingers. “I sent him away and he threatened me and my team on his way out.”
“The bastard… Is he still at the office?” Nadine stood up, but Rome grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
“Please don’t do anything stupid. I know you have good intentions, but I have to do this the right way; I can’t have anything jeopardizing the case.”
“Of course. I’m sorry; I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Rome hesitated as she looked at Nadine. “Do you mind if I stay here while you’re away tonight? I don’t want to sleep alone.”
“Of course not.” Nadine took a couple of deep breaths and gave her a sweet smile. “Don’t move; I just need to make a phone call and then I’ll get you a cup of tea.” She walked to the kitchen where she switched on the kettle, then went out onto the balcony while she dialed the number for her agency.
“Hi Sofia, it’s Nadine.” She paused, wondering how to best go about this as she’d never cancelled on a client before. “I’m not feeling well,” she lied, knowing there was no arguing with illness. “I was fine this afternoon, but my stomach is all over the place now. I think it might have been something I ate.”
Sofia, her booker, was silent for a long moment. “You’re ill? You’ve never called in sick.” There was no genuine concern from her side, and that was no surprise to Nadine. “How do you expect me to find someone else at such short notice? This is a very important client.”
“I don’t know.” Nadine sighed. “The dress isn’t here yet, so you could have the courier send it to one of the other girls, if any of them are available?”
“But our client specifically wanted you,” Sofia argued.
“Well, he’ll have to do with someone else because you don’t want me running to the toilet every five minutes, do you? Throwing up my food and looking pale?”
“No, we don’t want that.” Sofia cleared her throat. “Okay, I’ll try to arrange someone else. But this can’t happen again, do you understand? We already had a complaint from Louise, and this is not helping you.”
“Louise lured me to a hotel because she wanted to sleep with me. I said no; it’s as simple as that,” Nadine argued.
“Yes, well, you know very well there are better ways of solving these issues rather than storming out. It’s unprofessional.”
Nadine felt herself getting angry again and she hated the feeling. She was angry at Matteo, at Louise, now at Sofia, and honestly, she was angry at herself too for letting people treat her like a puppet. “You know what? I think you need to cut me some slack, Sofia. I’ve worked for you for four years and never once have you had a complaint about me, apart from Louise. I solve my own issues, I’m always available and I’m always professional. Do you have any idea how exhausting that is? Smiling and pretending to be engaged all night, even if you’re having a bad day?”
“That’s not our problem. We’re paying you a lot of money to be on sparkling form, and we expect nothing less.”
“Right.” Nadine took a moment to reflect on her feelings. What she really wanted was to quit, but she needed to pay her bills and she still owed money to the manufacturer for her first batch of perfumes. Even with just one date a week she’d be fine, at least until her business took off. The idea of saving up twenty thousand Euros so she could continue to live comfortably for a while in case Stars Aligned didn’t work out was tempting, but it didn’t feel right anymore. Maybe now was the time to take a leap of faith, to rely on her talent and product instead of leaning on perverts who paid her to look pretty and do with her as they pleased. She’d never had bad feelings toward her clients before, but now the idea of them picking her from a bunch of pictures on a website suddenly made her furious. Her life had seemed so normal until she’d met Rome, and she’d never second-guessed what she did for a living. Rome had given her confidence in her abilities though, and with that came a whole new sense of self-worth. And that had changed everything. Nadine closed her eyes, summoning the courage to make the biggest decision of her life. She’d make it work, one way or another. “In that case I resign,” she said, and had to sit down as her legs felt shaky.
“You what?” Sofia paused. “You can’t just quit. You still have jobs lined up. And why would you do that? You’re our number one girl and you make a fortune.”
And I make a fortune for you, too, Nadine thought, but she kept that to herself. “I’ll finish the last few jobs but after that I’m done, so please take me off the system. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I can’t do this anymore.”
“If you leave, we won’t take you back,” Sofia said sharply. “I was willing to make an exception and give you another two years after you passed thirty, taking into consideration your looks, so just know what you’re throwing away.”
“I’m not throwing anything away.” Nadine tried to remain friendly, despite Sofia’s threatening tone. “I’m starting over. And seriously, don’t worry about the last jobs, I promise I’ll be there.” With that, Nadine hung up and walked back inside. It felt surreal, knowing she was completely independent, but she remained calm as she placed tea bags in two mugs and poured hot water over them. From now on, she’d work for no one but herself.
“Is everything okay?” Rome asked, joining her. “You’re shaking.”
Nadine turned to her and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve cancelled tonight, so maybe we can just chill and watch a movie together?”
“You shouldn’t have cancelled for me,” Rome said, looking distraught. “I don’t want you to rearrange your life around me and I already told you that I don’t have a problem with what you do.” She bit her lip as she leaned against the counter. “I just wanted to stay here because… I don’t know… I feel at home here, I guess.”
