She looked up to see Bella seating herself at the table. “
Ciao, Bella
. How are you?”
“
Bene
. You pritty. Like hair, like eyes.”
“Thank you sweet girl.”
Bella handed her a piece of paper. “I draw you. Pritty lady. No hair now.” She gestured at Aja’s shorn hair and shrugged.
She saw that Bella’d drawn a picture of her, complete with long hair down to her waist. It was an amazing drawing. She was very talented. “This is good, Bella. Very good.”
“I know.” Her smile was sweet. Aja had to laugh. She wished she had Bella’s confidence.
Julianna entered the dining room with a flourish and a steaming plate of pasta. Aja’s salivary glands went into overdrive the minute the enticing aroma curled up her nose. “Oh, Juli, that smells wonderful.”
“
Grazie. You eat
. Come, Bella. Say bye to Aja.” She took her daughter by the hand, then turned back.
“I like this name, ‘Juli’.”
She smiled and led Bella to the kitchen. Aja figured they must live over the
ristorante
like so many proprietors did. Again, she found herself thinking about Bella’s father and where he might be. Julianna was such a beautiful woman; Aja couldn’t imagine any man leaving her. Maybe Julianna was a widow.
Soon she forgot to think about anything as she dug into the delicious food. Julianna cooked like a world-class chef. Maybe she’d take her to Canada like she wanted. She would have a lot of opportunities there. Aja still couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave Italy, though.
She finished her meal in quiet contemplation, which is what a meal of that caliber deserved. She used the delicious homemade bread to wipe her plate clean, and sat back in satisfaction. If she continued to eat this way she was going to weigh 400 pounds. It was time to get some exercise. Working in the fields would have given her that, but she’d have to walk a lot of babies to get enough exercise in her new job.
She pushed her chair back and caught Julianna’s eye on one of her innumerable trips out of the kitchen. It seemed to be a one-woman establishment. Aja’s respect for her climbed another notch. Julianna met her at the counter, shaking her head at the money.
“No, you no pay. On house.”
“No Juli, I want to pay. It was wonderful.”
She was stubborn. “No. My friends no pay.”
Aja was delighted that Julianna considered her a friend, but still she felt guilty taking her food when she had a daughter to support. After arguing with her for several minutes, Aja discovered just how determined her new friend could be.
“Okay. Then let me take you out for coffee sometime.”
“That be nice. I off on morrow.
Ristorante
close.”
“Does anyone help you here?”
“No. Not want help.”
“Amazing. I admire you.”
Julianna looked at her for a minute. She seemed unsure what
admire
meant, but didn’t ask for an explanation. “See you here
domani
? Uh, on morrow?
“That would be great. I’m off work at five, I think.”
Aja left Julianna to her customers and wandered back toward the winery. At least all the walking would help to keep her in shape. It was starting to get dark and she didn’t want to be out on her own. Siena was a wonderful place, but it was still strange and a little scary at night.
She heard footsteps keeping time with hers on the cobblestones. She quickened her pace, wishing she’d left a little earlier. Most of the town had gone to ground while she was eating. She’d forgotten how quickly the streets emptied. She was used to cities that stayed awake all night.
The steps were coming closer and her short legs were no competition for the long strides behind her. She was just breaking into a run when she heard, “Wait, Aja.”
She whirled around to see Pietro rushing up behind her. Fury replaced fear and she slapped him. “You scared the hell out of me. Don’t ever do that again.”
Pietro stood in shock, his hand on his cheek. “Why angry, Aja? I trying protect you.”
“I thought someone was following me.” At the continued confusion on his face she added, “To hurt me.”
“I never hurt you.” He looked wounded.
She let out a breath in frustration, turned and continued walking, Pietro dogging her heels like an obedient puppy. Her first thought was that she couldn’t let him walk her to the villa again or Marco would think…
What the hell is wrong with me? Who cares what Marco thinks?
To distract herself, she turned to Pietro.
“What are you doing in town anyway? Don’t you stay at the winery?”
“No. Yes, well, sometimes.” Pietro was actually blushing.
Aja stopped and looked at him, trying to see his expression in the spreading darkness. “You’re going to see a woman, aren’t you? Do you sleep at her house?”
Pietro reeled back as if she’d slapped him again. “No! I don’t do it. I have no woman.”
She looked him up and down.
Yeah, right. A man that looks like him would be called a ‘chick magnet’ where I’m from. Definitely a hottie.
“Then what are you doing if you aren’t visiting your girlfriend?” she asked, not bothering to hide her skepticism.
Pietro looked down at his feet for a moment, then back at her face. “Promise not to tell?”
He was serious. Aja nodded.
“I checking my sister.”
“What?”
“I checking for my sister, keep her safe from mens.” He straightened his back and pushed out his chest, looking very much the protective older brother.
The laugh burst out of her before she could contain it and Pietro looked more wounded than before.
“You are too sweet for words. Do you mean you spend all day working in the fields and then you come all the way to town to guard your sister’s virtue? Isn’t she your older sister?”
“Yes. So? We traditional family.”
“Yes, I can see that. And does your sister know you watch her house?”
“No! You said you no tell.”
“So I gather Julianna wouldn’t like you watching her?”
Aja could see Pietro’s look of terror in spite of the dim light. “Please!” he gasped.
She took pity on him, patted his arm. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”
He grabbed Aja and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. Aja fought free. “Pietro! Don’t do that! You’re guarding your sister’s virtue and stealing another woman’s at the same time. Isn’t that a double standard?” she said, while still gripping his solid arm to keep from melting into a puddle at his feet.
