Chapter Four- Olive Kisses (I love kisses J

At lunch hour, Lizzie kept talking to Bettina all about the magnificent 'grape stomping' and also how wonderful it must be to live in such a glorious region of Italy. As Lizzie helped her serve the lunch dishes, since Bettina and Charlie's cook had the day off, Bettina posed a question, "David is still with Sarah, no?"

Lizzie stopped short as she cast her eyes over to a very concerned Bettina, "Yes,"

"Men have a really odd way of showing affection, especially to their 'estranged' wives, and new mistresses." Lizzie then blinked sensing Bettina was giving her some sort of a warning, thinking she was involved with David, as she laughed, "Oh no, David and I aren't like that at all."

"What are you like?" Bettina pried as Lizzie grinned at the very pregnant woman before her, "David and I have known each other since we were kids, and he's more of a brother to me really."

"Brothers don't look at their sisters the way he gazes at you." Bettina warned again as Lizzie smiled again, and then told a fib of her life, "No worry, um, lunch looks lovely..."

Lizzie started to ponder about Bettina's strange mood, if David really wanted something from her other than a friend, Lizzie forced it out of her mind and worried more about the steak on the plates...Lizzie didn't eat meat and she wasn't going to avoid eating it this time around as she stared at David who winked at her with a fool proof grin. Wolfy, who was Bettina and Charlie's dog, lay watch under the table, in hopes that 'lunch scraps' might fall to the floor.

Bettina with a wide grin, "It's bistecca alla fiorentina, Chianina beef, every indigenous to this region and cooked in a very special way, you must try it," Charlie explained as Lizzie gave off a scared look to David who sat beside her...he reached his hand over to hers and started to rub it, hoping to calm her down...but he didn't tell Charlie that Lizzie was a full fledged vegetarian. Lizzie sat there as she waited for Bettina to sit before they started an afternoon meal with a bottle of Classico Merlot, the vineyard's prize winning wine. Wolfy, continued to lay under table as he sniffed at the meat, finally Bettina called out, "Wolfy scat!" and managed to get the dog out from under the table, before sending it out the patio door near the dinning area of the house.

Minutes passed and Lizzie still hadn't touched the beef...she ate the rice, savored the vegetables, but to her the portion of beef, still mooed to her and she couldn't eat it.

Bettina gave Lizzie a look and smiled, "Trouble?"

David laughed, "Actually, no trouble,"

Bettina stared at Lizzie quite confused... Lizzie trying not to be rude, cut the meat in slices, and every cut made her stomach turn. It was when she brought her fork to stab the meat so she could eat it that made her sicker...

David started coughing, in hopes to keep Lizzie from eating the steak, as he coughed more, Charlie and Bettina became concerned as they both asked at the same time, "You all right?"

David rasped, "Water" as he faked not trying to 'talk' as Lizzie caught right on to what David tried to do for her. Charlie and Bettina rushed out of the room as David added, feeling fine, "Quick, napkin your portion...and I'll find a loo and a flush."

"You can't do that."

"Lizzie, you wanna eat that?"

Lizzie gave in and wrapped up her meat as David snatched it quickly before Bettina and Charlie returned to the table with a water pitcher and tray of glasses, while Charlie quickly poured water into a glass for David and offered it to him.

"Actually, I need a lavvy," David replied as Bettina nodded, "Yes, down the corridor to the right..." David got up with the meat behind his back, shoved it in his pocket when he wasn't facing Charlie or Bettina and ran away.

Bettina looked at Lizzie's plate, amazed, "You devoured it quickly?"

Lizzie replied, now lying completely, "It was delish,"

David returned from the small bath and carrying the napkin back with him in his pocket. David reseated himself beside Lizzie as they both smiled at each other before deciding to add, "Well, we should head back to the city..."

Bettina and Charlie walked the pair towards the front doors and over to the Vespa, Charlie and Bettina's dog, 'Wolfy' was mowing down on something very tasty over in the flowerbed. Lizzie nudged David as he shrugged at her, shook hands with Charlie who responded, "You come back to Italy and ring us."

