“La mia leonessa è pensierosa,” Derio says to me as he brings my iced latte to the patio table. He places it down in front of me then brings my head close to him and kisses the top of it affectionately.
“I’m just thinking,” I say, taking a sip of the latte. He makes the best kind, with lots of rich milk in a blender with ice and a spoonful of Nutella. I make a happy little sound and smack my lips. It’s perfect on a hot day like today when you’re hot as hell and the energy reserves are running low.
He sits down next to me and I ask, “Where are the kids?”
“Watching some show,” he says. Then he smiles broadly. “I forgot to tell you, Signora DiFabbia called earlier when you were in the shower.”
“Who is Signora DiFabbia?”
“She used to run one of the bookstores and was friends with my mother. She has a daughter, Gia, the same age as Annabella and Alfonso. She was at the cooking event for the children and said Gia would like to be friends with Annabella.”
I sit up straighter. “Really? That’s great!” I pause. “Not for Alfonso, though.”
“Well, she invited the both of them to come over later in the week. I told Alfonso this but he said he would rather not hang out with girls anyway. He says he has some friend that maybe he will call. He is a well-liked kid, he just hangs around Annabella so much so he has never really reached out to others before. This might give him the push he needs.” He sighs to himself. “I hope this does not mean they will want iPhones now.” But he’s smiling as he says this.
“They have iPads,” I point out.
“True, but once kids start texting each other, then you have a problem. When I was younger I didn’t have any of that. If I wanted to play with a friend, I was even lucky to call them. Usually, I had to go bang on their door.”
“So Italy was backwards in the eighties, huh?” I muse.
“Italy is still backwards,” he points out. “But I love it.” He pauses. “Don’t you?”
I nod, taking another delicious sip. “I do.” But not more than I love you, I think.
“Of course, you don’t have too much to compare it to,” he notes, sitting back in his chair and folding his hands behind his head.
“Not true,” I point out. “I mean, I’ve seen more of the world at this point than you.”
He grins and gives me a sidelong glance. “Is that so?”
“Unless you’re suddenly going to tell me you’ve been to New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the rest of Europe.”
“I have been to the rest of Europe,” he says smartly. “Even the little countries you missed. And I have been to Singapore, Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka.”
Show-off, I think. “But have you been to the States?”
He rolls his eyes. “No.”
“Didn’t think so,” I tell him haughtily and noisily slurp down the rest of the coffee.
“You would like Florence,” he says.
I shrug. “I’m sure I’ll go someday.”
“How about tomorrow?”
I glance at him. “Are you going to send me and the kids off to Florence tomorrow? Because I’m not sure I’m up for that again.”
His eyes soften. “I know you’ve been having a hard time because of what happened, Amber. I wouldn’t do that to you when you’ve been feeling this way. Your feelings are very powerful, you know. I can feel them everywhere you are.” He pauses and gets up, looming over me and blocking out the sunlight. “But I do think you need to get off this rock. I am going with you.”
I stare at him dumbly, trying to think of the right thing to say to that. “You’re coming to Florence with me?”
He nods. “I am at least going to try. And if we do not make it as far as Florence, it does not matter. But I am getting off the island, with your help.”
“I hate to act like my father and play the psychology card here, but . . . are you sure you’re not better off going to a doctor first? A shrink to deal with your fears? Maybe the kids could go, too . . .”
He looks off into the distance with a grim twist to his lips. “No. No, they would only put us all on medication and I believe in figuring things out for yourself first.” He glances back at me. “Besides, they all suggest you face your fears. You have with yours. Now it’s time for me.” He holds out his hand for me. “Come with me, Amber.”
I take it and he brings me to my feet. “Of course I’m going to come with you. I’m glad. I’m happy and I think this is absolutely what you need to do to move on. I’m just . . . surprised. That’s all.”