“Vanian.” She puts her spatula down and hurries over to hug me, kissing my cheek in the process. “Welcome. So good to see you again.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Benedetti.”
“Oh, now, remember you used to call me Mom? You still can.”
My chest warms with affection. “Sounds good.”
“We missed you around here,” she continues. “Missed you both. It’s a dream having you all back.”
“Except Giuliano.” Nonna sounds disapproving. “But we’re working on him.”
“How’s that?” I ask.
Nonna grabs a muffin and cuts it open, adding some butter to the center, the way I always ate my muffins at their house. She slides it over to me, smiling. “Mangia.”
“Thanks, Nonna.”
She leans on the counter. “We can just tell Giuliano is feeling left out.”
I take a bite of the muffin and close my eyes for a second to revel in the taste. It’s moist and buttery, with a tangy hit from the fresh fruit. No one bakes like Nonna.
“He’s a lawyer, right?” I ask after I swallow my bite.
“Yes,” Nonna says. “But the last couple of years, he’s been taking on some of the winery’s business, and in my opinion, he loves it.”
Nantes’s mom nods. “Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I agree. He’s been spending a lot more time here too.”
“I can’t imagine going to medical school or law school, doing all that work, and then just walking away from it.”
“Not everyone’s path is straight, figlio. Sometimes, you gotta wind around a few times to find the right direction.”
Smiling, I nod. “That’s very true. Good reminder.”
“All that matters in life is being happy with yourself and the people you choose to be around you.” Nonna pats my hand. “Everything else is background noise.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She squeezes my hand. “Nantes and the boys are in the office in the back. Make sure you’re hungry for dinner. I’m making manicotti.”
I pat my stomach. “I’ll definitely leave room for that.”
Nonna sends me on my way with another perfectly buttered muffin. I find the office and step inside, following the loud voices to the back. Peeking my head in, I see Brogan, Deo, Balt, and Nantes huddled around a large piece of white paper.
“Am I interrupting?”
Nantes looks up, his face relaxing into a nice smile. “Hey. Got some breakfast?”
“And a scolding for still being too skinny.”
All the guys laugh.
“It never stops,” Deo says.
“Come on in,” Brogan says, waving me closer. “We’re looking at ideas for a billboard in downtown Madison.”
I approach, looking down at the poster board. There are numerous sketches with different taglines and images on them but one definitely stands out to me. I tap the paper.
“This one looks cool.”