"I will."

"Nice to meet you Lizzie."

Lizzie nodded her head, hugged Bettina, giving her cheek kisses before putting on the helmet and climbing onto the back of the bike with David. She then asked, "What did you do with the meat?"

"Tossed it out the window..."

"Oh David, let's go-before they notice Wolfy's main course," as David grinned and they waved while driving away at Bettina and Charlie, whom waved back before turning to their home-leaving Wolfy with the prized beef behind some bushes, going unnoticed.

David and Lizzie rode down the long paved street as they were enroute to the city, David noticed a field and drove them through it before stopping, "Why we stopping?"

"Ever had an olive off a tree before?" David asked giving Lizzie the recommendation.

"No, but aren't you due back for work stuff or something?"

"Let's go climb a tree..."

"David, it's 3pm and I got work to do..." Lizzie objected acting motherly while removing her helmet.

"You used to love climbing trees, Lemonade queen," David removed his head gear, avoided her tone smiled and started to climb the branches of the nearest tree

"We were kids, David...oh come on, not brill, Dav?" Lizzie watched David scale the tree, which started to sway in the breeze! Lizzie became worried, but then grumbled when she saw that David shook the tree on purpose to scare her.

"Come down David, it's not safe up there, I don't need any olives," as it started to rain the green balled vegetable down onto Lizzie as she felt the pelts on her head, face and body as she yelled out, "Ouch, ouch, David! That's not funny, they hurt!"

David kept shaking the olive tree while Lizzie tried to walk away. David immediately decided to climb back down, to go after Lizzie, only the last branch his foot set on broke. David shouted out, "WHOA!" as he landed right smack on his back on the ground. Lizzie turned as she ran to his side and knelt down on her knees, "See, I told you not to climb it..."

"I'm all right. It was fun...lemme do it again..." David suggested as Lizzie's nose wrinkled and David scanned her freckled face closely, "No way."

"Yes way."

"No way,"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." David and Lizzie started to argue at first and then continued to tease each other bantering back and forth with their faces just inches part, playing a game of 'Yes/No' until David reached right in, cradling her face with both of his hands and planted a firm, gallant and greedy kiss on Lizzie's lips. Lizzie drew right away as she stuttered, "What just happened?"

"Um, I do believe I kissed you which would be actually the second kiss you and I have ever shared."

Lizzie didn't breathe a word, as she remembered David was her first real boy kiss ever. The summer that Jamie died, David consoled Lizzie while sitting on a rock over looking the loch...he kissed her deeply then...and just now, "Ah, um..."

"Lizzie, you okay? Say something?"

Lizzie looked at David, as she was hard to read, the attraction she felt for him crept right in and Lizzie froze moved away silently and roamed back to the motorbike. David just found himself at a loss, realizing he had kissed her intentionally, meaningfully, and because he felt the moment was right then...

Lizzie glanced down at the ground, while standing near the motorbike, "Lizzie, I'm really sorry if that hurt you...I just felt?"

Lizzie's eyes filled with tears, as she was absolutely miserable everyday of her life, and finally something 'great' comes along and he's already with someone else, "You're married, you're attached still, I'm not the other woman..." Lizzie mumbled and David sighed, "It's a technicality, Elizabeth."

"A rather major technicality!"

"Lizzie, do you want to know why I'm not staying married to Sarah?" David spoke up...he didn't say anything to her on the bridge the first night they were in Florence and now he felt he had too. Lizzie peered down at her feet, tried to ignore his stare as David found some courage to lift her chin with his soft hand so she'd look up at him. Their eyes met promptly, longingly with simplicity, as David spoke, "Sarah can't have children. I want children. I can't stay married to a woman that?"

"That's awful, David. That's terrible! You don't want to be married to her because she can't have them! What is that supposed to make me feel better that you kissed me under an olive tree, gee, HALLEJUAH? David! You're?" David just snagged a kiss from her again, their tongues lingered together, their lips stuck like honey, until Lizzie broke free for air as David leaned in to sample her once more...

