The American Contessa (14 page)

With
the arrival of Luca’s
Nonna
imminent,
the Villa’s servants were in a panic, busily cleaning and readying themselves
for the event.
 
Fresh flowers were
delivered and displayed on every surface that could hold them.
 
It was like the Queen was coming to call, and
Gaby couldn’t comprehend all the fuss being made over what really amounted to
little more than a visit from Grandma.
 
Clearly, Luca wasn’t exaggerating when
describing his Grandmother; it was obvious from the worried looks on the staff
that she was a force to be reckoned with.

She
and Luca had been inseparable for the last two days.
 
He’d postponed business meetings so that she
had his undivided attention.
 
Although
she missed Carmina’s company, Gaby was glad for her time alone with Luca in the
Villa.
 
They may have been surrounded by
servants and the volunteers still packing up books, but it felt like they had
the Villa to themselves for the most part.
 
Gaby was positive they were closer because of it.

 
At her request, they had gone sightseeing and
Luca had patiently battled the crowds alongside her at all of the
attractions.
 
Gaby could see his obvious
dislike for the tourist traps she dragged him to, but he kept his opinions of
the pushy and loud visitors they encountered to himself and behaved like a
perfect gentlemen.
 
Why, he’d even helped
two little old ladies from Wisconsin find their way back to their tour bus when
he saw them looking befuddled outside the
Galleria
dell'Accademia
.
 

Their
time together couldn’t have been more perfect, but Gaby still felt as though
she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
 
Did he really love her?
 
Or had it
been just a slip of the tongue?
 
The more
she wondered about it, the more she hoped that it were true.
 

For
Gaby wasn’t quite sure when it happened, but by the time their two days alone
were over, she knew that she was not just deeply, but crazy in love with
Luca.
 
The kind that
Carrie Bradshaw
spoke about in
Sex
in the City
.
 
 
Real love.
 
Ridiculous; inconvenient; all-consuming; can’t-live-without-you, crazy
love.

Since
blurting out his feelings at the picnic, she’d caught Luca constantly watching
her, as if she may disappear into thin air.
 
As they sat having breakfast on the terrace, Gaby once again felt his
eyes on her as she ate.
 
This was
becoming ridiculous, so she decided to face the storm directly –no matter the
consequences.

“You’re
making me awfully self-conscious,” she remarked, eyes downcast.

“
Scusa
?”
 
he replied cautiously. “What do you mean?”

Raising
her gaze to his, Gaby smiled at him.
 
“You keep watching me, like I may vanish at any moment.”

He
chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry.
 
I
suppose I’m worried that like all dreams, you will.”

“I’m
not a dream Luca.
 
I’m real.”
 
Gaby placed her hands in his and looked him
squarely in the eyes and exhaled.
   
“Luca, the other day, at the picnic, when
you said what you said, I …,”

Putting
his fingers against her lips he stopped her.
 
“No, Gaby.
 
I don’t want you to
say anything you don’t feel … just because I said too much.”
 
The notion that she didn’t feel the same way
was eating him up inside.
 
He’d rather
she say nothing than say she didn’t care.

Removing
his fingers from her lips, she tenderly kissed the tip of each one, then took
his hand and squeezed it softly. “Can I speak now?” she asked with a grin.

“
Certo,
” he replied unsteadily.
 
Her kissing his fingertips like that had him
shaking all over, partly from arousal and partly from fear of what she wanted
to tell him.

“I
was going to say ... that the other day you rather caught me by surprise and I
wasn’t sure that you really meant what you said.
 
The truth is … that I hope you meant what you
said; more than anything in the world.”

“Gaby
…,”

Holding
her palm up at him, she stopped him from speaking.
 
“Let me finish … please,” she said
softly.
  
“If you haven’t already realised
it, … I’m in love with you Luca.
 
Even if
you didn’t mean what you said the other day, it’s important that you to know
how I feel.
 
I know we got off to a rocky
start, and I’m as surprised as you are by all of this.
 
But, the truth is, I can’t imagine not having
you in my life now.”
 
Gaby let out a long
breath.
 
“So there it is.
 
All my cards are on the table.”

Luca
stared at her blankly.

Oh
no!
 
What was he thinking?
 
Her cards were on the table, and his poker
face was giving nothing away!

 
Gently, Luca took her hands in his.
 
“Well, I have to tell you I’m not very good
at cards,” he said solemnly.
 
“But I
think I can trump you by saying that, not only can I not imagine you in my life
now, but that, you
are
my life
now.
 
I love you Gaby.
 
Completely.
 
Utterly.
 
And forever.”

“Luca.”
 
Gaby leaned across the table and kissed
him with all the emotion and love she felt in her heart.
 
He tenderly cupped her face and when they
broke apart, the warmth in his smile had her stomach flip-flopping all over
again.

“My,
my, love is in the air!”

“Carmina!”
 
Gaby squealed and jumped up from the
table.
 
“I’m so glad you’re back!”

“Oh,
I’m sure you are,” she replied sarcastically.
 
“Looks like you’ve been keeping busy and eating nothing but gelato for
the last few days.”

“Yes,
I have Carmina,” Gaby retorted with a grin, hugging her friend tightly.
 
“And you know what else?
 
Broccoli
can
be gelato!”

