Chapter 9

It was an incessant twanging sound that woke me up making me wonder what the hell it was. When it seemed to stop, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep so leant over to pick up my phone to find out what time it was. That was when I noticed that I had a message. Fumbling with my thumb to open the phone I went into messages to read the full text curious because I wasn't aware that anyone had this number.

"Pick you up in an hour. Jeans and T-shirt day. A"

My mind was blank as to who A was until it suddenly dawned on me what had been arranged for today. Allegro would know that I'd panic as to what to wear so I was mentally thanking her. Jeans I could do, so after showering and washing my hair I pulled my black hipster jeans from a drawer along with a white T-shirt that tied at the waist. With my hair tied back in a loose ponytail I transferred my wallet and phone to a shoulder bag and started down the stairs. The door to other the bedroom was open, and the room was empty, so I assumed that my father was already up and possibly having breakfast. For the first time in forever I didn't want anything to eat, maybe I was still full from all of the food that I'd eaten the evening before, so decided that I'd make do with a mug of coffee.

Once downstairs I noticed that my father was at the table and gave him a good looking over as I sat down next to him, remembering how he said that he felt last night.

"Morning dad. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Me? I'm good. How about you?"

Talk about answering a question with a question but I took his answer at face value.

"Still full from last night. Will I see you for dinner tonight?"

Because I wasn't sure what would be happening about meals now, especially as most of the guests seemed to be stood around with cases and bags as though they were leaving.

"A light meal at the villa. Just the three of us"

I liked the idea of that because it might give me an opportunity to find out more about dad's family and their history. I turned to look out of the window at hearing the horn of a car beeping and was once more smiling at seeing Allegro, well not at her but at the car that she was driving. Standing I bent forward and kissed my father on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight. Have a good day with Gaia"

Once outside I knew that I had a stupid grin on my face as I opened the passenger door, and it didn't go unnoticed by Allegro.

"What?"

"This was my car. A Mazda mx5 Miata in red"

As Allegro started to drive away from the courtyard memories of that time in my life came back to me. I suppose my greatest joy had been that car as there was little else going right in my life. I'd divorced from the Dick, a man who I should never have married in the first place, lost my job as a lingerie buyer and ended up totally broke. It was a sad day when that car had been repossessed.

"Go on, I can see from your face that you have a story to tell"

I was still unsure of opening up my life to her so tried to keep my story low key but close to the truth.

"The company that I was working for, well they closed down for breaking all sorts of laws, so I lost my job. I couldn't afford to keep the car"

By now we were on the road that led toward the city and Allegro was certainly driving fast. It felt almost freeing to have the wind blowing my hair around my face and hear the sound of the engine that had been so familiar to me. Fortunately, it was too noisy to talk and as the traffic began to get busier Allegro was concentrating on the road which to me was a good thing because I'd never seen so much traffic. It made New Jersey look tame as the cars came at us from all directions weaving around us. I certainly knew where my hand gestures came from as I watched and listened to Allegro vent her annoyance.

Moving away from the mad rush hour traffic I was relieved to find us driving along a quieter road, one that seemed to be in the process of renovating the old warehouses that were stood along the side of the street. I watched as Allegro turned through a gate and into an area that had one such building set beyond a parking area. Even as I got out of the car, I was looking at the transformation. The old stone building had been repaired but then additional structures had been added, made from steel and glass. Somehow it worked, the different materials complimenting each other.

I followed Allegro through an archway and through large glass doors where there was a young girl sat at a desk behind a computer.

"Morning Joanna, is everyone here?"

"Si signora"

Was the only exchange before I was following Allegro up a wide open wooden staircase. The whole area opened up as we reached the top going up to the roof and showing some of the original beams. It was here that the glasswork came into play, swathing the whole area with fresh natural light.

I jumped when I felt someone touch my shoulder and turned to see Lucio stood behind me.

"I presume Allegro is somewhere?"

