Page 84 of The Fall Affair

When your grandfather passed, I thought I’d never be able to breathe in my own house again. Everything reminded me of him—his chair by the fire, the sound of his old boots in the hall. I wanted to close the shutters and live in the dark. But instead, I forced myself to open the windows wider. I made new friends (if you need help stealing anything, Francesca’s your girl), bought the sexy purple scooter that made me smile riding it, and forced myself to laugh, even when it felt wrong.

Change is hard, but it makes you grow. If you are happy, build a life here. New York will always be there, smelling like hot garbage in July and waiting for you with bagels. But life—life doesn’t wait. It feels like yesterday I had smooth skin, could sneeze without needing an underwear change, and I was two inches taller. The time to stop and smell the roses is now, while you’re young. What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to working yourself to death in a city that doesn’t appreciate you. But if it does…your life might be more magical than you ever expected.

And now, some more wisdom from a woman who’s looking at life in the rearview mirror and laughing at all the potholes she’s swerved around.

Never save the good wine for guests. Life is too short. Drink it yourself. And for that matter, use the good sheets! You’re the one who lives there.

Don’t go to Macelleria del Borgo, the butcher in Pienza. He’s too skinny. A butcher who has the best cuts will always overeat.

Don’t try to keep your New York speed in Tuscany. Sip your cappuccino, swirl your wine, slow down, and notice when the seasons are changing. Nature is a better calendar to follow than the electronic one on that laptop you bring everywhere. Which reminds me, leave the laptop home.

Finally, I get to the point of this letter. Behind the cash register at the antique shop, there is a rug. Underneath you’ll find a loose tile. Lift it to discover a small safe in the floor. The combination is 06-20-04. Use what’s inside to get a new couch, granite countertop, and a mattress. A home isn’t your own until you get rid of the furniture that has had someone else’s naked ass on it.; )

All my love,

Nonna

The smile was still on my face when Matteo came into the room. I held the letter to my chest. “I hope she wrote a hundred of these.”

“If it makes you smile like that, I hope so, too.”

I sipped my coffee. “Am I taking you away from anything? Do you work in the vineyard on Sundays?”

He shook his head. “No. But I was hoping maybe you’d join me later today, if you’re free.”

“Oh?”

“Once a month, my family gets together on Sunday afternoon for dinner at my parents’.”

I froze. Meeting his parents? Family dinner?

My face must’ve shown more of what I was thinking than I realized because Matteo put his hands on my shoulders. “It’s just dinner, Allegra. Breathe.”

I tried to laugh it off. “Yeah, of course. I just…have a lot to do.”

Matteo’s eyes narrowed, and he put his hands on his hips. “What?”

“What do you mean what?”

“What exactly do you need to do today?”

I said the first thing I could think of. “Work in the shop.”

“You told me last night that you had spent the last four days organizing and cleaning the antique store.”

“I meant work behind the counter.”

“The shop, it isn’t open on Sundays. Nothing around here is.”

“I, uh, decided to open it. I’m hoping maybe being the only place open might draw some people.” I told a little white lie. “I asked my grandmother’s friend Francesca to put it in the church bulletin.”

Matteo looked at me like he knew I was full of shit, then simply nodded. “Breakfast is ready.”

Maybe it was my guilt, but conversation felt strained at the table, like we were making small talk to avoid anything that might bring us back to Matteo’s invitation. When we were done, I figured I should get going. So I changed back to my clothes and brought the T-shirt out to the kitchen and extended it to him. “Thank you for the loaner.”

He frowned. “I thought you wanted to keep it.”

“I was…just teasing.”