So far, they’d had success with only two. Her cousinSofia had bagged herself an Italian human rights lawyer who worked for the United Nations. They were currently living in Geneva. And Mariana was now married to the son of the CEO of a famous athletic footwear and apparel company based in Portland.
Which meant four Barone girls remained. Unless you counted Lucy secretly being married to Joel. Which she did not. Because the marriage was a farce and not the least bit legitimate beyond a sheet of paper with a State of Nevada seal on it.
“Luciana, I understand why you did it,” her aunt said as she nibbled on an Italian pastry.
“Did what?” she asked, dragging herself out of her thoughts.
“Kept your engagement a secret.” Zia Ella ate slowly while studying Lucy meaningfully.“You wanted to let your cousin shine on her special day, because you’re a good girl and you know your place.” With a pat on Lucy’s hand, her aunt got up and took both of their plates to the kitchen.
“Right,” Lucy murmured. A good girl who knew her place pretty much summed up what everyone in her family thought about her. Even though she didn’t feel the same way at all. Her ambition was a fireball burning inside her. Her determination gained strength with every day that passed. At Barone & Sons, she oversaw the financials, but she kept her eye on every aspect of business, watching and learning as she plotted and strategized for the best possible future of the company. She was constantly working.
But that’s what no one saw. No one but Joel. The only person who’d ever acknowledged how invested she was, how badly she wanted to keep her father’s legacy alive, and how much she deserved it. He’d been her champion, theone she could talk to about anything. Until he’d left. And now it was just her.
Her aunt returned to the table with two narrow crystal glasses and a bottle filled with clear liquid.
“Zia, it’s four in the morning.”
Her aunt shrugged, filled the glasses, and handed one to Lucy. “Grappa helps with my indigestion.” She took a sip and sighed in relief, as if to prove her point.
Lucy took her glass but didn’t sip. Instead she twirled the glass, letting the floral aroma fill her nostrils.
“That was thoughtful of you, what you did for your cousin,” her aunt said, continuing the previous conversation thread, much to Lucy’s dismay. “But the wedding is over now, and it seems silly to keep such big news to yourself.”
“Is it?” Something about Ella’s tone put her on edge.
“I think we should have a big engagement party while the family is all still in town.”
And there it was.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh Luciana, don’t be selfish. Do you know how much a plane ticket costs these days? Or how exhausting airports are? Do you expect your Zia Marta to fly all the way back from Colorado for another party with her bad knee? What about Nico?”
“What about Nico? He thinks we’re getting married so he can have Barone & Sons while I sit at home with our babies!”
“Pfft.” Ella wiped away the words with a dismissive hand. “That one is a dreamer, like his father. He thinks too little and talks too much. Luciano will never give him Barone & Sons.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lucy muttered. “Nico is the son my father never had.”
“Wrong. Your father is feeling old and desperate. He is worried about the future of his company, but Nico is not the answer.”
“Have you told either of them that?”
Ella tossed out a laugh. “Barone men are all the same. Pig-headed from the womb. But they always come to the right conclusion. It just takes longer sometimes.”
“You sound sure about that, Zia?”
Her aunt shrugged and took another sip of grappa, nodding to encourage Lucy to do the same. Lucy glanced at the round plastic clock on the wall, 4:28 a.m. What the hell? It was happy hour somewhere, right? The liquid burned a path down her throat.
“You know, Lucy, yourbisnonnaon your father’s side was a savvy businesswoman.” Ella settled back in her chair as she randomly brought up Lucy’s great-grandmother. “Noemi was ahead of her time by light-years. After the First World War, Italy was a mess. The poor had less than ever, and even the wealthy struggled. Everyone had to start over. Noemi was the oldest child of four. She was just eighteen when the war ended. Her family were farmers, but the land was poor and most of the animals had been killed to feed soldiers. Everyone in the village shared the same fate. Noemi was smart and knew that if they were to thrive again or even just survive, they had to work together.”
Lucy wasn’t sure where this early-morning storytelling was going, but she sat in silence while Ella finished her first drink and then poured another.
“Back then, marriages were not viewed in the romantic way they are these days. Love was a luxury no one could afford. So one day, Noemi asked her father to offer her hand in marriage to the neighboring farmer’s son, who was twelve years older than her. The next day, after she finished herwork in the fields, she went to the village and was married. She wore her work clothes, and the church was half rubble from war damage, but she married, and the two families became one. The farms combined, and the land doubled.” Ella gesticulated as if the point had been made.
Lucy sipped her grappa, the warmth of alcohol heating her lips as she listened.
“Yourbisnonnahad five children. Your nonno was one of them. Your father’s father.” Ella finished her second grappa and sat back with a satisfied smile. “That land is still Barone land. When the families merged, they tore down the farmhouses and built one big one. The villagers were impressed with what the Barones had built and asked for help rebuilding their own damaged and fallen structures. The Barones built barns and houses for many villagers. They even rebuilt the church. Construction is a Barone legacy, brought on by your great-grandmother. It started with her choice.”
