My Italian Heart

I put the phone down after speaking to Emily. Not having her at the vineyard had left me rather lost. Of course it wasn't just her. Everyone was gone, and I had been left trying to hold everything together all alone. Half of my family was in the hospital and the other half was just plain absent. The worst of it was, I couldn't complain. What sort of person complained about their lot in life while their brother's life hung in the balance? Luca had only just been brought out of the coma and we still didn't know if there was any lasting damage. Pops had only been back for a few days, but he couldn't cope with being inside the house. The main reason was Mamma. She was beside herself ever since the fire. Something inside her had broken, and I had no idea how to fix it. Apparently, neither did Pops, but instead of trying, he ran away into the vineyard. There was so much resentment building within me. It wasn't fair. She was his wife, yet he refused to deal with it and left me no choice but to try my best. Rylie was still in the hospital too, but only because she refused to leave until they discharged Luca. Not that I blamed her for that. Rylie and Luca coming home was supposed to be the start of their new life with little Isabella. Instead, it had been a whole disaster that had ripped our family apart. Then there was Emily, the one person who had been beside my side ever since she had arrived in Italy for Luca's failed wedding. She had become family. My best friend. My right hand. Then, just when I needed her, she was going through all her own drama. She and George had been through so much in such a short time, and I didn't blame her for wanting to run away. I just wished she had told me they were going away. The last I had heard, they were in England. I had been trying to get hold of her for a couple of weeks to let her know what had happened at the vineyard, but there had been no way of getting in touch at all. Then, out of the blue, she rang me from the airport in Verona. As I drove down there, I couldn't decide if I was going to kill her or hug her. She was standing outside the entrance waiting for me. She looked rather down, and I wondered what had happened with her over the last couple of weeks. Whatever it was, it didn't look like she was in the middle of happily ever after. She barked at me almost as soon as she got into the car. "Spit it out. I'm already panicking, so you might as well get on with it." It was hardly surprising. I had given her next to no information on the phone, just telling her that I had been trying desperately to get hold of her. I filled her in on all the details and it took up the entire journey. Never even getting as far as finding out what had been happening with her while she was away. Getting the details would have to wait, there was too much work to be done. I literally dropped her off at the house and drove the short distance to the warehouse. It wasn't necessary, but it seemed like too much hard work to get out and walk. I was so tired. It felt like weeks since I had actually slept. Constantly suffering with insomnia ever since the fire. There was just too much anxiety swimming around in my mind for me to sleep, no matter how exhausted I was. Add in the ridiculous workload and I was burnt out, and then some. The trouble was that no matter how exhausted or burnt out I felt, there was no option to stop. If I stopped, then the vineyard stopped. I had worked too hard to get the business to where it was to let it be another casualty of Amelia's rampage. Then to top it off, Luca had rung me and asked me to organise workmen for his house. It was a surprising phone call, but it gave me one less thing to worry about. Which was daft because he was giving me more work. He had refused to even step foot in that house his entire adulthood. To know that he had finally come to terms with everything and was turning it into a family home meant so much to me. I didn't have any idea of what had happened to him to make him refuse all mention of his inheritance, but whatever it was, I knew it was some sort of trauma. Since meeting Rylie he had grown so much and that was before he had made her his. The only thing I had to focus on was that he had managed to find happiness and purpose in his life. If they could get through everything and still come out happy and stronger because of it, it meant there was some hope for the rest of us. I headed up to the office and organised the workers for his house first. It had never made it on to my to-do list and I wanted to make sure I didn't forget it. I had grown so forgetful, but it was likely due to the tiredness. Barely even feeling like myself anymore. I did the exact same thing I did every day and concentrated on the paperwork for the business. Checking which orders were still to be shipped and drumming up new suppliers. It seemed like a never-ending task. Finally, I went online to check the local newspapers. The trouble surrounding the vineyard had been in the papers for way too long and it had been affecting business. It had become a nightly ritual to check to see if they had given up and stopped covering the drama. The first article that came up, the photo accompanying it, drew my attention. There was something familiar abut the woman it contained. It took me a minute before I managed to place her as the woman that had confronted Em at the club. It was George's wife. I quickly skimmed through the article before heading back to the house at a run. Heading into the kitchen at a run before trying to stop dead as the realisation of what I was seeing registered. I had literally walked in on a proposal and I wanted to scream apologies in every direction, but it was too late to take it back. "I'm aware this is terrible timing, but it can't wait. You need to turn on the news now." I hoped Em would see the desperation in my eyes and realise how serious it was. My eyes settled on Amiee. She didn't deserve to find out like that. I had to do something. "You must be Amiee. I've heard so much about you. I'm Aurora, Emily's friend. Well, we are more like family. Do you want to come with me and I will take you for a short tour of the vineyard?" She didn't seem keen, but it was hardly surprising. I was a stranger to her. Not to mention, I was sure she would have picked up on the fact that something was going on. I took her hand and led her out of the kitchen door. Taking her straight towards the fields. After all, the warehouse was hardly the most ideal place for a child. "Do you want to try a grape?" She nodded. Em had said she was really shy, but apparently it came out as her being silent. I looked back towards the kitchen door. Not really being sure what I was expecting to see. It was yet another bomb that was going to detonate their relationship. I looked back at Amiee. She might be shy, but she was also such a happy little girl. I wondered how long that would last. Before long, she would find out about her mother's death. I had only met Sharon once, but I knew she had abandoned Amiee in England. Her overdose felt like one more thing she had done to her child rather than to herself. We weren't out there long at all before George came out in search of Amiee. She went skipping off towards him and I headed off in the opposite direction. They needed to be alone. I walked across the field as they walked away from the house, leaving me free to head to the house and check on Em. She looked on the verge of tears. My heart broke for her as she told me about how Sharon had stopped them from being together yet again. That it would mean there was no proposal at all. I wanted her to be wrong. I wanted George to prove her wrong. My hopes were short-lived when Amiee came storming into the kitchen and told her that George had said they couldn't be together. He confirmed it, of course. Giving truth to all of Em's worries. It made me sick, and I wanted to kill him for the pain he had caused. Amiee and Em had a much closer bond than I had even realised. Em went head to head with George over the way he had handled everything and demanded that Amiee stayed at the vineyard with us overnight. Then agreeing to watch her each day while he worked. It looked like the little munchkin was going to be a regular guest. I was thrilled having a little one around again. Someone who needed caring for would help all of us focus on the important things.