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“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
There wasn’t much information online about the vineyard or its owner, just that after only a year it’s become one of the top vineyards in the area. The advertisement posted by the agency was very basic compared to the other advertisements they sent me. The only information provided was an address and that they were searching for an au pair to care for a nine-year-old boy as soon as possible. I’m not sure of the circumstance or even how long I’ll be needed at the post, but there was something about the advertisement that called to me. It was as if I was being compelled to apply for the position. Like Ineededto be the au pair for this boy. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve felt so compelled to do something, and each one was one hundred percent worth it. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be as well. Fate has a way of working things out for all of us.
The only problem is, I have no idea how to be an au pair. I knew it was wrong to lie on my agency application, but I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure I got this placement. Sure, I’ve babysat when I was younger, but being responsible for a child twenty-four hours a day is beyond anything I’ve done before. I love kids, don’t get me wrong, but I’m going to need to call on all my hours of babysitting to pull this job off. What’s the worst that could happen?
“We here,” the driver says in broken English as he makes a left turn onto a gravel road.
I gasp softly, my head swiveling from left to right as I attempt to take in the scenery. Rows of what I assume are grape trees as far as the eye can see, running along either side of the gravel road as we pull through an open gate. It seems like we’re traveling for hours through the fields before the main house comes into view.
“Beautiful.” I gasp, causing the driver to chuckle softly.
I was expecting a grand mansion sitting on a hill or something as equally pretentious, but we pull to a stop in front of a moderately-sized stone farmhouse. It’s surrounded by large trees, a decent-sized pool surrounded by a wooden fence peeking through them. It looks like something from a fairy tale tucked away in its own little world.
“I’d love to have grown up here,” I mumble as the driver pulls to a stop at the front door before climbing out to grab my bags. I follow quickly behind him, eager to get inside and begin exploring. Just as I turn to close the car door, something goes whizzing by my face and slamming into the car beside me. I look down and notice a soccer ball sitting on the ground beside me. My eyes scan the small courtyard in front of me, catching sight of a little boy running full tilt toward me.
“Mi scusi.” He sniffles as he comes to a stop in front of me, tears pooling in his eyes. “Non l'ho vista lì, signora.”Excuse me. I didn’t see you there, Ms.
I can’t make heads or tails of anything he said beside excuse me, but I wave my hands in front of my face, not wanting the boy to cry. “It’s okay. No harm done.”
“Saranno ventieuros.”That will be twenty euros.The driver’s voice startles me as he places my bag on the ground beside me.
Thankfully, I exchanged my money for euros at the airport. I quickly search my bag and pull out what I hope is enough money for a good tip and place it in his waiting hand.
“Grazie.” The driver smiles before striding back toward his car and climbing in.
The little boy and I stare at each other for a few moments, neither of us making a move to speak. He eyes me skeptically before reaching his tiny hands toward me.“Posso riavere la mia palla?” Can I have my ball back?
I smile at the boy, leaning down so we are at eye level. “And who might you be?”
The boy raises his eyebrow slightly before crossing his arms over his chest and taking a step away from me. “Who are you?”
I giggle softly. “My name is Maya. I’m your new au pair.”
“Oh, no!” the boy shouts before spinning on his heels and hightailing it back into the house.
“So much for making a good first impression,” I mumble before grabbing my suitcase off the floor and following behind the little boy.
I came to Venice for an adventure, but something tells me this experience is going to be so much more.
CHAPTERTWO
GUILIO
“You’re lucky I love you,” I grumble into the phone, tipping my head back and letting the scotch burn down my throat. “I said I’d take care of getting a nanny.”
“If we waited for you to take care of it, Enzo would continue running around the vineyard like a two-man demolition team.” Morgan snaps back at me, “Besides, I got you an au pair. There’s a difference.”
“What’s the difference? Either way, you’ve hired someone to come take care of Enzo without speaking to me first.” I sigh, thinking about that night almost a month ago when my world was turned upside down. “None of us planned for this to happen, Morgan. We just need some time…”
My twin brother Matteo and his wife, Sofie, were only supposed to travel to California to talk with a distributor about importing our wine. The trip shouldn’t have taken more than a few days, ensuring they’d be home in time to attend Enzo’scalcio(soccer)match that weekend. But the unthinkable happened—their plane crashed, leaving me to be both mom and dad to my nephew.
“We all miss your brother,” she responds, barely above a whisper. “But we need to find a way to deal with our new normal. Your brother and his wife wouldn’t want anyone to suffer because of your pigheadedness.”
“I know. I know,” I grumble before pushing back from my desk and heading toward the window.
Morgan isn’t just my assistant, she’s my cousin and hurting just as much as I am. It’s the only reason she still has a job and isn’t headed back to the States with her tail tucked between her legs. She’s been pestering me for weeks to find someone to help keep Enzo occupied while I focus on running the vineyard, but I’ve been putting it off. I can’t think of one good reason why I’ve done that other than pride. In the back of my mind, I know she’s right, but there’s a part of me that feels like a failure for needing to ask a stranger for help to take care of my nephew. There isn’t anyone else in the world better equipped to understand what he’s going through right now than me.
I’m ashamed of how nonchalantly I accepted Sofie’s request to be Enzo’s guardian. I never thought of everything that goes into raising children, let alone the pain and heartache Enzo would have to endure after losing both parents. Like most people, I thought of being a guardian in the abstract, something that I’d never have to worry about until he was much older and able to take care of himself, but it seems fate had other plans. I knew I had no desire to be separated from my nephew, but I’m sure we all thought we’d have more time to prepare.
