The Queen of Diamonds

by Raven Cavalleu

  "I thought you two might want to be alone."

  "You disobeyed me. I told you my love life was off limits." She ran her hand through her hair as she thought about how happy she was that the young woman had ignored her request this time. "We will discuss your punishment tomorrow. For now, please go make up the blue room for Nikki." She watched Zaira nod her head and turn dejectedly towards the bedrooms. She spoke softly in Italian to the young woman causing her to pause. "Thank you for bringing her home to me, my friend." Zaira nodded, squared her shoulders, and headed down the hall.

  "You were a little rough on her, don't you think?" Nikki asked.

  Alex turned to her and shook her head. "No. If she wants to run this vineyard she must learn to obey orders, and she must learn when not to."

  Nikki looked towards the doorway Zaira disappeared through, then looked up at Alex. "I don't understand. If her family owns this place, isn’t she guaranteed the job of running it one day?"

  Alex walked over to the cupboards and pulled down two wine glasses. She poured them each a glass and handed one to Nikki. "Is that what she told you?"

  Nikki took the wine and set it on the table as she thought about her conversation with Zaira while in the tasting room. "No, not really. She said something about her family running the vineyard. I guess I just assumed that meant they owned it. Don't they?"

  Alex walked over to the counter where she began to assemble the salad she'd chopped earlier. "No. Her family only owns about ten percent of the vineyard." She placed the chicken on the grill, and began to slice the loaf of bread.

  Nikki stood and walked over to watch her work. "So who owns it then?"

  She placed the bread on a plate and handed it to Nikki. "Please put this on the table." She gathered several items and took them to the table before returning to check on the chicken. "Tell me something, Nikki. Did you read my book?"

  "No. I felt like that was going behind your back somehow, and I wanted to hear it from you. I hoped to hear it from you." She watched as Alex removed the chicken from the grill.

  Alex sliced the chicken and set it on plates with a large serving of salad. As she handed one of the plates to Nikki, she said, "I guess we have a lot more to discuss than I thought." Together they walked over to the table and sat down. "Before we get into all of that, how's Madison?"

  "She misses you, but she seems to be doing better. As much as it terrified us, the book seemed to help her." She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "I should really call and let them know you're okay."

  Alex reached across the table and took the phone from her. "You really don't want to call on this. Your roaming charges will be absurd. Trust me." She set the phone on the table, stood, and walked over to the house phone. She quickly dialed as she headed back towards the table. When Dani answered the phone she said, "Buon giorno."

  "Nikki, is that you?"

  Alex heaved out an exaggerated sigh. "How quickly we are forgotten."

  She heard Dani's breath catch and emotion fill her voice as she said, "You have touched my life too profoundly to ever be forgotten, Alex. It's great to hear your voice. What made you decide to call?"

  "Your sister wanted to reassure you that I hadn't done anything stupid. I wanted to let you know that you can stop worrying about that."

  "You've seen Nikki?" When Alex made a noise of agreement Dani continued. "Have you forgiven her?"

  "A long time ago, yes."

  "Will you be coming home with her?"

  "It's far too early to tell. There are still many things to discuss. I'm going to let you talk to her now." She paused before handing the phone over, and as the corner of her mouth lifted she said, "Hey, Dani?"

  "Yes?"

  "I love you. Give Madison a hug for me, okay?" She quickly handed Nikki the phone without waiting for a reply, stood, and left the room. Nikki found her several minutes later sitting in front of a fireplace in the living room, staring into the flames of the candles on a rack in front of the logs. She sat down beside her and waited quietly.

  "My life has been a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs. But then, I suppose everyone's is."

  "I suppose so, but yours started out a bit lower than most." She wasn't surprised to see the tracks Alex's tears had left on her cheeks when she turned towards her.

  "I think we should probably eat dinner. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long night." She was surprised when Nikki jumped to her feet and offered her a hand.

  They stayed up late into the night discussing Alex's past, as she explained who she'd become after the loss of her family. She talked about learning to play softball, how it kept her out of trouble, and eventually changed her life.

  "So, this is what you meant by semi-famous?" Nikki asked, and watched as Alex simply nodded. "I had no idea. I'm impressed, but am not really sure I understand why you hid this from us."

  Alex looked into the flickering candle flames, and began to explain. She spoke softly, causing Nikki to lean closer. She told stories of the endorsement deals and the money that came with them. She talked about the sudden influx of friends, and how a very naïve Alex had been hurt and taken advantage of repeatedly. "All of that really made it difficult to trust my own judgment, much less trust other people. I pushed all of those people out of my life, and began investing my money. I knew the income was limited, and that I needed to be smart. Fortunately I received some good advice, and made some good decisions over the years."

  "Good enough to give my niece a large enough trust fund to provide four digit monthly interest checks?" Nikki asked. "Dani and Rachel are afraid there was an error on the deposit, and refuse to touch the money. It wasn't a mistake, was it?" She watched Alex shake her head. "Why did you have the amount of the fund sealed?"