I nodded my head realizing that somehow, I'd managed to lose her, or she had lost me.

"I want to show you something"

I followed Lucio past the windows noticing that the whole area had large screens as opposed to separate offices with the occasional space occupied by someone working on a computer or speaking on a phone. As we came to a door, he used a fob to open it and I noticed a sign that read "settore privato" so assumed that only a few people would be allowed access through it. Once through the door and hearing it click closed behind me, I was in a large room, again with the large windows and pale polished wooden floors. Looking around there were large glass fronted display cases set against the wall.

"These are the types of things that we produce, a different range twice a year"

I followed Lucio to where he was stood in front of one the display cases and stopped to take a look. The signage at the top read, Jade, Spring and the year with an array of photos and products arranged underneath. To me they'd used the theme of a triangular symbol on their products and those ranged from perfume to silk scarves and jewelry The necklaces, bracelets and earrings all had a green stone set into a triangular setting, a simple yet very effective design. Moving to the next cabinet the symbol was that of a cut stone and named Rosa. I studied the photos of the model, who was the same as in the previous display She was typically Italian, with long straight dark hair and brown eyes, who made seduction look sexy and provocative all at the same time. She was beautiful and captivating as she posed for those photos, her eyes and face perfect as she modelled the jewelry and scarves.

"This is my idea for this autumns range. What do you think?"

I walked over to where Lucio was pointing to, seeing the blue of the glass similar to the necklace that I had received at the wedding as the color for the perfume bottle and the symbol of the swans as the logo. The way that the swans seemed to hold the bottle between them looked really good. Moving my eyes over to the jewelry I saw that each piece depicted the two swans. That was when my eyes moved to the photo of the woman, expecting to see the same dark haired model as they'd used before, only it wasn't.

I suppose it was the eyes that caught my attention, the same blue as the glass but as I looked further, I knew that I was frowning.

"You inspired me, Stefania. The color of your eyes and your natural beauty. How your hair frames your face and the way that face changes with different emotions"

Maybe I was breathing a bit fast, and my heartbeat was certainly louder as I tried to understand what I was seeing and what Lucio was saying. He was joking with me, right, showing me what could be done with editing and touch overs or even one of those programs that could produce a lifelike image. I was trying to work out when the photos had been taken because in some of them my hair was loose down to my shoulders and at other times it was in a messy bun on top of my head. That was when I remembered that the photographer had always been around somewhere at the wedding. How he had managed to capture my different facial expressions was almost embarrassing. I turned to Lucio and started to laugh at how funny it was and that okay, he'd made his point.

"Yeah right, as if. I do like the theme of the products though. What name will you use for this?"

"Ania. As in Stefania"

Was he being serious? Surely not, I mean those photos weren't real, I didn't really look like that, did I?

"Lando has caught some beautiful photos of you, and the way that he's captured the color of your eyes is totally amazing"

Surprised at hearing Allegro behind me I turned to look at her totally confused with what she was saying. I looked from Allegro to Lucio not being able to talk. Were they serious? Surely there were models out there that would be better suited, prettier, sexier? No one would take their product serious with me as the face that would be seen.

"I think maybe we need to sit her down and get her a drink"

I didn't know who said that because the whole idea of what they'd said was making me feel lightheaded. I had no idea what happened next or where I was until I felt a deep burning sensation in my mouth and throat. I felt myself shiver with the after taste and couldn't help what I said.

"Shit, what the hell is that?"

I pushed the glass toward the nearest person who happened to be Lucio and realized that I was sat on a couch in what seemed to be a private office.

"I'll tell you what we'll do. You and I are going to have some fun"

I think that I was still shocked with what I'd seen and heard but looking at Allegro knelt down in front of me had me nodding my head. I had no idea what she was proposing but anything that stopped me from thinking had to be a good thing, didn't it?

