The View From Lake Como

Conor drives Jess through Tuscany toward Carrara. She feels hopeful the moment she arrives, struck by the peace she experiences. Conor takes Jess to Signora Laura Strazza’s, where she sees a beautiful young woman cutting the hair of an attractive young man, Laura’s son.

Jess falls in love with the apartment Laura shows her and unpacks while she runs a hot bath, texting her siblings to let them know she arrived safely. Jess remembers getting an apartment with Bobby. He wanted to save money, but she wanted to buy a house right away. The apartment had no bathtub, which she really wanted, but, more than that, she wanted Bobby to be happy, so she gave in.

Jess emerges from the bath and opens her closet. She bought all new clothes, no black. When she goes downstairs, Conor introduces her to Angelo, Laura’s son, who is a little surly. Conor says he has Jess’s first client, someone who wants a drawing of the piazza with the statue of Maria Beatrice, and her terrace offers the best view. Conor says that Angelo gilds marble for a living. Jess thinks that if Angelo had a good personality, he’d be dangerous.