One Italian Summer by Lori Nelson Spielman
Author:Lori Nelson Spielman [Nelson Spielman, Lori]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008318062
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-04-29T18:30:00+00:00
Chapter 29
Emilia
Fading sunlight dapples our tiny room, and Lucy softly snores on the bed beside mine. Smells from the kitchen drift up the old staircase. I lower my notebook, grab my phone from the charger, and rise.
I find Gabe at the kitchen island, his shirtsleeves rolled up as he chops tomatoes. Itâs probably my imagination, but his face seems to brighten when he sees me.
âThere you are.â His full lips part, and Iâd bet my life he was voted âbest smileâ in his senior class. He lifts a glass filled with a pretty red liquid. âCan I interest you in an aperitif?â
A cocktail now? Didnât we just have wine with lunch? âIâd love one!â I say.
âI shall make you our famous Negroni, created right here in Tuscany by Count Camillo Negroni, one hundred years ago.â
âPerfect.â I perch on a barstool and try not to stare at his tanned forearms, with just the perfect smattering of dark hair, as he mixes gin and Campari.
âDid you enjoy a little siesta?â he asks, adding a jigger of sweet vermouth.
âIâm not much of a napper.â
âNor am I. It used to frustrate my nanny.â
âYou had a nanny?â
He lowers his gaze while he slices an orange, and an errant lock of dark hair spills onto his forehead. âMy father was a successful jeweler. He and my mother traveled a great deal. My sister and I were left at home with any number of nannies. I describe my childhood as calm, cool, and neglected.â He gives a sardonic laugh. âI often wondered why they even had children.â
Despite his effort to sound lighthearted, thereâs an aching undercurrent in his tone. At once, I feel a certain kinship with this man who grew up without his mother, like me.
âIâm sorry. You must have been lonely.â
He carries the drinks to my side of the counter and takes the stool beside mine. âYou should not feel sorry for me. Look around. I am living in paradise. I could not have bought this inn without my inheritance.â He raises his glass. âSalute.â
I sip my drink and mentally bombard him with questions. Are you married? Do you have children? How do your lips taste? âDelicious,â I sayâand quickly point to my Negroni.
âHow about you, Emilia? You had a happy childhood, sì?â
âYes,â I say, reflexively. But today, I take a moment to examine it. âMy mother died when I was two. I have a recurring memory of her.â I look out the kitchen window, where the setting sun ignites the fields in orange and gold. âShe was at the stove, stirring something. I remember her eyes, gazing down on me with pure kindness. She set down the spoon and scooped me into her arms and hugged me so tightly I could feel her heart beating against mine, as if we were one person, not two.â I look up and shake my head. âOf course itâs probably not a real memory at all.â
âBut it is real, Emilia.â Heâs turned to me now, his face so close that I can see a tiny scar on his jaw.
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