Cory drove down the lane to the house, a good mile. "It’s my dad's business, he makes wine. He has vineyards all over the world. I think I mentioned he was from Italy, so he began with his first vineyards in Tuscany. There are other vineyards. I haven’t been to all of them. I know there are some in California where I’m from, but also Greece, and some in France, I think. It’s the family business. My stepmom actually has an inn in California located in the vineyards in Napa Valley.”
As the truck moved down the private driveway, Madison could see where the road split off in the direction of the vineyards. They passed fields where thoroughbred horses grazed in the sun, their coats glistening. She could see the rolling hills, planted with the grape vines, and fields dedicated to other plants. She recognized the early growth of the lavender plants but wasn’t sure of the other. The property was massive, and she squirmed in her seat, suddenly feeling under dressed for the occasion. "Cory, you never told me you came from money. This place..."
Before she could finish her sentence, he’d taken the right fork in the drive that led to the large Tuscan style house, its stucco facade a soft butter yellow, with a red tiled roof, and surrounded by lush landscape. "Oh my god...Cory, I should have worn...something else."
Cory could feel her nervousness building. "Madison, my dad has money, not me. I work for what I have. And he expects me to earn everything I have, trust me. And you look great, it’s laid back here, don’t judge the people based on the surroundings."
He pulled up to the front door and turned the engine off. Turning to Madison, he could see her eyes were wide, and read the trepidation on her face. "If you don’t want to do this, I’ll understand. I can take you back home if you like."
"No! I don't want to go home, I was just caught off-guard, I guess. It wasn't what I was expecting. Are you sure I look okay?"
As Cory helped her down from the truck, the front door of the house opened, and Madison looked up to see a young woman, not much older than herself, emerge. She was petite and delicate, with pale skin and bright red hair. She knew Cory had a stepmom, and her first thought was trophy wife. Cory's very rich dad ditched the first wife and married a much younger one. Typical male. She brushed the thought from her head, trying hard not to pre-judge Cory's father, but the impression was already made.
***
Kate heard the truck as it rumbled up the driveway and remembered Cory was bringing his girlfriend out to the house today. She scrambled to the front door and exited quickly, signaling to Aegis to stay hidden. She saw both Aegis and Night-Stalker slink back into the tree line. Kate brushed the hair back from her face and looked down at her jeans and sandals, wondering if she should have worn something nicer for this first meeting. She watched as Cory hurried around the truck and opened the door for his girlfriend. Kate saw the young woman emerge, her dark blonde hair caught immediately by the breeze. Kate approached her with both arms extended.
"Welcome to Bel Rosso. My name is Kate. Cory has told us so much about you. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you finally." She embraced the girl who seemed a bit surprised by the gesture. "Come on inside."
Madison felt a little reassured that Kate was dressed casually in jeans. She was less concerned about her dress now, and although she was surprised at how young this woman was, she felt her genuine warmth in welcoming her here.
Cory slid his hand around her waist as he beamed at his stepmom. "This is Madison. But I guess you figured that out already."
Kate took in the couple and could see in Cory's eyes how much this girl meant to him. She took Madison by the hand and led her toward the house when Lorenzo came blasting through the door at full speed, heading straight for Cory.
Lorenzo launched himself in Cory's direction. “Cory!"
"Hey, little dude. How’s that pool going, have you done your inspections today?"
Lorenzo planted a wet kiss on Cory's cheek. "The outside pool is done, but inside is not ready. Who's that?" Lorenzo pointed to Madison.
Cory placed his hand over Lorenzo’s out-stretched hand. "It‘s not polite to point, Lorenzo, and she’s my girlfriend, her name is Madison."
Cory turned with Lorenzo in his arms, and winked at Madison. "Madison, this is my little brother, Lorenzo."
Madison looked at the beautiful child in Cory's arms, with piercing blue eyes and a tumble of coal black curls, and instinctively knew she was getting a preview of the father. She extended her hand to Lorenzo. "It's so nice to meet you, Lorenzo."
Lorenzo took her hand, and Madison bit her lip to suppress the giggle as she noticed the dirt on his hand, and on the knees of his jeans. Lorenzo responded, "Nice to meet you. I'm a prince."
Kate gave him a stern look as she lifted him from Cory's grip. "Oh, you're a prince all right, the prince of making big messes in the house. Come on. Let's take our guest in the house."
Lorenzo squirmed to get down as Warrior bounded from the house, and danced around Lorenzo's feet. Kate led the small boy and the dog back toward the house as Madison turned to Cory. "A prince?”
Cory grinned and shrugged, trying to cover for Lorenzo. "Yeah, one day he’s a prince, the next day a pirate or a dragon. Oh, and the dog, that’s Warrior. He’s really friendly. Come on. I’ll give you the tour."
Taking Madison's hand, Cory led her into the house and directed her into the living room. "Would you like something to drink? We have just about everything."
Madison entered the house and tried to take it all in. The house was magnificent, and she recognized some art pieces on the wall that looked like originals, but thought that couldn’t be. Cory directed her to the living room, which was both opulent and yet welcoming and homey. The dog continued to follow her, and Madison absently reached down and scratched his head as she took in the room.
Lorenzo appeared again, having escaped from his mother who was close on his heels. "Are you Cory's girlfriend?"
Madison smiled at the boy and nodded yes.
"Does that mean you kiss and stuff?"
Kate laughed as she caught up to the child and pulled him closer to her side. "Lorenzo, it’s not polite to ask."
Lorenzo shrugged and persisted with his commentary. "Uncle Luca kisses Shannon, and she's his girlfriend."
Kate looked at Madison and smiled. "Please ignore him. Lorenzo has no filter."
Madison smiled at the precocious child, when an elderly gentleman in a formal suit and bow tie entered the room. "May I serve refreshments to our guest?"
Kate looked to Madison. “Madison, this is Gi. Would you like something to drink?"
Madison felt momentarily overwhelmed and shook her head no. She eyed the old gentleman and had a sense of someone who’d stepped through time. "Not right now, thank you."
Kate looked to Cory and suggested he give her a full tour of the house before they retreated to his room.
Lorenzo piped up again, "Are you a day-walker?"
Kate saw the panicked expression in Cory's eyes as Madison looked at the child quizzically. "A what?"
Kate picked him up, with intentions of leaving the room as Lorenzo kept talking. "A day-walker, like me, and Mommy and Cory. We can all go in the sun."