Recipe for Love

Chapter 8

Anna

Lewis disappeared for a team meeting and I used the empty house to explore. It turned out that my father was very generous to me. I had at my disposal a huge sunny room with a separate dressing room and bathroom. The only problem was the colors. Everything was so incredibly beige and light it made me sick. I walked down the hall and peered into all the doors that were unlocked. I came across a gym, a music studio, and what looked like a yoga and meditation room. I was sure I would never step foot in that room.

The kitchen and fridge were packed to bursting with healthy and low-fat food, fruit and vegetables. The room was dominated by a table with chairs for eight, which seemed like a pretty big overkill considering it was just the two of us living here now. I also discovered a sauna and a hot tub on the ground floor and finally got to the garden, where someone was cutting ornamental bushes. I nodded my head at him because I refused to embarrass myself with my pronunciation of Italian words and continued down the gravel path to a small fountain with a white-painted garden swing. I thoughtlessly settled on it, just as the gardener shouted: "Signorina, no!" I immediately jumped up, but it was too late. My favorite jeans were decorated with white stripes on my ass and I just let out an unhappy sigh.

I was in the bathroom scrubbing the paint off my pants when I heard the door slam downstairs. I put on another pair of jeans that happened to be on hand and set off to see Lewis, not because I wanted to see him, but because I just wanted someone to talk to after being alone all day. Preferably in English. "Hello," he smiled at me as he noticed me walk into the kitchen. "Hi," I said, sitting down at the bar and watching him make a smoothie. "How was your day?" he asked, and I just shrugged.
"Tomorrow I'll try to go around some restaurants in the area and ask for a job."
"That's great. You can borrow a car if you want. It's a long way to the city."
"I'm not a very good driver. Are you sure you want to lend me one of your shiny cars?"
"What do you mean you're not a very good driver? On a scale of one to ten. Me being a ten," he asked, grinning.
"I'd say four," I admitted truthfully, and I saw fear flash through his eyes.
"Maybe you could take a bike instead?" he suggested after a while, and I nodded enthusiastically. I didn't like the idea of scratching one of his cars. I would much rather scratch myself on a bike.

The next morning, I jumped on a bike with a helmet on my head and a list of restaurants I liked and their addresses carefully written down in my phone and started down the hill to the center of Bologna. I loved London and it always had its charm for me, but what I saw in the historic center of the city took my breath away. Maybe it was when I was walking through the narrow romantic streets that I realized that I wanted to live here as long as possible. I finally arrived at the first restaurant on my list and walked in confidently. A bored girl about my age was standing at the bar, chewing gum and eyeing me curiously. "Buongiorno," I got over myself and smiled at her. At the same time, I run out of my knowledge of Italian. She nodded and kept looking at me. "I would like to ask if you are looking for a cook by any chance?" I asked in my native tongue. She chewed several times, scanned me from head to toe, and then shook her head vigorously. "Did you understand what I asked?" I asked just to be sure, to which she nodded. "Ah, alright. Well, thanks," I grumbled, giving her a not-so-friendly look, and left the restaurant.

I would like to say that they treated me more kindly in other places, but I would be lying. I was almost beginning to think that my reputation had caught up with me far beyond the borders of London, but perhaps they were just annoyed by my lack of knowledge of Italian. Either they pretended not to understand me or they really didn't, but I'll never know. Anyway, back to the villa I got back late in the afternoon, completely sweaty after riding the awful slush to the house. I slammed my bike onto the driveway and sulked inside. "How did it go?" Lewis asked with sickening positiveness. "Shitty," I growled and went to take a quick shower to calm myself down. I then went back down to the living room where he was sitting on the sofa with a book open and a hot herbal tea in front of him. "They didn't even give me a chance anywhere. Maybe it was a mistake to come here," I sighed and slammed myself on the other side of the couch. "You can't give up so quickly. You can go with me to Maranello tomorrow and ask there. It's a small town, but they have restaurants there too," he grinned. "Yeah, ok. Thanks," I whispered and smiled at him sincerely for the first time.