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“Lucia says it will, and she’s the art expert,” Louisa replied.
“Art expert. There aren’t too many museums who deal with produce.”
“They used grapes last year,” Isabella reassured them, “and it looked wonderful.”
“She’s right. I saw pictures,” Louisa said, remembering the photograph of Nico that Marianna had shown her. “Hopefully we’ll do as good a job. I’d hate to embarrass the vineyard.”
“I’m sure we won’t, and if it does turn out a disaster, Nico can always keep it locked in the garage.”
“True.” Louisa reached for a grape to glue into place only to pick up her wineglass instead. Something had been nagging her since the party began and she needed Dani’s perspective. “Did you know that as palazzo owner, I’m supposed to play the part of festival queen?” she asked as she took a drink.
“Really?”
“Nico told me it’s a tradition.”
Dani’s eyes flashed with enthusiasm. “How exciting. Do you get to ride on the back of a convertible and wave to a crowd like a beauty queen and everything?”
“I have no idea.” Although Dani had painted an image she’d rather not contemplate. “I wasn’t planning to do it at all.”
“Why not, if it’s tradition? Sounds like fun.” Dani asked. “I always wanted to be the homecoming queen, but the title always went to some tall cheerleader type.”
“I was a cheerleader.”
Her friend took a sip of wine. “I rest my case.”
“Hey, less drinking, more gluing,” Isabella said, her dark head poking over the nymph’s outstretched arm. “Do not make me come over there and take your wineglasses away.”
Chastised, the pair ducked their heads, though Dani managed to sneak one more sip. “Seriously though,” she said, reaching for the glue gun. “You should totally do it. You’d make a gorgeous festival queen.”
“I’d rather be part of the crowd,” Louisa replied. “I’ve had enough of the spotlight for one lifetime.”
“That I can understand.” Dani said, putting another grape in place. “I didn’t want to bring up a sore subject, but how are you doing? You sound a lot better than you did when I spoke to you on the phone.”
“I feel better,” Louisa answered.
“You have no idea how worried I was when I saw those headlines. Rafe told me how brutal the paparazzi can be, and I was afraid one of them might try something scary.”
“One did try,” Louisa said, “but Nico scared him off.”
“So I read in the papers. Thank goodness he showed up.”
“Thank goodness is right.” Not giving it a second thought, Louisa looked to the other side of the truck bed where he was arguing with Rafe over the foam placement. Sensing he was being watched, he looked over his shoulder and grinned.
She dipped her head before he could see how red her cheeks were. “I’m only sorry his help dragged him into the gossip pages, too,” she said to Dani, hoping her friend didn’t notice the blush either. “He’s a good man.”
“Rafe wouldn’t be his friend if he wasn’t,” Dani replied. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my husband can be a little hard to please.”
“A little?” Rafe Mancini’s demanding reputation was legendary. He’d been known to toss vendors into the street for selling him what he considered subpar products.
And yet, the same chef and his wife had accepted Louisa without question. Louisa felt the swell of emotion in her throat again. Swallowing hard, she did her best to make her voice sound lighthearted “Have I told you I’m really glad we met on the bus from Florence?”
“Is this your not so subtle way of thanking me for being your friend?” Dani asked.
“Maybe.”
Her fellow American gathered her in a hug. “I’m glad we’re friends, too,” she said. “Although if you get hot glue in my hair, I will kill you.”
“And Lindsay and I will kill you both if you do not get to work,” Isabella scolded. “We are not gluing all these grapes by ourselves.”
“Jeez, I’m glad I’m not one of her students,” Dani whispered.
“I heard that.”
Louisa snorted, almost dropping the grape she was putting into place. The teasing reminded her of old times, when she and her college friends would get together and giggle over cocktails. Steven had hated that.
“You too, Louisa,” Lindsay admonished. “Just because you’re dating the boss doesn’t mean you get to slack off.”