  "Because the money belongs to Madison, not her parents. They don't need to know how much it is. The partial interest deposit into their account will allow them to take care of her, and to have choices." She watched as Nikki thought about it for a moment, still perplexed. "It would allow them to have another child if they wanted." She smiled at Nikki's obvious surprise. "I know they want more, but feel like they can't afford it. Now they can."

  Nikki looked at her, amazed at the thoughtfulness and felt her heart swell with love. "Wow, they didn't look at it that way. They were too afraid it was a mistake, they never expected a partial interest payment to be so high." She leaned back against the cushions and thought about how much she had done for them all.

  "I will call and explain it. Maybe when they understand the intention they will accept it."

  Nikki swallowed hard, and felt an ache in her chest. "Does that mean you aren't coming home with me?" she asked, dreading the answer.

  Alex looked away from the pain in her eyes. "Whether I do or not will not change the deposits. The trust is in place and no longer in my control." She sighed as she thought about Nikki's question. Her heart wanted to scream yes she would go with her, but deep down she knew they still had things to figure out. "I don't know, Nikki. We still have many things to discuss, and issues to work through." She gave her a tender smile and said, "I'm glad you came, and have some time to spend here with me."

  Nikki returned her smile. "I'm on vacation for two weeks. If it takes longer than that, I'll take a leave of absence."

  "You'd do that for me?"

  "Of course I would, Alex. I know I screwed up by walking away from you once, and I won't make that mistake again." She reached out and took one of her hands. "I love you, Alex, and I would do anything for you." She placed a kiss on her palm. "I'm glad you are finally opening up to me, and telling me all of these things about yourself, but none of them change the way I feel about you. They explain things about your personality, and tell me why you are who you are, but I've learned that in most cases that doesn't really matter anymore. All that matters is having you by my side."

  Alex pulled her hand away and stood. She walked over to the fireplace and extinguished the candles. "It matters, Nikki." She pointed toward
s the hall to her left and said, "Your room is down that hall, the second door on the right. Goodnight." Before Nikki could react, Alex headed through a door in the opposite direction, and was gone. She closed her bedroom door, and sagged against it. She ached knowing Nikki was so close, and yet still so far away. Controlling herself all evening had been difficult. There were many times she'd wanted to reach out and pull her into her arms. 'What am I doing?' she thought. She pushed off the door and began to change her clothes. She analyzed bits and pieces of their conversations as they ran through her mind, until she couldn't take anymore. She looked at the clock, quickly calculated the time difference, and was relieved to see it wasn't too late to call. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

  "Hello?"

  "I'm sorry to call so late."

  There was a brief pause on the line before her voice was recognized. "That's okay, Alex. It's not too late. What time is it there?"

  "Almost two in the morning."

  "Is everything all right?"

  "Yes. Mostly." She took a deep breath and said, "I need help, and I didn't know who else to turn to."

  "I'm afraid I don't know any psychiatrists in your area, Alex."

  "You're the only shrink I want to see, Rachel. What do you say to a trip to Italy?" She held her breath and waited for her to respond. Her silence prompted Alex to try and persuade her. "Nikki and I need you if we're going to have any chance. Besides, there is more you all need to know."

  "More than what was in the book?" Rachel asked.

  "Yes."

  Rachel called Dani into the room, and the three of them spoke for several minutes. "How about you let us discuss this and call you back?"

  "How about I call you back in about twenty minutes? I'm afraid the phone would wake Nikki, and it's already been a long day for her." Once they agreed, she hung up the phone and reached for her laptop. After searching several sites, she finally found a charter service that would fly from the local airport directly to Pisa. She was surprised to see they had a twenty-four hour customer service line. She picked up the phone and hit redial.

  "We will do this on one condition," Dani said as she answered the phone.

  "Anything."

  "You will let us pay for this trip."

  "If that is what you want. I will pay for it upfront, and we will work out the details later," she responded.

  "Good."

  "Now that we've settled that, you should start packing. It's typically in the upper seventies to low eighties right now, so pack shorts and T-shirts. Oh and don't forget your bathing suit or camera. I'll call you back and let you know when to expect a car." They said good-bye and hung up. Alex immediately called the charter service and made the arrangements, and then called Rachel back to provide the details. A short time later, she crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alex wrote Nikki a note, left it under a magnet on the refrigerator, and headed out the door. She climbed into her Maserati Ghibli and headed towards Lucca. She stopped in the local village for a coffee on the way to the city, saying hello to the shop owner as she walked in. After consuming her cappuccino and cornetto, she said good-bye and headed off to her appointment.

  An hour later, her business concluded, she headed through town, and stopped in front of the office of the lawyer that handled the vineyard's business. She explained what she needed, and waited while they drafted up the paperwork. After signing the contract, she took a copy and headed back home.

  She saw Zaira heading her way as she pulled into the garage. She waited for the young woman to reach her before saying, "Why are you not in school, piccola?"

  "There is no school because today is Ferragosto, Alex. Did you forget already?"

  "Ah, yes. Assumption Day. Apparently I did forget. What are your plans for lunch?"

  Zaira shrugged. "I have no plans. Mom and Dad went to church, and then they were going to go to the festival in town. I didn't feel like going this year."