“I cancelled for you because you’re upset, and I wanted to be here for you.” Nadine pulled her in and kissed her forehead. “And at the same time, I quit too, but I did that for me.”
“You quit?” Rome’s eyes widened as she stepped back to look up at her. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to do it anymore, and because you’ve made me realize I’m better than this.”
“Hey, I never judged you.”
“I know, and I’m grateful for that. But you helped me and encouraged me with my perfumes and honestly, I’m not sure if I’d have taken the leap if it wasn’t for you believing in me. Putting in the work is one thing, but taking the next steps is another thing altogether. The thought terrified me before I met you.” Nadine stroked Rome’s face and ran a hand through her hair. “You have no idea what you’ve done for me, and I…” She hesitated. “I need you to know that I’m here for you, no matter what. I’ll always be here.”
Rome swallowed down the lump in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m here for you too. Always,” she whispered, and got up on her tiptoes to kiss her.
47
“How was work?” Nadine asked as Rome climbed on the back of her scooter.
“It was good, actually. The feedback from our test users was great, and we have a launch date.”
Nadine looked over her shoulder and smiled as she handed Rome the other helmet. “Really? That’s fantastic, babe.”
“Yeah, I’m super excited. The board voted to go ahead, as expected. The only one who voted against was Matteo. I think it’s his way of telling me he’s still in control, but he failed. To my relief, he wasn’t present. He was on the phone to Flavio who seemed really confused as to why he would vote against something that was looking pretty successful already.”
“I can’t believe that guy. If he was surprised, that means Flavio doesn’t know you’re suing him, right? Any news on the case?”
“Eliza told me she’s getting somewhere but I don’t know the details yet.” Rome wrapped her arms around Nadine’s waist and shifted forward. “But let’s get going first. It’s Friday and I can’t wait to be away from the office. Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.” Nadine started the engine and Rome held on tight. Even though she’d been on the back dozens of times, she never got used to the speed. “You’ve been working so hard lately, and I thought you could do with a nice, quiet evening,” she yelled as they drove off.
Rome was surprised to see they were driving out of the city, rather than toward the center. Although the Nero office was on the outskirts of town, she’d never explored what was farther out, always keen to get home by the end of the day. They passed industrial areas and crossed train tracks, then drove along farmland, olive groves and fields where horses and sheep were roaming, and finally passed through a medieval town with a classic Italian vibe. The ride was gorgeous and the farther they went, the greener and more rugged the landscape became. Nadine slowed down and turned into the drive of a vineyard.
“That was a long but wonderful journey,” Rome said, laughing as she shook insects and dust from her dress. “Where are we? It’s beautiful here.” She sucked in a deep breath, cherishing the smell of nature that she loved so much. She hadn’t noticed how stuffy it was in the city until they’d driven out of it, and the fresh air and the cool breeze blowing through her hair was already doing her good.
“Long but worth it.” Nadine parked her scooter and joined Rome in front of the charming stone farmhouse with behind it, acres of vineyards, glowing in the low sun. “We’re still in the region of Lazio, at one of the best winemakers in the region. And I hope you’re hungry because we’re going to have a very nice, private five-course dinner.”
“Nadine…” Rome shot her a wide smile and took her hand. “That’s so incredibly romantic.”
“I can be romantic.” Nadine gave her a quick kiss, then greeted their host, who led them around the house toward the back, where three tables were set up at the edge of the vineyard under trees in the adjoining meadow.
A lump settled in Rome’s throat as she sat down and looked over the vines, planted in rows that stretched over a vast expanse of hills, with patches of wildflowers growing in between. “I don’t think it gets any more idyllic than this,” she said quietly. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I’ve been wanting to bring you here for a while, but they only have three tables, so the wait list is long.” Nadine’s face was bathed in the soft light and Rome thought she looked beautiful and angelic as she allowed herself to drown in her dark eyes. Neither of them was dressed for a romantic evening, with Nadine wearing shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt, and Rome wearing her office attire, consisting of a white top and skirt, and a navy blazer, but this was not a flashy establishment and it was nice to feel entirely comfortable.
“You have no idea how much I appreciate it.” Rome took off her blazer and hung it over the back of her chair, then kicked off her Converse and sighed as she planted her bare feet in the grass under the table.
The setting sun gave everything a golden hue, bringing out the deep purple of the grapes and the green of the vines. The rich smell of wild thyme that surrounded them, mixed with a faint hint from the wildflowers almost resembled church incense, and seemed to imbue the whole setting with a deeper meaning.
