Page 31 of Palazzo
“It may be too soon, and you may not be in the mood, but I have meetings in Rome tomorrow. Do you want to have dinner?” She hesitated as she thought about it, and remembered what Gian Battista had told her after lunch…be happy…have fun…But how could she now?
“I’d like that.” He was pleased and surprised by her answer, and so was she. She sounded very serious and somewhat shell-shocked. “Let’s go somewhere easy, not fancy. Like Trastevere,” the bohemian part of town across the river.
“That sounds perfect.”
“Why don’t you come at eight?” She liked eating late, after she had unwound from the office. He wasn’t sure she was up to it, but he was glad she was willing to see him. He could only imagine what an immense loss it was for her.
“Can I do anything for you, Cosima?” She sounded so sad it pained him to hear it.
“You’re doing it,” she said gently. “I’ll be happy to see you. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch all week.”
“I knew why as soon as I saw the article.”
“He was an amazing person. I saw him for lunch the day before he died, and he called you my ‘honorable friend,’ because you didn’t buy Luca’s shares. That always impressed him, and me too.” She smiled for the first time in days as she talked to Olivier, and some of the tension in her body eased. Every inch of her had been braced as though for an attack or a blow. She ached all over, and mostly deep inside.
“We’ll have a nice quiet time tomorrow,” he promised. “Do you want anything from Paris?”
“Just you. See you tomorrow night.” They hung up then, and she thought about Olivier that night. He was a kind man, and had the same principled values as Gian Battista, which meant everything to her.
The next day she worked until seven, and then went to her apartment and changed. She had worn black all week, and decided not to for dinner. She needed to lighten her mood, and wearing black depressed her. She wore a soft white sweater instead, gray flannel slacks, and deep red suede shoes. She looked casual and chic, with one of her signature alligator bags in the same deep red.
Olivier smiled as soon as he saw her. She had champagne chilled for him and had ordered caviar. It seemed very festive considering how he knew she was feeling, and he was touched that she had made the effort for him. They both relaxed as they sat on the terrace under the heater. She enjoyed the terrace even in winter. And it was warmer in Rome than it had been in Paris.
They kept the conversation light and then left for dinner. The restaurant they chose across the river was noisy and crowded andjubilant, and it cheered her to see people having fun and enjoying each other. It was just what she needed. The noise level kept the conversation from getting too serious, and afterwards they strolled along the river, and Olivier could feel Cosima relax as though she was melting, as she leaned closer to him as they walked. They sat down on a bench and looked at the river, and Cosima seemed a million miles away. And out of the blue, she started talking.
“He was what has always been between us,” she said in a soft voice.
“I guessed that,” he said simply.
She was surprised. “When?”
“Right in the beginning. I didn’t know who, but I knew there was someone. And then later I guessed it was him. You always sounded different when you talked to him, like a wife.”
“He ended it with me three years ago. I didn’t know until this week, but he was already sick then. He never told me he was sick. He must have decided to end it with me when he thought he wasn’t going to make it. I was heartbroken, and I never stopped loving him. We were together, that way, for nine years. I was twenty-six when it started. But I loved him before that. He had an odd arrangement with his wife.”
“Did she know?”
“He said no, but at the funeral I wasn’t so sure. She invited us to sit with her, me and Allegra. Anyway, it’s over now. For the last three years I’ve been in limbo, always waiting for him to come back. I’ve been thinking of it all this week, and I thought you should know. I didn’t realize that you’d guessed.” She smiled at him and he didn’t dare kiss her, not tonight. They walked back to her apartment then,and he went back to his hotel. He had the weekend free to be with her, so he stayed in Rome.
On Saturday, they drove out to the country, and Cosima relaxed as she and Olivier talked, enjoyed the countryside, had lunch, and he told her funny stories. On Saturday night, they ordered food in and watched a movie together, sprawled out on her couch. He had built a fire in the fireplace, and they stood on the terrace afterwards to get some air. It was getting chilly recently. And then, with all the gentleness he could muster, he held her in his arms and kissed her. She didn’t resist him or pull away or stop him. She wanted him. She was finally free of the love that had devoured her for fifteen years. Gian Battista was finally at peace, and so was she, and she could open her heart to Olivier now. She had the memories of Gian Battista in her heart and her mind forever, just as he had said.