Looking back to the three hours that followed that, we did have fun and in a very unusual way. It seemed that Allegro was taking me sightseeing, yeah looking at all the attractions where visitors went. The difference you might ask? Well, the large bus that we took that carried so many clothes, so much makeup and paraphernalia it made me feel dizzy just thinking about it. Oh, and did I say that we had our own personal makeup artist and wardrobe specialist? I was totally overwhelmed and feeling very anxious when I realized what was inside that bus and just went along with it when a woman sat me down and started to apply some makeup to my face. Thank heavens no one messed with my hair or tried to get me to change my clothes because I would certainly have refused to cooperate with them doing that.

Once the bus stopped and I was outside in the fresh air I focused on Allegro, pleased that we didn't seem to have an entourage of people with us. I needed space to breathe, to calm myself down from thinking about what I'd seen and heard.

Duomo Cathedral was our first stop but the whole experience wasn't that bad, I was allowed to keep my own clothes on. My attention was diverted to Allegro as she began to talk through the history of the building and what I was seeing. All I had to do was to forget that Lando was there with a camera. Walking inside I marveled at the super-high Gothic vaults, ornate columns and incredible Italian marble, listening and looking around as Allegro gave me a running commentary on its history. Then we had to climb up to the cathedral rooftop for a stunning city view and more impressive carving closeups. To be honest by then I had almost forgotten about Lando being there, but not quite, I still felt unnerved that he was there in the background clicking away with his cameras.

Our next location was Castello Sforzesco a medieval castle that used to be a home of the Sforza family, the Dukes of Milan. We never went inside instead we explored the castle's grounds, before walking through the courtyard to the Parco Sempione, Milan's biggest and most beautiful park. It was also an opportunity to sit down and relax as we drank some coffee and gave me the opportunity to talk seriously with Allegro.

"Allegro, tell me that what you said, that you weren't being serious"

I watched as Allegro sat back in her chair and took a sip from her coffee. She looked so serious as she looked across to me, gone were the smiles, which had me feeling extremely nervous.

"Stefania, you are perfect. You have a quality to you that is so unique"

I was struggling to get my head around what she was saying. There was no way that I could ever compare to the dark haired woman that I'd seen in the previous promotions. I wasn't sexy or beautiful like she'd been, I was ordinary, okay I liked the shape of my nose but to me I wasn't anything outstanding. To me I was a woman that men passed in the street without a second look. I didn't have a voluptuous body and as for my hair, it was so curly at times it was wild and unmanageable. I just couldn't see what Allegro saw or that I was what they would be looking for.

"There are models out there who are a lot younger, and far prettier and sexier than me"

I was sat forward on the table with my hands around my cup as I said that, raising my eyes to look at her when I finished.

"We're serious Stefania. We don't want a young kid modelling our lines, we want someone that the women out there can identify with. There's something about you that shouts out a natural beauty and a free spirit. Your eyes have so much depth to them and your curly hair, it drives men crazy"

I raised my eyebrows as she said that. I was pretty sure that I'd had that conversation with myself before and decided that if someone didn't like it tough shit, so hearing that it drove men crazy? Why would she say that?

"How do you know?"

"The men in the office. They don't always filter what they say. Yeah, a few of them would just love to tangle their fingers through that hair"

I had no response to make to that, I was too surprised so went back to my original question.

"So what happens next? You have your photos and I go home?"

Allegro mirrored my posture and leant forward as well so that she was looking at me straight in the eye.

"If that's what you want, but I'd like you stay. You would earn a lot of money, far more than you do back home. A nice apartment and new friends. Unless there is someone or something that's keeping you there"

I felt like she'd punched me in the gut by saying that. It was if she knew everything about me and my crappy existence back in Trenton.

"You know about me, don't you?"

I watched as she sighed and sat back in her chair and felt myself deflate.

"Yes. Dario and I wanted to know who these American relatives were that mamma kept going on about and who she'd invited to the wedding. I have to admit that I was pleased that it was you and not your mother, sorry"

I shook my head understanding completely but didn't say anything wanting her to finish what she thought about me.

