Page 18 of That Time in Venice
Chapter6
Venice
They took thevaporetto,or waterbus, to Murano. Murano was a quieter, calmer part of Venice. Though technically a series of islands linked together by bridges, Murano was known as the Glass Island. Anika was excited to see the glassblowers in action. She’d read up on the practice of glassmaking the night before and learned that because of the fire hazard it presented, in 1291 the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano. Not long after, the artisans became leaders in the community, their social status elevated to the point that their daughters could marry into blue-bloodfamilies.
They visited two museums, the first housed in a former patrician palace where the exhibits delved into the history of making glass, all the way back to Egyptian times. Hours later, Anika was lost in the displays of the second museum, when Reed said, “Okay, timetogo.”
She looked up from examining a series of colorful glass jars on a raised platform. “What?Why?”
Reed took her hand and pulled her fromtheroom.
“Excuse you. What are you doing?” Anika whispered fiercely, half-jogging to keep up with his long strides. People stared as theyhustledby.
“I’m falling asleep. Time for us to check out the real action and watch theseguyswork.”
Outside, he continued to hold her hand under the guise of hurrying her along. She couldn’t read anything from his expression. Her insides, however, were going topsy-turvy.
They’d spent almost every waking moment in each other’s company during the past two days. Last night they danced the night away—grinding on each other at a nightclub before stumbling back to the hotel, drunk off the energy of partying with other twenty-something-year-olds and tossing back drinks for hours. Anika had never been drunk before and woke up in the middle of the night to throw up. Reed, sensitive guy that he was, refused to let her stay in this morning to nurse her hangover and wallow in self-pity. He gave her a couple aspirins, told her to stay hydrated, and dragged her out on thisexcursion.
Anika had no doubt Reed was interested in her, but to what extent? Was spending hours upon hours together just a way for him to kill time on the trip? Or did he experience the same tingling sensation in the bottom of his belly the way she did when he touched her—the way he was touching her now? Did his heart fly high in his chest when she approached, the way hers did when she met him each morning for breakfast before they set out tosightsee?
Not wanting to spoil the moment, Anika simply kept her hand ensconced in Reed’s, savoring their stroll along the canal walk. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the factory, he released her so she could enter ahead of him. She rubbed her hands together and found a spot near the front where she could see the artisan at work. Reed stood behind her, not touching, but close enough that the heat from his body warmedherback.
When the demonstration began, the speaker described the process in accented English, while the artisan worked the glass with care and precision. In less than ten minutes he’d turned a shapeless piece of silica into a sparkling blue and white vase by alternating between softening it with heat in a giant oven and shaping it with heavy steeltools.
Afterward, everyone filed into the adjacent shop, a bright colorful contrast to the dark gray of the workshop. White walls presented the perfect backdrop where paperweights, jewelry, and other knickknacks filled the counters andshelves.
“What did you think?” Anikaasked.
“Not bad. Goodchoice.”
She scanned a table with glass jewelry and beads and picked up a necklace with green, gold, and red geometric shapes on gold-plated wire, turning it over in her hand. “I should get a gift for my mom. She loves jewelry likeIdo.”
“Getit.”
“Can’t. I’m on a budget. I shouldn’t even belooking.”
“I’m on a budget, too, but if I see something I really want, I get it. Life’s short. You never know when you’ll get sick or, basically, when your lastdayis.”
“Sheesh. That’s a depressing thingtosay.”
“It’sreality.”
Anika picked up a small bauble among a group of items in the shape of candies. “Did someone close to you dierecently?”
“Not recently.Mymom.”
She glanced up, her heart going out to him. “I’msorry.”
He shrugged. “Happens.”
He sounded flippant, but she sensed the changeinhim.
“When?”
“Junior high. This is pretty. What do you think?” He showed her a necklace with a gold and red heart pendant and six matching red and gold beads on the eighteen-inch chain. He obviously didn’t want to talk about hismother.
“It’s gorgeous, but I couldn’taffordit.”
