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When Lana awoke, her heart began racing. Where was she? She sat bolt upright, looking around. It took a moment before she remembered.
The fall. The villa. Alessandro ... Alex.
Slowly, her pulse began to return to normal as she gazed around the beautiful room. From the floor-to-ceiling windows, gorgeous clear blue light was already streaming through the sheer curtains.
Rising from bed, steadying her steps a little, she walked to the window, parted the fabric, and looked out on the day.
Not a cloud in the sky. The ocean sparkled in the sunshine.
Next, she looked down at her toes on the marble tiles. Caught her reflection in the mirror above the antique dresser. She took a deep, calming breath. She was safe after all, just as Alex had said. But what magic had been at work to change her night so totally?
The sudden buzzing caught her attention. It was her phone, vibrating. She walked over to her handbag and pulled it out. She hadn’t thought to check it since she’d left her and Tom’s vacation rental the night before. Correction: hadn’t wanted to check it. Now, there were four missed calls from Tom and three messages. The last of which read: ‘“Lana, where are you? Are you okay?”
For a moment, she toyed with not replying. Then she reconsidered. She texted back only: “I’m safe.”
Almost immediately, the phone began to ring again, buzzing insistently in her palm. After looking at the screen for a moment, she let any further guilty feelings go. She slipped the phone back into her handbag, still ringing, and walked to the beautiful en-suite bathroom.
Alex hadn’t had much sleep. After talking with Lana and making sure she was alright, he’d gone back upstairs to his own bedroom, pulled off his shirt and changed back into his pajama bottoms. Then, instead of climbing into bed, he’d started to pace.
The first glimpse he’d caught of her had been from behind: a dark figure on a little blue scooter, tresses of long dark hair whipping out from under her helmet in the wind as she rode. He’d kept his distance in the car, curious, wondering about a woman driving a rental scooter alone at that hour. He’d marveled at noted how well she’d handled the little machine, expertly rounding the bends, hitting the apices just right ... until the front wheel had caught in the pothole and everything had changed.
He’d unclipped her helmet, gently pulled it off and carried her to his car. As she’d lain in his arms, he’d said he would take her to the hospital, but she’d begun murmuring no no then no hospitals over and over, saying that she was alright, that she just needed rest. At the same time, she’d refused to say where she was staying on the island, even though he tried to get an answer from her on that too. The truth was, he’d had no choice but to take her home.
She was probably around a decade younger than he was, maybe a little less, he guessed. And, yes, he admitted it: she was beautiful. Lean, willowy, with long dark hair, full lips and mysterious eyes. But, she was also obviously just one of the island’s thousands of tourists. Just one of the many who came to Capri to briefly soak up its beauty, before returning to their real lives, elsewhere.
And yet ... he felt something. Something inexplicable. Almost inexpressible. About her.
He’d fallen asleep only in the early hours, his mind whirling with thoughts about the mysterious woman who’d practically fallen into his life.
Now, though he was a little tired, Alex began preparing breakfast. He did it happily. For him, cooking was an everyday, healthy kind of creativity. Useful too. He finished preparing the scrambled eggs then carried them out in a dish onto the terrace. He’d already finished the rest of the breakfast: bacon, caramelized onions, brie with thyme, wholegrain toast.
His sister had just arrived. By the afternoon, the whole family would have filled the villa. It was their annual gathering in Capri. He’d come from his home in Naples a few days earlier to rest, think, and most of all, create. Which, of course, he hadn’t been able to do.
“And you’re sure she’s alright?” Bella was asking, now. She sat her little three-year-old boy, Mario, at his own chair at the table. “After a fall like that, she really should see a doctor.”
“I tried to take her to the hospital last night. She refused. I’ll suggest it again this morning.”
Like her brother, Bella Marino had been educated around the world. Though Italian was her first language, her English was impeccable. She’d lived in the USA for nearly a decade, having married a New Yorker she’d met at college. She and Alex often spoke English with one another. In fact, the whole family was multilingual, dipping in and out of languages easily ... English, Italian, French, Spanish. That was their father’s influence, primarily. “Words shape thinking,” he’d told them, over and over. “And I like that my children can think in many different ways.”
“She’s still here? In the villa?” Bella asked.
“Yes. Showering most likely. I heard the water go on not too long ago.”
“She must think she’s stumbled into a fairytale,” said Bella with a light smile, imagining herself in the woman’s position.
“All I did was give her somewhere to sleep for the night,” said Alex, brushing the comment aside.
“I think you often forget how beautiful this place is,” said Bella, looking around at the villa Blossom-covered vines hung from the balconies. The garden hummed with bees and birdsong. “Perhaps you forget how lucky we are, all of us, having this place at all. Trust me. I live in New York. Every day, I see traffic and smog and skyscrapers. This place is a paradise. How’s the design going, by the way?”
“Or not going,” he said.
“But you’ve got some idea, an outline maybe?”
He raised his eyebrows, shook his head.
