A Place in the Sun(21)

I grinned. “Deal.”



…



I knocked on Katerina’s door at 6:55 PM and she opened it with a big, exhausted sigh.

“I’m so glad you’re here!”

She stepped back and waved me in hurriedly, telling me to stow my things in her room to the left. Her apartment was small and ancient, but she’d made it into a lovely space. She’d hung art all over the walls, not just in the normal spots. Paintings and drawings and art prints covered nearly an entire wall in the living room.

She noticed me inspecting them. “At the market, artists come and sell their paintings and things. I can’t bear to see the good ones go unsold.”

“It’s beautiful, really.”

And I meant it. I’d never seen a space filled with such care and love. She had fresh hydrangeas on the coffee table and books stacked to the ceiling in the corners, no shelves in sight. Whatever she’d started to prepare in the small kitchen smelled absolutely divine, fresh garlic and onion, I thought.

“You didn’t wear the sundress,” she frowned, taking in my t-shirt and shorts.

I patted my bag. “I didn’t want to spoil it while we cooked. I’ll change before the boys get here.”

She grinned. “Perfect! You’re on salad duty.”

After I’d stowed my things, she gave me the grand tour of her kitchen. It was tiny, hardly enough space for one person to cook, let alone two. The appliances had probably been around during World War II, but she’d done up the place as best she could. Her cabinets had a fresh coat of white paint and she had pretty wine bottles on display on the bar between the living room and kitchen.

“I love it in here, Kat.”

“Me too. You should have seen it when I first moved in though. The place was full of rotted wood and there were leaks everywhere.”

“You fixed it up yourself?”

She laughed. “God no. I hung up the decor and painted the cabinets, but Luca did all the construction. Replaced all the leaky pipes and things. Boring stuff, but he’s brilliant at it.”

I tucked away that bit of information, careful not to seem too interested by it. Ever since Katerina had informed me that I was the latest in a line of women who’d gone gaga for Gianluca, I tried my hardest to train my features into neutral expressions. I didn’t want her to think I was pining for him or anything. Truthfully, I just wanted another chance to be around him. Even with his sullen demeanor, he was the most interesting man I’d ever come across, and despite the fact that he’d been nearly mute in our few encounters, I knew he had more to say. It was in his eyes. They were a deep chocolate brown and they seemed to carry the weight of his unspoken words.

I took all my salad ingredients to the dining table so I could chop things out of Katerina’s way.

“Everything you’ve got there was picked from Massimo’s farm! He dropped it off this morning.”

I cut up big, ripe bell peppers and stole a slice or two when Katerina was too busy to notice. She was sautéing the onions and garlic, making a delicious-smelling sauce for the chicken. After I’d finished chopping and preparing the salad, I poured us big glasses of wine and set up a little radio she kept in the corner beside the book stacks. She had it programmed to a popular station and we went to work, drinking and prepping with Italian pop songs on in the background.

I set the table and lit a few candles in the middle. I cut up large pieces of crusty bread and arranged them on a little plate with a pat of butter. Katerina pulled the chicken out of the oven, covered it to keep it warm, and then we hurried to change before the boys arrived. They were due any minute and I had an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach, a swirl of butterflies at the idea of seeing Gianluca again. I prayed he wouldn’t cancel last minute.

“Oh god,” she groaned. “I sort of hate you for looking that good.”

I laughed and twirled around in my new blue dress. “It’s not me, it’s the dress.”

The light, silky material spun around my legs.

She shook her head. “It’s lovely, but you’re wrong. Your hair has gone a bit lighter from the sun and your arms are a lovely brown now. You’re tan and toned from all the swimming you’ve been doing. You’re in full Italian mode and you’re practically glowing from it.”

A knock sounded from the front door before I could let her compliments sink in.

She clapped excitedly. “They’re here!”

I followed her out into the living room as she rushed to the door. Massimo was standing on the other side with a bottle of wine in his hands. Gianluca stood behind him, a little taller, with his hands tucked into his pockets. His medium-length brown hair was styled away from his face, wavy and blissfully thick. He’d dressed up in a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down. The color complimented his tan skin and I was struck again by how excruciatingly beautiful he was. He stepped past the door, saw me standing near the coffee table, and offered up a small, easy smile. My heart nearly broke from the sight of it.

Katerina kissed Massimo and accepted the bottle of wine from his hands. Then, she popped up onto her tiptoes and planted two kisses on Gianluca’s cheeks. I wrung out my hands as Massimo stepped forward to greet me, planting two kisses on my cheeks and then turning to compliment the table arrangement.

“You’ve cooked my favorite sauce, haven’t you?” he asked, turning to Katerina with a giant, cheesy grin.