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Piazza Bella - Aperitivo: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII
Piazza Bella - Antipasto: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X
Piazza Bella - Primi: Prologue | II | III | IV | V
I managed afternoon prep with aplomb, brushing aside an unsettled feeling. Judy’s arrival in Venice wasn’t entirely unanticipated, but I expected she would visit in a few months. Christmas was one month away, and we had a heavy schedule of bookings starting in three weeks. A two-week window of opportunity to fill Bella’s coffers before the long, hungry march to Easter was not to be missed.
And yet Judy came, knowing that.
Shortly before evening service, I caught up with my sister, who sat alone on a bench in the piazza, wrapped up warm in a duvet jacket. When I sat beside her, she looped an arm through mine and smiled like a philosopher pondering their future.
I sighed, feeling as though I had been played too far.
“Is something bothering you, Carla?”
“Do you think Judy joining us on a sourcing field trip is a good idea?”
“It can’t do any harm, and she asked nicely.”
“Judy came here to coax me back to New York for Christmas, Bella. She didn’t care about our window to make some money. Our friendship boils down to what value I hold for her.”
Bella stretched out, reaching up to the starry sky while peeling a layer off her Crocs, pushing her heels out as far as they would go. My sister cricked her neck, then shot me a wry smile.