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Jenna waved away her thanks. “Carmen loves showing off her prowess in the kitchen, especially if it means showing up Mrs. Pendleton, who has her own ideas about what everyone should beeating.”
Aria smiled. “A bit of arivalry?"
Jenna grinned. “Let’s call it healthycompetition.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jenna spokeagain.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “I mean, I know we’ve only just met, but Farrell and I went through some stuff a couple years back — nothing like what you’ve been through — but it was…” She took a deep breath. “It was hard. I was away from Lily for awhile, wondered if I’d ever make my way back to her, if Farrell and I would ever come through the other side ofitall.”
Aria wondered what had happened, how the savage man who had saved her in Athens had come to love the kind woman nexttoher.
But it would be rude to ask, and Aria didn’t want to talk aboutthepast.
She wanted toburyit.
“It’s all right,” Aria said. “I just want to enjoy being free.” She looked around. “Being here with… well, I assume Damian is heresomewhere!”
Jenna laughed. “He’s with Farrell in thestudy.”
Aria nodded. “I’m sorry for what you went through with Farrell. It must have been hard to be away from your daughter, for bothofyou.”
“It was,” she said. “But we made it through stronger than ever.” She seemed to consider her words. “I heard you met Angel while you were inItaly.”
Aria thought about the blond woman who had welcomed her into her home outside of Rome while Damian had talked to Nico. She remembered their conversation in the kitchen, Angel’s own daughter, Stella, playingnearby.
“Was it worth it?”Aria had asked.“All the times when it wasn’t working out allright?”
“Withoutquestion.”
Aria had known beyond a shadow of a doubt it was true. She’d known from the shine in Angel’s eyes and from the love that seemed to vibrate between her and the unreadable mannamedNico.
“I did,” Aria said. “She waslovely.”
Jenna turned the glass of iced tea in her hand. “It seems to be a right ofpassage.”
“What does?” Ariaasked.
She looked up, smiled a little. “Finding our way to these crazy menofours.”
“It’s an unconventional life,” Aria said. “But I can’t even blame Damian. My brother’s business wasn’t exactlyaboveboard.”
“Still,” Jenna said, “it can be difficult in thebeginning.”
“Just thebeginning?”
She liked the fact that Jenna thought about the answer, that she didn’t rush to offer falsereassurances.
“Pretty much,” Jenna said. “I mean, I worry about Farrell, of course. I’m sure Angel andCharlotte— ”
“Charlotte?”
“Christophe’s wife,” Jenna said. “He was with you in Athens, Ithink.”
Aria remembered the dark-eyed man with a subtle French accent andnodded.
“Anyway, Angel and Charlotte both had their share of challenges in the beginning,” Jenna continued. “It takes awhile to get it all sorted, to find a way to live in such an extreme environment. But after awhile it really does feel normal. They go to work, sometimes they travel, then theycomehome.”
Aria didn't ask the question at the back ofhermind.
What if one day they don’tcomehome?
She let her gaze travel across the fields of swaying grass and tried to imagine herself in the future with Damian, in the place Jenna was where everything had beensorted.
Where they could live inpeace.
It was too fragile a dream. There was still too much between them and any ending in which they would be at peace together. She didn’t know what was going on in New York, but she knew Damian wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d taken her brother’sterritory.
And Primo — and Malcolm — wouldn’t go without afight.
