Page 32 of Rome for the Holidays
Harper nodded, “I know. I didn’t realize how badly it would hurt. Not hearing from him.”
“I can only imagine. I’m sad for you that it ended this way.”
Harper took a bite of her ice cream, “I think it was inevitable. Even though he claimed I was his, it wouldn’t have worked. We are from two different worlds. Literally.”
Jackie shook her head, “It might have worked. I mean, heavens, you took Italian and are now fluent. You know all there is to know about Italy. Rome more specifically. And you were willing to give up everything to live there.”
Harper nodded, “That choice was harder after I met you guys.”
Jackie smiled, “But it was always your plan, right?”
Harper nodded again, “It was. I never had any ties to anywhere. My mom didn’t want me, and I wasn’t going to force her to love me.”
Jackie shook her head, “That woman should be ashamed of herself. To treat her daughter that way. I have always hated it.”
Harper leaned against Jackie’s shoulder, “Yeah, but it brought me to you.”
Jackie grinned, “It did. Fine. I will allow it.”
Harper sighed, “I just thought I finally found my home with him. That I found my person.”
“I’m so sorry. What are you going to do now?”
Harper shrugged, “Get my diploma, and work with Rose, I guess. I don’t want to go to work at a museum. At least for now. It will remind me of him too much.”
Jackie smiled, “You know you can stay here as long as you want?”
Harper nodded, “I know. Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They ate their ice cream, and when they were done Harper put the letter in the mailbox, saying goodbye to Vincenzo.
She put his letters, pictures, and everything else he sent in a box and put it in the back of her closet and shut the door on it.
She took a deep breath and walked away from her memories.
It was time to move on.
TWO WEEKS LATER.
Harper got home from school to a large letter with her name on it sitting in the mailbox.
It was heavy, and she didn’t know what to do with it.
She walked into the house and Jenna was sitting in the kitchen, doing her homework.
“What’s that?”
Harper shook her head, “I don’t know.”
She opened the large envelope, confusion filling her as she pulled out the letter, which said she was the winner of an all-expenses paid vacation to Rome.
It said that she simply had to call the airlines to confirm her name, and to put her passport in, and then she would be good to go.
She turned the paper over, and nothing was written on the back, so she opened the envelope to find another piece of paper, but this had different hotels printed out on the paper, all with confirmation numbers and the dates she would be staying.
All of this was happening right over Christmas, and it was only a week and a half away.
