Chapter 13 - The Man Who Finally Let Me Choose
Luca offered me a new position helping coordinate hospitality at a charitable foundation his aunt supported. It paid more than my old job and came with health insurance.
I asked for a written job description, an independent supervisor, and a guarantee that my employment would not depend on my relationship with his family.
He agreed to every condition.
“You expected me to say yes immediately,” I told him.
“I hoped you would consider it.”
I took the job after the foundation board approved the arrangement. I worked with families whose lives had been disrupted by sudden illness, and for the first time I understood that my experience could be useful without defining everything I was.
Luca and I began meeting for coffee away from the mansion. We talked about ordinary things: books, terrible movies, the stubborn rosebush outside Evelyn's window.
One afternoon he said, “I like you, Claire. But I know liking you doesn't entitle me to anything.”
May you like
I studied his face. “Then you won't mind if I take my time.”
He smiled. “Take all of it.”
