Chapter 41
Hanna
We've long left behind the gentle hills of Tuscany. When we departed from the estate, Vico's VW van was nowhere in sight. Perhaps it's for the best.
What else would we have said to each other?
It is what it is, and there's no point in dwelling on it any longer. We are both on our way back to our good old lives.
The mountains rise beside the highway as Florian and I drive toward Tyrol together. Leaning my head against the window, I gaze up at the sky, where the moon is already visible, even though the sun hasn't fully set yet.
Florian reaches for my hand and squeezes it tightly. "Are you tired?"
"Yes," I reply, feeling at least a little bit free. Finally, I manage to openly express how I feel and what's going on inside me. I turn to him. "When will we return to Collina da sogno to get my car?"
Focused on the road, he shrugs. "With your broken arm, you can't drive anyway. So there's no rush."
I hum in agreement, as he is right. Nonetheless, it feels strange to know that my car is in Italy, and I'll now be dependenton someone else to take me where I need to go for weeks. "But you'll have to go back to Tuscany soon for the contract signing, right?"
He takes his hand off the steering wheel, giving me a gentle pat on the thigh. "Mm-hmm."
Something in his expression puzzles me, but I can't put my finger on it. It's probably just my own tiredness, making me see things that aren't there. "Look." He nods toward the road sign right in front of us.
Semmtal.
"Welcome home," Florian says affectionately, but all I can do is stare at the letters on the sign, unable to grasp that I'm actually back. I should be happy, but that feeling eludes me.
"Thank you," I whisper absentmindedly, stroking Florian's hand. I don't need to look to feel the ring on my finger. We haven't discussed a date yet, but it'll probably happen next year, at the latest.
Does Vico know about our engagement?
Is that why he fled without saying goodbye?
Stop. I shouldn't even be asking myself these questions.
We pass through the entrance of the village, and I focus on the world outside our car. Since my departure, a lot has changed. Spring has transformed the village into a blooming oasis.
The flower decorations on the quaint houses add wonderful accents to the dark-painted wooden windows with their red, pink, and yellow spots. The meadows are so lush green that they glow even in the twilight. I crack open the car window, and the spicy scent of the alpine meadows fills my nose.
"Are you happy to be back?" Florian signals and turns the car into a side street.
"It feels strange. Foreign and familiar at the same time." Once again, I speak exactly what's on my mind. "And that's even though I've only been away for a few weeks. Crazy, right?"
His mouth curls upward. "Soon you'll have two places where you feel at home. Semmtal and Collina da sogno."
And two places where I'll have trouble keeping up with work. One of them now comes into my view. "We'll need staff. Maybe we can hire Natalie permanently after she finishes the school year. She's proven herself, hasn't she?" I ask, as I can't possibly manage to run both inns alone. And that's independent of my illness, which Florian still knows nothing about.
He needs to know. Best now, right away.
"No worries, I've already calculated everything. We'll manage without Natalie," he replies in his businesslike tone, slows down the car, and parks under the carport next to the woodpile.
The way he talks about her is odd. "Has something happened?" I unfasten my seat belt and extricate myself from the seat. The long drive has made my legs stiff, and he seems sluggish as he exits the car.
For a split second, he looks at me over the car roof with an expressionless face, but then he shakes his head.
"She quit the internship. But I'll tell you about it later. Right now, something else is much more important."
When did this happen? Why did she leave? And why hasn't he told me anything about it until now?
