10 #3
Gia opened up her small boot and pulled out a couple of orchids. “Oh. I see.”
“Do you need a hand?” Dani peered into her boot.
“Do you mind? I went to IKEA and bought all these orchids. I’ll need two trips.”
“Of course. Here let me help.”
They gathered up the eight orchids and headed for the back entrance.
Gia pumped in a security code and the door opened, then they both headed for the elevator.
Gia chatted away, making small talk until they got to the second floor.
She placed the flowers on the floor so she could unlock and open the polished dark wooden door.
They stepped in through the threshold and Dani faltered, taking in the elegant apartment.
The hallway was finished with a light marble surface, which opened out to a sumptuous living area with dark, hardwood flooring.
Covering the floor was an enormous silk woven rug in cream and gold hues that matched the classic styled sofas.
There was a large glass coffee table in the centre, topped with perfectly stacked books, candles and decorative bowls.
The centre had a vase containing white old-fashioned roses.
In front of the sofas was a large marble fireplace, with an array of framed photos and small ornaments.
The decor was stylish, rich and warm, but above all it was a perfect reflection of Gia.
It almost seemed out of place with the urban view of the city of Leeds from the large balcony windows.
The apartment suited a view looking out onto the streets of Rome or Milan.
“It’s a beautiful apartment, Gia.”
“Thank you, Daniella. Since the boys moved out, I’ve been able to make it a little more feminine,” she grinned. “Would you like a coffee?” Dani followed Gia into the kitchen, which was state of the art. Gia placed the orchids into the sink and started on an impressive coffee machine.
“Yes, please.” Dani scanned the kitchen as she stood and watched Gia gracefully move around the kitchen.
“Please sit down.”
Dani sat on a kitchen stool while Gia ground some coffee beans. “How long have you lived here?”
“About fifteen years. We bought the building and converted the top floor into two apartments before we opened La Casa.”
“Oh, there are two apartments?”
“Yes. The other one is only two bedrooms. When we moved in here, Cosimo lived in the other apartment while Jerome and Arsenio lived with me. Then Cosimo moved out and Jerome moved in there with Arsenio. Well, they needed their privacy.” She shrugged.
“When Jerome met Liz, Arsenio moved out and they lived there for a short while.”
Gia placed the cups under the coffee machine and waited for the coffee to filter through.
Her face tensed as she spoke. “Well, the flat was too small for them once Alessandro was born, and they moved out. Arsenio moved back in for a year or so, then moved out again. I think he didn’t like the idea of living too close to me,” she chuckled.
“I saw all his – um, how shall I say? Comings and goings?” She arched her eyebrow and Dani instantly understood what she was implying and laughed.
“Then Peter moved in until nine months ago. He got married recently.” Gia placed the coffees on the breakfast bar and then brought over some biscotti.
“Wow, you’ve had quite a lot of neighbours, then.”
Gia hopped onto the bar stool next her. “Yes.” Gia rolled her eyes. “So, have you settled in? Peter has only good things to say about you.”
Dani smiled shyly at her comment. “Yes, I really like it here.”
“Good, well it’s going to start getting busier. Christmas is always a little crazy.”
“I don’t mind. I like being busy. I haven’t any commitments, so I’m glad to be working.” Dani’s eyes dropped to look at her cup and Gia sipped her coffee, giving a small nod.
“If I remember correctly, you live with your sister?”
“Yes.”
“You’re close?”
“Very. We only have each other.”
“It’s important. Family. Our family is – well, it’s big. My boys never really needed friends. They had each other and cousins.”
“Yes, I didn’t realise how many of your relatives worked for you.” Dani picked up her coffee and took a sip.
Gia laughed, “We’re a big family. Both sides.
” She picked up a biscotti and waved it in the air as she started to explain.
“Matteo is my cousin. Franco and Enzo are his nephews from his wife’s side, so they are somewhat related to us.
Carmen is my late husband’s brother’s daughter.
