Chapter Twelve #2
“ You , cooking? Right,” he teases before turning his professional persona on. “Now, can you do me a little favor? I let some guests use the terrace this afternoon, and I have somewhere to be. Can you lock it?”
“Sure.” I smile, happy to be useful here again.
“Well, make yourself at home then. Your room is ready for you. And in two months… loft ,” he says the word with a dramatic voice and a flourish of the fingers to entice me for the upgrade.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to kick you out.”
He scoffs. “You better quit your orchestra job then.”
“Already did,” I say with a hand up as I walk away. I drop my stuff off in my quarters, grab the keys I need, and take the elevator.
The terrace is lit up. As soon as I walk through the door, I spot the table the guests used.
It’s covered with a white tablecloth and set with plates, wineglasses, and silverware for two.
It’s all clean and pristine as if the people who were supposed to come never showed up.
The candle in the center of the table is still lit.
I startle when something moves in the shadows, and a figure emerges from the dark corner where the walls meet.
“Oddio!” I put a hand on my chest as Daisy walks into the light.
Daisy . Beautiful as always, wearing a black dress paired with sparkling sandals. I can’t believe she’s here. Dressed for a date.
“Sorry to scare you,” she says, smiling softly. “I just wanted to make sure you’d come.”
“And you thought I wouldn’t if I knew you were here?”
If she talked to Luigi—well, she obviously did or she wouldn’t be here—then she knows I didn’t forget her. I didn’t move on because this is where I belong. And now she’s here. My heart thumps, but I can’t be too hopeful yet. She’s just visiting, right?
“I asked Luigi to help me surprise you,” Daisy says, confirming my suspicions. “He let me use the kitchen and set up an exclusive dinner for two up here.” I look at the table, my heart thundering. “I hope you’re okay with the chef dining with you.”
I smile, which invites Daisy closer, her rosy perfume spreading in the air around us, bringing every memory of joy and euphoria with it.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t keep in touch,” she says, stopping right in front of me.
I know why she didn’t text me for all those months or call as soon as she returned to Venice. We agreed to give each other space to figure things out, and I’m sure she was afraid to ruin my new start as a violinist if she tempted me before we were in a position to commit to each other.
“I also didn’t text you,” I say to highlight it’s not only her fault. We did what we thought was best for each other. Because when you love someone, their happiness matters more than your selfish urges.
I tried to be okay without her. I told myself I could go back to being the person I was before I met Daisy.
But the truth is, I didn’t even try . Being with other women felt like cheating, and nobody seemed remotely interesting, so I haven’t even flirted with anyone else since.
In my mind and in my heart, there was only her.
I waited for her like I said I would, hoping this day would come…and God, it feels right.
“So you came back to stay?” I take a step closer, shivering even though the night is warm.
A slow smile spreads across her beautiful face. “I’m renting an apartment in San Polo. And I own a restaurant in Venice.” My jaw drops and my eyes widen in disbelief. Not Venice, California. Venice, Italy. “I bought La Caorlina, now Eredità. The grand opening is tomorrow.”
Eredità. Heritage, inheritance. It’s perfect, and I can’t believe she did it.
“ Mamma mia , this is wonderful, Daisy!” I bridge the gap between us and, without thinking, spin her in my arms in celebration. Her laughter echoes through the night, traveling over the sea of roofs beneath us.
When I put her down again, she keeps her arms around my neck, looking at me with the same fire I awakened in her four months ago.
“I thought the time away would cool me down,” she says, moving so close our breaths meet.
“But it only solidified my feelings for you.” My arms close tighter around her waist, and I let out a low groan because damn , it’s good to have her body against mine again.
“I’m still madly in love with you, Lorenzo Fontana,” she declares, looking deep into my eyes.
I want to say so many things at once. That I’m proud of her.
That she changed me. That I miss her. That I’m so happy to eat her food tonight, and that I want to play for her again, and that I can’t wait to see her restaurant and the apartment she’s living in.
And that I so look forward to spending the rest of my life with her right here in this city that means so much to us.
But the only thing I say—and perhaps the only thing I could possibly say in this moment—is essentially a summary of all the rest… “I love you, Daisy Hogan.”
I bring her mouth toward mine, and, when our lips meet, I feel like I might burst into tiny specks of stardust. As I kiss Daisy, I thank the stars that aligned, and I promise the city below us that I’ll never let the magic die.