"We got married six months ago, jumped into it too soon, and never discussed kids...it was daft, but we just assumed each others thoughts as our own on the matter..."

"..." Lizzie turned away again, "I am sorry you married someone who can't have kids. How do you know I'm right for you?"

"Lizzie, what are you talking about? I've known you all my life..."

"David, Gerald and I broke up because I can't seem to get pregnant or stay pregnant! I either miscarry, I've done it twice—David, I swear I'm an expert by now at losing babies, or I'm not pregnant at all. That's a catch-22, huh? I'm fertile myrtle, mind you, but it drove a huge wedge between Gerald and I that I tossed him out on his rump two weeks ago...I'm not right for you David if you expecting something from me that I might not be able to deliver!"

"He was the wrong git for you, Lizzie, that's why you had problems...I'm right...I am." David could tell Lizzie was all out of sorts and tried to calm her down by embracing her, "Stop the tears, dry your cheeks, you have such marvelous world exploring eyes...you were breath-taking to me stomping around with purple feet this afternoon."

David tried to get her to laugh about her 'raisin' feet after helping squeeze and squish grapes...Lizzie half smiled, "There's my lass, there's the smile of the century."

"You need to take me back to the hotel," Lizzie stopped showing signs of 'life' and placed the helmet back on her head before David shrugged, "Lizzie,"

"No, David, we're embarking on wrong territory, we are just friends, you're still married and simple as that, so take me back now,"

"I'm getting a divorce Liz," muttered David, which didn't make much of a difference to Lizzie. David then did as he was told and climbed back on the Vespa to drive them back to the city.

Chapter Five-Um...hiccups and snorts, oh my!

Days later...

Somewhere in the city of Florence, Lizzie spent the last late afternoon at the trade fair selling the rest of the bottles of wine and thinking about him. She had avoided his calls to her room after their olive tree incident a week ago. She didn't allow him to send breakfast to her room, or for her to accept his newspaper boats with saffron flowers or his origami swans with roses at the doorstep of her room. She wanted to forget everything that happened between them. Lizzie had spent the past years focused on work...she wanted quite a few things, nothing David could give her, not right now anyway...or she thought.

"Thank-you, take a brochure and then make sure you visit...it's a lovely place," Lizzie was wrapping up her latest 'sale' by handing over a bottle of wine to an elderly couple whom smiled to David, as he strolled over to Lizzie's booth. Lizzie tried not to lock eyes with him, but did with her...

"You're a tricky person to seek out, you know, never turned my boats or my swans..." David said evenly with a joke, with his hands shoved into his dress pant pockets.

"I'm selling wine today for..." Lizzie began to chat with a possible customer and didn't speak back to David. The couple left her booth, Lizzie groaned and David spoke up again,

"Lizzie."

"David, I'm busy." Lizzie mocked as she tried to avoid him and talk to another customer...who walked away because David stood in the way of the table, "You're disrupting my customers, oh gee, look at the time, half past that freckle, I need to close my booth..."

"I want to buy a bottle of wine, I'm a customer...where are these grapes from? Are they muscaline, souviegse, non-traditional, maremma, or sacciaia?" David started rattling off types of Italian grapes and Lizzie shot him a 'you little...' look, "Souviegse,"

"Do you get a fruity after taste, a dry taste, spicy taste? How does it cleanse your pallet? How does one cleanse your pallet, Lizzie?" David glanced behind him at a couple whom both nodded their heads towards him and actually the husband of the pair gave him thumbs up for his business strategizing...David kept going with Lizzie...

Lizzie stared at him and didn't notice the pair feet away from David. She started to get embarrassed as David, kept speaking to her and asked, "How to do I get with you, drink this wine, watch you stomp on grapes in traditional sexy dress-that frock was so-your element? How do I show you that my tender feelings for you flow like red wine in this bottle?"

