Meet, Play, Love

meet, play, love BELLA MICHAELS contents Dedication Get a free prequel 1. Mazzie 2. Gian 3. Mazzie 4. Gian 5. Mazzie 6. Gian 7. Mazzie 8. Gian 9. Mazzie 10. Gian 11. Mazzie 12. Gian 13. Mazzie 14. Gian 15. Mazzie 16. Gian 17. Mazzie 18. Gian 19. Mazzie 20. Gian 21. Mazzie 22. Gian 23. Mazzie 24. Gian 25. Mazzie 26. Gian 27. Mazzie 28. Gian 29. Mazzie 30. Gian 31. Mazzie 32. Gian Epilogue Become a VIP Enjoy this book? Also by Bella Michaels About the Author dedication To Rosie and Lucia, thank you for the inspiration! And also, to the home of my ancestors, beautiful Sicilia. get a free prequel Get a free prequel novella by becoming a Bella Michael’s VIP! Sign up here to receive Bella’s weekly newsletter full of exclusives and fun shenanigans. CHAPTER ONE mazzie Locanda del Mare, Cefalù, Sicily “Say it. I was right.” After tearing through the place like none of us had ever seen an Italian villa before—because none of us had ever seen an Italian villa before—Diana and I pushed the patio doors open and stepped outside. “The Mediterranean Sea,” Diana murmured as we looked off into the distance below us. She took a big, deep breath, as if soaking in the Italian air might actually bring us love and fortune, making all our wishes come true. I really hated to burst her bubble. “Actually, it’s the Tyrrhenian Sea.” My best friend looked at me as if I’d said she should eat a green bean. Diana hated vegetables. “I’m serious,” I said. “Mainland Italy is that way, the Mediterranean to our west and south. But that, my friend, is the Tyrrhenian Sea.” “How do you know literally everything? It’s freaky.” “If I knew everything—” I stopped myself. This trip was about letting go, not talking about my cluster of a life and bringing the group vibe down on day one. So instead of saying, If I knew everything, I’d know how to move on . . . how to forget, I said, “If I knew everything, I’d know where to find wine right now.” “Oh. My. God.” A voice behind us echoed my thoughts exactly. Teresa stepped outside with us. She was more Diana’s friend than mine, but we’d gone on two girls’ trips together, so I knew her a bit. “This view is insane.” As the three of us took it all in, I peeked at my old friend. “Thank you,” I said sincerely to Diana. Since I didn’t actually have any siblings or parents now, Diana was the closest thing I had to actual family. “You’re welcome,” she said, understanding. “So do we unpack, explore, or drink wine?” All three of us exchanged glances and said, “Wine,” at the same time. “I saw a little store about two blocks away.” Teresa, a teacher, went right to work. Her efficiency always impressed me. “Yep,” she said, looking down at her phone, “it’s still open. Lorrie?” She turned to our fourth companion just joining us. “Feel like a quick walk to get some wine?” “Hell yeah, let’s do it.” “We can come with you,” I said, but no one was listening. “If there’s anyone who needs to soak this up immediately,” Teresa said, “it’s you.” With a quick smile for us both, she and Lorrie disappeared as I marveled at how easily everyone got along. Women could be tough. Friends of friends, even tougher. But this really was a great group of ladies. Another reason I’d agreed to the whole thing. “You really found a great group of girls,” I said. “It was nice of them to volunteer for a wine run.” “They know you need this. I’ve said it before, but I’m really glad you came, Maze.” Diana and I fell into a companionable silence. Which, of course, put my thoughts directly back to the reason everyone was bending over backwards to accommodate me. It had already been six months, but my father might as well have had a heart attack and died last week. The constriction in my chest at the thought of him being gone was so poignant that I might have sworn I was having one too. Except I knew better by now. It wasn’t a heart attack. Just a broken heart. He’d been my whole world. And now, Dad was gone. The bar that had been his legacy, gone. Our family home, gone. “I still can’t believe he was that far in debt and never told me,” I said for the millionth time. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” Diana said as we sat down on the patio chairs. Locanda del Mare was part bed and breakfast and part resort, with each individual villa boasting its own small patio. The main building was just down the hill from us. “What would you have advised him? If he told you that the Village Barn was so far in the red?” That was easy. “Sell it. Get himself out of debt,” I said, the answer obvious. I may not have ended up using my degree, but after four years in business school, it didn’t take much to know the Village Barn, as Dad wanted to run it, was a relic of the past. When he settled in Scottsdale years ago, things were very different. “Who runs a business that doesn’t make any money?” “Your dad,” Diana said. “And that’s exactly why he didn’t tell you. To him, having that place was more important than making money.” “You kinda need to do both to run a business.” “I guess. But you know what he would say—” “We only pass through once.” I could actually hear his voice saying the words in my head. No one was immune to my father’s life-isms, and that was his favorite of them all. “In a practical sense,” I started, but Diana didn’t let me finish. “Sorry, Miss Financial Goddess, your right brain is on hold for this trip. No numbers talks