Page 86 of A Slice of You

I put down my paddle brush on the bathroom basin and washed my face with his fluffy face washer as the morning light came shining in. For once I felt secure and in love –yes, I was in love– to the point my heart ached when we spent a night apart.Go figure, Naomi Jean Clarke. You are really in love. You’ve finally let your walls down and trusted a man!

A pang of nerves coursed through my stomach. I was about to meet the prestigious Elizabeth Vitello –theElizabeth who criticised Patrick for not wearing a tie on his birthday. I swallowed hard as our conversation the first time we had crepes replayed in my head:Mama always told us image is very important in life and image is power.My stomach sank.What if she disapproved of me?!He called her at least once a day, and they chatted about business, and sometimes I’d overhear him talking about me. Even after the dozen times he told me not to worry and that she’d love me, I still couldn’t help feeling anxious. How would a coastal girl like me stack up to Patrick’s glamourous exes? I’d seen photos of Stephanieon her Instagram; she was the most beauty-obsessed person I’d ever laid eyes on. She had a big following too, which only made her more intimidating. Seventeen frickin’ thousand people fangirling over her wardrobe and makeup posts compared to my paltry four hundred and something who seemed to, at best, vaguely enjoy my pics of food and the occasional rainbow.

Stephanie was a platinum blonde with silicon breasts and bee-stung lips, and I had none of those things. I was brunette, small-breasted, and had average-sized lips. The photos of the two of them together were what made my heart twist. They genuinely looked happy and were picture-perfect, and Patrick had a softness in his eyes when he was next to her. A softness that showed me he was deeply in love and would’ve done anything to please her. She would have fit Elizabeth’s ‘image is power’ motto perfectly.

I guess these nerves were to be expected – I was meeting Elizabeth Vitello for frick sakes. It wasn’t even just that she was Patrick’s mother. She was also the incredibly sophisticated woman responsible for that amazing wine that seemed to sell out nearly as fast as Kylie Jenner’s lip kits. Well, maybe not that quick, but it was in high demand nonetheless.

Elizabeth will compare me to Stephanie as soon as she sees me, won’t she?What if she thinks I’m plain and not up to their standards?Oh God, why am I doing this to myself?

‘Are you ready?’ Patrick called from the bedroom as he buttoned up his silver vest over a white shirt. I could see him getting dressed for work in the mirror’s reflection, but that was the plan: meet his mother, then go straight to Casa di Vitello for the lunch rush.

‘Think so.’ I sucked in a deep breath and examined my pale mint-and-peach V-neck maxi-gown in the mirror for any spots or loose threads. The floral organic cotton was soft and floaty, complementing the thin brown belt around my waist. Verybohemian luxe of me, I thought with approval. I was saving this dress for a special day, and today felt special enough to debut it.

One thing I knew for sure: I was the opposite of Stephanie. Come to think of it, since being with Patrick, my shopping habit had simmered down to the point I even threw out makeup. Can you believe it? Trust me – it was a really tough decision, but by the same token, why did I need thirty foundations when only two were my holy grails? Some girls loved buying makeup as a hobby, and that was fine, but I always knew deep down the reasons for my shopping sprees were much darker – I’d been treating shopping for makeup like it was pain medication.

The doorbell rang, and a wave of nausea rolled through me like the surf at Noosa Beach.

‘You truly are a goddess, Naomi,’ Patrick said as he eyed me from head to toe before disappearing down the staircase.

I sat down on the bed unable to move for a moment. The air went thick, and I was struggling to catch a breath. I sucked in some air, but each breath I took didn’t feel deep enough. They were too shallow.Oh my God, am I going to faint? How embarrassing.

The sound of an elegant though very excited mother’s voice said, ‘Oh, Patrizio, my darling son. How I’ve missed your handsome face.’ This was followed by the sound of kisses being exchanged.

‘Naomi?’ Patrick called. ‘Are you coming down? Mama’s here.’

I managed to choke out the words ‘just a second’. Then I swung my feet off the bed to stand on wobbly legs, went into the bathroom, spritzed some Chloe perfume on my chest, and sucked in a massive breath.Okay, Naomi, you’ve got this.It’s just his mother.What could go wrong?

After I finally got my breathing in a steady rhythm, I walked down the stairs and caught sight of Elizabeth’s flamboyant aqua-and-pink kaftan that looked designer label. Camilla, no doubt.Expensive stuff. As I clutched onto the wooden handrail, I noticed they were both looking up at me. Patrick was smiling, but I couldn’t quite read his mother’s expression. And then, in possibly the most embarrassing moment of my life, I tripped on my dress, landed on my bum, and slid down four steps. My worst nightmare.What a grand entrance, Naomi. Now she’ll think you’re some incompetent fool. And my bum hurts. Ow.

Patrick rushed to me and held out his hand to help me up. His eyes twinkled at me in reassurance.

‘My goodness. Are you okay, dear?’ Elizabeth walked to the stairs and placed a delicate hand on my shoulder.

Huh?She wasn’t going to laugh at me?Maybe all my ideas of what she’d be like were just anxiety all along. I wondered if she could sense my surprise at the warmth and kindness in her voice, the tone that sounded so much like Patrick’s. As I looked up at her, I noticed her eyes were like his too – she was beautiful with her backcombed hair and a delicate yet structured face.

‘I’m alright,’ I said as I regained my balance and smiled, ignoring my aching rear end.

And to further my shock, she opened her arms and embraced me in a big motherly cuddle, kissing me cheek to cheek.

I blushed and looked over at Patrick’s happy expression with raised brows as if to say,She approves of me, hurrah!!!Could he read my thoughts?

‘Now, I want to hear all about you, Naomi, but first, I need to get settled in my room.’ Behind her were two Louis Vuitton roller bags, and she had her velvet pink-rose bag looped on her wrist.

‘Of course, Mama. Here, I’ve got your bags.’ Patrick grabbed her luggage and led her upstairs to the guestroom.

How could I be so silly and so quick to judge?His mother was lovely, and she wanted to hear all about me. So what if she wasobsessed with image? That didn’t mean she was judgmental. She was just a woman of great taste.

***

After Elizabeth was settled into her room, she came back downstairs in a cloud of Chanel No. 5.

‘Come, let’s sit at the table,’ she said, waving to me and Patrick to join her at the luxe sandalwood dining table big enough to seat twenty people. ‘So, I’ve heard you’ve created quite a bit of talk about the pizzas in Noosa,’ she said to me as she sat down on the cushioned chair.

Patrick and I sat on opposite sides in the next seats over from her.

‘Oh, really?’ I smiled at how impressed she looked as she spoke to me.

‘Yes, it sounds like Sydney and Melbourne could do with your magic touch.’ She nodded as her emerald eyes stared at me with intrigue.

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