"It's a deep, rich, stiff taste...worth dinning with bistecca alla fiorentina, Chianina beef—preferably beef you don't toss out of a window because it's rare indigenous and just rude to upset a cook who made it since they slave over wood coals to grill it!" Lizzie glared at David assuming he wanted a row and he'd get one...but he didn't want to have a 'lover's quarrel' he wanted...

"I only tossed beef because I don't like seeing you unhappy Elizabeth, you remind me of being kids, of running through fields barefoot and together. I want...I want what a good bottle of this wine could cure..."

Lizzie's booth became very busy all of the sudden, many couples came over, and some wondering what they were saying to each other, others interested in the wine since they could tell Lizzie and David act like true lovers-many patrons thought the pair had planned the fight as some sort of 'one act play' to lure people in to check out her product and started to clap. David stared at Lizzie one last time before walking away from the table. He then strolled out of the high rise tent and Lizzie's sales boosted completely as her last two crates of wine disappeared within seconds, people wanted wine faster than she could collect the money.

About roughly 45 minutes later, Lizzie had sold out every bottle but one...after doing well with her wine sales, thanks to David's 'display of unruly affection towards her' she left the trade fair tent with her portfolio. Lizzie walked to a train station and then rode a cabin car back to Ponte Vecchio as she traveled over the bridge...

Lizzie fatefully found David sitting on a bench looking out at the water the same spot where they were the first night they arrived in Florence. At first, she questioned if it was him, but she knew from the style of his burnt blonde haircut, same green jumper and the dress slacks and his Boston loafers strapped to his feet.

"David?" Lizzie said as she quietly joined him on the bench. His head hung down, and then it went up, not to glance at her, but to gaze out at the river, "You know how cathedrals, especially, 'The Duomo' that you showed me, usually mean spiritual love?"

"Never mind what I said Lizzie, you were right." David stood up from the bench and Lizzie stared at him, now confused, "About what exactly?"

"We're clearly not meant for one or another, because if we were, I would have married you instead of Sarah secretly six months ago."

"How do you mean?"

"I spent lots of sleepless nights wondering how you turned out...what you were doing with your life and Archie- blasted Archie wouldn't tell me anything I wanted to hear—you know all of this...I wanted to hear your voice."

"You're listening to it now aren't you?" Lizzie rolled her eyes and blinked while David turned to face her and sat himself down again on the bench.

"I am listening...I was lonely, really down and out low after Sarah and I called it quits...I kissed you days ago because I felt comfortable being with you-you remind me of something I've been missing for a really long time. I'm sorry I forced everything with you...I don't mean to do it."

"Well, I know the lonely part, I mean I get it really, I didn't want to focus my so-called life on just my career, and I still don't. I assumed if I got pregnant, became a masseuse, I could work out of my own home or work set hours around a baby. Father says, why can't you be normal and marry—then have the baby? I simply can't fathom marriage without some form of true spiritual love and a baby is just that."

"True, but you'd have to adjust those eating habits if you do get pregnant ever and have a baby..."

"How do you mean?"

"You need to chow down on meat, Lizzie, you need to stomach it...you need to focus that your body isn't yours for all of those Bairn 'incubation' months."

"How do you know?"

"I read too, Lizzie."

"Oh." Lizzie paused, and David glanced at her with his lips going into a smile.

"You're going to make a wonderful mother, Lizzie."

Lizzie found herself getting all teary eyed again, "That's if I'm allowed to be one..."

"You are. Every bit of me agrees with it," David grinned as Lizzie sighed and David reeled her into him, "You'd really work with a baby?"

"David I have to support myself somehow..."

"What about the father? His input is needed financially too...my mother never worked a day in her life, very much like your mother. My father said, son you work, you provide for the family and your wife remains in the home..."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and wiped her face, ready to slap David upside the head. Instead she gave him a wise once over as he kept her close to him with his arm still over her shoulder, "You're actually believe that mumbo jumbo? My father gets that way...if you do believe it than you're worse off than I thought."

Lizzie then turned to the box beside her and placed her hand on the bottle of wine as she set it on David's lap, "Here let's go drown some 'sorrows or celebrate me selling the rest of those crates because of you."

