"I think I can figure it out," Khaat smiled.
Lunch was a beautiful chicken piccata with capers, in a wonderful sauce, over freshly made homemade linguini. The chicken was so well prepared and so tender that it tasted, to Khaat, like it nearly melted on her fork. And Khaat loved capers. It was a delight to her palate. She loved every little morsel. She normally didn't eat so much at one sitting, but she loved each and every bite so much that it was hard to stop eating it.
The next course, so very Italian, was a selection of freshly grilled vegetables, asparagus, scallions, portabello mushrooms that had been grilled and sliced, red bell pepper, and fresh herbs. It was not unusual for the main course to be followed by a course of vegetables. These were exceptional.
The last course was a very unusual selection of biscotti and amaretti cookies that had been dipped in either dark or milk chocolate and served with a small bowl of fresh fruits, and either regular coffee or espresso, depending whatever each person wanted. It was the perfect dessert to simply sit and linger over and talk and enjoy the picture perfect surroundings. Khaat was deciding that in the future, whoever came to Italy to share the villa with her and Brian were going to be treated to the whole traditional Italian experience--the atmosphere, the food, the wine, the music, the whole thing. She was just simply the happiest she had ever been in years.
"Do either of you ride horses?" Brian asked Jack and Jess. "It's a beautiful day to go riding through the estate here and see what a real Italian vineyard and winemaking estate is like. They also produce olives and olive oil. I think you'd enjoy experiencing that. What do you think? Can you manage a bit on horseback? I ride, and so does Khaat--well, when we can keep her in the saddle and on the horse."
"Hey, that was one incident and was not my fault. That was due to lightning hitting a tree," Khaat laughed.