“Why don’t you go to college here, kid?” Izzy says to Gigi when she finally puts her phone down.
Gigi’s eyes widen. “It snows here, Auntie. I would wither away and die here. My body needs sunshine to live.”
“You’re just as overdramatic as Izzy,” Max snorts.
“We get sunshine, Gigi,” Daphne tells her. “It’s cold as fuck in the winter, but we get some sunny days.”
“Some?” Gigi gasps. “Well, that changes everything.” She pauses for a moment, giving Daphne a lopsided smile. “Not.”
“The boys are hot here,” Delilah says like that’s enough to make the girl change her mind.
Gigi shakes her head and laughs. “There’re some pretty boys, but I like mine a little more on the…”
“Don’t say it.” Suzy covers her mouth as if the mere thought of her daughter being attracted to someone makes her ill.
“Ma, come on. Look around.” Gigi motions to the people in the restaurant. “You know my type, and this isn’t it.”
“You like the country boys?” I ask, remembering my fascination with rugged country boys and their badass pickup trucks.
I always thought I’d marry a country boy and live on a farm, surrounded by acres of animals and forest. But that didn’t seem to be part of my plan. Now I have a tiny patch of grass in one of the biggest cities in the US. Although Angelo has the manly man thing nailed, he most certainly is not a redneck.
“I don’t like them so pretty, more a little rough around the edges.”
“Then why are you dating that dipshit?” Angel asks, twirling a piece of her dark red hair around her finger. “’Cause you’re describing your daddy, and that kid—whatever the fuck his name is—is most certainly not.”
Gigi gags a little. “I don’t like men like my father. That’s just ew, Auntie Angel, and his name is Keith, by the way.”
“He’s a needy fucker, kid,” Izzy tells her. “What are you going to do when you go away to college?”
Gigi pushes her brown hair off her shoulder and straightens her back. “I’m going to school in Florida, and Keith’s going away to California. We know we won’t be able to do the long-distance thing and that our time is limited.”
“Thank fuck,” Suzy whispers into her menu, pretending to be more interested in the food than what her daughter’s saying.
“I plan to spend my summers at Inked, learning the shop and business side of things so I can take over someday. I won’t have time for a relationship, at least nothing serious, so I put up with Keith’s neediness because I know we have an end date.”
“It’s probably the only reason your daddy hasn’t killed the kid either,” Max says. “Oh my god. They have chicken potpie.”
And like that, the conversation changes.
“Ladies, what can I get you to drink?” the waiter asks as he stands at the end of the table.
Everyone orders wine, except Gigi and Bianca, which doesn’t go unnoticed as there’s a moment of awkward silence after the waiter walks away.
“So, how far along are you?” Mia asks, staring at Bianca from across the table.
The awkward silence is back as Bianca’s mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. All eyes are on her, waiting for an answer.
“It’s a secret,” I say, answering for her. “They don’t want anyone to know.”
“No one can know,” Bianca says with all the color drained from her face. “Not yet.”
“Why?” Izzy asks.
“Because my parents will go crazy. We’re not married yet.”
Mia chuckles. “You’re not going to be able to hide it much longer, so be ready to make the announcement and don’t worry about the blowback.”
“You’re engaged for Christ’s sake,” Delilah says and shakes her head. “I’m sure they’ll understand.”
