Page 104 of Strictly Business

Okay, so maybe I had fun in high school, and the small amount of time I spent in college, sue me. At least I was gentleman enough never to date more than one at a time.

Josh returns looking extra annoyed and falls back into his chair with a huff. “She’s out of her damn mind. She wants me to overnight the damn things to Estranei.”

“Estran-what?” Where in the world is that? What in the world is that?

“You remember Romy and Enzo from the wedding? Enoz’s family owns a vineyard in Italy. Nin’s great-grandfather used to work there. Mic has been staying in the vineyard guest house,” Nick explains. “She added it to the end of her little trip of self-discovery.”

“She’s supposed to leave in two or three days. Even if I overnighted it, it’ll never make it in time.”

“You know who his wife is, right?” Alex points towards his brother.

“I don’t even think Nina Villa could get it there that fast.”

“You’d be surprised by the things she can do.” Nick licks his lips with a wide smirk. Alex grimaces, and Josh and I try to ignore the obvious thoughts going through his mind.

“She’s just gonna have to wait until she comes home.” Josh shrugs. “It’ll be waiting for her with the rest of her shit in the guest room.”

Chapter Fifty-Six

MICHAELA

I SMILE AS THE warmth of the Italian sun kisses my face. The ends of a curly bob tickle the top of my shoulders as the breeze blows through the vineyard. The almost two weeks I’ve spent here with Romy and Enzo have been the perfect way to end my two-month sabbatical.

What have I learned in the past two months? First, I’m a people pleaser. I want people to be happy, I want them to be proud of me, and I want to make sure their expectations are met…even to my own detriment. Second, I compare myself to others. My life is deeply rooted in the lives of people vastly different from mine. Lord knows I have to stop worrying that my life doesn’t look like theirs — I’m sure it’s easy to guess who I’m talking about. Nina is my best friend, that will always be true, but we are not the same. We don’t have to be, nor do I want to be. Third, I lead a privileged life compared to most of the world, but still not as privileged as some. I’m still trying to figure out what that means, but I know that I want to use these past few months to make some changes in my life. And finally… I shouldn’t have been mad at Finn (not as mad). He didn’t have to tell me about the agreement with his dad, though it would have been nice to know what I was getting myself into. It wasn’t my business. It was before we started dating. Therefore, he didn’t owe me any explanation. Coming to that conclusion a few weeks ago, I decided I would talk to him when I got home — apologize, at least, for how I acted.

My phone rings from inside the bedroom, but I don’t move. I only have two more days to take in as much of this view as I can, and I’m not going to miss a moment. The guest villa sits in the middle of the vineyard with surrounding views of the fields and mountains. It’s quite literally peace on Earth.

When I asked Nina to contact the Vitalis about coming to the estate, I wasn’t sure if they’d welcome me back after how David acted the last time we were here. I hoped they’d be willing to give me a second chance without his presence. Instead of an answer from Nina, I received a call from Romy. I knew it was her immediately from the accent. “Michaela! You have to join us at the vineyard. We have the guest house you’re more than welcome to occupy while you’re here.”

“Oh, I was going to rent a—”

“Nonsense. You’ll stay with us. Camilla and Enzo wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Are you sure they’re okay with this? After the last time, I—”

“They were ecstatic to hear you’d be back. Nina called Camilla, but she is on vacation and won’t be able to greet you. Enzo and I will be here, though. You’re welcome to join us for as long as you wish.” Romy refused to hang up until I promised to cancel my room at the hotel and stay at the vineyard. That’s how I found myself extending my trip an extra week.

My phone rings again, and I roll my eyes before padding back inside. I should answer it, or at least see who it is.

Alex.

Alex has checked in with me every other day while I’ve been away, even if I don’t respond. I have avoided my phone as much as possible, even telling Elias to handle the divorce. I’d be fine with whatever he did because I didn’t want anything. David could have it all. The only thing I did want was my freedom. Did he want an annulment instead? Done. Money? Here’s a lump sum. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. I’d do anything to be done with that part of my life.

The three dots bounce up and down briefly before disappearing and returning a moment later. I watch them gyrate around before disappearing altogether. I guess it wasn’t that important after all.

“Oh, Michaela, I forgot to tell you,” Enzo says as we walk toward the tasting room. Enzo and Romy had taken me to dinner on my last night in Italy. I was sad to leave, but it was time to go home. Time to face reality and start putting the pieces of my life back together. “Annamaria said a package arrived for you. Let me see if she left it here or took it to the villa already.” Enzo disappears into the darkness of the tasting room, leaving me and Romy alone for the first time tonight.

“I’m glad you could join us on your trip,” Romy says with a smile.

“Romy, I’m sorry for how I acted last year.” I pull the clip from my hair and shake it out, I’m still adjusting to this new length, but I think I could get used to it. “Even at the wedding, I wasn’t very nice to you.”

Over the last two weeks, I have gotten to know Romy better and understand why Nina gravitated toward her so easily. They were extremely similar, yet completely different. Where Nina was a total workaholic, Romy was more free-spirited. She worked hard, but work wasn’t her life. She had grown up in France and was the embodiment of the French lifestyle, especially when it came to her style. She dressed to impress regardless of what she was doing (including working the vineyard). When I asked about Enzo, she couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks or the giddiness that bubbled inside her. Romy told me she had visited the estate about a month after we did, and Enzo invited her to stay in the guest villa. While she was here, they got to know each other, becoming friends first, and fell in love. She packed up and moved to Italy three months later. Now, she helps Camilla run the business side of things, mostly working on broadening distribution.

While I had spent time getting to know her, I still felt bad because I hadn’t once apologized to Romy for my behavior last year, it was long overdue.

“You had a lot going on, Michaela.” She waves off my comment. Her bright green eyes shine under the light of the lantern above us. “Besides, I’m sure I came off a little strong. I do that sometimes. You were just being a good friend to Davina.”

Truthfully, I think a part of me knew things with David weren’t going well. I just didn’t know how bad it was. Unfortunately, I decided to focus that energy on Romy instead of figuring out my own life.

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