"Now you, you were intriguing. This sassy woman doing the job that you did because you needed to be independent. I couldn't believe your reputation or the high capture rate that you have, but I was so worried with some of the crazy situations that you got into and out of. I admire you, Stefania, you sure have guts and from what I learnt have amazing instincts"

Okay, what she'd said hadn't been that bad but in a way she had summed up my life and yeah it did worry me how long I would last for before getting seriously hurt or too old to do the job. Then what would I do? I certainly didn't have any other skills to fall back onto or any savings. Could I live out my life in my apartment in Trenton becoming another old crony who lived there? Or take a risk?

"You can travel back whenever you want to, visit family and friends. Okay we would expect you to work for your money but we're not tyrants and I have a feeling that you'll bring more to the business than a pretty face, learn new skills and I'm sure that you could help us to break into the American market"

My head was swimming with the possibility of what she was saying. Maybe this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up? I had a hell of lot of thinking to do.

"Let's head back to the office and let Lando loose with you. You'll see exactly what we mean and I'm sure that you'll love the results"

The rest of the afternoon was crazy. I lost count of the times that I changed clothes, had my makeup tweaked or my hair messed with. Surprisingly it wasn't stressful, everyone that I worked with had a smile on their faces and never demanded anything or lost their patience with me. It was a totally new experience for me and though I felt as though I'd been through a whirlwind, I'd survived. I had the rest of the evening to make a decision and it was agreed that Allegro would talk through what would be expected and any legalities with me in the morning, I could look at the photos and final presentation that Lucio would put together overnight, then give them my decision.

I know I was quiet travelling back with Allegro to the villa and was thankful that she never tried to make conversation knowing how much I had to think about. To be honest I wanted to give my brain a break before I started to overthink things. I'd talk to my father because he knew me, and he would give me the pros and cons, but I was beginning to think that what Allegro had said was making sense. What was there for me in Trenton? I wouldn't be chasing skips around town or getting dirty, there'd be no more stalkers or crazies after me, and I wouldn't have to worry about money. Hell, maybe my mother would be pleased not to have me around and have to listen to all of the gossip.

As I opened the car door and said a goodnight to Allegro, I was determined to push away all thoughts of what had happened today. Tonight, was about my father and Gaia and the history that they shared. I couldn't be bothered to change clothes anymore so walked up to the villa curious as to what it would be like inside. I wasn't disappointed as Maria showed me in before leading me through the house. It was elegant, large and light. Filled with marble on the floors and paintwork on the walls. A large wooden staircase led from the center of the long entranceway emphasizing the tall ceilings and classical light fittings that seemed to fall through the height of the building. The sunroom, well it felt different, it had that lived in feeling to it, large comfy couches to one side and an old wooden table where Gaia and my father were sat waiting for me. There was no sign of Allegro, so I assumed that either she was back in the city or elsewhere in the house. To be honest I was pleased that she wasn't there, I needed a break from her company and having to think about everything that had happened today.

"Stefania I hope that you're hungry. Maria has made a traditional Milan meal for us. Osso buco with veal shanks braised in a red-wine reduction with vegetables, topped with a gremolata, a seasoning mixture of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. There's risotto alla Milanese to go with it"

I looked at my father as Gaia gave us a rundown of the meal that Maria was starting to place in front of each of us, leaving a serving dish in the center of the table for us to help ourselves to. So much for a light meal but I wasn't complaining as I realized that I'd missed lunch amongst the mayhem of the day. I waited until I was passed the dish of risotto from my father before adding a spoonful to my plate and then along with everyone else started to eat. I have to say that it did taste delicious but was aware of how rich the dish was. I paced myself and listened to the conversation going on, interested when the subject turned to my father.

