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CHAPTERONE
MAYA
“Ciao. Hello.A potbellied middle-aged man asks as he grabs my bags off the sidewalk in front of me and loads them into the back of a taxicab.
“Ciao.” I smile brightly as he opens the paper and looks it over before motioning toward the car door.
“Grazie,” I respond, using the only other word I know in Italian before scrambling toward the car.Thank you.
I really wish I’d taken Italian instead of French. But no matter. I had no idea I’d need it until a few months ago. I decided on a whim to become an au pair and travel the world. Well, not actually a whim, more like a dare. I was also the one doing the daring, but that’s beside the point. There were no positions open in France anyway.
I pause for a few minutes, trying to decide whether to get into the front or back seat before opening the front door and climbing in. I’m in a cab, not a limo on my way to the Oscars. In my welcoming packet from the agency, they said all their clients send cars and translators to help their au pair find their way, but not me. After waiting for almost two hours, I figured my family expected me to fend for myself. Lucky for them, I don’t have an issue with that. I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth, but my parents never let me take the easy way out.
I had to get a job when I turned sixteen, earn my brand-new car, and even had to get a bachelor’s degree before they’d even consider setting up a trust fund for me. They were born with money but refused to raise another out of control rich daughter with no plans for the future. They never asked me to be anything other than happy, and that’s exactly how I’ve made my way through life: doing whatever makes me happy.
The driver’s eyes widen in shock as he climbs into the car, noticing me positioned in the front seat instead of the back. I give him a shy wave and a smile.
“I want to see the scenery better,” I mumble, my cheeks heating from embarrassment.
After a few moments, he nods and turns on the car. “No problem,” he responds before pulling away from the curb.
I sigh, relieved I met someone who could speak English but not wanting to push my luck. The last thing I want is to say the wrong thing and screw up my first day in Italy by offending someone. I want a chance to explore my temporary home. The last thing I want to do is screw things up and be deported before I even leave the airport.
“Dove siete diretti?”Where are you headed?The driver repeats the same phrase from before as he turns on the car.
“Umm, I don’t know what you’re saying,” I stammer, reaching into my backpack and pulling out the slip of paper I got from the agency. “Here.” My finger taps on the address to my home for the next few months, if not more.
“Ah, conosco quel posto.” Ah, I know that place.He chuckles softly before putting the car in drive.
“Grazie,” I respond, bowing my head slightly in thanks before turning my attention out the window.
When I saw the advertisement for the au pair agency, I honestly didn’t know what I was getting into, but I signed up immediately. I didn’t even know what an au pair was, having to Google the term when I got home. Apparently, an au pair and a nanny are rather similar, but instead of getting a steady salary and heading home, I’ll be treated like a part of the family. I’ll live with this family, go on vacations with them, and be paid rather well for it.
The money doesn’t matter to me, but the adventure is what I’m after. I always jump at any opportunity I can find to challenge myself, hoping to find that one thing I’m perfect at, but each time I seem to come up empty. Hell, I didn’t even choose a major in college. Deciding on a Bachelor of Arts degree, which my advisor said was a fancy way of saying I don’t know what I want to do with my life. My parents want me to be happy. They also want me to have some direction in my life. I do too, but I have no idea what direction that is.
When I told my three best friends I was heading to Venice to become an au pair, they laughed their asses off. I’m determined to make this work. This is the chance of a lifetime and I plan on enjoying every minute. Who cares if I don’t know another soul in the area or that I can barely speak the language? It’s going to be amazing.
It’d be a lot easier if I read the material Ava gave me before coming.
I giggle softly at the memory of the two-inch thick three-ring binder that arrived at my house a few weeks ago from Ava. You’d think she’d have better things to do than put source material together for my trip. I would if I had a gorgeous Scottish hottie waiting on me hand and foot. Besides, after spending almost every waking hour with me since sophomore year, she should’ve known it was a waste of time.
I’m a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person. Never making plans more than a few days in advance, which drove all my friends insane. The four of us are all opposites, but we work. I love the three of them to the moon and back, and I’m willing to do anything for them, even push them out of their comfort zones. What seemed so insignificant at the time has turned all their lives upside down in the best way possible. Who could’ve expected one dare to change the course of all our lives so completely?
I love Ava, Charlotte, and Rory dearly, but they needed someone to shake things up. They’ve spent every day of their lives on a schedule—going to class, doing homework, searching for a job—we all needed to shake things up. Hell, if it wasn’t for me, each of their lives would be drastically different. Ava would still have her nose stuck in a book, Charlotte would be miserable working in her parents’ restaurant, and Rory… I honestly don’t know what would’ve happened to her if I’m being honest.
Unlike my other two friends, Rory wasn’t part of our original dare. She has her entire life set out before her, but it seems fate had other plans. Everything came crashing down when her fiancée left her at the altar on the day of their wedding. You’d expect her to be heartbroken, but she grabbed her bags and took off on what should’ve been her honeymoon.
Because of our dare, Ava applied to a master’s degree program in Edinburgh and Charlotte defied her parents and headed off to take a pastry class from a world-renowned chef in Paris. Each one of them took a chance and stepped out of their comfort zones, and each found the life they were always meant to have. It so happens that life involved insanely gorgeous men who worshipped the ground they walked on.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for the same thing to happen to me. That I’d find a gorgeous Italian man who’d sweep me off my feet, but I won’t hold my breath. I’m going to be taking care of someone’s children. I doubt I’ll have any time to go searching for Mr. Right.
“Do you know anything about…” my voice trails off as I look at my information from the agency. “Fiorentino Vineyard?”
I’m pretty sure I butchered the name, but I want to know as much as I can about my new home.
“Delicious wine,” he responds with a smile.
I wait patiently to see if he’s going to share any more information, but his attention remains focused on the road ahead of us.
