Chapter Twenty-Nine
The following morning, they reconvened in the hotel’s dining room for an Italian breakfast of pastries, fruit, and freshly brewed coffee. “Buongiorno,” Alicia greeted them as they took their seats. “Today, we’ll be journeying to Assisi, a charming hilltop town known for its stunning architecture and rich history.”
The bus ride to Assisi was filled with stunning scenery of rolling hills dotted with ancient olive groves and vineyards. The azure sky stretched endlessly overhead, merging seamlessly with the lush countryside below. Along the winding roads, quaint villages nestled amidst the hills, their terracotta rooftops gleaming in the warm sunlight. Towering cypress trees lined the roadside, their slender forms casting long shadows across the golden fields. In the distance, the majestic peaks of the Apennine Mountains rose like silent sentinels, their snow-capped summits piercing the horizon.
“Just when I think it can’t get any more beautiful, it takes my breath away once more,” Sophie commented, peering out the window .
“It is a sight to behold. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Do you prefer the country or the city?” Fernando asked.
“Oh, um, I don’t really know. I live in the suburbs right now, and it is fine. I definitely would not like an apartment in the middle of the city or in a high-rise. I prefer at least a little grass and a patio to sit on and enjoy outside time. Maybe someday a pool would be nice. Although I’m really enjoying this rural landscape, I don’t think I could live this far out of town. I enjoy short trips to the grocery store too much. What about you? You just built your new house in the hills, but you sleep in your office half the time. Where do you enjoy living?”
“I don’t enjoy the city even though that is where I spend all my time. I prefer a little peace and quiet. I just spent an exorbitant amount of money buying up that land in the hills to build my house. It sits on ten acres and has tall walls around it, so there is plenty of privacy until the drones start flying over to get a look at who lives inside. The pool is amazing, with a rock waterfall and grotto. I had a slide hidden amongst the rocks for when the nieces and nephews get old enough to visit and enjoy it. My McKenzie family had a good time at Christmas this past year. When we get back, you will need to come to Saturday lunch with your family and hang out. There is a spacious patio and outdoor kitchen. I’m not exactly a grill master, but Garret does an amazing job with steaks.”
“Wait, you and Garret eat together?” Sophie asked, astonished.
“Of course, not every night, but often enough. He lives in an apartment over the garage and often comes into the house to check on me. Like you, he is more a friend than an employee. I spend more time with him getting driven around than anyone else, save you. Sometimes the security team without families stick around after their shifts and eat with us or play some pool. Although that will likely change after my brothers overhaul my security. ”
“Why are they doing that? I thought you liked your guys?” Sophie asked, confused by the change and a little annoyed she hadn’t been informed since this would impact her as well.
“I do, but I recently had a test of my security, which failed. Don’t worry; the guys on this trip with us have passed all the requirements to stay on and were personally approved by Julio. The security firm has been fired, and Julio’s company will be taking over. It should be all sorted out when we get back so you can meet everyone. We will probably do a briefing together since you’ll work so closely with them organizing my schedule, transportation, and everything else in my life.” Fernando squeezed her leg gently to let her know he understood her situation.
“So, do you think you could enjoy living in a mansion on a hill someday?” he asked, returning to the previous topic.
“Yeah, I mean, I would never make the kind of money needed for that kind of setup, but if I had the opportunity, the location sounds amazing. Honestly, as long as I have my family around me I could live just about anywhere and be happy.”
“When you say you need your family around you, how close are we talking? I mean, my family lives all the way across the continent, and it is way too far for my liking, but I can’t do anything about that. What kind of distance are you comfortable with?” Fernando appeared to be looking out the window but was really watching Sophie as she continued to gaze at the scenery passing by.
“Oh, I come from a traditional Spanish family; I prefer right down the hall.”
Fernando could feel his eyes widen, much like a cartoon character whose eyes bulged out of their head in shock, and quickly schooled his features to hide his feelings .
She sensed Fernando’s surprise and turned to look at him. “What? Haven’t you ever heard of multigenerational homes before? You know, ‘It takes a village’ and all that?” she added.
“I mean, yeah, I’ve heard of them, but I don’t think I actually know anyone who lives with their family, like when they have a family of their own. Not unless they are strapped financially. It’s not like they actually want to live with their parents.”
“Well, I do. And many in my culture do. My family just recently moved out of my Tio and Tia’s home, where twelve of us lived in a five-bedroom house. That wasn’t ideal, but you get close to your family when squeezed in like sardines.” Sophie chuckled at the analogy, thinking back to the sleeping arrangements and how accurate it was.