David chuckled, "You're not going to lure me into your room and then toss my boats and swans out of the window..."

"No,"

"You kept them?"

"I kept them..." David stood up from the bench held out his hand to Lizzie but instead she placed her box from her booth in his hands. They both shared a laugh as she snagged the wine bottle, snatched up her portfolio and then they journeyed down the bridge to the hotel.

When they arrived back at Lizzie's room, she let David come in...

"I'm getting comfortable since I have no plans to leave this room until I catch that train home...how did you work go?"

"Okay, I'm actually heading back on Monday since I have some loose ends..."

"Loose ends?"

"The wine you sold at the trade fair belongs to the 'company' a very nice couple, last name, Fibbochi, and their vineyard is..."

"You're kidding?"

"No, I've been advising, marketing, and working with aside from what you've been doing, so you my dear did a smashing job helping me keep that account! And my job since my 'employees' were there today and wanted to be sure you sold out..." David winked, as Lizzie blinked, "Wait a minute, is that why you hung out after the fair?"

"Well...sort of. I mean you were a bore when selling that stuff, and I had to liven it up somehow..."

"DAVID!" Lizzie thumped his shoulder with her hand and became cross, "I thought all of this time you stayed because of my dodging you...You didn't mean any of it at all? It was just an act? You're not interested in me at all? You planned to?"

"Now, Lizzie, what I said at the bridge...oh hush up lemonade queen...give me your tongue..." David rushed in for a kiss and tackled Lizzie down to the bed as they rolled off of it onto the floor in a heap, laughing between kisses...and Lizzie bolted up right...

"No, this isn't a good idea..." Lizzie stood up and David groaned, "Lizzie, not again...come on..."

"David, you're still connected to someone!"

"Legally bound but not by spiritual heart and I am getting a divorce!"

"Don't."

"Lizzie..."

"Okay, lets do it this way...let's celebrate like adults." David announced as he found a corkscrew, opened the wine, and poured out the strong fluid and then handed Lizzie a drink.

"You know you want to drink this with me..." David hinted and Lizzie mumbled, "You just want to?"

"No I don't want to do that...I want to drink this with you. We do have a need to celebrate."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, and David gestured at the glass, "Eh, no, toast..."

"Okay for what?" Lizzie asked as David smiled brightly, "futures...one I hope we share together, more often, aside from phone calls and that we see each other in person."

"David, that's suggestive!" Lizzie's eyes grew wide at the thought of something more happening between her and him.

"Lizzie, you're still my best friend, you know."

"Jamie was your best friend...you tormented me and also you always picked on Archie...every game you three played, he lost..."

"Wah, wah, poor Archie...hmmm would you name your baby Archie? Besides I tormented you because I fancied you!" David changed the subject again and Lizzie glared at him...

"You..."

David's toothy grin flashed, "Me what?'"

"Don't go there..."

"I didn't go there, you did." David started twisting Lizzie's words around...and being more flirty than subtle with her.

Twenty minutes later, after Lizzie in a tee shirt and sweats, David in a dress shirt and pants, actually laid together with their heads at the foot end of the bed and focused on the TV-Lizzie kept asking David what the news caster was saying or what the movie was about. Since everything was Italian to he'd answer her as they'd flip through TV channels and drink the wine down. The time together took a really cozy turn when Lizzie giggled and snorted, as she had managed to drink quite a bit of one glass of wine...David had finished his and was working on glass two...he poured more into Lizzie's glass...

David eyed her all over, "You just snorted..."

"I did not."

"You did so..."

"No, David I didn't!" Lizzie giggled and snorted again...David yelled, "A-hah!"

Lizzie started tapping his arm trying to make it difficult for him to pour the wine as they both gleamed at each other. Lizzie continued to drink her glass down and placed it on a nearby table... "Your glass is half empty, you need more..."

"No, it's half full...I'm fine really...you better slow down...you're on glass three..."

"You're on two..."

"David, don't make me drink you under the..." Lizzie hiccupped then a sign she wasn't clearly with it...

