Valentina loops her arm through mine and leads me toward the door. “We’ll be back for dinner, where you all can grill her.”
I laugh as we exit the room, a wave of relief washing over me as we get away from her family. “I take it you’re the boss,” I say, with a chuckle.
She giggles. “Don’t let Papa or Lorenzo hear you say that they’ll lose their minds.” She leads me down the hall, her arm still looped through mine. “I’m outspoken. My family lets me be who I really am, without putting me down. I love them for that.”
Jealousy hits me like a freight train. I’ve never had the chance to find out who I really am. I’ve always been told who to be and how to behave. While the jealousy gnaws at me, I’m actually really happy that Valentina has that, has a family who supports her unconditionally.
“What about you? What’s your family like?” she asks softly as she brings me to the kitchen. “Oh, this is Joe, he’s our cook, although you’ll catch Vittoria and Elisabetta in here most days. They both love to cook, and Joe indulges them by giving them his recipes to cook.”
Joe is an older man with salt and pepper hair. He’s got a beautiful smile as he listens to Valentina speak, it’s clear that he’s very fond of her, and it reminds me of Mamie. God, I’ll miss her.
I step forward and offer my hand. “It’s really nice to meet you, Joe. I’m Quinn.”
He turns his smile to me as he hurries toward me and shakes my hand. “Quinn, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please let me know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.”
My cheeks heat. “I’m allergic to peanuts,” I say quietly, knowing how much my mam hates me speaking about it.
“Oh cool,” Valentina says. “That’s good to know, we’ll make sure that we don’t have any in the house.”
Joe nods in agreement. “Don’t worry, Quinn, we’ll make sure that you’ll not be in contact.”
My throat feels as though it’s closing and not because of an allergy, but because of emotion. I’ve never felt as easily accepted as Joe and Valentina have treated me. “Thank you,” I say, pressing my lips together so that I don’t start crying.
Once again, Valentina comes to my rescue when she loops her arm through mine. “I’m giving Quinn the grand tour, will you have some food sent up to the library?”
My heart stutters at her words. “You have a library?”
She grins. “Yes, and judging by your tone, I know I’ll no longer be the only one using it.”
She waves goodbye to Joe and shows me around the rest of the house. She points out the wings in the home, without bringing me into them. Elisabetta, Sofia, and Valentina share a wing, whereas Lorenzo, Ciro, and Giovanni have their own wings. I wanted to ask why, but I have a feeling I already know why.
The men will marry and bring their wives to this home, whereas, when the women marry, they’ll leave the home and move in with their husbands. It’s crazy that the women have to deal with the same archaic views and rules, but Italians aren’t the only ones to have those views. My da’s the exact same way.
We reach the library and my heart soars. It’s bigger and better than the one that was at home. “Have a look around,” Valentina encourages me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, and Joe will be here with some food soon.”
I hear her leave and do exactly as she said. I take my time and look around the library. It is filled floor to ceiling with bookcases. Historical books, non-fiction, encyclopedias, and fiction. They have every genre of literature that you could imagine. God, I’m in absolute heaven. This is magnificent and I know that I’ll have an amazing time here trying to find a book to read.
“You like?” Valentina asks and I let out a little whimper as I spin on my heel and press a hand to my chest as I stare at her, my heart pounding. She raises her hands and giggles. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I thought you heard me come in.”
“You’re grand,” I reply, waving her off. God, I can’t remember the last time I was so relaxed that someone managed to sneak up on me? “And to answer your question? Like? God, I’m in love. This is amazing.”
She leads me to the back of the library, which I hadn’t reached yet, and I see that it’s set up with a sofa, an arm chair, and a chaise lounge, all of which look extremely comfortable and I’m not sure which I want to sink into first.
There's a stack of books sitting on the coffee table. Fantasy books, my favorite kind, wrapped in a pink bow.
"Val?" I ask.
She turns. "What?"
I point.
"Oh."
I move closer and spot a folded note resting on top. My stomach flips, and I pick it up and unfold it.
Quinn,
From Lorenzo.