  Alex put her arm around the young woman's shoulders as they began to walk towards the villa. "Good. You will stay here and help me prepare a nice lunch. Then you will stay and eat with us." She opened the door and was greeted by Nikki, who sat on the sofa with a tourist guide to Italy on her lap. As she dropped her arm from around Zaira, she said in Italian, "Please go prepare the big guest room. We have additional guests arriving tomorrow, but please don't say anything. It is a surprise. When you are done, come help me with lunch."

  Alex turned to Nikki and said, "I hope you slept well." She smiled when she nodded. "Good. Are you hungry?"

  "A little bit. Breakfast was a couple of hours ago."

  "Good. I am going to go start on lunch. Why don't you bring that book with you, and tell me what you would like to see while you are in Italy." She headed toward the kitchen, and began to pull several items from the refrigerator.

  Nikki followed and set the book on the counter. "Tell me how I can help."

  "Please, sit and tell me what you want to see while you are here," she said as she pulled a knife from the magnetic holder on the wall.

  Nikki walked around the counter, took the knife from her, placed it on the counter, and said, "You are what I came here to see. I want to spend every moment I have here with you, not sight seeing." She brushed the hair back from Alex's forehead. She smiled as Alex closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against her shoulder. She cautiously put her arms around her, pulling her closer. They stood silently embracing for several minutes before Alex began to pull away.

  As she stepped back from Nikki, Zaira walked into the room. The silence was quickly broken, and the three worked together to prepare lunch. As they sat down to eat, the conversation was light, with Alex trying to give Nikki time to come to terms with the previous evening's revelations. "Would you like a tour of the vineyard this afternoon, or just relax by the pool? Tomorrow will be a hectic day, and tomorrow evening we are invited to Dante and Sophia's for dinner." She watched as Nikki thought about it for a moment, weighing her options.

  "The pool I think. Who are Dante and Sophia, and why are we invited to dinner?"

  Alex looked over at Zaira with a smile. "They are Zaira's parents. They have invited us to dinner because our little princess is growing up." She laughed when the young woman rolled her eyes. "Our Zaira is turning eighteen tomorrow. There will be a party most of the day, and it will be closed out with dinner in the evening."

  "Congratulations, Zaira. Eighteen is an achievement." She turned and looked at Alex with a look that sparked a memory for Alex.

  Before Nikki could say a word, she said, "I'm sure I have something that will fit you." She raised one eyebrow and grinned. Her grin widened as Nikki blushed. She stood with a chuckle, and began to clear the table. Nikki and Zaira immediately pitched in, and before long the kitchen was spotless once again. Alex sent Zaira out to the small changing room poolside before turning to Nikki. "There might be something out there that will fit you, or you can have one of mine. Your choice." When she chose to wear one of her bathing suits, Alex led her back to her bedroom.

  Nikki looked around the room curiously, and paused when she saw the photograph of herself on the bedside table. She walked over and picked it up. This was the first picture of a human being that she'd ever seen Alex display. She turned and met her gaze. "You still love me," she said confidently.

  "Yes, Nikki, and I always will." She sighed and turned towards the dresser. "But sometimes that just isn't enough, is it?" She pulled open one of the drawers, and removed several bathing suits, placing them on the bed. "Please excuse me," she said as she headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub and took a deep breath as she tried to settle her rising emotions. "Why is this so hard?" Alex whispered as she dropped her head into her hands. She raised her head and looked to the heavens as she whispered, "Please help me reveal these last few things, and somehow manage to keep them all in my life." She took a deep breath an
d stood, quickly changing into her bathing suit. She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door and smiled. Her bathing suit was a deep rich green that contrasted nicely with her lightly tanned skin. The two small scraps of fabric showed more of her slender figure than the suit she wore back home, and she had a feeling Nikki was going to notice. She opened the door and watched as Nikki's eyes traveled over her body, lingering on her curves.

  Nikki swallowed and forced her eyes up to meet Alex's. "You…um…you've lost some weight." She watched her nod, and fought to keep her gaze. "Is it too late to take that tour?" Alex tilted her head to one side and looked at her questioningly. "That suit is killing me, Alex. I want you so much."

  Alex saw the desire in her eyes and felt her nipples harden in response. "I know, and I'm sorry. There is more for us to discuss, but not today. Be patient, Nikki, and see what tomorrow brings." She walked past her towards the door, and clenched her hands to keep from reaching for her. She paused in the doorway and said, "We'll be outside. Change and join us."

  The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun by the pool. Conversation was kept light, and was mostly focused on Zaira and her plans for the future. As the afternoon turned to evening, Zaira excused herself, and headed for home. Alex and Nikki headed inside to change, and met back up in the living room.

  "I know you said you weren't interested in seeing the sights, but I have an errand to run in Pisa in the morning and would like it if you came with me. We can stop and see the tower on our way back."

  "Sure, I'd like that. I didn't bring a camera with me. In my haste to pack, I forgot it."

  Alex chuckled. "For some reason that doesn't surprise me. You can borrow mine if you like. You can't visit Tuscany and not take pictures. I always take tons of pictures when I'm here."