“Is she from Taormina?”
“She comes from a good family?”
“Does she go to church?”
They fired off a series of questions so fast I couldn’t answer them all even if I wanted to. “Her name is Aurelia, and that’s all I’m giving you.”
My mom continued to stare me down. “Umberto says she’s very beautiful.”
“Oh, she is.” I came back to the table and couldn’t contain my smile, not even in front of these two meddlers.
“First time we’ve heard about you and a girl, Con,” Aunt Chiara said.
I conducted my personal life in the privacy of Rome. Taormina was a tiny place and everyone knew everyone, so it was impossible to have a private life. So I was never seen with anyone in the village, and if I did meet someone at the bar, it was a onetime thing. I kept my life private because I didn’t want my mother pestering me about settling down, and I also did it out of respect.
But with Aurelia ... it all just happened.
“Son.” My mom changed her tone slightly, deepening it, a clear warning that one of thosetalkswas coming. “You’re in your thirties now. Keep dragging your feet, and all the good women will be taken. Who will have your children then?”
I gave a slow nod to placate her. “Yes, Mother.”
“It’s time to settle down. Time to move back to Taormina. Be close to family. Have a son of your own.” She continued on and on, reminding me of the importance of family and God, that I’d lost my way from everything that mattered.
I was tired of hearing this speech every couple of months, but I held my tongue like the good son I was. “I will consider it, Mother. Thank you.”
“Invite her to dinner,” Aunt Chiara asked. “We want to see just how beautiful she is.”
“I’ll think about it.” Like I’d put Aurelia through that misery.
“So, this is serious?” Mom pressed, holding on to an invisible string of hope.
“That’s not what I said.”
“But you said you would think about it,” Aunt Chiara said. “Which means that it’s possible.”
I chuckled. “You guys should be detectives.” I stepped away and walked into the other room. My sister Beatrice was there with my cousin Antonio. She was talking about her kids, but she halted mid-sentence when I walked in the door.
“Con.” Her mouth melted into a smile that reminded me of my mother’s, just decades younger, cheeks fuller. She moved into me and gave me a hard hug. “What brings you here?”
“Wanted to help out.” I kissed her on the cheek before I greeted Antonio. “I haven’t seen you guys much this week.”
“That tends to happen when you get a girlfriend ...” Beatrice wore that knowing smirk as she returned to the large bowl on the counter and measured the salt, pepper, and basil before tossing it all inside.
So the entire town knew.
My eyes shifted to Antonio, and he shrugged as he continued to roll the pizza dough on the counter.
“So, tell us about her.” Beatrice stirred the pot of hand-crushed tomatoes before she carried it to the stove and turned it on low so it could slowly come to a simmer.
I leaned against one of the counters, arms crossed over my chest. “I just got grilled by two hardcore detectives out there.”
“And we’re worse,” she said. “So fess up.”
“I never talk about the women in my life, so I’m not sure why you expect me to talk about one now.”
“Oh, come on.” My sister rolled her eyes. “You’ve never paraded anyone through Taormina where you knoweveryonewill see you. So this is different, and you know it is.”
My gaze shifted back to Antonio.