“You moved out, so you no longer live in a multigenerational home then?” Fernando asked, praying it wasn’t so. If things moved forward with Sophie, living with her family under the same roof would be a massive adjustment, one he wasn’t sure he was prepared to make.
“Actually, yes, I share a home with my immediate family. My brother is engaged and will soon bring his wife into the home. Their children will be raised by my mother and father while we, the younger generation, work. It is the way things are done. The younger generation cares for the older generation, but the elders help raise the up-and-coming. It is a beautiful cycle.”
“But, what about privacy? I mean, Spanish families have lots of kids. How do you make them with so many people in the home?” Fernando was having a hard time wrapping his head around this living situation. “I was raised in a boy’s home with close to fifty other boys, and trust me, there was no privacy. I can’t imagine giving that up voluntarily as an adult, especially where my wife and marriage are concerned. ”
“You get creative, I guess. I can’t say for sure. I have never had a husband in the home, so I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that after working a ten-hour day, coming home to a clean house and a warm meal is heaven. If I need to vent about my day or cry about something, my mother and father, well stepfather, are there to lend me a shoulder to cry on and their combined years of wisdom.”
“I guess it is like when we all lived at home with Anthony and Hannah, well, except their’s was a marriage of convenience, and Anthony slept in the boy’s room with us while Hannah had the master bedroom to herself. The homecooked meal and words of wisdom part, I can understand, though. Her parents actually brought us homecooked meals most weekends. It was nice. What about an in-law suite on the opposite side of the house or a cottage on a different part of the property? Would that satisfy your cultural need to live together, or does it have to be under the same roof, right down the hall?” His mind was working a mile a minute to find a compromise for this obstacle that just ripped his potential plans right out from under him like an earthquake taking out a freeway.
“There are always options. All I’m saying is that where I live doesn’t matter as long as I am close to the ones I love. Do I see myself living in the hills while my family is over an hour away in Whittier? No, not really. I would want them to be closer. How close could be open to discussion. I would want my family to feel comfortable and welcome whatever arrangement was figured out that suited everyone’s needs.”
“I understand that. It makes sense. I can’t wait to meet your family. Looking back, I think it’s strange that we haven’t gotten together in all the years you’ve worked for me. I mean, you’ve met my family on numerous occasions, and they already consider you a part of the family,” Fernando commented thoughtfully .
“Really? How would that work, me bringing my billionaire boss home to my humble abode for dinner or my middle-class family to your Bel-Air mansion to dine on caviar and filet mignon?” Sophie scoffed.
“What? Do you think I’m too big of a snob to fit in at your home? Remember, I was raised in a charity house for unwanted boys. My clothes were the castoffs of the second-hand stores and parishioners.”
“You were a New York Times best-selling author at nineteen, and by twenty-one, your books were already being turned into TV series and movies. Two of which you actually starred in. You may have grown up poor, but you didn’t stay that way too long, and you were famous before then, hitting all the best parties with your arm candy. Uh-huh, I read the journals and watch the celebrity gossip shows on occasion,” Sophie argued.
“Yes, I networked. Not all of that was for me, by the way. My brothers were climbing out of the same dark hole I was in, and we hobnobbed with the sparkly people together. Any chance we got, we made the rounds and brought the BBC crew, as much as we could, into the social circles we gained access to. We all needed as much exposure as we could get. There is no way we would have made it as far as we have, at least not as fast, if it hadn’t been a team effort. And for the record, I didn’t make my first million until I was twenty-two. Which happens to be the first time I lived on my own. Up until then, I rented a bedroom in a house a bunch of movie crew rented from a director. Then I moved up to a bedroom in a garage apartment with a cameraman and his brother, who was an actor. I know what couch surfing feels like, and I pray I never have to eat another ramen noodle cup.” Fernando intertwined his finger with hers and rested their joined hands on his thigh. “I would love to meet your family and promise you I will not look down on them, whatever the setting. I will respect and honor them if for no other reason than they raised an amazing daughter who I cherish.”
Soft color rose in Sophie’s cheeks at the tender look that covered Fernando’s face. “I would be honored for you to meet them. When we get back, we can discuss a good time to make that happen and the best location for everyone.”
“It’s a date.” Fernando raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before turning to look out the window as they entered the town of Assisi.
Sophie’s thoughts swirled at the implications of their conversation. Why was Fernando asking such pointed questions about her home life? Was he implying something more when he said, “It’s a date.” He just kissed her hand, and no one was watching.
Alicia stepped to the front of the bus before she could make heads or tails of what was happening between her and Fernando.