Marcella’s red lips tightened and she nodded sharply. ‘Mmm. Big changes. Good changes. Forallof us.’ Her eyes flicked to Giacomino scraping plates over the sink, and she exhaled a little victorious breath.
‘I would like to come back to Rome.’
Marcella’s eyes widened. ‘Really? So soon?’
‘Florence . . . isn’t Rome. And I can do my work from the local office. I’m sure of it. Travel and commute when needed. I’m just going to need my room back.’
Marcella cackled. ‘It’s empty. Very empty!’
Carlotta’s usually collected veneer gave way, and she too enjoyed a laugh at Vincent’s expense. ‘What about you? What do you want from this year?’
Marcella sighed deeply and she gave a subtle nod in Giacomino’s direction. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, ‘He asked me to run the kitchen at theenoteca.’
Carlotta’s spine straightened, then she leaned forward. ‘Work together?’
‘Yes.’ Marcella looked Giacomino up and down. ‘It will either be a loud and passionate success. Or we will kill each other.’
‘You can only try.’
‘And I want to see you and Stella more settled. In workandlove.’
Carlotta waved Marcella’s comment from the table. ‘I have no time for love.’
‘Make some.’
Suddenly, they were interrupted by an incoming call. ‘It’s Stella!’ Marcella announced. ‘Pronto? Stella,buon anno!’
‘Buon annoto you, too! Where are you? I want to come see you guys!’
‘Sì,sì tesoro. We are at Giacomino’s apartment. I’ll text you the address. Are you hungry? We have just finished lunch, but there are some leftovers in the fridge.Formaggi,prosciutto. Some day-old bread.’
‘Day-old bread?’ Stella scoffed. ‘No thanks. I’veupgraded.’
Marcella processed Stella’s particular choice of words. ‘O Dio Santo . . .’
‘See you soon.’
‘Stella,no. . .aspetta!’
The buzz of the intercom announced Stella’s arrival twenty minutes later. Marcella, dying to see if her suspicions were on the mark, bounded for the door.
‘BUON—’ she trilled, opening the door dramatically only to cut herself off, before screeching, ‘Santa Maria!’
There stood Stella and Marco, smiley and loved-up, hand in hand.
Marco feigned deafness. ‘Mamma mia, Marcella. My hearing is completely gone now. You’ve just taken the last of it.’
‘Dio! Is this—? Are you—?’ Marcella couldn’t form a proper sentence to save herself.
‘What is going on?’ Carlotta had appeared at the doorway, wanting to make some sense of the muffled confusion she had heard from within.
‘Well, Marco and I . . .’ Stella blushed.
‘Is it done? Are you together?’ Marcella couldn’t contain herself.
‘Sì,’ answered Marco, shielding himself from the barrage of breasts and curls that pounced upon them.
‘Finalmente!’ screamed Marcella in clear approval. ‘Honestly, the sexual tension between you has been killing me. Giacomino and I have been having sex twice a day just to clear the air.Madonna. . .’ She fanned herself as beads of sweat made themselves known around her neck.
