Lucy Knott - The Ingredients for Happiness

As they each took a step closer together to thank Keira, Levi casually placed his arm around Sabrina’s waist. Sabrina felt her palms grow sweaty instantly. She never wanted to hide or deny her relationship with Levi, especially not after the years they’d wasted due to Lydia putting the fear of god into her. She loved Levi and was proud of their relationship. However, that didn’t stop a flurry of butterflies exploding in her stomach as Keira spotted this intimate movement.

Keira opened the door and one by one the boys filed out, with nods, handshakes and sincere thanks. Before Sabrina could shake Keira’s hand and step out of the office, Keira half closed the door and gently placed a hand on Sabrina’s elbow. Sabrina turned to face her, grateful to see that her face was still rosy and friendly.

‘I have to ask. Are you and Levi an item?’ Keira queried, one hand resting on the door, the other still on Sabrina’s arm. Sabrina took in a deep breath to steady her nerves and remind herself that she could be both a professional and in love and if the record label didn’t like it, well … well, she wasn’t quite sure what she would do. All she knew for certain was that she was not giving up on Levi again.

‘We are, yes, and you have my word that it does not get in the way of our business. I do what is right by every member of the band – he receives no special treatment when it comes to work,’ Sabrina said boldly, then cringed at the last bit. That was way too much information, Keira did not need to know what special treatment she gave Levi outside of work. She bravely attempted a smile when Keira’s brows furrowed. After what felt like an eternity Keira’s features relaxed, her pink-stained lips curved upwards.

‘I will warn you – the label as a whole doesn’t think too fondly of talent and managers mixing. There’s been trouble with it in the past.’ Keira shook her head and waved her hand away as if it had all been a silly mix-up and shouldn’t have been a big deal. ‘I like you and I’d really love to work together with these guys and take them to the next level – not with fame, I can see that’s not a priority for them, but with their music and the reach it can achieve. However, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Our publicists are tough and I like to keep everyone working together on the same page and running like clockwork. There will be compromises for all parties involved. So, think about it and get back to me as soon as you can.’ Keira squeezed Sabrina’s arm and opened the door once more. Sabrina thanked her again and took a step into the corridor where Levi and Dan were waiting. James and Dylan had walked further up the corridor. Sabrina appreciated them looking out for her.

She glanced back at Keira when she heard a small chuckle. ‘I can see it,’ Keira started. ‘You make a cute couple, but be smart,’ she said with a wink before waving them off. Sabrina ignored the prickle in her throat. This was the offer that they couldn’t resist; freedom when it came to recording and writing. It was time to celebrate. Sabrina was certain that if she could handle Lydia Jones for all those years at Jones Records that she could handle whatever the publicists would throw her way here at City Heights Records.

Ingredients:

Farina

Zucchero

Uova

Polvere di cacao

Burro

Mandorle macinate

Rum

Cioccolato

What to do:

Sciogliere il burro e il cioccolato insieme a fuoco basso.

Sbatti gli albumi in una ciotola separata. Mescolare gli ingredienti secchi insieme.

Aggiungi rum.

Infornare in forno per un’ora.

The small balcony off the kitchen was home to the most magnificent view of the Tyrrhenian sea. Louisa had the brown double doors propped open so she could feel the night’s breeze on her skin and smell the perfumed air. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the scent of Italy. Yes, there was the hint of salt from the sea, but it was more flavourful, more powerful than just that. It was mixed with the lightness of the elegant flowers that blossomed in every garden, the lingering aromas of the day’s food that swirled through kitchen windows and the ever-present smell of coffee being brewed somewhere, accompanied by the sweet scent of pastry. She breathed it in, allowing her body to relax at the smell of home. She made herself comfy in one of her zia’s wicker chairs. The navy-blue hue of the night sky was mesmerizing; a vast ocean of sparkling dots caught her attention as her eyes flickered in search of the brightest one.

‘Ciao Grandpa,’ Louisa whispered before casting her eyes over the sketch she had been working on.

She had her sketchbook propped up against her knee and the arm of the chair and a few pencils tucked away at one side of her legs. She never went far without it these days. Since being in Italy she had been drawing nonstop. Everywhere she looked she found inspiration and that passion she had lost during her stint in London, trapped in her most recent nine-to-five, had come roaring back.

The current piece she was working on had been inspired by the ceramic shops she passed daily on her way to work. For every Costa coffee that Manchester had, here in Orzoro there was a shop selling limoncello soap and ceramic pottery that drew Louisa in every time.

The extra special shops were those where no two pieces were the same, where you would often find the owners hunched over a table in the back of the tiny store painting, each brush stroke working its way purposefully over the pot. Louisa especially loved when the artist mixed the blues and yellows and greens together; something about those colours screamed Italia to her.

Her blank paper was now alive with a deep cobalt A-line pencil dress with a square neck, a yellow patterned trim around the neck, waist and hem. Louisa could picture Sabrina wearing it for an important day at her new office with the boys. The thought made her smile. She was proud of her sister for taking Dan and Levi up on their offer of continuing to represent them and helping them navigate the next part of their journey in finding a new record deal. Louisa knew Sabrina was more than capable. She was pleased too that Sabrina would no longer have to work under Lydia at Jones Records. Louisa had apologized to Sabrina for always assuming her life was that of a glamourous celebrity manager, attending flashy parties, red carpets and dining with the rich and famous; she hadn’t accounted for Sabrina missing her as much as she had missed Sabrina. Her millions of Instagram followers and her band’s international success hadn’t exactly signaled lonely to Louisa, but they had talked over Christmas and her snipes and moody remarks were water under the bridge. Louisa now understood the workload behind the social media and album sales, and she couldn’t be more in awe of Sabrina.

Louisa felt that having some space over the past month and a half in Italy had helped her understand her sisters. She had always been the one to stay home, to be there for her parents and grandparents. She had felt angry at Amanda and Sabrina for leaving the family, and her, behind. But she was realizing that finding that balance between family and pursuing your own dreams was important. Being in Italy, doing something for herself, made her feel invigorated. As though she had finally stepped out of her older sisters’ shadows and found some sunshine of her own. Though she had to admit that going after her own dreams here in Italy meant that she missed her sisters more than ever.