THIS COULDN’T BE HAPPENING.
Sylvie glanced out the window of the Bartolini estate. The whole villa had been closed up to protect its residents from the thickening smoke. Luckily for them, even though the fire was now threatening the edge of the Bartolini property, the estate was vast.
When Vito had called her to let her know that the wildfire had spread and was now heading for the estate, she’d stopped job searching and immediately returned. She had no idea what she could do to help. She just knew she had to be here for Enzo.
After already having a close call with the baby, she wouldn’t take any chances by going out to the front lines where they were doing everything possible to stave off the fire. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t cook for all the dislocated people seeking shelter at the estate or the men and women fighting to save it.
“Do you have more bread?” Anna, Vito’s wife, asked. “The sandwiches are going fast.”
“I have some that just came out of the oven,” Sylvie said. “I don’t know if it’s cool enough.”
Anna placed her hand on one of the loaves. “It’s cool enough. These guys are hungry.”
“I’ll slice it up.” Sylvie grabbed a knife and set to work thinly slicing the bread. She wished there was more she could do than just stand around working the kitchen. “Have they said how it’s going? Are their efforts holding off the fire?”
“They said so far so good but that could change with a gust of wind.”
The thought of it sent a shiver of apprehension skittering down her spine.
And then she realized that Enzo shouldn’t be facing this nightmare alone. Sure, she was there, but she wasn’t family. He needed his sisters.
She wasn’t sure how Enzo would feel about her interfering, but lately she had the feeling he wasn’t thinking clearly. He was being driven by ghosts of the past. Maybe it was time he was surrounded by the people who loved him here and now—his sisters…and her—even if he didn’t love her in return.
She pulled her phone from her pocket. She had Bianca’s number but not Gia’s. She was certain once Bianca heard the news that she’d call her sister.
Sylvie hurriedly pressed Dial before she had a chance to talk herself out of it. The phone rang once, twice, three times. Her heart started to sink. Bianca was very busy these days, between planning her Christmas wedding and assuming her new royal duties.
But then the call was picked up and Bianca’s voice came on the line. “Sylvie, hi. What’s going on?”
“Bianca, thank goodness. Have you talked to your brother recently?”
“No, why?” Concern rang out in Bianca’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s the estate. There’s a wildfire…its headed for the villa.”
* * *
Everything had changed.
And now it was about to change once more.
The speed at which Enzo’s life was evolving was dizzying. He paused and leaned upon the shovel he’d been using to help widen the cleared property line between his estate and the neighbors’, where the wildfire was wreaking utter devastation. He grabbed a rag from his back pocket to run across his sweaty brow.
He gazed out over the vineyard as a light layer of smoke mingled with the sun’s rays. The sunlight bounced off the droplets of dew, making them sparkle as though the long lines of grapevines were in fact strung with glittering jewels.
It wasn’t so long ago that this place had been his dream. He’d gone off to make a name for himself so that when he returned, his father would take him on as a full partner—respecting his input. But that day had never come. It was snatched away from both of them when a delivery truck ran a stop sign.
In the end Enzo had won the vineyard by default. It certainly didn’t feel like a win. It definitely felt more like a tremendous loss—the loss of his parents, the loss of his idyllic vision of them, the loss of his love for these rolling hills and lush vines where he and his sisters used to go exploring.
A sound caught his attention. He glanced over his shoulder. Caught up in his memories, for the briefest second he expected to see his sisters, Bianca and Gia, trekking their way toward him, laughing about something. When he’d ask what was so amusing, they’d shake their heads and say he wouldn’t get it. But in reality, there was no one there. It was just a gust of hot, smoky wind rustling the leaves on the nearby vines.
Bianca had moved on. In just a few short months she would become the Princess of Patazonia. He hadn’t been so sure about this love affair with a prince. In fact, he’d tried to keep them apart after Bianca returned from planning a royal wedding in Patazonia with a broken heart. But in the end, he saw that they truly belonged together.
And then there was his youngest sister, Gia. Her path to true love was not so simple. Not simple at all. To know that she’d been lied to all of her life by the people she was supposed to trust the most, their parents—it was unimaginable. And yet, through the darkest time in her life, she’d found love. Now both of his sisters were in committed relationships.
But not him—
“Enzo?”
He turned to find Vito standing there. He wasn’t sure what to say to his manager, who was also the closest thing he had to a parent these days. He’d done what Vito had implored him not to do—sold the estate. Well, almost; pen had not been put to paper because of the wildfire.
Worry showed in Vito’s eyes. “I wanted to let you know that the fire has really kicked up over the next hillside. They’ve thrown everything they’ve got at it. Perhaps it’s time we pulled back.”
“Did the firefighters tell us to move?” Enzo asked.
“Not yet. They said to be alert. They’re trying to contain it before it gets this far.”
“Good. Let’s hope they succeed,” Enzo said. “Tell our men, as always, it’s totally their choice if they stay or go. I will understand if they need to go. But I’m staying until we’re instructed otherwise.” He paused and looked at his friend, dirt and sweat smeared on his aging face. “You should go, too.”
Vito shook his head. “If you’re staying, I am, too.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He pointed to the dark cloud in the distance. “You can see the fire isn’t far off.”
“I’m not leaving you out here alone.”
“Have I told you lately how stubborn you are?” Then Enzo’s gaze met Vito’s. His voice softened. “Thank you for always being there.”
“I’m not the only one who cares about you. I’ve seen the way Sylvie looks at you. It’s the way my Anna looks at me.”
He shook his head. “It’s never going to work out.” Not the romantic way. Even if the thought tempted him, he knew he’d ruined his chances with her. “She’s gone.”
“But it doesn’t mean she can’t come back. If you were to talk to her—tell her how you feel.”
“Vito, now isn’t the time.”
His old friend nodded. “Just don’t give up, on the estate or on Sylvie.”
“I can’t think about any of that now.” Enzo turned back to the nightmare unfolding before him.
“I hope they’re able to stop the fire before it reaches us.”
“Me, too.” Enzo didn’t know why it should mean anything to him. After all, he was about to walk away from it. But he couldn’t dismiss all the memories lurking all over the grounds. From birthday dinners that his mother had planned to his father teaching Enzo when he wasn’t much more than a toddler about the soil and grapes.
For so long he hadn’t wanted to relive those moments—the real moments that weren’t tainted by lies. But Sylvie had slowly pulled back his blinders, seeing what had always been there in front of him. Family, happiness, anger, love and history. Theirs hadn’t been a perfect family like he’d wanted to believe, but through it all, he’d felt loved.
“You know, for a man who doesn’t care about the vineyard, you are fighting awfully hard to save it.” And with that said, Vito walked off to check on the other men.
Enzo wanted to dismiss Vito’s words, but as he got back to work, Vito’s words haunted him. Why was he out here giving it his all? Why hadn’t he paused for just two seconds to sign the sales agreement instead of springing out of the chair and rushing out the door as though the flames were licking at his heels?
How did Vito see through Enzo? It was like the older man was telling him what he was afraid to admit to himself. In that moment Enzo finally acknowledged what his heart had known all along—he loved this estate with all its happy and sad memories because when they came together, it made for a life of loving and caring. And he loved Sylvie—even if he’d fought it for months because he was scared of letting himself become vulnerable once more and being hurt by someone else he cared about. And he loved the baby—even though he knew he was going to make mistakes along the way and not always have the answers.
Still, he wanted a second chance to make the estate a loving home for their baby—a second chance to show Sylvie just how much she meant to him. But was it too late for all of that?