Page 41 of Where We Met

I'm trying to play it somewhat cool in front of Luke. This is just another day, another business trip for him, but for me… It's the trip of a lifetime.

The wheels hit the cement and bounce on and off the runway until we stay grounded and quickly come to a slow speed. The plane is parked, and Luke is leading me to the open door in no time. We walk down the stairs onto to the tarmac and are led to customs. As soon as we get to the other side of the building, a car is waiting for us, already packed with our luggage.

We get in and start the drive to Montepulciano, a medieval hilltop town only miles from the vineyard where we're staying. Apparently, this is the winemaker we are trying to convince to do business with Giannelli Family Selections.

Luke's assistant Maggie sent over the details a couple days ago. I've been doing research on the town, the wine in the area, and the family, trying to be as prepared as possible for the business side of the trip.

The wine made in Montepulciano is called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and I can’t wait to try it.

As soon as we leave the airport, we're instantly driving through rolling hills with the classic Tuscan trees I've only seen in the movies. I feel like a little kid, my face almost pressed against the window glass. It's exactly as I pictured it, except even more beautiful in person.

The houses are all unique and yet exactly the same.

We slow down as we navigate gravel roads for what feels like miles. I'm too distracted by the beauty that surrounds me to pay attention. It's not until we come to a complete stop that I realize that we're here.

I turn to Luke, who already seems to have his eyes on me with a faint glint of humor.

"We're here," he says.

The driver comes to my side and opens the door for me, extending his hand to help me out. I take his hand willingly, enjoying the chivalry.

"Thank you," I tell him once I'm out.

I look up and see a large, beautiful villa in front of me made entirely of stone. To the right is a similar-looking villa but much smaller. Surrounding both buildings are so many grape vines that extend for miles, all on hills that appear to go on forever. In the distance, you can see a small town, which must be Montepulciano.

My breath is literally stolen away from me. It's all just so incredible.

Luke joins my side and looks out at the view.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" he says.

"It's… There aren't even words."

His hand takes mine and leads me toward the large villa. An older gentleman walks out with a younger man following closely behind him. They have warm smiles on their faces and are wearing casual clothing, light sweaters and khakis.

When they reach us, the older man extends his hand to Luke, who drops my hand to shake his. I feel the loss immediately.

"Ciao. Benvenuto, Signor Giannelli," he greets warmly.

I don't know what it is about this place, about these people, but I feel instantly at home.

"Ciao. Grazie per averci," Luke responds.

Hold up… Are we only speaking Italian on this trip? I don't know Italian. Should I have been learning Italian all semester just in case I won? I studied up on it a little bit last week, but I only memorized select greetings and words.

I know ciao means hello and grazie is thank you, but everything else that's been said is fuzzy. I start to have an internal meltdown at the thought that I’m not going to understand a word that’s said during this trip.

"E chi è questa bellezza?" the older man says while looking at me.

I glance nervously at Luke who just winks at me. That does nothing to calm my nerves.

"Lei non sa molto Italiano," Luke says as his head nods toward me.

Great, now they're going to talk about me in another language right in front of me, so I have no idea if they’re saying good or bad things.

"Ah. Perdonami. Forgive me," he says to me as he takes my hand. "I speak English. Welcome to Mancini Farms. We're so happy to have you."

Oh, thank God! I may have overreacted a smidge just now. There's no way this trip would be all in Italian without a warning or heads up from Luke.

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