They wandered slowly back inside, to her bedroom, and he ever so gently took off her clothes, and they lay on her bed, and they discovered each other little by little. She had known him for four months, and it had been long enough. Everything they did together felt natural, and as their desire heightened, he couldn’t control his hunger for her any longer. He had waited a long time for her, and the man she had loved for so long had finally released her. They soared into the future together like two souls that had found each other at last. She didn’t know it, but she had been looking for him for a long time, and finally found him, as Gian Battista retreated slowly into the past and Olivier became her present, and maybe one day her future. Their coming together was gentle and loving, and she knew that Gian Battista had approved. Olivier truly was her honorable friend, just as Gian Battista had said.
Chapter 13
As fall eased slowly into winter, Olivier and Cosima were both busy. Business was good for both of them. Allegra was traveling to Paris regularly, and Olivier tried to get to Rome every weekend. He and Cosima were enjoying each other, and everything was going smoothly between them. She mentioned Gian Battista occasionally, but not often. She was healing from the loss. A month after the subject of the collaboration had come up, Olivier came to Rome for the weekend a day early with two large suitcases he had checked on the plane. He normally only traveled with carry-on, and he had left clothes at Cosima’s apartment. Sometimes they went away for the weekend, but there was so much to do in Rome that they both enjoyed.
He brought the two big valises to her office on Friday afternoon, and had asked Allegra to be there too. Basile was coming in that night, and he and Allegra were going to a gallery opening.
The two suitcases looked mysterious as Allegra rolled in. Olivier hadn’t told either of the sisters what he was bringing, and he hopedthey liked what he’d brought. He was very pleased. The factory he used in Santa Croce sull’Arno was considered the finest. Santa Croce was known as the “leather capital of the world.” They had followed his instructions to the letter, but there were still some minor changes he wanted to make and he was eager for Allegra’s and Cosima’s comments.
“Are you moving in?” Allegra teased him as she rolled in. She was prettier than ever and thriving in her relationship with Basile. They were always talking about new projects, places they wanted to see together, and meeting new people. Their world expanded every day, and Basile was working on a gallery show for the spring.
Olivier started with the suitcase he had prepared for Cosima. There were six prototypes for their collaboration. He could hardly wait to show them to her. One was in shiny black alligator, another was a creamy matte beige. He thought both were very chic. They were a slightly pared-down, less intricate version of her famous signature bag. His were a little bit bigger, which made them seem younger. And Cosima had suggested three other styles to him for the factory to work on. Just as hers were, his designs were very pure. The craftsmanship was not as expert, but the workmanship was excellent. There was a bright red shoulder bag in beautiful leather, a smaller version in bottle green, a big black bag, and a tiny, very chic black suede for evening. He unwrapped them and set them on her desk as they watched him intently, and Cosima studied each one as he set it down. It really was just what it was meant to be, a collaboration of her exquisite styles and his slightly newer, more modern take on them, while fully respecting her original designs. It had been a labor of love to get them this far, and now he needed her input, evenif critical, to tell him what they should change and where he had gone wrong, if he had. She didn’t say a word as she examined each one, and he held his breath, waiting for her reaction, and then she turned and looked at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen. He nearly cried with relief.
“You are an absolute miracle worker,” she said. “They’re fantastic. At first glance they look like ours, and then you realize they’re not, they’re newer and just different enough to be exciting while remaining completely faithful to our designs.” The word she thought of immediately was “respectful.” They weren’t knockoffs, they were evolution, and the quality of the materials he had used was every bit as fine as hers. His craftsmen were just younger and less experienced than hers.
“Do you like them?” He was still holding his breath, but he was smiling too. He had loved them when he saw them for the first time.
