My European Honeymoon (Completed)

Chapter Twenty

Somehow, I expected the ferry to be smaller. Instead, it still towered over us. I had already spotted the destination and knew we were heading to Sardinia, not that it helped me because I knew nothing about the island. The ferry was nice, just as nice as the last one we were on. It looked like it had lots of features and I heard a little girl gushing about heading to the swimming pool. We headed straight to the cabin instead of taking in the amenities the ship had to offer.

It was way past Isabella's bedtime and I couldn't wait to collapse and relax. Luca seemed to have other ideas and as soon as I had put Isabella down, he pulled out an A4 notebook. He made himself comfortable on the bed and patted beside him for me to join him. "What have you been up to now?"

"Drawing, mainly. Just some ideas for the restaurant." He opened the book and revealed the simple drawing. It was much better than I expected it to be. It looked like he had spent quite a bit of time on them and I wondered when he had fit in the time. A single story building and from the notes he had written around it, I could picture it in my mind. The off-white stone walls and the terracotta roof tiles. The simple arch-shaped windows and the only modern touch, the folding glass doors that opened the inside up to the beauty of the vineyard.

Everything I had said about the vineyard being part of him and the restaurant seemed to have sunk in. He had sketched in details on the walls showing black vines and he had even included my vegetable garden outside. "It's wonderful. Perfect."

"I hoped you would say that. I want to call it The Tasting. A couple of nights doing set tasting menus with seasonal ingredients. It seems fitting with the vineyard next door."

"I love it. I think it is right for you to acknowledge your heritage in some way." There were moments when Luca really surprised me. He had been so adamantly against the idea of being associated with the vineyard, and yet suddenly he was embracing it. The only thing that was left was for him and Pops to actually hash it all out and get everything in the open. I wanted Luca to be able to move on from everything, not just the tension over the running of the vineyard, but also the death he felt so guilty about. I was sure Pops was the one that would finally be able to convince Luca that he wasn't to blame.

Luca flicked the page and revealed another drawing. It depicted the inside, showing how he wanted the kitchen to be open. With a rustic oak serving bar and tiles that matched the roof. When I spotted the note about using local olive oil, I knew he was thinking of Papi. The idea made me smile. Everyone in the family was giving an element of the restaurant and bringing it all together under one roof. The wine from the vineyard, the olives from the grove. Many of the recipes Luca served were based on originals of Mamma's.

"You need to add an area to display the wine from the vineyard."

"I was actually thinking about asking your papi if he could do something for us like he did when we moved into the house. Some sort of wine display from the olive wood of the grove. If it is something he wanted to pursue as an element of business at the grove, we could advertise it, too."

"I will see what he says. I had never really considered expanding the grove in such a way. It would be really perfect with the tourist industry they have on their doorstep. Simple, one of a kind pieces."

"Well, you should discuss it with him. After all, one day you will be running the whole thing."

"Don't remind me." The idea of all that heritage being squarely my responsibility still terrified me. Not to mention how I would split myself in two. The vineyard and the grove weren't overly close together, about forty minutes in the car. It was fine for visiting, but having to run multiple businesses across two different sites wasn't something I relished. I knew at some point I would have to make the decision about whether we left the vineyard or not. I just wasn't ready to even consider it. Not to mention that any thoughts about the grove were about after I lost Papi and I had only just found him.

I barely slept that night and before I knew it, we were sitting eating breakfast. It was simple and typical hotel food, delivered to the cabin. It felt like a waste that we hadn't even stepped foot out of the cabin the whole time. We headed up to the deck after breakfast and stood looking out over the water. It was much more impressive watching the dolphins in the distance with Luca instead of alone. The water below us was crystal clear and as I looked towards the shore, I could see dark sections that must have been rocks under the surface of the water.

I had always thought that Italy was beautiful, but Sardinia was something else entirely. It looked like a remote desert island, unharmed by man and full of natural beauty. It took my breath away. "Are you OK?"

"I am absolutely perfect. I've never seen anything so beautiful."

"I have." I looked up at him and his cheeky glint suggested he was comparing me with the island. If only I was so beautiful, but it was a lovely thought. He honestly believed it. When he looked at me, he didn't see any of my flaws, just beauty. I knew how he felt. All I saw when I looked at him was perfection, too.