Nicole is his sister’s daughter. Rosa is Matteo’s cousin on his mother’s side and so is Pino…
” Gia stopped for a moment as Dani stared blankly at her. “Maybe I should stop,” Gia laughed.
“You lost me at, ‘we’re a big family’,” Dani chuckled. “I think it’s safe to say pretty much everyone is related to you, one way or another, here at La Casa.”
Gia gave a throaty laugh as she let her head fall back. “Si, we are a big family almost living under one roof. Eh, that’s why we called it La Casa d’Italia. It means the house or home of Italy.”
“Um, that’s a very appropriate name,” mused Dani.
“Have you ever been to Italia?”
Dani grinned at how Gia peppered her conversation with Italian words.
It was endearing and sexy at the same time.
“No, unfortunately not. I went on a school trip to France once, and for the last three years, my boyfriend took me to Ibiza. My parents owned a bed and breakfast in Brighton, so every summer we helped them out. Then my mum got sick and I just never had the time to travel. But I’d love to go some day.
I’d love to go to Venice – it seems so romantic,” Dani said quietly and Gia smiled softly at her.
“I come from a small town on Lake Garda, in the Lombardy region in the north of Italy. We have a house there and every summer we used to go. The rest of our family would either be there or come over, so my boys were always surrounded by family.”
“And your late husband, was he from there too?” asked Dani, glad that the subject had changed focus.
“Yes. He was friends with my cousin. School friends.”
“Matteo?”
“No, his older brother.” Gia grinned as Dani shook her head. “I know, complicated.”
“I feel like I should be taking notes, just to keep up!” Dani giggled.
“Yeah, and I’ll test you on it later,” joked Gia.
“We met at a christening. Alessandro, my husband, was over from his studies here in England and over the summer we got to know each other. I was only seventeen when we met, still in school. We carried on our relationship in secret, because he was five years older than me. Only Matteo and Gianni, Matteo’s brother knew. ”
“Sounds romantic.”
Gia smiled wistfully, obviously recollecting some memory.
“It was. We didn’t have emails and Skype then, so we used to write to each other through Gianni.
I kept every letter he ever wrote to me,” Gia sighed.
Dani watched her as she looked vacantly into the kitchen, miles away.
Sighing hard, Gia brought herself back to the present.
“We kept in touch over the year and then the following summer, he asked me to marry him.
I was eighteen then. He took me out on the lake and proposed under the stars.
“Of course, my parents were shocked. But thanks to Gianni and Matteo, they managed to talk my father round.”
“You were so young.”
“Yes. We got married within a month.”
Dani’s jaw dropped. “Really?”
Gia chuckled. “Yes. Alessandro wanted me to go with him to England and there was no way I could go without being married, so we got married as soon as we could. I fell pregnant almost immediately with Cosimo.”
“Wow. That must have been hard.”
“I was madly in love with the man of my dreams who worshipped me. There was nothing hard about it. He worked hard and I made sure his home was his sanctuary. I was the luckiest person in the world.”
Dani pursed her lips and nodded, knowing that was exactly what she wanted.
It was what her parents had and what Chloe and Adam had.
She knew she’d never had that with Jez and for the first time since she’d walked out on him, over ten days ago, she felt at peace with her decision.
She knew she could face the phone call she’d been putting off.
Dani looked back over at Gia and smiled at her.
“You were and are lucky,” agreed Dani.
“This man you left, did you feel like that? About him, I mean.”
Dani screwed her face and then answered, “It doesn’t matter. He didn’t feel like that about me. It took me leaving him to realise that.”
Gia nodded knowingly. “L’amore e cieco. Love is blind. Hold out for someone who feels like that about you. You’re worth it. Aim for that, Dani, demand it,“ she added, and patted her arm. “Always aim for the best, the top. Aim high.”
Dani nodded, mesmerised by Gia’s passion. “Come on, help me put my orchids in the pots – that’s if you have time.”
“Sure, I’ve got time.” Dani hopped off the stool and followed Gia to the sink.
“You like orchids, Daniella?”
“I love them, Gia.”