“Ah. The muse abandons. The deadline’s soon though. And you know how Papa is. A deadline’s a deadline. Even for family.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I guessed you’d come here early for a little ... inspiration.”
“Yes. And drawn nothing but a blank.”
“Maybe not for long ...” said Bella, turning her head.
A beautiful woman stood in the doorway leading out onto the terrace. She was wearing a white blouse that hung femininely off the shoulders, a pair of gold sandals and excellently fitting jeans. Her long wavy hair caught a little in the wind. Self-consciously, she tucked a strand behind her ear and, seeing them, began to walk over.
“Your damsel in distress,” said Bella, with a wry smile. “Perhaps your muse?”
Lana’s heart had dropped the instant she’d spotted them. She felt like a trespasser on a beautiful family scene. There they were: the handsome father, the lovely mother, the happy child.
“Good morning,” she said, greeting Alex with what she hoped was a polite and formal tone. She turned to the woman at the table. “Good morning, Mrs Marino,” she said, automatically. “Your husband was so gracious to me after my ... accident last night. I’m so sorry for the imposition. I wasn’t myself. I was just going to be on my way—”
Bella laughed, a tinkling laugh like a bell. “Firstly, that’s ...Mrs Anderson,” she replied, with amusement. “And my brother Alex and I insist you stay for breakfast. From what I’ve been told, you took quite a tumble last night. The least we can do is send you back out into the big bad world with a full stomach.”
Lana blushed profusely, making Bella chuckle again.
“My mistake,” said Lana, her legs feeling weak. “I thought ...” She sank down into a chair. Then she realized: “Your accent. New York?” She looked at Bella, a beautiful Italian woman with a voice she knew could instantly hail a cab.
“Spot on,” said Bella. “How did you know?”
“Fellow New Yorker,” said Lana, adding: “Well, for now, anyway.”
Bella smiled. “Good to meet you, Lana from New York. It is Lana, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“My brother’s not yet told me very much about you. But he is an excellent cook,” said Bella, helping herself to a spoonful of the eggs. “Try some and find out. Then, tell me how you came to land up here.”
An easy hour passed. It was, in truth, one of the easiest hours Lana could ever remember spending with people she hardly knew. Most of that was down to Bella, a woman who, to her amazement, seemed to feel like a sister almost right away.
“So you were headed for the private beach? On your scooter? At nearly midnight?” Bella was smiling as she finished the last of her breakfast.
Lana blushed. “I had dinner at this great restaurant near the marina. While I was there, a waiter told me about the beach. He said it was where I needed to go. I suppose he didn’t mean right then.”
“What were you looking to find there?” asked Bella, her gaze flicking between Lana and her brother, who didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off the mysterious woman.
Lana shook her head. “Peace, I suppose. Adventure? Truth is, I’m not sure now. Everything felt so different ... last night.”
“And you planned to, what...? Sleep on the beach?”
“I ... I guess. I’m not sure I really had a plan to sleep at all. I think I was a little out of my mind. After, well, what happened between Tom and me ...”
Bella’s eyes narrowed. “And Tom’s your ...?”
“Fiancé,” said Lana automatically, so used to giving that reply. Then she reconsidered. “Well ... The truth is, I don’t know. It’s been a strange time. Very strange.”
Bella nodded, looking at her brother’s reaction. He was obviously not pleased, hearing about this Tom. In fact, he looked away from the table, through the flowing greenery and out to sea.
“Well, whoever he is, or whatever he is to you, now, he’s probably worried sick,” Bella said.
“I let him know I was safe,” said Lana.
“Tell him where you are?”
“... No.”
“Good girl.” Bella nodded approvingly, like a protective older sister. “Do you and Tom argue often?”
Lana looked at her plate and sighed, though she hadn’t meant to.
Bella needed no further explanation, it seemed. She read people easily. And her assessments were usually pretty much correct. “Well, looks like you’ve got two choices, Lana from New York,” she said brightly. “One, you go back to Tom and finish out the rest of your vacation in what might be ... less than pleasant circumstances. Or two ... you stay here at the beautiful Casa Marino for the remainder of your stay and have, well, a fabulous time.”
Alex instantly shot his sister a glance. Did he do it out of surprise? Or was it a warning? Lana couldn’t read it.
Whatever it was meant to convey, Bella simply ignored it, smiling through. “Well, what do you say...?”
“I couldn’t possibly ...“Lana began. “It wouldn’t be ...”
“Don’t be silly,” said Bella. “You know how fully booked the island is at this time of year. It will be hell to find somewhere new to stay.”
“I ... yes ... I had thought about that.”
“See? There’s no question that you should stay here at the villa,” said Bella. “None at all. In fact, the only question is: what did you want to get out of your stay here in Capri? And I mean you, Lana. What did you want to see? What did you want to do?”
Lana marveled at the woman before her. How in control she was. How warm. How wise. “See the sights, I guess,” she began. “Write a little. In fact, write mainly.”
