Vincenzo gave his mother a winning smile. “Bene, bene. But Giselle was just telling us that her work on the Verdu Mer project isn’t as fulfilling as her art.”
Juliette turned to stare at Giselle. “But the homes you are designing are works of art, my dear.” The concern in her voice was evident. “They are a beautiful vision from God.”
Giselle gave V a quick peeved glance to let him know she wouldn’t forget him throwing her under the bus. “It’s complicated. I need my art to have an element of danger, I need to be thrilled. It’s my way of expressing…” Her voice faltered when she saw the look on Juliette’s face.
“My dear, we cannot all have everything we desire, and your time to create dangerous art must come to an end. You should settle down and get pregnant.”
Yvania’s eyes narrowed and she gave Leonardo and Vincenzo a quick look of reproach. Giselle watched their guilt-filled eyes drift away. Poor Juliette, she was the only one in the room who didn’t know the score. No one wanted to break her devoted heart, but her perfect Catholic son was going to have to come out of the closet.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this book—the first in my Venice trilogy. I’d love it if you could post a review about it on Amazon. Getting reviews helps other people to consider reading stories by indie authors like me. If you’re not used to leaving reviews, it can be as simple as mentioning what character was your favorite or what parts you liked best.
If you’ve spotted a typo, please email me at [email protected]. If you would like to be on the mailing list for the next book in the Venice Trilogy, please sign up for notification at AnnaBendewald.com. I promise never to sell your information, share it, or spam you.
Sincerely,
Anna
I would like to thank the following for their inspiration:
Venice, Italy
Paris, France
Palermo, Sicily
Zalishchyky, Ukraine
Gernelle, France
Aiglemont, France
Musée Maillol
Nyakio Beauty Products
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Passero’s Coffee
Caapiranga Brazil
Africa Outreach Project
Izod
Gucci
Riva Iseo
Cessna
Queen
George Harrison and the Beatles
Armani
Cacharel
Au Printemps
Versace
Google
Spanx
Armani
Bruno Magli
Osteria Da Fiore
École des Beaux-Arts
Le Louvre’s Pavillon de Flore
Exagon Furtive-eGT
Jeep
Bobcat
Jaguar
Università Ca' Foscari
la Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Abbaye d’Orval
Cerruti
La Meurice
Too Faced Bunny Balm
Nike
Keen Atlanta
Renault
Prada
Dustin Hoffman
Bill Murray
Jessica Lange
Debbie “Blondie” Harry
France Gall
Fiat
Lexus
Range Rover
Stealing Venice Page 34