"Bed? TV? Bathroom...let's go take a bath shall we? Perhaps we'll fall asleep in it!" David swayed, slightly buzzed, but not unable to function-for David was one who could hold his liquor.

Lizzie sat right up, placed her hands on her hips and snapped, "You, we, no bath..."

Moments, upon moments later, after Lizzie had finished glass two, "Fine, I reckon we need a deck of cards..." David challenged seductively as Lizzie shook her head in protest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Lizzie felt like her head floated above clouds...if she were dancing in thin air...

"What?"

"Ask me to play cards...I'm?" Lizzie hiccupped again as David laughed, "You have the hiccups! HIC!" David started to hiccup too and Lizzie chanted, "See no, hiccup evil, hear no, hiccup evil, speak no, hiccup evil!" David cracked a joke with a hiccup, "So if you're a card shark m'lady...can I be swimming in your ocean or will you hurt me?" David set his glass down on the bedside table...

"I'm hoping you'd be more and hurting you isn't what I have in mind..." Lizzie was officially gone and she chuckled charmingly, David lustfully smiled at her, before they tittered at first and then leaned in to kiss, slowly, divinely and delicately without any interruptions...

The next morning...

Lizzie had her head buried in a pillow, as she couldn't even think straight. Her poor defenseless head pounded with the tune of the clock radio nearby. She reached out to turn it off and then heard humming from the water closet...she sat up, only to notice, she had a just a sheet wrapped around her body, "Oh no..."

Lizzie tried to breathe as she figured out she wasn't alone...she last remembered joking with David on the bed while watching TV...which had been turned off and her clothes were draped everywhere. Lizzie bolted out of bed as she tripped over one of David's Boston loafers, she then noted two curious socking feet in front of her, and stared upwards, "Oh, hi..."

"Hi." David grinned, peering down at Lizzie.

Lizzie inhaled and exhaled as David helped her up, "You missed your train."

"I didn't!" Lizzie couldn't believe she had over slept...

"You did, but there's another one this afternoon...I'm sorry, you simply said, "'No Mummy, I don't have to get up today...' I took it as you needed the rest..."

"What did we do?" Lizzie glanced at him really worried, creating a 'toga' out of the sheet, the only thing missing to complete her 'Roman' outfit was the olive leaved crown, the gold shoulder buckles to hold it up, the sash and weaved leather strapped sandals.

"Don't panic, Elizabeth. You were incredibly sweet and what happened is between us now...I'm not one for kissing and telling any of it..."

"We..."

David nodded, before parking himself on the bed and Lizzie blew out a breath...

"You don't remember it?" David now being cocky smiled again.

"David, I remember parts of it...I just thought it was all dream."

"Well then quite the way to wake up, huh? Listen..." David turned towards her dressed up in his dress shirt and pants again, "We did quite a few extraordinary things yes, but I'd like to continue being with you...I'm kinda happy you missed your train because we can spend more time together if you like..."

Lizzie's eyes became tearful when she asked immediately, "Were we careful..."

David smiled, "I'd like to lie and say yes, but you were insistent on not being careful since you want a baby very badly..."

"Oh my and you let me talk you out of it!" Lizzie panicked as she cradled her head in her hands as she leaned forward as she had wound herself up like a top.

"I'm sure we didn't, you know...create anything...if we did, well, we'll go through it together, perhaps, as long as you want me around? Hey, don't cry, Liz..." David rubbed her back and assured her things were okay. "Let's have breakfast and go do a few sightseeing things. If you want me to send you off on the train this afternoon, I will. I want to see you again at home, you know..."

"David, you're?"

"Lizzie, calm down, you need a blood sugar boost...just lie down and I'll tuck you in."

"You promise you won't go anywhere?" Lizzie sat up, but head did another drum roll, and she went to lie back down. David, being more charming than ever, cast his eyes down upon her with a zesty smile.

"Just going to order breakfast and run back to my room to get my clothes," David placed a lip peck on her forehead, pulled up the blankets, and kissed her again.