She shrugged. “Rosaria is a bitch. Her sister is too. Other than that, I’m fine.”
So much for connecting. “What happened?”
“Abree and Collette decided to kiss for the picture. Rosaria said she’d send Dario a copy for his wedding present.”
“Oh,” I said.
Something smelled funny there. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact spot the miasma came from, but it was heady. Abree had been throwing small stones at Carmen the entire trip, and Rosaria would follow up after with a snigger. Or a comment that would support what her sister had said. Abree seemed to be jealous about the wedding. Her snide remarks were aimed to hit and hit hard—the same spot over and over until the armor cracked.
Carmen looked down at her bronzed leg, smoothing out the skin for no reason. “Do you think—do you think there was something between Dario and Abree?”
Violet plunked two coconut drinks down next to each of us, one in her own hand, taking a seat to my right. “I thought you could use that.” Violet lifted her glass. “It has alcohol in it. I know you pumped earlier, so you’re safe to drink it. And don’t worry. I didn’t take the picture.”
Carmen nodded, taking a sip of her drink. I did too. It tasted of rum, pineapple, coconut, and banana.
I thought about Carmen’s question for a moment. I couldn’t lie to her. “It seems like it,” I said.
“Seems like what?” Violet asked, biting into a piece of pineapple from the rim of her glass.
Carmen repeated her remark.
“I agree,” Violet said. “She’s too venomous when it comes to him.”
By silent understanding, the three of us became quiet as Rosaria, Collette, and Abree joined us. Rosaria went to the stereo system and put some music on. Collette, a one-woman universe at times, started to dance to her own tune, lost in her own galaxy. Chiara, who everyone started calling the “sad girl,” gave me a sorrowful smile and then fell promptly asleep. She was still lovesick over Donato.
“Since this is the perfect time to celebrate,” Rosaria shouted. “Let us give Carmen the gifts we got for her!”
“Yes!” I said, giving a quick clap. We had all decided to get her lingerie for their honeymoon.
“No!” Carmen waved her hands in front of her face, trying to hide her shy smile. “I don’t need anything. Really!”
I touched her hand. “Of course you do!”
“And it’s not for you,” Violet said. “It’s for Dario to enjoy!”
“A man such as Darioisthe enjoyment,” Abree said, a knowing look on her face. She took a sip of her tropical drink. “He is, ah,massive.”
Even with glasses on, I saw an ember light in Carmen’s eyes. I took her hand in mine, squeezing, trying to silently tell her not to take the bait.
Rosaria snorted. “It is a Fausti trait! It fits the perfect mold. A woman has to know what to do with a man like that. And it isnotto be stuck to his side like a monkey to a tree.”
That jab was meant for me, but hell if I’d let Rosaria get to me. Brando and Violet were right. Just because we chose to be together all of the time, and time apart was hard on us, didn’t mean that she had the right to judge. I wouldn’t give her the power to judge. She lived her life the way she saw fit. So did we. She had no right to wield her opinion wand because our relationship was different. For the most part, Brando and I had an old fashioned love, and we enjoyed being together. Some couples fought when they were together too much. We fought when we were apart because we wanted to be together.
“Brando seems to be happy,” Carmen remarked, causing me to look at her. She was stirring her drink, trying to keep thein your facelook out of hers. “He doesn’t seem to have any complaints. He gets mad when she leaves.”
“Perhaps. Now.” Rosaria threw her silky, raven hair over her shoulders. “This is because his wife is a magnet to so much trouble. But he is a Fausti. He has needs. I doubt that one woman will be able to fulfill them—for a stretch of time, that is. Better to get tempered to the water now.”
“Are you saying that Scarlett needs to prepare herself for her husband to have an affair?” Carmen shot back.
“Sì. It is the natural way of a certain kind of man. They have many needs, not just one. You need to be a woman about it. It is just flesh.”
Carmen looked at me in disbelief. Apparently, she was more like me—a woman who preferred it if her husband didn’t have affairs, and wouldn’t be the kind to sit back and take it if he did.
“I do not know if I agree, sister,” Abree put in. She relaxed in her chair, her skinny legs moving back and forth. “Dario is not like Rocco in that way. A certain kind of woman could satisfy him for the stretch.”
There was no mistaking the weight Abree had put on “certain kind of woman.” Carmen picked up on it, as no doubt the rest of us did.
“Are we giving Carmen her presents or not?” Violet said, slamming her glass down. “This party is for her. She’s the one getting married.”