"Four granddaughters Franco, you are a lucky man. Dario, well he has a wife now, Chiara doesn't have a career as such, she works with a charity helping underprivileged children, somewhere near Quarto Oggiaro, not a good area. So maybe there'll be grandchildren soon for me as well. I think that Stefania here is very much like Allegro, still making their way through life"

At least she wasn't like my mother and expected both of her children to get married and produce offspring. I agreed with her, my parents were lucky to have grandchildren even though I was pretty sure that my father would have liked a grandson.

"You will be taking those things of your father's home with you, won't you Franco?"

I watched my father as he finished eating a bite of veal and as he took a mouthful of the wine next to him, curious with what he would say.

"No. They belong here Gaia, in this house"

"Nonsense those things belong to our next generation"

I had no idea what the pair of them were talking about because they seemed to be skirting around the subject.

"What are you talking about Dad?"

Because now I was curious what Gaia was referring to, though from the look that Gaia gave my father, I wasn't sure if I would get the full story from him.

"Well, there are some portraits of your grandfather when he was a child and some with his family. I'll show them to you after we've eaten"

I nodded my head because I was interested to see what my grandfather had looked like and in a way, I felt as though part of my history was here. I actually felt happy for my father and how Gaia had reached out to him, welcoming both of us into her family. Looking at her now, she may be aging but she still carried that quality of determination and an openness about her. I bet as a younger woman she would have been an interesting person to have known better.

"Stefania, how was your day?"

I looked at Gaia as she asked that before I answered because I didn't want to talk about everything that happened, I was still raw from all of the procrastination.

"It was good. The building that Lucio and Allegro work in is amazing and all the staff are very friendly. Allegro took me to look around the cathedral and then we walked through the grounds of Castello Sforzesco before walking through the courtyard to theParco Sempione and stopping to have a coffee"

"I'm glad you had the opportunity to see them. Milan is a very beautiful city with so much history. Maybe I could show you some of the areas in the morning Franco?"

I got the impression that my father wasn't going to get an option of what he would be doing tomorrow, Gaia seemed to have made it her mission to be an excellent hostess.

"Franco why don't we meet Stefania and Allegro in Brera for lunch. You'll love it there. There are cobbled streets and some lovely restaurants to eat at?"

It seemed that Gaia was keen to do that which meant that at least I'd have some time with my father in the afternoon. The meal was delicious and to finish it off there must have been some tiramisu left over from the wedding reception. Conversation centered around how Gaia had changed the use of the outbuildings into a wedding venue and how it was so popular. I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be cheap to hold a wedding here. I mentioned seeing the area at the rear of the house, so we ended up listening to some of the exploits that the goats had got up to before Luciano had erected the fences.

All in all, it was a pleasant evening and certainly took my mind off making any decisions about my future. After Maria had cleared away the rest of the dishes from the table Gaia led us out of the sunroom and through to a formal room that looked like a lounge area, only it didn't seem to be used very much and held a lot of antique furniture.

I stood in front of a large stone fireplace looking at a family portrait, one it seemed that had been painted many years ago.

"The villa fell into disrepair after the war. My father never seemed to have the time or care, so my husband worked hard to restore it. He kept this room as I always remembered it"

I assumed that the portrait portrayed her father as a child but what surprised me was that the two young boys sat on the floor in front of their parents, my grandfather and his brother, looked identical.

"They were twins?"

I whispered mainly to myself but of course my father was stood close behind me and heard.

"Yes. I never knew. My father didn't tell me, to be honest he said very little about his life here and it wasn't my place to push him when it was obvious that it was a banned subject to be talked about. That time when Gaia came over to see me, that was when she told me"

I stepped forward to take a closer look, frowning when I saw just how alike the two boys were. Dressed in exactly the same clothes with the same hairstyles it was difficult to see any difference between them. Though was that a small scar from a fall on the forehead of one of them? I was pretty sure though that they'd have had their own personalities that would have made them distinguishable.

I could understand my father wanting to leave the paintings here, even the smaller ones set on top of the fireplace. They belonged here and should be kept together.

