and blow-dried her hair straight.
“I love that dress. You had it on the first time I saw you.
I’ve never seen you with your hair straight either, I like it.”
“Do I look all right?” she asked, wringing her clammy hands.
“I want to look nice to meet your friends.”
“You look beautiful. I can tell you’re getting anxious. I
promise, they’re nice people. Believe me, my friends are going to love you. Do
you want a glass of wine? It might help you relax,” he urged, holding up a
bottle of wine.
“Sure, maybe just one.” She sighed heavily. It felt as if
she were going home to meet his parents.
“We need to go over a few things.”
The eight little words spilled effortlessly from his mouth,
however they sounded like words of warning to Tess, especially with the wine in
his hands.
“Oh, great.” She motioned for him to fill up her wine glass.
“Okay, go ahead, what is it?”
“I just want you to be prepared. This will be a very
different experience than Bora Bora. This was the first trip in a long time
where people didn’t recognize me, which is another reason why I love it there.
When we’re out, people will recognize me here. It won’t be anything like the
States, but it will happen. I don’t usually stop for pictures or talk to people
too much because it gets chaotic, so we need to keep moving.”
Tess chewed on her cheek, taking a big breath of air.
“Are you all right?”
“Umm, yeah, just don’t leave me, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise. It’ll seem weird at first, but it’ll
happen the entire trip, so try not to let it bother you. We’ll lay low most of
the time, but I want to take you a few places while we’re here. So basically,
keep your head down and keep walking. Got it?”
“Got it,” she confirmed, pacing in circles. Tess never
yearned to be in the spotlight and quickly realized stepping off the plane
might feel like standing in the center of the Big Top next to the Ring Master.
Tom held her close, nibbling her neck. “Tess.”
“Can you do that for the next hour? It really relaxes me.”
“We’ll be landing in Italy soon.”
Her eyes lit up. “I’ve never been to Italy before.”
“I know,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean, you know?”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.
“Tracy,” he said in a pleased tone. “She’s warming up to me. Sort of. Okay,
well maybe just a little. But JC was friendly.”
“When did you-?”
“When you were sleeping. Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you
something from JC, ‘Good job, Mom, no wheelchair. Be safe.’ Plus, they talked
to John and he said the same thing. I’m not sure what the wheelchair comment
was about, but she seemed happy with your catch . That’s what she
referred to me as.” Tom laughed and cast out a pretend fishing line, reeling
Tess in like a marlin and smooching her lips.
A car waited for them at the small airport when they landed.
It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d anticipated. People definitely pointed, but
Tom didn’t take notice. He seemed comfortable and confident. She admired that
about him.
Tom had been driving for an hour. Quaint vineyards and olive
groves dotted the landscape in front of them. The longer he drove the prettier
and more captivating the scenery became. Green rolling hills spotted with
villas covered the countryside. Tess always dreamed of traveling to Europe, but
after going to Bora Bora, she could never bring herself to go anywhere else.
However, at that moment, she wished she’d made herself visit sooner.
“It’s so charming here. The old buildings have so much
character. Tracy would love it.”
“She did sound a bit envious.” He smirked with eyes full of
mischief. Tom pulled over to the side of the road in the middle of the
countryside.
“What are we doing?”
He jumped out of the car and opened her door. “I’m keeping a
promise. Stand right over here.” He pulled out his cell phone, taking a picture
of Tess
“I love that dress. You had it on the first time I saw you.
I’ve never seen you with your hair straight either, I like it.”
“Do I look all right?” she asked, wringing her clammy hands.
“I want to look nice to meet your friends.”
“You look beautiful. I can tell you’re getting anxious. I
promise, they’re nice people. Believe me, my friends are going to love you. Do
you want a glass of wine? It might help you relax,” he urged, holding up a
bottle of wine.
“Sure, maybe just one.” She sighed heavily. It felt as if
she were going home to meet his parents.
“We need to go over a few things.”
The eight little words spilled effortlessly from his mouth,
however they sounded like words of warning to Tess, especially with the wine in
his hands.
“Oh, great.” She motioned for him to fill up her wine glass.
“Okay, go ahead, what is it?”
“I just want you to be prepared. This will be a very
different experience than Bora Bora. This was the first trip in a long time
where people didn’t recognize me, which is another reason why I love it there.
When we’re out, people will recognize me here. It won’t be anything like the
States, but it will happen. I don’t usually stop for pictures or talk to people
too much because it gets chaotic, so we need to keep moving.”
Tess chewed on her cheek, taking a big breath of air.
“Are you all right?”
“Umm, yeah, just don’t leave me, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise. It’ll seem weird at first, but it’ll
happen the entire trip, so try not to let it bother you. We’ll lay low most of
the time, but I want to take you a few places while we’re here. So basically,
keep your head down and keep walking. Got it?”
“Got it,” she confirmed, pacing in circles. Tess never
yearned to be in the spotlight and quickly realized stepping off the plane
might feel like standing in the center of the Big Top next to the Ring Master.
Tom held her close, nibbling her neck. “Tess.”
“Can you do that for the next hour? It really relaxes me.”
“We’ll be landing in Italy soon.”
Her eyes lit up. “I’ve never been to Italy before.”
“I know,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean, you know?”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.
“Tracy,” he said in a pleased tone. “She’s warming up to me. Sort of. Okay,
well maybe just a little. But JC was friendly.”
“When did you-?”
“When you were sleeping. Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you
something from JC, ‘Good job, Mom, no wheelchair. Be safe.’ Plus, they talked
to John and he said the same thing. I’m not sure what the wheelchair comment
was about, but she seemed happy with your catch . That’s what she
referred to me as.” Tom laughed and cast out a pretend fishing line, reeling
Tess in like a marlin and smooching her lips.
A car waited for them at the small airport when they landed.
It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d anticipated. People definitely pointed, but
Tom didn’t take notice. He seemed comfortable and confident. She admired that
about him.
Tom had been driving for an hour. Quaint vineyards and olive
groves dotted the landscape in front of them. The longer he drove the prettier
and more captivating the scenery became. Green rolling hills spotted with
villas covered the countryside. Tess always dreamed of traveling to Europe, but
after going to Bora Bora, she could never bring herself to go anywhere else.
However, at that moment, she wished she’d made herself visit sooner.
“It’s so charming here. The old buildings have so much
character. Tracy would love it.”
“She did sound a bit envious.” He smirked with eyes full of
mischief. Tom pulled over to the side of the road in the middle of the
countryside.
“What are we doing?”
He jumped out of the car and opened her door. “I’m keeping a
promise. Stand right over here.” He pulled out his cell phone, taking a picture
of Tess
Similar Books
