Page 9 of The Fall Affair

I was glad he spoke English. “Yes. To be honest, I was surprised. I assumed my grandmother would’ve left everything to her sister.”

“We spoke about her sister, but she was adamant that she wanted you to receive everything. She mentioned that you two spoke every Sunday morning, and that you were often still at work from the night before. I don’t think she intended for you to inherit only her home and land. I think she was hoping you’d inherit a different pace of life.”

I sighed, half smiling. “She always did have a way of getting people to do what she wanted.”

He chuckled. “I went to visit her at home to deliver the will I’d prepared, and when she opened the door, she handed me a colander and a broom and instructed me to catch a lizard she’d named Sergio who kept scaring her in her vegetable garden. I spent an hour chasing a reptile while she sipped limoncello from a lawn chair and watched me, wearing dark glasses. When I finally caught it, she made me drop it off in Cortona, at the base of her sister’s property. They weren’t speaking at the time.”

I laughed. “That sounds like my grandmother.”

“We haven’t done a valuation of any sort, but I would imagine all that land is worth three or four million euro.”

“All that land? Doesn’t she just own the little plot her antique shop is on?”

“No, Ms. Bianchi. Your grandmother owned close to forty hectares, around one hundred acres, of the surrounding property in Tuscany. Much of it is leased, so it produces income.”

Wow. I had no idea.

“I imagine it won’t be easy to put your life on hold for three months,” he continued, “with your work and all, but it’s definitely worth your while.”

It would be a lot easier now than it would’ve been a week ago… “Actually, I may be able to make it work.”

“Excellent. When you figure out your plans, please let me know. We should meet to go over next steps. I also have a set of keys to the shop, but your grandmother said you’d know where to find her hidden spare.”

I smiled. “I do.”

“Okay, then. I look forward to your arrival.”

Chapter 4

Allegra

GREAT. NO SIGNAL, no shade, dead car, and I’m going to pee my pants any second.

I walked around my stalled rental and searched for cell service along the narrow shoulder of the road, holding my phone to the sky as I went. Nothing. Not even a single bar.

A patch of olive trees on the other side of the highway caught my eye. If I was going to have to put my thumb out for a ride or ask a fellow traveler for help, I probably shouldn’t be wearing urine-stained white pants. So I scanned for traffic coming from the left, then right. Finding the road empty as far as I could see in both directions, I ran across and ducked into trees, muttering to myself as I went. “I cannot believe I’m doing this. I haven’t gone to the bathroom outside since my parents forced me to go camping when I was seven, and I wound up with a tick on my ass.”

This had been the trip from hell already, and I hadn’t even gotten to my final destination. Sort of went with my last few weeks.

Just as I crouched down to empty my bladder, the quiet of the Italian countryside was interrupted. Bzzz. Bzzz. At first, I thought it was a bee, but as the noise grew louder, I realized it was one of those scooters that were so popular around here. Shit. Shit! I was still relieving myself when it idled to a soft putt-putt next to my car parked across the street.

I leaned over to hide my head behind an olive tree, but the skinny trunk wasn’t wide enough to conceal me. The man swung his leg over his Vespa, hit the kickstand with his boot, and pulled off his helmet. Meanwhile, I rushed frantically to pull up my underwear and pants while also trying not to move around and draw attention to myself. I must’ve done a really crappy job because the guy looked around for a half second before his gaze locked on me.

This day can’t get much worse.

I stood, dusted myself off, and tried to pull off a casual wave as I walked out of the olive trees. “Oh, hi!”

Even from across the street, I could see the man’s brows draw down. He said nothing as I looked both ways and crossed the road to my broken-down car. Of course, because this month was one disaster after the next, the guy had to be stupid good-looking, too. Tall with broad shoulders, dark hair, and a tan complexion that made his light blue eyes pop. God forbid an ugly man catch me peeing in public this afternoon.

I thumbed over my shoulder when I reached him. “I was, umm, taking a picture of the olive farm. It’s, uh, really beautiful.”

He raised a brow like he knew exactly what I’d been doing. “Americana?”

“Oh. Yes. I’m sorry. Do you only speak Italian?” I shook my head. “That was a pretty dumb question, huh? Obviously if you only speak Italian, you’re not going to understand me asking you if you only speak Italian.”

The man stared at me like I had two heads. “I speak Inglese.”

“Oh. Great… I think.”