Page 108 of The Fall Affair

“Who were you just talking to?”

She blinked. “No one.”

My eyes slanted to the bed, where her cell phone was. It hadn’t been there ten minutes ago. I was certain of that because I’d plugged it in before I got in the shower this morning, while she was still sleeping. My wife had a habit of forgetting to charge it.

“You weren’t talking to someone?”

She looked away, brushing hair from her face. “I was chanting. It’s called japa. It’s part of the meditation I learned in India. It helps clear the mind.”

I glanced at the phone again and back to her. “Oh. Okay.”

The rest of the day, I tried to shake off my unease. But it gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. Later, after dinner, we sat on the porch side by side. Izzy leaned into me, barefoot with her legs tucked beneath her, and her hair wild from the humid day. She looked like the girl I’d fallen in love with.

I cleared my throat. “So I’ve been thinking…”

She tilted her head up at me. “It’s about time you got to the adventure you wanted to talk about. I’ve been waiting since we sat down to eat.”

I smiled. “I want to open my own place, my own vineyard.”

Her smile faltered, but then she seemed to catch it, and the corners of her lips tilted upward again. “Oh. Okay.”

“Why do I feel like you’re disappointed?”

“I’m not.” She shook her head. “I just thought… You said an adventure, that’s all.”

“You don’t think buying my own land and starting my own business is an adventure?”

“No, no…it is.” She smiled again, but it felt forced. “I think that would be great for you.”

“For us…”

“Right, that’s what I said.”

“No, you said for you… That’s different than for us.”

She sat up. “Well, I meant us… Why are you picking at my words?”

“I guess because I want this to be for us. I found land in Montepulciano that has good soil, good sun, and a nice house—a place we could plant roots.”

She was quiet for a few beats and then smiled, this time bigger. “That sounds great.”

“Does it?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it?”

“You sure?”

She tilted her head. “If you are. I mean…owning your own vineyard is a big responsibility. I don’t want you jumping into something unless it’s really what you want.”

“It is. I know it will be a ton of work, but I feel like I can handle it. And it’ll be worth it in da long run.”

“Then it’s settled.” She leaned in and kissed me. “We’re opening a vineyard.”

I cupped the back of her neck and kept her close. “You’re sure?”

“Stop asking me that.” She laughed. “Of course. Let’s do it.”

I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “And maybe…down da road, once we’re settled in our own place, we start a family?”