"Why don't you take a photo with your phone and then at least you'll have the option of what you want to do?"

I suggested thinking that he could maybe print them out and then at least Val and her children could appreciate the history behind our father's family. I watched as he found his phone but seeing him struggling to open the camera app, I took it from him and did the job of photographing each of the paintings. Even as I took the last one everyone was walking out of the door, so I was quickly catching up with them.

"You ready to head back?"

I nodded my head before receiving a hug from Gaia and saying our goodnight. I linked my arm through my father's as we walked along the path toward the place where we were staying, knowing that I needed to talk to him before I chickened out.

"Dad. When I was with Lucio and Allegro, they offered me some work"

I suppose I should have worded that better judging from how my father stopped walking and turned to look at me.

"A job, but you don't know anyone here in Milan. What are they asking, for you to find someone?"

Judging from the frown on his face I was guessing that he thought the job was what I'd done in the past and I suppose what I did all of the time as a bounty hunter, that was to track someone down.

"No, nothing like that. It's a bit strange really so maybe I should start at the beginning"

By the time we reached the door to our house I'd explained the type of business that Lucio and Allegro had, Scintillante, and what they designed and sold. I tried to describe how twice a year they launched a new theme with various products.

"So, they want me to be the face of this year's new launch"

I went straight to the kitchen and filled the kettle knowing that my father had sat down at the table. As I waited for the kettle to boil, I opened the packets of hot chocolate and poured them into two mugs. Then I turned, leaning back against the worktop, waiting for what he would say. I wasn't sure what I was expecting him to say and in some ways it worried me, so did that mean that I'd already made up my mind?

"Why are you telling me?"

I raised my eyebrows, because I hadn't expected him to ask me that.

"I'm not sure what to do"

Did he just sigh at me? I'd thought that he would have something more to say, like why it was a bad idea or that I needed to go home, instead all that he had were questions.

"Where would you be happier? Safer? Doing something that you enjoy? Which job would give you more money? A career prospect and maybe some stability?"

Put like that I think I already knew the answer to that, but what about him and my mum, Val and the girls, what about my family?

"Pumpkin, you need to think of yourself and what's best for you. Your mother and me we're settled where we are, Val has her family, which is what she wants. It's your turn now. You can talk to us on the phone or even that face thing that you do. You can fly home for a visit"

I turned and poured the water into the mugs before placing one in front of my father and sitting down opposite him. I suppose that I'd already worked out the answers to his first questions, but it was what he had said after that about the rest of my family, that I think was what was worrying me the most. I actually felt relieved because he'd answered the question for me, well given me a way to see the answer.

"Seems that I'll be staying here for a while then"

I said with a smile on my face and feeling good about saying that out loud.

"Good. You leave your mother to me. I'll let your friends know that you're spending some time away"

As though he knew that for me the worst fear would be how to explain the change in direction of my life to her. I wasn't sure how she could find fault but was pretty sure that she'd find a way.

"I'll delay saying exactly where you are, she'll just assume that it's somewhere down south. Hell, when she hears and sees what you're up to, even she won't be able to criticize you, because every mother in the Burg will be green with envy"

He had a point. Finishing my drink I bid goodnight to my father, reminding him that I'd see him at lunch before heading up to bed. I was still thinking through what we'd spoken about and knew that he was right. This was an opportunity for me to improve my life, so why did that have a feeling of sadness coming over me. My father had been right that I'd still be able to talk to my family and friends and visit. I knew that wouldn't be the same and probably it would put a strain on the relationships, but it wasn't that. I think what was suddenly occurring to me was that I was removing myself from any possibility of ever seeing Ranger again. I felt that I should have spoken to him, given him some sort of warning of what I was planning. Then again maybe he'd be grateful to avoid having that conversation with me and I certainly didn't want the embarrassment of some glib response from him. No, it was probably better that I didn't have to see him, better for me to make that clean break.