Page 82 of I Think Olive You
“I’d like to take the time to thank you all for your hard work over the season. This place functions and flourishes because of people like you and I am so grateful. I know everyone is hungry. We’ve got a spread of food coming soon. But I had to say this before the night devolves because of the music and drinks.”
The crowd laughs, tension from the day already dissolving, and I stare up at her with wonder. Even with a dirt smudge across her forehead and her hair tumbling from the bun she’s tried and failed to secure all day… Giuliana is the most exquisite creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. Hanging on her every word, I’m tethered to the honeyed tone of her voice. I can’t wait until that voice is wrapped around my name.
And her legs are wrapped around your waist? The voice jokes. It’s not wrong—not in the slightest—and it makes me chuckle a little. Because yes, I’d love for her to be wrapped around me. It’s been a busy week mostly spent apart. I’ve missed her and her body.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a year. Besides officially kicking off our volunteer initiative, we’ve also established a scholarship program and partnered with a nearby farm to source fresh ingredients to ensure the best for our B&B. There’s even been some talk of trying to convince Nonna to turn our kitchen into a restaurant, but I’m sure after a long day of cooking like today she’d scold me for saying so.”
More laughs this time from people acquainted with Isabella, all fully aware of how well she’d take to being coerced into anything. My eyes scan the crowd trying to find her but she’s likely still inside getting everything ready.
“Guests have visited the grove this year from all corners of the world, but it’s you. It’s every one of you that makes this possible. My father and his father and all those who came before have poured their love into this land and I’m so proud to be able to say we’re doing the same. So please, raise a glass as we toast to this new beginning and fresh iteration of the dreams of our predecessors.”
I walk over to the sign we’ve got covered—the one that’s going to go over the road at the entrance. It took almost all year to complete but it had to feel right. Harvest was the best time for it. My hand wraps around the fabric, ready to pull it off as soon as I get Giuliana’s cue. The crowd raises their glasses, waiting.
“To the past. To Abundantia, and to the future…” Giuliana’s voice rings out, clear and sure.
“To Rinascita!”
Tugging the fabric away, it flutters off of the sign with a swish. Burned into the wood is the new name—a vow as much as a brand. It’s a message to all who enter and to those of us who know what lies beneath it. Rinascita is forgiveness in the face of love. It’s letting go of grief and loss and fear to take charge of our own destinies. The name represents the rebirth of possibility. This land is Giuliana’s but it’s my home as well, and will be for the rest of my life. Our lives, if I have a say in it.
Cheering in celebration, we tip the crisp liquid into our mouths, bubbles fizzing along our throats on the way down. I manage to grab a few bites before sneaking away into the house to shower. After sloughing the dirt from my body under the hot spray, I dress and slip into my old room—now a sort of office for me.
The door creaks a little as I ease it shut, and I rush to slide the desk drawer open, reaching inside. A new journal—a Christmas gift from Giuliana, and beside that…
I sit and start writing, one sentence to clear the nerves and mark it down as real.
Our bedroom door is shut when I tiptoe out. The patter of water from the shower and Giuliana’s soft humming sounds from our ensuite. That shaft of light I stared at far too often creeps from under the door. I only have a few minutes head start so I’ll have to make it count.
Grabbing the basket Isabella prepared for me, I give her a kiss on the cheek in gratitude during the one minute she stands still. She tuts me away, turning back to all her guests with a smile, and I rush out the back door and up the hill.
The sun is dipping toward the horizon, not quite blazing her last but it’ll be here soon. I lay out the candles around the base of the tree and down in a little trail from the blanket. It’s small, subtle. Not what a Palmer would have done, but then again, I’m not a Palmer. I’ve never really fit into that skin—that person.
Tapping my pocket for the fifth time since I left my old room, I breathe a sigh of relief at the hard square bumping against my leg at the movement. Giuliana strides up the little trail, her eyes large as she takes it all in. There’s a hesitancy to her smile—a need to ask questions—but she holds off and I’m glad. I’m a fucking mess and if she distracts me right now, I might implode.
“Amore?” It’s soft, a little breathless, and I love how she’s found her own nickname for me. After I’ve teased her with so many different ones.
Holding out my hand for her to take, I shudder when she slips her palm against mine. Her fingers thread between my own and the grip is tight, reassuring. Raising her hand to my lips, I pray my voice will be steady and my palm’s not too clammy and cold. My heart beats hard against the cage of my ribs—it roars, barely contained.
“Lia…” I kiss the back of her hand, savoring the fresh scent of her body wash and the softness of her skin under my lips. I’ve grown spoiled and accustomed to it. I try my best to soak it in now and make sure I never take it for granted that I’m beside her, touching her skin.
“I’m so proud of you.”
She beams up at me at my words, that dimple displaying her joy and it warms me to know that I’ve pleased her.
“This past year with you has been the best of my life. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met and you’ve made me a better man—a better person. I’m in awe of you. When you walk into a room I can’t look away and when you leave, I trace every corner looking for you. My days begin and end with you.”
Taking a deep breath, the air rattles inside my lungs as nerves impact my ability to keep my cool.
Don’t fuck this up. Don’t fuck this up.
It’s the most important moment of my life up until now and I’m praying I make it through this without incident.
“I think I’ve loved you since the first moment you yelled at me. Sitting there shaking on that Vespa, I watched you in amazement and every rational thought I had melted into nothing. You’ve knocked me off kilter the same way ever since. I feel you with me even when you’re gone, in the little letters you leave or the strands of your hair that cling to all my clothing.”
Giuliana laughs but I can see the moisture gathering in her eyes and glistening in the flickering candlelight. Her hand grips mine and I know she’s just as affected as I am. Patting my pocket again, I slide my hand inside—trying to be subtle about it. It’s almost as hard as trying to catch my breath when all I want to do is capture her mouth in mine.
All I want to do is lose myself in her.
“When I left here, I was a shell of a person and I resolved myself to a life without you but now… now I can’t bear the thought of us ever being parted. You own me, body and soul, and it’s for that reason I beg you…”