God, that man can kiss.
He grinned at her, his teeth a shining beacon. “You different. Not sister.”
Aja turned and started walking on shaky legs, muttering about two-faced people. Pietro chuckled and followed behind.
“Your hair, what you do? Why you cut?”
She thought he hadn’t noticed. “It was too hot. This is cooler.”
“Ah.” And that was that. It was a surprise to Aja because usually he wouldn’t shut up, unless of course he was trying to maul her.
He probably hates it and that’s why he didn’t say anything.
She liked Pietro in spite of his determination to make her his girlfriend. It was hard to resist him, but she was determined not to get involved. She wasn’t interested in a holiday fling.
The winery was quiet when they arrived, but there were lights on in the women’s villa. They stopped outside the door while she evaded his seeking lips. Aja ducked under his arm and opened the door. There were about a dozen pairs of eyes looking in their direction. To her relief, they were all female.
“Pietro!” One of the women rushed over to the door and threw her arms around him. Aja narrowed her eyes at the woman. She didn’t want to be his girlfriend, but neither did she want to see women throwing themselves at him.
“My cousin.” Pietro turned with a smirk.
Damn man.
“Good night, um,
Buona notte
,” she said, sure she had butchered the phrase. Surprisingly, everyone understood and waved at her. They were friendlier than she’d thought. Then their eyes immediately swiveled back to Pietro. So they were just trying to get rid of the competition.
Typical.
Chapter 19
The second day in the nursery went much better than the first. No babies exploded, everyone was content, and Aja felt she handled herself quite well; with Daniela’s help of course. Actually, Daniela pretty much set herself up as the supervisor and Aja as her minion.
It’s sad how quickly power goes to someone’s head.
Near the end of the day, Nona came into the nursery, glanced around (Aja was happy all the babies were content, and she was sitting Madonna-like in a rocking chair with a sleeping cherub), and smiled at her. Aja smiled back, pretending her heart wasn’t slamming in her chest to see a member of the family checking up on the nursery.
Nona walked over to her and asked in a lowered voice, “Everything okay, Aja?”
“Of course.” She smiled back, sure Nona heard the smirk in her voice, but she didn’t comment.
“Good. I’m glad to see you’ve settled in. Do you think Daniela can handle things for the last hour? I’d like to speak to you.”
Uh oh. What did I do now?
“I don’t know, there’s a lot of babies.” Aja shook her head, looking around at all the happily playing children.
Nona chuckled. “Daniela comes from a family of six children. She’s the oldest. I think she can handle herself.
Aja sighed. No wonder Daniela was so gifted. Carefully, she got out of the rocker and placed the sleeping baby in a nearby crib. That was the way she liked them, quiet and perfect-looking. No gross substances leaking out of unexpected places, no god-awful sounds coming from tiny mouths; just puckered lips, closed eyes and soft sighs. Almost made her want one.
Almost.
She still couldn’t stop handling them like a bomb about to go off. They were just too unpredictable.
Aja followed Nona like Daniel heading for the den of lions. She figured Marco was waiting for her. He’d probably told Nona about Aja’s night-time visit to the vineyard, her indecent clothing. She swallowed past the knot in her throat, sure she was about to be fired.
Nona held the door open for her with a smile. She seemed calm and happy, though there was a little crease between her brows that gave her away. She seemed concerned about something and that’s what tied Aja’s stomach up in knots: that little crease.
“Your hair, it’s pretty that way. I like your new look. It makes you look… more mature,” Nona said
“Thanks.”
Is this the softening up before the blow?
“Would you like some wine, Aja?”
She looked at Nona suspiciously. Why didn’t she just get on with it? Where was Marco? She looked around, but there were only the two of them.
Nona opened a cupboard and pulled out two glasses. She uncorked a bottle of wine, their own label of course, and poured it into a decanter. Aja found herself relaxing as she watched her move around the kitchen - it was so different from watching the cook in their kitchen at home. This was Nona’s kitchen and had been for many years. Nona knew her way around the kitchen like a mother knows her way around her own child. She smiled at Aja as she set the glass on the table in front of her and then settled into her own chair.
The sun streamed in the window over the sink, gilding her grey hair. She looked like a storybook grandmother. “How are you enjoying Italy, Aja?”
The question caught her completely off guard. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was a little shocking to have social niceties come at you when you were expecting to be fired. She swallowed, and tried again. “I love Italy, Nona. It’s such a beautiful place. Peaceful, too.”
“Is it very different from Canada?”
As different as the sun is from the moon!
But she didn’t say it aloud. “Yes. Very different. But not necessarily in the ways you’d imagine. Canada is beautiful, too, but it’s a ‘new’ beautiful,” she said, struggling with how to describe it. “Where I live it’s green and lush because of the rain, but also because it’s new and unspoiled. Italy has an aged feel to it, but a well-used and cared-for age. Do you know what I mean?”
Nona laughed. “Like the difference between you and me?”
Aja gasped. She couldn’t believe she’d just insulted her boss.
“Don’t worry,
cara
, I don’t mind being compared with Italy. It’s a compliment.”
“What does
cara
mean, Nona?”
“Oh, sorry, it’s just a name we use for our loved ones. It means ‘dear’.” She studied Aja for a minute, her face thoughtful. “I know we don’t know each other well yet, but I like you, Aja. I invited you over so I could get to know you a little better. I hope that’s okay.”