“I appreciate you saying that, but…”
“I’ve done something you might not like, but I want you to hear me out before you argue with me.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What did you do, Lucia?”
“I called Matteo.”
“My cousin Matteo?” My eyebrows shot up.
She nodded. “He’ll be here this afternoon. He can help run the winery so you can go back to Siena.”
“Oh dear.”
“What?”
“My mamma just told me my father hired Paolo Viticcio to do the same thing.”
“Paolo?” She made a face.
“That was my reaction.”
“Sorry, Pia, no offense. I know you and Paolo are—”
“We’re n
othing. My parents are unwilling to listen when I tell them I’ll never marry him.”
“If things don’t work out, please consider talking with Matteo. He’s a good man, Pia.”
“You know Matteo cannot inherit Valentini, right?”
She laughed. “You need sleep, my friend. No one is suggesting he inherit. He only wants to support you.”
“But, what would be in it for him? We can’t afford to hire another person to help run the winery.”
“Pia, listen to yourself. Do you think so little of the rest of us that you would assume the only reason we would help you is if there were something ‘in it for us’?”
“That isn’t what I meant.” Or maybe it was. Was I being as prideful as my father?
“Matteo would do it out of the goodness of his heart.”
For the first time since she mentioned his name, I looked into Lucia’s eyes. How did she know what kind of man Matteo was? When she smiled and her cheeks turned pink, I had my answer.
“Are you and my cousin together?”
She half-shrugged. “We’re trying to be. If both of us were working here, we’d be able to spend more time together. You know, when we aren’t working.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples, feeling a little like I was losing my grasp on reality. “Lucia, forgive me for asking this, but do you work here?”
She laughed. “Work is a term that can mean many things. While I’m not a Valentini employee, I have been assisting my mother and Nonna Bella.”
I gasped. “Why didn’t you say anything? You can’t just ‘assist.’ We need to pay you.”
“Have you heard a word I’ve said to you?”
“Yes…no…I don’t know.”
Her cell phone vibrated, and she looked at the screen. “Matteo’s here.” She stood to leave, and I put my hand on her arm.