“Not a clue. And definitely not a priority right now. MJ and I just need a new sofa, maybe new beds, and a TV, and we’re good to go. When things calm down, I’ll get us what we need.”
“Are we going to have to eat a burrito for breakfast still?” my sweet daughter complained, dodging Luke’s attempts to tickle her. Once again, I had succeeded in taking the attention off the ever-present disappointment that shone in my daughter’s eyes where her mother was concerned. My heart broke for her.
Sofia sat upright like a spring next to me, jostling me out of my growing funk. “Oh my gosh, how could I have forgotten? I knowexactlywho would do a great job. She just landed her first design job here in San Diego and will be here in a few weeks. I’ve seen her portfolio. Girl’s got talent,” she said excitedly.
“Oh, yeah, Miles will besoexcited to hear about this,” Luke said with a smirk, halting his battle with MJ. I had no idea what that exchange was about, but before I could ask, the doorbell rang.
“Wow, that was fast,” I said, pushing off the sofa and stretching my back as I stood.
Grabbing my wallet from the kitchen counter to give the driver a tip, I walked to the door. “So, who are you guys talking about?” I called out behind me.
Just as I was about two feet from the door, Luke answered. “She’s talking about Vicky. Enzo’s sister.” My feet tangled up mid-step, and I tripped, falling into the door with a thud.
“Miles, are you alright?” Mom called out. Luke snickered, and I scowled.
“Fine,” I mumbled, opening the door with sweaty hands. The delivery person had backed away from the door. Smart move.
“Hey, man, thanks. Here you go,” I said, handing a twenty to the grateful college kid with AirPods in. He took the money with a nod and held out the boxes, still keeping his distance. Closing the door, I walked to the kitchen counter and slid the four boxes onto it.
“Daddy, yousureyou’re okay?” MJ asked. She had jumped up either to check on me or grab pizza. When she flung the first box open with widened eyes, I guessed pizza was her real concern.
“Yeah, sure. Just tripped on the thing there.” I pointed to the non-existent “thing” with my head.
Luke sidled up next to me with a wide grin that made me want to push him into the ocean. “I see the lovely Vicky still makes you ateenytiny bit nervous,” he whispered.
I pushed him hard, and he stumbled across the kitchen with a cackle.
“Boys, I’ve told you to be a good example for MJ,” Mom scolded as she entered the kitchen, Dad right behind her, covering his grin.
“Yes, ma’am,” we recited simultaneously, just like we had hundreds of times since childhood.
“So, how did Vicky land the design job here?” Mom asked, grabbing a paper plate and a piece of vegetable pizza.
“She applied to an Italian firm here, and out of hundreds of applicants in Italy, she got it. She’s over the moon excited. Her mom and Enzo, not so much,” Sofia said, filling glasses with ice.
“Where’s she going to live?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it, even though my stomach was in knots. I had no idea how I was going to eat.
Victoria Lazzara.
Luke and I crashed her brother’s wedding in Positano about nine months ago, because he’d gone to declare his love to Sofia. I took one lookat Vicky and nearly tripped over my feet. Apparently, that was the ongoing effect this woman had on me.
She had been dressed in a silky, coral-and-pale-blue wrap dress. All my mind could conjure up was that she was a mermaid straight out of my dreams. The dress was tied high up on her shapely body, accentuating her curves. Her brown, wavy hair moved in the breeze, the smell of jasmine and musk enveloping my senses when she stood near me.
Our eyes met briefly while I was dancing with MJ, but later, when the conversation at the table turned to her recent college graduation, I knew this could go no further. Not to mention, Enzo growled at me when he caught me staring at her. I’m fairly certain that any boxing skills I possessed wouldn’t have helped me once I found out he was an ex-professional boxer.
Luke had said that Mom identified Sofia as his childhood love when she mentioned that her Nonna had named her after the actress Sophia Loren. My sister-in-law was a beautiful woman, butVicky…Vicky would outshine Ms. Loren any day.
Her olive-complexioned skin, wide, almost amber eyes, and full, dark pink lips. They haunted my thoughts when I allowed myself that luxury.
I knew I had no chance with her since she was so much younger but it didn’t stop me from hoping to see her at Luke and Sofia’s wedding near where Vicky lived in Rome. But I was told her mother had gotten sick with a virus, so I hid my disappointment.
Luke had picked up on my attraction at Enzo’s wedding and still teased me mercilessly.
Everyone in our friend group called her Enzo’s little sister, but that’s not how I saw her at all. Yes, she was a lot younger than me, but she wasn’t exactly a little girl. Her eyes held a strength despite her young age. There was a timeless feel about her, and what I’d heard from Sofia was that she was very mature for her age. Something unknown drew me to her. I had tried all this time to put her out of my mind, but it was like denying myself the beauty of nature.
“Miles, Mi-les,” Luke sang, waving to get my attention. Looking around the room at the amused faces of my family, I blushed crimson. “I was telling you before you floated away in space that Vicky’s firm has given her a place downtown so she can walk to work.”
“Well, that’s only for the first three months.Afterthat, she will need to find a place. That’s her trial period, but the hassle they had to go through to get her a temporary work visa, well, I don’t see them doing that and then letting her go so quickly. Although she will have to make the cut, so to speak,” Sofia said, taking her pizza to the table with the others.
