I glare at her, thinking about just how unperfect her timing was, and she tosses me a wink and a grin.
“Alright, arrivederci. Enjoy,” James tells us, meeting my eyes for a long moment as the roll of his Rs shivers its way up and down my back. Should I follow him back downstairs? Discuss what just happened? Kiss him again before he decides to run away?
But before I can answer any of those questions, his dark hair ducks back down out of sight, and Tammy and I remain silent until the heavy wooden outer door pounds shut below us on the street.
She stares at me through the quiet, while I distract myself from her gaze with the spicy salami and fresh burrata. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what the hell to say to her. How do I explain what is going on here when every time I think of him my thoughts scamper like rats when you turn the lights on?
Tammy finally stops staring at me like I’m pinned to the page of a scrapbook and leans forward, pulling a piece of pecorino right out from between my fingers.
“There I was, lonely as hell back in America picturing you over here holed up grading papers and obsessing over my brother when in fact you were out there”—she gestures with her hand out to the hills—“with that gorgeous piece of man in this gorgeous little town doing Lord knows what.”
I open my mouth to defend myself, but she’s not done.
“Screw your valedictorian speech. I have never been more impressed by you in my life.”
And though I have a mouthful of meat, that doesn’t stop the steady stretch of the smile that spreads across my face.
Tammy’s here.
TRENTACINQUE
James
Nina’s arms are wrapped around Zio’s waist so that the front of her body is tucked against his side, his blazer tossed over her shoulders. Through the lens, I can just see the sides of their faces, her head resting on his shoulder, their eyes turned up toward the night sky. My finger is moving so fast that I’ve lost any sense of how many photos I’ve snapped of the people around me. Another burst of white light explodes over Urbino, branches of gold stretch in every direction, reaching and falling over each other like glowing acrobats in the sky, and Leo whispers something into Nina’s ear. This picture—this moment—will be my anniversary gift to them next month when their marriage turns forty.
I turn my attention back to where Ava stands beside Uvaldi just as a dazzling display of red and blue is unleashed over the dome of the palazzo. Her arm is hooked in his, and a pang of absurd jealousy shoots through me at the fact that he gets to feelthe soft skin on the underside of her arm. I’m an idiot. Letting myself get swept up in this—in her. But I know that there’s no stopping this now. I tried avoidance and it failed—maybe even made things worse since the way we collided today felt twice as shattering as the first time.
I’m in a car with no brakes and the speedometer is climbing past one hundred. And I have zero willpower to let up on the gas.
I’m just hoping to survive the crash.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I drop the camera and find Tammy sitting beside me, grinning at me like she has a secret that I’ll really want to hear. I’ve only spent about two hours with her, and for most of the time we were eating and drinking, but it was enough to see how good she and Ava are for each other. All of that armor Ava wore has been stripped away and replaced with this effusive, glowing warmth. I’ve heard Ava laugh more tonight than I have the entire time she’s been here. And her laugh is my new favorite sound.
“How are you finding Urbino?” I ask her, nearly yelling so that she can hear me over the booming pops of the fireworks.
She turns her gaze out toward the city.
“What’s not to love,” she yells, then leans back on her elbows. “Thank you for letting me stay in your apartment,” she adds.
I look back to where Ava is laughing at something Uvaldi has said, and I suppress the urge to lift the camera. Tammy is inspecting me like a rental car before it’s left the lot, and I don’t need to let her see the dents Ava has made.
“Technically, it was Ava’s apartment for the month,” I say, but Tammy waves that detail away.
“To be honest with you, I think she was ecstatic to give me the apartment so that she could stay in that bougie pool house. She’s grown quite fond of being here with—” She pauses and looks overat Ava, who is giving Tammy a warning look over her shoulder, despite the fact that she can’t possibly hear her. “With your family.”
I bite back a chuckle when Tammy finger waves back at Ava.
“Well, my family has grown quite fond of her, believe me.”
Ava is whispering something to Uvaldi, pushing up on her toes so she is even with his ear, and a series of golden light explodes over their heads.
“And you? Have you grown fond of her?” Tammy asks.
Too fond.
“She’s alright,” I say, and Tammy laughs.
