Luscious (26 page)

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “It’s never too late for love,” she said.

Gratitude and joy made him clutch her tightly and kiss her again. It was several long minutes before he remembered he had bought her a present in town tonight. He yanked the T-shirt out of his back pocket and held it up. “I promise to be less stupid in the future.”

She burst out laughing and snatched the white T-shirt out of his hands. She held it up to her chest. “A perfect fit,” she declared and he grinned at the elaborately scripted “I hate Romeo” emblazoned on her chest. “A man who has the insight to buy a shirt like this deserves my forgiveness. And my love.” Her expression turned serious. “I do love you, Sean. So much.”

She wrapped her arms around him, crushing the shirt between them.

He held her tight. “So,” he began, “Verona or New York?”

“New York.” She looked up at him. “I took my house off the market. Joe and Marlene are going to buy Chameleon, and I’m going to open a bed and breakfast with Marilyn Russo. She’s going to handle the business end and I’ll take care of the kitchen. We’ll do cooking classes and wine tastings—something a lot like Villa Farfalla but smaller.”

“You’ve been busy,” he said, loving her plans and the excitement in her eyes, but most of all just loving her.

She nodded. “A month ago, the idea of starting something new would have terrified me. I would have been paralyzed by fear and indecision, but not anymore. Part of that is thanks to you. I’m not afraid to take control anymore and start doing the stuff
I
want to do. Being with you taught me things about myself that I had never suspected.” Her smile turned playful. “Some very interesting things.”

“Hold that thought.” He backed her across the aisle and boosted her up onto a barrel.

“There’s whole hotel over there with beds and everything if you’re looking to live out another fantasy,” she said, when he stepped between her thighs.

“You are my fantasy, Olivia,” he whispered, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.

He felt her smile against his lips. “
Perfetto
.”

The second book is a very different journey from the first!
Scrumptious
was inspired by my chef husband and fifteen years in the food industry.
Luscious
was a much more collaborative project. In fact, I kept a running list, lest I forget someone by the time I reached THE END.

Luscious
was born when Dr. Michael C. Geraci walked into a patient consult room while I was editing the very first draft of
Scrumptious
. When I told him I was a writer and a chef, he spun tales of his fabulous Italian vacations. A year later, he and his wife, Dorie, graciously answered my questions and shared thousands of photos. I owe Villa Farfalla to their amazing memories!

My thanks to Robin and Duncan Ross of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in Lockport, New York, for allowing me to help harvest the 2010 Chardonnay Vintage. I arrived at the vineyard and said, “I’m the chef who is writing a book.” And Robin said, “I’m the farmer who is distributing bins.” Sadly, I drove over one of those bins when they let me drive the tractor later that day. Sorry about that, guys!

I am grateful to Michelangelo of
www.veronissima.com
, who helped me place Villa Farfalla in Verona and whose lovely website educated me on Valpolicella and Amarone. It was my excellent fortune that my friends Molly and Dave Darnley toured Italy just as I was finishing
Luscious
, providing me with up-to-the-minute fact-checking resources. My heartfelt thanks to Anna Maria Park, a graduate of Universitá La Sapienza, Rome, Italy, who translated the Italian for me. Any errors are mine in revision!

Speaking of revisions, my editor Leah Hultenschmidt deserves daily cupcakes for the rest of her life for her insight, patience, enthusiasm, and excellent suggestions. It is a pleasure to work with her, Beth Pehlke, Aubrey Poole, Kristin Zelazko, and the rest of my awesome Sourcebooks team. A zillion thanks to my clear-sighted agent, Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates, for keeping me grounded. A lifetime of love to my husband and kiddies—for absolutely everything, especially the hugs.

My collaborative effort ends here, with you, the reader. Thank you for taking this
Luscious
journey with me.
Arrivederci!

Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America, so she married him after graduation in a lovely French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans. They spent a few years enjoying the food and the fun in the Big Easy before they returned to Western New York to raise a family. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found chasing the kids around the yard with her very own luscious husband. Visit her at
www.amandausen.com
if you’d like to chat about romance, writing, or recipes.