“Write?”
Lana nodded. “I’m working on a novel. I was hoping to find some time to complete it.”
“My, my. And a creative soul too,” said Bella approvingly, eyeing her brother. “Well, you’ll fit right in with the family. Alex, I take it you’ve had a chance to tell Lana all about the family business? Dad’s business? The fact that we’re basically all just a family of creatives?”
“I haven’t exactly had the chance to tell her very much of anything,” said Alex, with a slightly pained smile. “With everything that’s been going on.”
“No matter,” said Bella. “She’ll find out soon enough.” She turned back to Lana. “It’s our annual gathering of the clans,” she explained. “Soon, the villa will be filled with Marinos. I know it sounds a little daunting, but the villa is so big that there’s always somewhere to tuck yourself away, undisturbed. We have more than enough space to offer. Plenty of extra beds, rooms, quiet nooks for reflection. You’d need an army to truly fill this place ...”
“Sis, could I have a quick word?” asked Alex, rising from the table.
“Of course, my dearest brother,” said Bella. Then, to Lana: “Will you keep an eye on Mario for a sec?” The little boy was busy drawing on a sheet of paper with a red wax crayon.
“Sure,” said Lana, feeling the heat coming to her cheeks. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed. Deeply. What was she doing? She wondered. How was she allowing herself to be seduced into burdening these people with her presence? After all, even if the lovely Bella was keen to have her around, it was clear that Alex had his reservations. And why shouldn’t he? Plus, how would the rest of their family react, finding her there? Her head spun as Bella and Alex rose from the table, leaving her with the cute little boy.
“Do you like to draw?” she asked him, trying to distract herself.
He nodded emphatically. “Yes. I like to draw. I like to draw like Alex.”
“Like Alex?”
He nodded again. “My mommy only collects pictures. But Alex makes them.”
“What kind of pictures does Alex make?” asked Lana.
“Pictures of cars. Mostly. Sometimes other ones.”
“I see.” Was Alex some kind of designer? Lana wondered. Perhaps just a dabbler?
“Alex draws cars and buildings and boats and everything. He can draw anything,” the little boy went on, reverently.
Lana smiled, deliberately keeping her focus on him, trying to ignore the private conversation that was playing out on the corner of the terrace.
“You fell,” the little boy said suddenly. He was looking at the light scrape on her upper arm.
“That’s right. I did.”
“Is it sore?”
“No. Not really. It’s okay.”
“How did you fall?”
“I fell off my scooter.”
The little boy chuckled. Echoes of his mother’s tinkling laugh. “That’s silly,” he said.
Lana smiled, allowing the warmth that suddenly glowed inside her to radiate out. Yes, life really was a little absurd at times, she thought. And maybe, just maybe, it should be allowed to be. Her whole life, she’d preferred seriousness, control. And look where that had got her ... “Yes,” she agreed with the little boy. “It was silly to fall.”
Alex and Bella were making their way back over to the table. “Well, everything’s settled,” said Bella, as though Lana had already agreed to stay, Alex welcomed the idea, and they had just been sewing up a few minor details. “You’ll be staying here with us for the next few days, minimum. We’ll arrange to have the remainder of your clothes collected from wherever you’re staying and Alex will see to it that the scooter rental company doesn’t develop any ... ill feelings toward future tourists who take their machines for midnight rides. Then, by this evening, you’ll have met the whole family. It will be a whole new adventure.”
Lana shook her head, her mind swimming. Despite her realization, despite what her heart knew it wanted, needed, her usual politeness took over. “I ... I couldn’t possibly impose like this,” she said, flustered. “I should—”
“Nonsense. It wouldn’t be an imposition,” said Bella. “In fact, it would be lovely to have a fresh face around. My brother here doesn’t provide us with very many.” She gave Alex a playful elbow in the ribs.
It was now or never. The big decision. Yes! or No, thank you? On one hand, she found she wanted to accept the offer. Really wanted to. Finding a new place to stay would be a nightmare, she knew. And the villa, it was so beautiful ...
But ... what would it mean, staying there with them? And more than that, what would it mean, leaving Tom on his own? Would it spell the end of their relationship, if it was not already at its end? Or would it be the only way to bring any clarity at all?
If she returned now, she could see precisely what would happen. The old fights would just start once more. The old accusations. The old criticisms.
No, she realized. She couldn’t let that happen. Time apart was what she needed. What he needed. What their relationship needed.
Involuntarily, she bit her lip and blushed through the words. “I ... if you’re certain I wouldn’t be imposing ...”
“Of course not,” said Bella, a bright smile coming to her face.
“Then ... yes. Yes, I’d love to stay.”
“Wonderful!” Bella exclaimed. She rushed forward and gave Lana a hug. “You’ve made the right decision. Oh, how exciting this is going to be.”
Lana looked over Bella’s shoulder at Alex, trying to read his expression, but he gave nothing away.