Library
Home / Lost in Tuscany / Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Are you tellingme you booked a trip to Italy by yourself?" Cara pours me a glass of sparkling water and grabs a beer for her husband before closing the fridge with her hip. "Are you sure that's a smart move?"

"Unintentionally booked a reservation."

"How do you unintentionally book a trip to Italy?" she asks while I follow her out onto their back deck overlooking the bay and sink into a padded chair. She hands me my glass, which I gratefully take a sip from. "You sure you don't want wine?"

"No, thanks. I'm still hungover. After my horrible date, which, by the way, I will never use The One again, I took myself home and watched my favorite movie—"

"Not Under the Tuscan Sun again," Cara groans.

"Anyway, I might have drunk a little too much wine, ate a tub of Rocky Road…and apparently inspired by the movie, booked a trip to Italy. I guess drunk Summer was screaming for me to shake things up a little."

"Well, practical Summer needs to cancel the trip."

"It's nonrefundable. Drunk Summer didn't think I needed the trip insurance. They don't give refunds unless there's a death in the family or you're hospitalized. I've already paid for the trip in full. And…" I take a deep breath. "I know this sounds crazy, but the idea has kind of grown on me. You're the one always telling me to step out of my box and try new things, meet new people."

"I meant trying the speed-dating thing or joining a running group—not going to a foreign country! I think it's dangerous for you to go alone."

Damien smirks as he sits down next to Cara, slinging his arm around her shoulder. "Cara, she's a grown woman. Let her be."

Cara ignores Damien. "When is it again?"

"June fifth through the fourteenth."

"What about your job?"

"I'm using my vacation time. I have three weeks saved up."

Cara's brows scrunch. "The tour is what…ten days?"

"Yes, but I figured since I'm over there, I might as well travel around after. I've mapped out some places along the coast I'd like to see. Maybe even Venice."

She leans forward, her pointed red nails tapping on her glass. "So let me get this straight. You went on another disastrous date, took yourself home, drank two bottles of wine, ate a tub of ice cream while watching Under the Tuscan Sun, and accidentally booked a tour of Tuscany. And are actually going." She looks at me deadpan.

"I mean…it sounds way worse when you say it. And I only drank a bottle and a half." My smile wavers as Cara gives Damien a worried glance.

"Summer, I'm concerned," Cara says gently.

"Oh, here we go," Damien groans.

"Are you stressed? Did Barbara do something? Do we need to go to the spa, take a few days to reevaluate? You realize how impulsive this sounds."

"Listen, I know this seems…irresponsible, but for the first time in a long time, I'm truly excited about something. What could be better than biking through Tuscany on a singles' tour and possibly meeting the love of my life?"

Beer sprays out of Damien's nose. He quickly wipes his face with his t-shirt. "Wait, hold up. This is a singles' bike tour? In Italy…as in pasta, olive oil, and Italian stallions?"

"Yeah. I didn't realize the tour I chose was for singles ready to bike and mingle." I sit up straighter and put a smile on my face. "But I've embraced it. Cara, you should be ecstatic, since you're the one always pushing me to date."

Cara's mouth goes slack and her eyes widen. "I didn't mean in Italy! Do you even own a bike? In the five years I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you on a bike. Not even a Peloton."

Okay, she has a point. Cara and I met five years ago when I tried a free ninety-day membership at the gym she belongs to. She's a badass divorce attorney who enjoys intense cardio runs to help lower her stress levels. I was on the treadmill next to hers, jogging. My shoelace came undone, tripping me, and I flew off the machine, ending up with a scraped knee and a bloody nose. Feeling sorry for me, she invited me out for margaritas after and we have been inseparable since. She knows me better than my own mother.

"I'm not much of a biker, but so what? How hard can it be? It's going to be so much fun." I beam at them, convincing them to get on the fun-bus with me. They stare at me like I've lost my marbles.

Damien arches an eyebrow. "Do you even speak Italian?"

"I know grazie and ciao… Okay, so that's all I know, but everyone on the tour will be speaking English. I can take one of those audio courses if I have to. Oh, and Gucci!"

Cara blinks at me. "So, you know ‘thank you,' ‘hello,' and the name of a designer brand."

"You know gelato," Damien encourages me.

"Yes!" I point at him enthusiastically. "Good one, Dame."

Cara shakes her head and sets her white wine on the table. "What if some unwanted weirdo won't leave you alone on tour? What if you lose the group and get kidnapped—or raped?"

"Jesus, Care, calm down." Damien squeezes her shoulder. "You're scaring me, so I know you're scaring her."

"You guys, it's going to be fine. Just like in the movie. Frances went over on a tour and ended up buying a gorgeous villa to fix up. She fell in love, and her best friend moved in with her and had a baby."

"Who's Frances?"

"A character from her favorite movie," Cara tells Damien. "Summer, you know I love you, I do, but this is real life, not a movie. And I'm sure as hell not pregnant or moving to Italy with you."

"You better not be, woman." Damien gets up and chucks his beer in the trash can under the bar.

I stifle a giggle, unable to help the symphony of emotions humming in my veins. "You realize it's a true story, right? There's hope for me! I'm going to be fine. Great, actually." I smile tremulously at my best friend. "I know you're worried about me, but it's done. I'm not backing out now. I'm thirty-six and single, Cara. I've got nothing to show for my life except for a 401k from work. I need to do this. I feel like something is missing, and I won't know what it is until I find it. I've had dreams about it." I pause, then ask, "Haven't you ever felt so passionately about something, nothing can stop you?"

"Well, sure. I just don't understand why you need to go to Italy to find it."

"Because there's something romantic and mysterious about going abroad and falling in love with a handsome stranger," I say adamantly. "I've never done anything this adventurous before. I need it as much as I need to breathe."

"Not to be a Debbie Downer, but how are you going to afford this, and what about your mom?"

My bubble of excitement deflates faster than one of Damien's experimental souffles. "I put the trip on a credit card and have some savings I'm using toward it. As for Barbara, I'm going to tell her she can stay at my townhome."

Cara groans. "That's a bad idea with a capital B."

"B for Barbara!" Damien shouts from the kitchen.

"At least I'll know she's safe. I know it's asking a lot, but I was wondering if you and Damien could monitor things? You don't need to keep tabs on her, just make sure my house doesn't burn to the ground? I need this, Care. I need a break from always being the responsible one."

Cara sighs and pats the seat next to her. "Get over here, Summer." She pulls me into a hug, squeezing tight. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for in Italy."

"Me too."

"You better come back knowing how to make red sauce with a devastatingly handsome Italian man on your arm I can drool over."

"I can hear you," Damien gripes.

Cara smiles at me. "You're really going to do this?" I nod as the threat of tears smart my nose. "Then we better learn some Italian. Gucci will only get you so far. Are you scared?"

"Terrified." I laugh, the tears bubbling over.

I clink my glass with hers. Italy, here I come.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.