Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
“Yeah, it’s good.” She chews her food. “The weather is atrocious, though.”
I’ve never been to London. “It’s just raining all the time? Every Aussie goes on about how bad the weather is over there.”
“It’s overcast every day. The sun is hardly ever out. It gets depressing after a while. I’m so used to eight hours of sunshine every day, all year long.”
“Well, it could be worse. Cold is better than hot as Hell, right?”
She laughs. “I guess.” She takes a sip of her wine. “Tell me about your trip.”
I smile proudly. “I met someone.”
“What?”
“In Rome.”
“And?”
“And we had the best sex of my life all weekend long.”
She puts her hands over her mouth. “You? Had sex with a stranger?”
I laugh at her shock. “Not just any stranger. God’s gift to women.”
“Fuck off.”
I laugh. “Yes.” I get out my phone, go to the photos, and pass it over to her. “His name is Enrico Ferrara.”
“Sounds so exotic.” Her eyes bulge as she sees the photos of him. “What the fuck?”
“Gorgeous, right?”
“Jesus.” She scrolls through the images. “Gorgeous doesn’t cut it.”
“He’s a policeman.”
She puts her hand on her heart. “Oh, please, it gets better.”
“And he took me to The Pantheon and told me he thinks our story isn’t over.”
She frowns as she listens.
“You know I have nothing holding me in Australia now.”
She holds up her hand. “Woah… slow down girl.”
“I know it sounds crazy—”
“Because it is. You don’t even know this guy.” She hands my phone back in disgust.
“Don’t wreck this for me by being all sensible.”
“Oh God, Liv.” She sighs. “Someone has to think clearly around here. It doesn’t sound like you are.” We eat in silence for a moment. “Sorry. I’m being a bitch. Tell me about your weekend with him.”
I smile sadly, hating that she’s not as excited as I am. “It was just really great, you know? We connected, and it wasn’t just because of the awesome sex.”
“The sex was awesome?”
I put my hands on my forehead and then fake an explosion in the air with my fingers. “Mind blowing.”
She smiles.
“And I’m not moving here, I’m…” I shrug and my voice trails off.
She watches me intently. “What?”
“My life is shit back home. I’m boring and comfortable and I’ve always done the safe things in life. Where has it got me until now?”
“This is true.” She sips her wine.
“Maybe this trip is to teach me about myself.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re not getting all, Love, Eat, pray on me, are you?”
I giggle. “Maybe.”
“Maybe you should go to Bali, take up yoga and fuck the gorgeous guy in that movie like Julia did.”
I laugh. “My guy is better.”
Her eyes hold mine. “I’m just saying… be careful, that’s all.” She grabs my hand over the table. “I don’t want you to get all attached to and then hurt by a guy on the other side of the world who you think you know. Not all men are like your ex-boyfriends, Liv. This Enrico could be a huge player. Probably is if he looks like that.”
“I know.” I sigh, saddened by her reality check.
“Look.” She shrugs with a smile. “Actions speak louder than words and I could be completely wrong. Maybe he’s great and this could work out.”
“I’m not getting excited. I know what you’re saying is right. I’m going back to Rome to spend the weekend with him before I fly home, so I’ll see what happens then.”
She smiles broadly. “Good, take it slow. There’s no rush.”
“I am.”
“Has he called you today?”
“He’s working.” I rearrange my napkin on my lap. “I’ll speak to him tomorrow.”
I sip my wine as I try to act casual. Why hasn’t he called me back? An annoying little alarm bell goes off in the back of my brain. I was sure he would have called me back by now.
“So, what are we going to do tomorrow?” she asks.
I smile up at her. “Everything.”
Enrico
The red embers glow in the dark and a sporadic crack signifies the wood’s demise. I stare at the flames of the fire with my two brothers beside me.
Shocked, that’s what we are.
We’re heartbroken that our father and grandfather have left us. We’re horrified at what we’ve found out about our family history. We don’t even know who we are anymore.
“Everything is a lie.” Matteo sighs sadly as he tips his head back and drains his beer.
“You must have known.” Andrea frowns as his eyes come to me accusingly. “How could you have not known? You’re a fucking cop, for Christ’s sake.”
“I heard whispers, but when I asked, I was told it was from jealousy—that people always think the worst of successful people. That all money must be bad, and the businesses were… are now all legitimate, except for a few gambling houses.”
We fall silent again, lost in our own thoughts.
I drag my hand down my face. I’m exhausted—too tired to think, and too tired to focus on anything other than how fucked up this all is.