I’ll get my car and ask Carla to take the present back to yours.”
“Thank you.”
In a few minutes she found herself following the black Mercedes sedan through the hills. When she rounded the next corner, she let out a quiet gasp at the sight of a sprawling two-story yellow villa set in the mountain greenery like it had grown there.
From the style, she imagined it had been built in the eighteenth century. Gabi had toured through many splendid villas from the past opened to the public. But she’d never seen anything more gorgeous than this one owned by the wealthy Berettini CEO. How sad his money couldn’t fix what was wrong with Dino.
She drove through the gates and went all the way to the circular drive in front, where she parked the car behind Giustina’s. After retrieving the gift, she joined her at the entrance, where another woman answered the door who was all smiles.
“Ines? Please meet Gabi Parisi from the Start with a Wish foundation. Gabi? This is the nanny who has looked after our precious Dino with unswerving devotion.”
“I’m very happy to meet you, Ines.”
“It’s a privilege to meet someone from the program we see on TV. He loves it and watches it every time it’s on. He won’t believe you’re here.”
“I hope it will bring him some comfort.”
“We’re counting on it, aren’t we, Ines? Will you take this gift into the family room?”
“Si, signora.”
They followed her through the magnificent interior to the rear of the villa. It overlooked the breathtaking town with snow-covered summits beyond it in the far distance. Ines placed the present on the big table.
The first thing Gabi saw was the framed photograph of a young woman that hung above the fireplace. With her long dark hair, what a beauty she was! “Is this Dino’s mother?”
“Yes. That’s Catarina.”
Gabi looked around at the warm, friendly room. It was made for a child’s pleasure with books and games, comfortable furniture, a TV and several wonderful photographs of animals living in the wilds of Africa.
She turned to Giustina. “A room like this must be heaven for a little boy.”
“Dino’s mother decorated it. Naturally it’s his favorite spot in the villa.”
“It would be mine.”
“Gabi? I’ll leave now to get Dino and won’t be long. His school is nearby. I’ll ask the maid to bring you tea or coffee. Do you have a preference?”
“Tea would be lovely.”
When she left, Gabi walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase to look at them all. There were so many darling storybooks he’d probably been read over and over again.
Ines brought the tea. Now would be a good time to ask a few questions. “Tell me about what Dino is like.”
“He’s very bright and loves to play with friends. When he doesn’t have a headache, you would never know he has a problem. But he still suffers from nightmares to do with the avalanche. It came upon them so fast. When he hears a really loud noise like thunder, he freezes and runs to hide under his bed.”
“I can imagine. How horrible for him.”
“His father is hoping that once the operation is over, he won’t be so anxious about everything.”
“The poor dear. What are some of the things he likes?”
“Swimming and comic books. His father won’t let him look at Diabolik for fear it will give him nightmares, but he’s allowed to read Lupo Alberto.”
“I too loved the comics when I was young.” While she was deep in thought, she heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall toward the family room.
Suddenly the boy raced inside but came to a halt when he saw Gabi.
She jumped to her feet, taking in the sight of Dino Berettini in the blue smock all Italian children his age wore to school. He appeared on the taller side of seven with forget-me-not-blue eyes and black shiny hair like his mother’s in the photograph. The handsome child didn’t look like anything could be wrong with him.
“Hello, Dino.”
“Hi! Who are you?”
His grandmother came in the room. “Dino? You should wait to be introduced.”
“Sorry, Nonna,” he murmured.
“I’d like you to meet Signora Gabi Parisi. She’s come all the way from Padova to meet you.”
“How do you do, signora?” What an adorable boy. “Why have you come to see me?”
Gabi took a deep breath. “Because you sent a letter to the Start with a Wish foundation, right?”
His eyes widened. “You got it already?”
“Yes. That’s where I work. Yesterday the mail came and I opened it.”
“You did?” He sounded utterly incredulous, then turned to his grandmother. “You said you mailed it, but—”
“You didn’t believe me?” The older woman sounded surprised.
“Yes, but... I was afraid it wouldn’t get there.”
Gabi took a step closer. “Well, it did, and it was my lucky day because my boss said I could come to visit you and bring you a present.” During their conversation Gabi had seen his eyes darting to the package on the table.
“You have a boss?”
“Yes. Her name is Edda.”
“My papà is a boss, too.”
She nodded. “He’s such an important boss, everyone knows him, even Edda. She was the one who wanted me to bring his son a special surprise in person. Would you like to open it?”
“Yes, but it’s wrapped for Christmas.”
“That’s true, but she said you could open it now if you want. I know if I were in your shoes, I’d run right over to the table and rip off the wrapping paper to see what she sent you.”
A smile broke out on his face. No longer hesitating, he rushed toward the table. Gabi’s eyes met Giustina’s. They both walked over to watch the untidy unveiling.
“A building blocks set!” His happy exclamation told her a lot.
“It’s a winter wonderland scene. I bet you can make it look like the one here in Maniago at Christmastime.”
Those brilliant blue eyes darted to her. “Can you stay and help me put it together?”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do, if it’s all right with your
