Page 26 of Ciao Bella

“The girls were all saying the same thing,” she smiled. Grace, Kat, Mary, and Rose walked in, taking their seats beside or on their husbands as well. Enzo walked out with wine glasses, handing one to each of the women.

“He’s so cute,” smiled Grace. Ghost frowned at his wife, then looked at Enzo who was smiling at her.

“And you wondered why Italian men react to these women?” he laughed. “They are all beautiful, smart, kind, and always smiling. Italian men appreciate beauty of all kinds, and you, sirs, have a kaleidoscope of beauty.”

“American men appreciate beauty as well,” said Bull. “We just prefer that it’s done from a distance.”

“Bull,” said Lily, shaking her head. “If I had waited for you to appreciate my beauty or brains, I’d still be unmarried. I was the one that made the first move with you.”

“I know,” he frowned.

“That’s tragic, bella,” said Enzo. Lily could only giggle at the term, and Bull stared at the man so hard he blushed and walked away.

“You guys are too funny,” said Ally, shaking her head. “You love that your wives are beautiful, smart, funny, and still hot even at our ages. But you don’t want anyone else to notice.”

“Would you?” asked Vince. “If the women in Italy were whistling at us, how would you react?”

“I wouldn’t like it,” admitted Ally, “but I know that you wouldn’t act on their actions. I know that you would come home to me. Still my husband. Besides, there’s another part of me that would be proud. I’d link my arm with yours, kiss you passionately to tell them you’re mine, and walk away.”

“Come on, ladies,” smirked Grace, “let’s take a walk through the vineyard. Dinner will be ready when we return.”

As the women walked down the rows of grapevines, the head chef walked out and smiled, seeing what the men were watching.

“I believe our grape crop will be all the sweeter this year.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Enzo, that was delicious,” said Tailor, leaning back in his seat as he rubbed his belly.

“You should know,” grinned Baptiste, “you had five plates.”

“I’m a growing boy,” he laughed. Enzo raised his brows, shaking his head.

“Sir, if you grow more, I will need to order a larger bed for you and your beautiful little wife.”

While the men laughed, the girls stood to retreat into the grand room to discuss their day trip tomorrow. The weather was turning slightly warmer, with sunshine and a light breeze. It was proving to be an amazing week for them. They laughed and talked about their day and the plans for the rest of the week, happy to be talking about something other than bombs and bullets.

With an evening of great food, delicious desserts, wine, and laughter, they turned in early so they could begin their trip early the next day.

The drive to Pompeii was a little over two hours, but the views were spectacular along the way. There was so much laughter and conversation they barely noticed the time. As they got off the bus, all eyes turned toward the two busloads of giant men and gorgeous women. Immediately, a young man walked toward them, smiling.

“Here we go,” muttered Alec.

“Bongiorno,” he smiled. “I am Giovanni. I believe you are my tour for today. Enzo sent you.”

“That’s right,” said Nine, eyeing the young man. He only grinned, shaking his head.

“It’s alright, sir. Enzo said that you are sensitive about Italian men calling your wives ‘bellas.’ Although they are beautiful, they are not what I seek in a mate,” he said with a wink.

“Ah,” nodded Ghost. “Good to know, but we’re trying to not be sensitive about that word.”

“It would be best if you were not,” he laughed. “Please, come closer. I have a microphone headset on, and you should all be able to hear me. This is not the busy season, so it is a good time for you to see the entire park. You are now standing in what was once a city. The city of Pompeii. In the distance there, you can see Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD, it erupted and buried the city beneath almost twenty feet of volcanic ash and pumice.”

“It’s remarkable,” said Kari.

“Yes,” he nodded. “What destroyed the city also protected it, burying everything and preserving it. It was a wealthy town of ten to twenty thousand residents at the time it was destroyed. It had many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings, and artworks. These things were what brought in excavators early in the preservation process.

“In spite of the intense heat of the volcano, organic objects such as wooden objects and human bodies were interred in the ash.”