Page 39 of Gelato at the Villa (Suitcase Sisters #2)

The alarm sounded at five thirty, and we went into a scramble before we whooshed out the door.

The whoosh was a good thing, because without it we would have had space for all our big emotions.

It would have been easy for us to cancel the rest of our travel plans and stay in the intimate lull of life at the villa.

It was better that we didn’t have time to think about all we were leaving behind.

Amelia had arranged our ride with the local taxi driver, and he was waiting shortly after dawn. Amelia stood under the beautiful arched entrance, offering quick hugs as our suitcases were loaded into the trunk. Her buoyant “ciao” felt more like a “see you later” than a “goodbye forever” parting.

We didn’t speak all the way to the train station.

I thought about how we hadn’t factored in much wiggle room in case we encountered a delay on our way to Florence.

Once again, in our attempt to save money, we’d prepurchased tickets to Milan that had no flexibility or refund value.

If we didn’t use them for the exact time we booked, we would have to shift our schedule.

That would cause further problems because we had to change trains in Milan to reach Lake Lugano, where we had a reservation for a rental car.

Before my anxious thoughts could reach a pinnacle, the reminder “Don’t be afraid” seemed to ruffle the air around me. I looked out the window, and with slow breaths I whispered my melancholy farewell to the achingly beautiful Tuscan scenery tinted with soft greens by the shy morning light.

We arrived in Florence with time to spare.

The station was busy but not as crowded as it had been when we arrived.

I wondered if traveling on a Sunday morning contributed to the lower flow of travelers.

As the train pulled from the station, Claire went on a hunt to find us some coffee to go with the generous supply of amaretti and bussola Amelia had wrapped up for us.

Our departure from Florence seemed slower at first than the fast train out of Venice. I hoped we would continue at that pace for a little while because the views were so pretty. However, the train picked up speed, and soon we were whizzing along.

“Here you go.” Claire returned with two coffees and settled into her aisle seat. “It’s not very hot, I’m afraid.”

“That’s fine. Thanks for getting it. I think it’s my turn to treat next time.

” I wanted to take the lid off my “not very hot” coffee and dunk my cookie, but that was a luxury that would have to wait until we got to our hotel in San Mamete.

The train had too much sway to venture a dunk.

It didn’t matter because the cookies and the coffee were delicious.

“I was wondering what it would have been like to take this route fifty years ago or even a hundred years ago,” I said.

“It would have taken a lot longer, that’s for sure.”

“But at a slower pace, you could take in the scenery. It’s so beautiful.”

“There is a train that takes five hours to reach Milan,” Claire said briskly. “This one takes about two hours because it’s direct. I thought we would want to spend more time at Lake Lugano than on a train.”

“I’m not complaining. But I am glad we’re renting a car in Lake Lugano. We can travel at our own pace.”

Claire looked annoyed. “We had to rent a car because the hotel we agreed on is in a small village and the transportation is—”

“Claire, I’m not complaining!” My retort came out more abrupt than I’d intended.

She leaned back and stared at the back of the train seat in front of her. “It’s a big unknown.”

“I know. I felt the same way with Venice. I’m sure our hotel in San Mamete will be fine. Venice and the villa were better than fine. They were beyond our expectations.”

“Doesn’t mean we’ll be three for three.” She took a sip of coffee.

Both of us went into a slightly tense hibernation mode for the rest of the way to Milan.

Neither of us had sisters, but when Claire and I fell into these places where we were short-tempered or on the defensive, I thought it was normal for people who spent so much time together.

I didn’t know if Claire felt the same way, but I decided I’d ask her.

That is, after she got over being so grumpy.

We had to change trains at Milano Centrale and did so with minimum conversation. Once we were in our seats and headed to Lake Lugano, we kept to ourselves and fell into our previous pattern on planes and trains during this trip. Claire slept and I read or looked out the window.

At our arrival at the Italian-Swiss border town of Chiasso, I had to wake Claire because a conductor was coming through the cabin to check our passports before we could enter Switzerland. As soon as we were cleared and the train began to move, Claire said, “I’m going to find the restroom.”

“Good. I’m going with you.” I didn’t add that I’d been waiting for the opportunity to get out of my window seat for a while but didn’t want to wake her. “I think we only have about a half hour to go,” I said as we waited our turn for the restrooms.

Claire nodded. “Sorry I was snappy earlier.”

“Me too.”

I could tell that the issue was resolved. Not a big deal. I appreciated that about Claire. When she let go of things, she didn’t look back. That realization made me wish she could resolve the hurt from her past. I knew she would feel free once she let it go.

When we were back in our seats, Claire showed me the map on her phone.

I remembered from our earlier planning conversations that the Swiss and Italian borders both meandered through Lake Lugano.

We were in Switzerland now and the train station we would arrive at was in Switzerland, but our hotel was a fifteen-minute drive that would take us back across the border into Italy.

“We’re staying here,” Claire said, putting a pin in San Mamete. “And Bellagio is over here. We’re on Lake Lugano, but Bellagio is on Lake Como.”

I brought up something I’d been thinking about that morning. “I know I added a lot of gardens to my list of things to see. But honestly, I would be content if we visited only one. And if you don’t want to do a tour, I’m fine going by myself.”

“Grace.” She gave me a serious look, which came off looking innocent with her new haircut. “You jumped in with both feet on my cooking classes.”

“And they were great,” I said quickly.

“Exactly. Your gardens tours will be great too. We can visit as many as you want.”

I smiled, knowing that we were back to being the best versions of ourselves.