Turn Towards the Sun (39 page)

Grayson stands and listens as well. Enzo tells them he is the head of the security
detail,
and I can tell that Grayson takes this role seriously. Fortunately, the men speak English.

Gabby and I stand quietly in the corner. I told her what went down last
night,
so she knows all of this is necessary.

“Miss Bradshaw can go where she
likes,
but she must always be accompanied by at least two of you at any given time.” Enzo smiles at me.

The men nod. Grayson glances apologetically in my direction. I smile at him to ease his concerns.

“Ava, what are your plans for today?” Enzo gestures for me to approach.

“Just another Italian lesson. It’s three blocks from here. But Lorenzo usually takes us out into the
city,
so I don’t know from there.”

Grayson speaks. “If I stay with Ava and Gabby, the three of you can spread out around us. That should cover us from all sides.”

One of the men speaks. “Yes, that is a good plan. If anyone gets close, we’ll see it sir.” I like that he addresses Grayson as sir. I don’t want Grayson to feel like he failed.

I gather my purse and sweater.
“Should we go then? Our lesson starts in twenty minutes.”

Enzo kisses my cheek. “Be safe amore.”

“I promise.”

We all pile into the elevator. In spite of very intimidating statures, the men are dressed like your average American
tourist,
and they easily blend in with the crowds. We step out onto the
sidewalk,
and all four men spread out around us, Grayson right by my side.

“Grayson, I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“It’s no problem Ava. All of this is new to you and it
’
s understandable you wouldn’t be used to it. But it’s my job to protect
you,
and I assure you I will do so.”

I look over at Gabby. “I’m sorry to you too Gabs. This must be a lot to take in for you.”

She shrugs. “It’s a little unnerving I admit, but if this is what hanging out with you is like, I’ll get used to it. You’re worth it.”

“Thanks.”

We push the button and head into our lesson with Lorenzo.
Two of the bodyguards stay outside while Grayson and the other man join us inside.

“Ciao studenti. A new student today?” Lorenzo greets us.

Before we can speak, the man speaks up. “I’m just visiting. My name is Jonathon.” He shakes Lorenzo’s
hand. From his voice, Jonathon must be British.

“Va bene, Jonathon joins us today.” Lorenzo leads us out into the bustling city. He doesn’t seem to notice the two men who follow us everywhere we go.

We spend the day like all the others, sampling food, shopping, and asking questions of the locals. In spite of all the recent drama, I feel relaxed and enjoy my environment. Grayson participates but not as wholeheartedly as he did before. He definitely isn’t letting his guard down now.

After a full day, we say goodbye to Lorenzo. We walk back to the hotel. “Did you see anything strange today Grayson?” I ask.

“No. Maybe we scared the person off.”

We enter the
hotel,
and one of the men follows Gabby to her room and makes sure she gets in okay. The other men escort me back to my room. Enzo is waiting inside.

I watch Grayson and the other men brief Enzo on the day’s events. I’m happy to see
that
he looks pleased. He pats Grayson on the shoulder and smiles. All three men walk
out,
and I sit down on the couch.

“It was a good day bella?”

“Yes, a good day.”

“It wasn’t too much for you to have the bodyguards?”

“I really didn’t notice them. They are very good.”

“I want you to enjoy your time here so that pleases me to hear.”

“Sono stanca.” I hope that’s how I tell him I’m tired. I just want to relax tonight.

“Brava. We can stay here tonight. How would you like room service, a bath, and
a ravishing by a man
who
adores you?”

“I would love all of it.”

“As you wish then.”

“Arriverderci professore.”
We
say
goodbye to Lorenzo for the last time. We’ve learned so much but to be truly fluent I will still need to seek classes when I return home.

“You are wonderful students. Keep practicing when you return home, no? And visit when you come to Firenze.”

Gabby and I receive kisses on our cheeks
while
Grayson
and Jonathon get
away with a hearty handshake. We walk back to the hotel knowing these are our last days in Italy.

I can’t believe how the days have flown by. We leave in just two
days,
and it’s been a whirlwind of designing, sightseeing, and language learning. It’s been fun watching Gabby and Calvin’s romance blossom in front of my eyes.
Fortunately, we’ve had no other suspicious
incidents,
and Enzo finally started to
relax,
even though he kept the security detail firmly in place.

Tonight we’re eating dinner with Enzo’s sister Sophia and her family, who, by
the way,
speak absolutely zero English. I hope what little Italian I’ve learned will be helpful.

“Francesca will meet us there with Eduardo.” Enzo nuzzles my neck while I slip on my shoes.

“Okay. How am I going to get through this when I don’t understand the language?” I’m nervous.
I know some
words,
but I don’t think that’s going to be enough.

“You know more now than you did. But I’ll translate when you need me. Just be you.”

“You always say that.” I playfully shove him away.

“That’s because you’re perfect the way you are. It will shine through. Everyone
who
meets you loves you, just like I do.” He grabs me again and pulls me tight.

“Did you find your parents something nice today?”

