Page 96 of Beautiful Disaster

The concierge at the castle arranged a meeting with the real estate agent at the estate for sale. It’s a beautiful home that was expanded in the 1800s, but the original part of the home dates back to the 1600s.

Jinx has rushed off exploring everything, room by room, with the excitement of a child. I smile as I listen to the agent prattle on in Italian.

“The main house and guesthouse are over twelve hundred square meters total. They feature nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The guesthouse is perfect for your parents, or perhaps you could list it as a vacation rental. The previous owners did just that, offering horseback riding lessons and horse training. There’s even a beautiful pool.”

I stared at the ancient wooden ceiling and beams that had withstood the test of time. The fireplaces are ancient stone, and I’m pretty sure all the doors are original.

“How many horses do the stables hold?”

“Sixteen, Mr. Vitali. The home also features an underground wine cellar, and between the two houses is a stunning courtyard, covered by trees and wisteria come spring.”

The home needs work, no doubt about it. The previous owner must have updated the house about twenty years ago. I peek into one of the bathrooms with the most hideous tile I’ve ever seen.

“How many acres?” I ask.

“Forty-six. The land is very quiet. Behind the house are the woods, thick with lush trees. To the south are stunning pastures for the horses. All is fenced in.”

I nod as ideas and thoughts swirl in my head, envisioning what I could do with a place like this. It’s possible to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, which wouldn’t be a bad investment. It’s also very close to the town of Siena.

We walk into the living room and dining room, divided by a stunning brick arch in the ceiling. They just don’t make houses like this anymore. Everything these days is a copycat of everything else.

“This is the oldest part of the house, with the kitchen off to the side there.”

Before I can respond, Jinx pops into the living room, grabs my hand, and yanks me upstairs. “Look at the main bedroom!”

I smile, his excitement contagious.

We step inside the room and look around. It’s huge. It’s so different from where I live back home, which is contemporary and clean. The ceilings here are the same as downstairs, with ancient brick archways. It has a separate sitting room and amazing natural light pouring in through the windows.

“I love it here!” Jinx says.

“It’s very nice.”

“Pft, nice?”

The agent, of course, jumps on Jinx’s excitement. “The price is very reasonable for the area and size. Yes, it needs some work, but it’s all move-in ready.”

I bite the bullet and ask. “How much?”

“Two million six hundred thousand in US dollars.”

That’s surprisingly reasonable for all that comes with the house.

Jinx tugs on my hand again, dragging me to a private corner. “Let’s buy it! I’ve got money. I can pay for half. We can come here in the summers for vacays and shit. I love it here, this town, this fucking country.”

“Let’s talk about this later.”

He throws his body at me and pulls me into a hug. “Yes!”

Fuck it. I’d give the goddamn world to him, if he wanted it, just to see that huge, beautiful smile on his face.

Jinx’s excitement from exploring the horse farm had extended to discovering the beauty of Siena. We’re sitting at an outdoor café for lunch, and then we plan to be tourists.

He takes a bite of his pesto pasta while scrolling on his phone. “It says here that Siena started as an Etruscan settlement way fucking back to 400 BC. I can’t even fathom that long ago. In 30 AD, it was a Roman colony. Holy crap. Then it became a medieval republic back in the 11th century.”

“The US is just an infant in comparison.”

“No shit. You know what’s weird? Not seeing gas stations and strip malls every mile. It’s almost like time stands still here.”