Their table was simply decked out with crisp fresh white linen, the edges embroidered with the vineyard’s logo. A big bottle of olive oil sat in the middle of the table, next to a vase filled with yellow and purple meadow flowers and a single candle in a deep jar. There was no menu, but instead, a pretty hand-written card, listing the dishes the vineyard would serve tonight, along with their selection of wines.
“It’s time to switch off,” Nadine said.
“Yeah, I could really do with switching off.” Rome kept her voice down as she spoke, not wanting to disturb the silence. It felt blissfully isolated, and apart from another couple sitting farther down, the only sounds came from the chirping of crickets and the buzzing of bees in the summer heat.
“You’ve been stressed lately, and you’ve had trouble sleeping because of the case. I just hate to see how it’s affecting you, and I wish there was more that I could do to help.”
“I’m fine,” Rome assured her. “Or as fine as I can be considering the circumstances. This really helps, so thank you. It’s nice to get out of the city for a little while.” She rolled her shoulders and took another deep breath, the tenseness in her muscles fading already. “Michael called me from the US today. He’s been talking to Anton and he wants to come over and help with the case strategy He’s very generously said he won’t charge for his time and will combine his trip to include a vacation with his wife.”
“That’s really kind of him.” Nadine tilted her head. “I thought you guys weren’t that close.”
“That’s what I thought too, but I guess looking back, he’s always been there for me, and maybe we’re closer than I realized. I trust him.”
“Then you should let him help you.”
“I think I will.” Rome smiled. “It’s really nice to know I’m not alone in this. And I have you… You may not think you’re doing much, but just the fact that you’re there for me means everything.”
“You’ll always have me.” Nadine kicked her shoes off too and placed her feet on top of Rome’s.
“Mmm… that feels great.” Rome blushed and pulled her feet back when the waiter came over with their first course of minestrone soup. He poured them both a small glass of red wine, then gave them a friendly bow and left as silently as he’d arrived. “How was your day?”
“My day was good. Not as busy as yours, but interesting.” Nadine clinked her glass with Rome’s and smiled. “Consumers First came back with geographical marketing recommendations. Italy scored the highest on the astrology angle. Even after living here for four years, I had no idea Italians spent a fortune on astrology and fortune tellers.” She shrugged while she tasted the minestrone, her pleased expression giving away her excitement about its flavor. “Although I should have known; they’re highly superstitious here.”
“Oh yeah? What about?” Rome asked, drizzling some olive oil into her soup. It was her new favorite ingredient and she poured it over everything she ate.
“Like never spill olive oil.” Nadine pointed at the small droplets on the tablecloth and chuckled. “Bad luck and misery will pour out of the bottle if you spill it.”
Rome laughed too. “Right. Too late for that and thank God I’m not superstitious.”
“Also, you should never hold a spoon with your left hand.” Nadine looked amused when Rome quickly took the spoon back in her right hand.
“I was only stirring. I needed two hands for the task,” Rome said in defense, grinning as she ate a spoonful.
“Doesn’t matter. The left side is associated with the devil here.”
“Is there anything else I should know, considering I’ve just called bad luck upon myself and conjured the devil within a matter of seconds?” Rome stretched her legs out again and found Nadine’s feet. They felt deliciously soft and comforting against her own.
“Hmm...” Nadine took a moment and frowned
as she thought about her question. “Nothing that applies to you, I guess. You should never put a hat on your bed, but you don’t wear hats. Most of the other superstitions are related to marriage, but you don’t strike me as the marrying type. For example, if someone is sweeping, make sure your feet don’t touch the broom, as you’ll never get married if they do. Never sit at the corner of the table if you’re not married because you’ll remain single forever. Oh, and also never get married on a Friday; it brings bad luck.”
“Who says I’m not the marrying type?” Rome asked, and smiled as she spotted a heart-shaped vermicelli on her spoon. She’d been seeing hearts everywhere lately; in clouds, in the foam of her cappuccino she made at home, and even in her burnt toast.
“I don’t know. Are you?”
“Maybe. I’ve never thought about it.” Rome shook her head and laughed. “Actually, I’m lying, I’ve thought about it plenty. I used to think it was a silly institution for people who desperately needed a sense of belonging that they were unable to find within themselves. Add to that being stuck to someone because of a piece of paper that more often than not only ends up being torn up, and I can honestly say that the idea was my worst nightmare. Also, I haven’t exactly had the best example in life when it comes to marriage, with my mother taking off so I’ve never romanticized the idea.”
“But you’re talking in the past tense,” Nadine remarked, studying her intently.
“Yeah, it just doesn’t seem so stupid anymore,” Rome admitted. “I guess I’ve started to change my mind about a lot of things since I came here.” She bit her lip, feeling a little shy to continue, but figured she might as well speak her mind. “I never understood the concept of falling head over heels for someone, but I do now. I understand jealousy, passion, so many things I never even got close to grasping before I met you.”