“No?”
Carmina laughed back at her.

“What?”
Luca shook his head confusedly.

“Never
mind brother.
 
Private joke,” Carmina
answered.
 
“Well, I hate to interrupt
this love fest, but
Nonna
will be
making her presence known in the next five minutes.”

Gaby
couldn’t miss the tell-tale look that passed between Carmina and Luca.
 
Within seconds, the jovial mood had changed on
the terrace to one of apprehension and anxiety.

“Where
is she?” Luca asked hesitantly.

“In
the rose garden, giving the gardener hell over the state of the flowers.
 
Apparently they’re not blooming quite as big
as she would like them to.
 
She’s
ordering them to behave, as they’re Manetti’s now.”

Luca
snorted, and glanced momentarily at Gaby.
 
“Sounds like she’s in fine form.”

“Yes,
she is,” Carmina replied with a sober look.
 
“So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go upstairs and unpack.
 
I prefer watching fireworks from a distance.”

“Thanks
for your support, little sister,” Luca wryly commented.

“Don’t
mention it,” she grinned, waving back at them as she exited the terrace.

Turning
back to Gaby, Luca smiled a dazzling smile.
 
“I think it’s time for a shopping trip.”

“Huh?”
 
she blurted out in confusion.
 
Having taken in all that had been said, and
the looks of dread passing between brother and sister, Gaby couldn’t understand
the swift change of attitude and subject.

“You
need a dress for the charity event on Saturday, and I know the perfect shop to
take you to,” he rapidly replied, getting up from the table and obviously eager
to be on their way.

Gaby
narrowed her eyes at him. The light finally dawned on what Luca was doing.
 
He just wanted to get away before his Grandmother
had a chance to meet her.
 
Was he really
that concerned and afraid that she would embarrass herself or him?

“Sit
down Luca,” she said firmly.
 
“I want to
meet your Grandmother.
 
What were you
planning on doing with me the rest of her visit, lock me in a closet?”
 
How could one little old lady actually scare
the bejesus out such a big strapping man?

Luca
sat without dissent.
 
Looking sheepishly
back her, he knew she was right.
 
There
was no putting this off.
 
If Gaby were to
remain a fixture in his life, they would eventually have to meet.
 
“Sorry,” he uttered.
 
“I guess I’m nervous.
 
She makes me that way.”

“
She’s
the cat’s mother, Luca.
 
Who is it that makes you nervous?” an
imperious voice chimed.

Luca
and Gaby turned their attention to the doorway to the Villa.
 

“
Nonna.
”
 
Luca quickly rose and walked to her.
 
Holding her hands and kissing the air beside
both cheeks, his Grandmother quickly extradited herself from his touch and he
escorted her towards Gaby.

Whoa!
 
Not especially affectionate with her only
grandson, Gaby thought.
 
A severe case of
frostbite could develop if she were to be left in Grandma’s company for even a
short period of time.
 
The woman was pure
ice.
 
You could well add “Grandma” to
Luca’s list of life issues to be dealt with.

“Um,
Nonna,
this is Gabriella,” Luca said,
tenderly wrapping his arm around her waist for effect.
 
He wanted no misunderstandings in his
Grandmother’s mind as to what Gaby meant to him.
 

“It’s
very nice to meet you,”
 
Gaby said in
perfect Italian, hoping to make a good impression.

The
Contessa eyed her suspiciously.
 
“There’s
no need to play games my dear, I speak English,” she retorted spuriously.
 
“She’s very pretty Luca.
 
Not quite in the same league as Cristina
Lugana.
  
Tell me, why did you end it
with Cristina again?”

“There
was nothing to end
Nonna
.
 
You know that relationship was all in your
mind.”
 
Glancing at Gaby, he could see
she was shaken.

“Still,”
his Grandmother continued, “She was a good match.”
 

“How
was your trip
Nonna
?” Luca enquired
warmly, changing the subject.

“We
need a new chauffeur.
 
The one we have
goes too fast.
 
I could have been killed,”
she replied dramatically.

Luca’s
eyebrows hit the sky.
 
“But Filipo has been
with us for fifteen years.”

“I
still say he goes too fast.”
 
Walking to
the doorway, she turned and commanded.
 
“Dinner will be at Eight.
 
I’m
tired now.
 
See that my bags are taken to
my room.
  
I’ll rest in the adjoining
bedroom until their unpacked.”

A
stunned silence followed her departure.
 
Gaby was incredulous.
 
“Wow,” was
all she could say.
 
Round one over;
everyone to their corners.

“I’m
sorry Gaby,” Luca replied, taking her in his arms and hugging her.
  
She perceptibly relaxed in his arms and he
breathed out a sigh of relief.
 
“I know
that my Grandmother is old and set in her ways, and I know that doesn’t excuse
her behaviour, but she and Carmina are really the only family I have.
 
You can change a lot of things, but you can’t
change who you come from.”

Gaby
thought about that.
 
She knew all too
well about having a Grandparent whose behaviour was not particularly
exemplary.
 
But one thing was for sure,
people could change.
 
Maybe his
Grandmother didn’t like her now, but she’d change her mind.
 
She’d make her like her.
 
Hell, she’d make her love her by the time she
was done.
 
Until then, she’d just have to
deflect any oncoming attacks.