Page 83 of A Place in the Sun
‘I thought you and Sebastian were going to get it on,’ Stella says.
‘Is there a better way to say that?’
Giovanni tuts and folds his arms.
‘Okay, get together,’ she says, with attitude.
‘Well, he asked me.’ I can hear a bus coming up the road. I watch Stella as she gestures to flag it down. ‘But I said no. I want to stay here. In the house. I want you all to be happy. The three of you.’
‘What?’
The bus pulls up and the doors open. The driver looks at us through his reflective sunglasses. Stella picks up her rucksack and steps forward.
‘I’m not going anywhere, Stella. And Casa Luna is as much your home as it is Luca and Aimee’s.’
The driver calls to her.
She looks at Giovanni. ‘She’s shitting me, right?!”
He straightens from leaning against the bike. ‘If I know one thing about Thea, it’s that she’s not someone to mess you around. She says what she means. She’s not going with Sebastian, and she’s staying here. I believe her.’
‘And our home is your home,’ I add.
She looks between us. ‘I’d love that.’ She hurls herself at me and hugs me hard, nearly knocking me off my feet.
The driver tuts, then smiles and shuts the door. He and I wave to each other.
‘Come on, let’s go home,’ I say, picking up her rucksack, and the three of us walk back towards the village, Giovanni pushing the bike.
At Casa Luna, Stella’s is rucksack propped against the wooden pillar in the living room, a big bright space, The children, all three of them, are sitting in front of me at the table.
‘I should go,’ says Giovanni.
‘Are you sure?’ I say. ‘Can’t I offer you something to eat or drink?’
He laughs. ‘Spoken like a true Italian! Looks like this village has adopted you and made it your home.’
‘I hope so.’
‘I’ll leave you to it.’ He turns to go. ‘If I don’t get achance to say it,grazie milleagain. For finding a way to keep La Tavola going. I know it’s in safe hands.’
‘Well, between us all, I’m sure it’ll have a good chance now. But, like the kitchen, it was team work.’
He says no more and leaves.
‘So, where to begin?’ I turn back to the table. ‘How would you feel if …’
I stare at the faces in front of me, feeling the weight of responsibility as I finish telling them my plan.
‘Mamma?’ says Luca, slowly, as if letting things settle in his mind. ‘Do you mean it? We can stay?’
‘We can stay!’ yells Aimee, and hugs Stella around the neck. ‘And Stella is moving in!’
‘Well, now the house is finished, it’s ours to do what we like with. Sell it or live in it.’
‘And we get to stay and go to school here, with Pietro! And can we carry on helping at La Tavola? What about pasta-making weekends? All different types of pasta. And cheese weekends, all different types of cheese and recipes and maybe Christmas recipes. We could put thenonnas on TikTok too!’ Luca gabbles.
‘Wait!’ I laugh. ‘Sometimes it’s better to get on with what you have than want more.’ And Luca looks crestfallen. ‘But yes! We can do other things at the cookery school. I’m sure there are lots of people who want to come and enjoy a slice of real Italian life. And that way we can still help the people who need it.’
