Chapter 55 Michael
Michael
It took me a while to make up my mind, but the phone call with Linda kept haunting me in my sleep.
The call itself didn’t deliver much news. Linda wanted me to write her a letter of recommendation for Westminster Boarding School.
In the most competitive private schools, there’s a sort of unofficial nepotism, and though enrollment is open to all, they tend to favor those recommended by former students, Westminster being no exception.
I’m more than happy to write the letter. I’ll also arrange an interview with the headmistress so she can see for herself how much Linda deserves to attend the school.
When saying goodbye, after being very careful not to mention Elisa, Linda said, “Do you know my mom will be in London for the London Wine Fair? She’ll have a stand there all week.”
Boom!
I couldn’t have been more panicked if a live bomb had been thrown into my hands.
I was adamant I wouldn’t set foot at that fair even if I was dead, but my pride held out for two days. On the third, after a sleepless night spent tossing and turning, I gave up, and here I am, in front of the Ricasoli winery stand.
Since I didn’t know what excuse to show up with, I dragged Sebastian along as a cover. His family owns several international hotel chains, so he can pretend to be looking for new suppliers.
“I have buyers who deal with these things,” he objected. “The excuse doesn’t hold up.”
“But maybe you’re a passionate go-getter who loves to do things yourself. Come on, use a little imagination!” I encouraged him. “And anyway, who covered for you with your scary and potentially dangerous ex while you were chasing Charlotte? Me!” I reply. “You owe me a favor.”
The result is that at this precise moment he is tasting every single vintage the stand has to offer, because when we arrived, Elisa wasn’t here. We had to find a way to wait for her without blowing my cover.
“Foliero, could you let the gentlemen taste the 2015 Gran Riserva. It’s our flagship . . . Oh! Michael, I didn’t recognize you from over there.”
“Hi, Elisa,” I greet her. “How are you?”