visibly foreign. Enzo had bought the clothes in an effort to help us feel comfortable.
“This is beautiful,” I said, pulling the black silk dress from the first bag. I held the dress out at arm’s length. It was silk crepe with a low V in the front. The tag read size 46, the Italian equivalent to size 10. “Looks like it will fit.”
He looked me over with an appreciative gaze. “I have an eye for beautiful things.”
I gave him a sidelong glance. Could it be that Enzo Roberts was flirting with me? I glanced at Luca, who was too busy looking at a new leather jacket and some dress shirts to notice.
“Thank you,” I said, folding the dress carefully and setting it on the edge of the bed. I picked up the trousers. “I’ll wear these at the meeting. The estate won’t know what hit them.”
Enzo walked to the center of the room, stopping under the chandelier.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked. He met my eye a moment too long, and I wondered if he knew that Luca had slept on the couch. I had no idea how aware he was about our marital problems. “Are you happy with the room?”
I looked around at the ridiculous opulence of my suite. It was hard to believe he was serious. He’d seen my lackluster living room and my sad Christmas tree. This hotel was nicer than any I’d ever seen; the sheets were thick buttery cotton, almost liquid against my skin. “Everything is perfect. Beyond perfect.”
He looked relieved. “Wonderful,” he said, as he set his briefcase on a table and opened it. “Because you will be here for the next few days. The estate would like to set the meeting for tomorrow afternoon.” He pulled a leather pouch from his briefcase and handed it to me. “Which gives you a little time to rest and see the city. If you are up for it, of course.”
I unzipped the pouch and found a phone, a room key, and a wad of euro bills. I kept the phone—my phone had died and I didn’t have an adapter for the charger—and handed the pouch to Luca. He looked inside, his eyes wide with surprise at the sight of all that cash.
“I’ve programmed my number, as well as the number of the hotel, into the phone. There is no passcode—you can create one if you want, of course. I’ve also added a list of places you might want to visit—the Egyptian Museum is amusing—as well as some of my favorite restaurants. It might snow, which will be a treat, as we rarely get snow at Christmas. I’ve downloaded the Google Translate app, in case you get stuck ordering dinner. I’ve called already, and they are aware that you might drop in. Just mention my name and they will take care of you.”
That evening, the manager sent up a complimentary bottle of wine—a dry prosecco that smelled of apricots and ice. We drank it on the balcony, watching the people below: an elegant woman in high heels and a tight, tailored overcoat; an old man reading the Corriere della Sera under the light of the bus stop; a child walking with her grandmother. Everyone was as elegant as Enzo Roberts. It was my first time away from home, and perhaps I was easily impressed, but I could have spent the whole night like that, watching the passersby on the street.
It had been dark for an hour when it began to snow, flakes drifting down over us and melting on the wrought-iron balcony. Luca slipped his arms around me, and it seemed, suddenly, that I had been summoned home.
I glanced at my watch. Twelve o’clock. For a moment, I was confused—was it dark at noon? Or could it be midnight already?
“We lost six hours,” Luca said, noting my confusion. “It’s lunchtime for us, dinner here.”
“You hungry?” I asked.
“Let’s go out and do something fun,” Luca said. “Something totally new.”
“It feels like forever since we did that,” I replied.
“Well, it’s been forever since we’ve been happy,” he said, which was an understatement.
“I’m happy now,” I said, pulling him closer, taking in his scent.
He leaned over and kissed me, and it was as if we were who we used to be, unguarded, me and Luca with the whole of our future ahead of us.
“I’m sorry about asking you to move out,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder, feeling the scruff of his beard against my cheek. “I just