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“La Dolce Vita. The woman is crazy about that old film, if you know it.” Oh, I knew it. Salva forced me to watch it about four times. I didn’t love the film, but sure I loved watching her falling in love with every second.
Shit! It was like she was everywhere. In everything I did, everywhere I looked at, there was another piece of Salvatrice. Would I ever be free of her? Refusing to spend too much time dwelling on the memory, I turned my attention back to miss Aida.
“I’ll make sure to take a drive to the central plaza and check it out this afternoon.”
“Drive. Pff.” She looked down on me. “You don’t need that fancy car here. Just walk like everybody else. You’ll be there in fifteen minutes and you could use the fresh air, young man.”
“Noted.”
After that, Miss Aida took it upon herself to give me a full tour of the house. She showed me the library, which was impressive. I could see myself spending some time there, searching the shelves. In the library there was a back room for me to use as a home office, but hopefully there wouldn’t be any need for that. I left everything in order before leaving New York and I expect to find it like that when I’m back. With Hugo and Cat being newlyweds and Gino having his first son, business was a little on the slow end. Not unprofitable, but everyone in the family knew this was a time to keep a low profile, and focus more on legit businesses and parties than on back door jobs. No one called since I left so I was just gonna go ahead and assume my brothers were not in jail.
Aida showed me the wine cellar. There wasn’t a huge collection of wines there, but she also had a few quality label whiskeys that were acquired on Halloran’s instruction. In the kitchen, she had stocked the fridge with fruits, cheeses, and cold cuts and she showed me how to use the espresso machine. She left after double-checking that I had everything under control; I bit my tongue to stop from telling her I was a thirty-year-old man who lived on his own for quite some time.
Six years. No, not going there again.
I spent the rest of the day being lazy, except for the hour I spent outside with Maximus, giving him some exercise. He was only three years old; I couldn’t let him turn into a lazy boy so soon. When six-thirty rolled around, I put on a pair of pants from a navy-blue suit, white shirt, and a brown suede loafer that matched my Hermes belt. Maximus was dressed up too, with his bejeweled collar and leather leash, so when we were both ready, we started walking to the main plaza, following Aida’s directions.
I had to give it to the people of Portofino; they had a nice thing going on. The sun started his descent and the sky was already getting a pinkish color, clashing with the deep emerald green of the sea. A couple of catamarans were peacefully floating away, chasing the sunset. On the shore, the plaza was buzzing with life – the bars and restaurants were filled with people, there were more than a couple musicians on the street, entertaining the crowds. Maximus was enjoying the scene, I could tell from the way he was eager to smell everything, but his behavior was exemplary as always.
I found a table at one of the restaurants called Il Cibo Bottga – The Food Shop – and ordered a bottle of red Barolo, enjoying the wine while Max was following the people crossing the plaza with his eyes. I was just settling in when my Blackberry started ringing in my pocket. I was surprised to see Muse’s name appear on the screen.
“Mrs. Nucci. What a pleasant surprise.”
“Hello, Roman. How is your trip so far?”
I took another look around me.
“It has a promising start. How are things at home? I’ve been gone for two days and you already miss me?”
She laughed into the phone.
“I missed you the moment you walked out the door.”
“Don’t tell that to your husband, Muse. You know how sensitive he is.” I got another laugh from her. “How’s the little boss? Is he giving you any fuss?”
“Fuss? From my son? No, he’s the sweetest baby in the world. Actually, that’s why I was calling you.”
An internal alarm kicked off and my brows frowned out of instinct.
“Something wrong with the kid? I can be in a plane in a few hours.”
“No, God, Roman. Everything is fine, calm down.” She jumped to reassure me. “I just can’t find his birth certificate. Vincenzo took Gino on a fishing trip over the weekend – at least I hope that’s what they’re doing – and I can’t get a hold of him. I looked into the safe, but it’s not there. Did you bring it back after setting that trust fund for Enzo?”
“When I gave it to him, Gino put it in the safe in his office downstairs. Do you know the code?”
“Oh, I haven’t checked there. Yeah, I know the code.” His downstairs office was reserved more for business.
“What do you need his birth certificate for? If you need documentation, I can handle it from here.”
“I’m just trying to switch doctors. The one I have right now is very good with Enzo, but his assistant is hellbent on banging my husband. I’m either going somewhere else or stabbing her the next time I have to take my son in for a shot.”
It was my turn to stop and laugh.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I wanted to tell her something else, but I stopped when I saw a pair of eyes the color of melted chocolate staring back at me. They belonged to a little girl. She couldn’t have been more than six years old, and she had long wavy hair, going all the way to her waist. She was wearing a pink dress with rosebuds on it and a matching hair band, and had a picnic basket that looked too big for her on her arm. The way she looked at me, biting her lip, like she was waiting for something, made me cut my conversation short. “Muse, I have to go. Seems like I have some company. Call me if you can’t find the birth certificate and I’ll arrange for you to get a duplicate.”
“You’re the best. Enjoy your time away, Roman.”
As soon as she was done, I closed the call and raised an eyebrow questioningly at the little girl that was still looking at me. When she saw she had my attention, she made one little step closer to my table.