“I bought a handmade lace tablecloth for my
mother,
and I found some really cool leather gloves for my father. I got Cassie and
Chris
a
hand-blown glass
vase.”

I spent the whole day purchasing mementos of the trip. I open a bag and pull out a ceramic platter painted with vivid yellow sunflowers.

“I bought this for us.”

He holds it in his hands
,
studying it.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course. But more importantly, I like that you bought it for
us
.” He pauses.
“When we get home, I want you to come and live with me.”

“At Girasole?” Why would I move to a hotel?

He looks at me like I’m crazy for a moment, then his eyes soften.

“No Ava, in my house. Our house.”

Oh the house. Right.

“I signed a year lease. I’ve only lived there a couple of months.”

“You know that’s not a problem.”

Of course not. He’ll just buy me out. How do I feel about this? Moving in with him after two months?

Gee Ava, I don’t know. You spend every day with
him,
and you’ve just spent the last two weeks in the same room with him. Think it will be a problem? I swear my brain
sounds a lot like Cassie’s CTJ revival
. I shake the thoughts away.

Enzo is still holding me in his arms, waiting for my response.

“Ava?”

“Yes.
I’ll live with you.”

He lifts me up and swings me around in a circle.

“You make me so happy.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Ready to meet Sophia?”

“I’m ready.”

We walk outside and over to a red convertible Fiat. It’s tiny and so sweet. I love it.

“Oh Enzo I love these cars. They’re so cute.”

“In Italy they are called a
cinquecento. It
just means 500.”

“I love it.” He opens my door for me.

“Would you like one? We still need to get you a permanent
car,
don’t we?”

I know my answer doesn’t matter. He already knows I want one and that means I’ll get one. I smile in return.

“Well then you shall have one.”

We zip down the roads of Florence and into the
countryside
, arriving at a gorgeous stone house out in the country. Sophia lives just on the outskirts of
town,
but it feels like a world away from the bustling, tourist packed Florence. She walks out on her porch to meet us
,
followed by three children.

She is shockingly different
from
her stylish siblings. She has the same black hair and blue
eyes,
but she’s…softer around the edges. Her thick hair flows long down her
back,
and she’s wearing a pink floral print dress with little pink flats.
She’s heavier than Francesca is, no doubt the result of the three beautiful kids giggling around her.
She bursts into tears as soon as she sees Enzo and Francesca and runs toward them. They all kiss and hug and laugh and cry. What a beautiful sight.

A handsome man holding a baby steps out of the house and waves. Okay make that four beautiful kids. Sophia walks towards me smiling. She embraces me and touches my cheek. She turns to Enzo.

“Che bella!”

Enzo smiles proudly.
The siblings erupt in lively Italian as we walk back into the house. I’m introduced to Sophia’s husband, Gennaro. The baby’s name is Filippo. The oldest child, a girl is Domenica. The two boys are Vincenzo and Vittorio.
I learn that Vincenzo is named after Enzo, the pride of the family.

“Is your full name actually Vincenzo?” I ask.

He nods. “But I don’t like it.”

“Why?”

He smiles. “I like the way Enzo sounds, no?”

“Yes.” I laugh.

We walk out onto the back patio where a huge wooden table in the grass awaits us. Pitchers of water and platters of Tuscany’s finest meats and cheese line the table. I light up. I just can’t get enough of the pork products in this town.

The back yard is actually more of a vast open field than a yard. Tall Cypress trees flank the perimeter. The children run and giggle through the grass, occasionally circling the table where we sit. They are the sound of pure joy.

Sophia brings a huge platter of pasta to the table. Enzo spoons a large helping on my plate. I eat happily
, feasting on pappardelle with b
olognese meat sauce. Everyone talks all
at once,
and the noise is deafening and beautiful at the same time. I realize I can’t understand a word of what anyone is
saying,
and I don’t care. Everyone tries to include me in the conversation,
and
Enzo and Francesca
translate
as we go along. The children interact with me easily in spite of not sharing a common language. Gennaro hands me little Filippo whose chubby cheeks I can’t get enough of.

Enzo squeezes my hand several times throughout the evening. He is relaxed and
happy,
and it warms my heart.
I have no idea how long we’ve been
here,
but it seems like we always have been.

After dinner, we sit watching the children play while we drink espresso. Sophia brings a bowl of del
ectable fruit to the table that
I happily gobble up. I am s
aturated with pure joy. T
ears form
in my
eyes,
and I know
I couldn’t possibly be any happier than I am in this moment. Enzo turns and kisses my cheek.

“Why the tears amore?”

“I’m just so happy Enzo. I’m so happy here with you.”

He wipes my cheek and plants a soft kiss on my lips.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time in Italy. Someday we will live here, with our babies. Would you like that?”

I nod
and smile
, wiping tears from my cheeks. He kisses me again and squeezes my hand.

We rise to
leave,
and Sophia bursts into dramatic tears. Francesca and Enzo try to sooth her as much as possible. We hug and kiss the kids as Gennaro drags a sobbing Sophia back in the house.

We drive back silently at first. There is so much love between us right now.

“Enzo, I just want you to know, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Because of you.”