“Okay, I’m sure you met Daniel, Sofia’s man bestie and guide for the whole event.”
“Yes, definitely,” I say, nodding. “Who is that guy next to him?”
“That would be Luis. He’s Luciano’s best friend and the best man for the wedding. Next to him are the two twins, Ramon and Rafael. They’re also groomsmen.”
“Okay, they’ll probably be pretty useless to me,” I say, laughing.
Valentina grins. “Undoubtedly so.”
I point my chin in the direction of the far end of the table. “That’s my cousin Alessandro—I could never forget that face. He was practically designed to be a handsome movie star.”
“If you say so. Then lastly, we have Luciano’s parents, John and Sarah, and of course, the bride and groom.”
“Right. What about the other guests? I don’t recognize any of them.”
“They’re probably a mixture of Luciano and Sofia’s college friends and some coworkers. No one important. We need to focus on the family more than anything. That’s where we will find our answers.”
I nod, a determination settling in my chest. “This is about figuring out who my father’s special recipe was for. If it wasn’t for my mother, then there’s something—someone—he wanted to remember. Tonight, we’ll gather as much intel as we can.”
Fireflies begin to wander near the table, which only makes the area look that much more magical. I watch their lights flicker on and off as they move through the bushes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a firefly in person before. Yet, I want to catch one and put it in a jar as my night-light.
“I can’t believe there aren’t any mosquitos or flies out here. How does that happen?” Maritza says.
“That’s because I had my dear fiancé treat the entire place so they wouldn’t attack us all week.” Sofia looks at Luciano lovingly.
“She’s a murderer,” Maria whispers and laughs at her own stupid joke.
“That must have cost a fortune,” Maritza replies, almost as if she’s calculating how much it would actually cost. So nosy.
Luciano laughs. “Anything for my Sofie.”
I can hear Valentina groaning under her breath.
“That’s a lot of chemicals,” she finally says. “Isn’t that harmful to the environment, Luc?”
Everyone looks over at Valentina, then back at Luciano and Sofia.
“Oh, Val, don’t be such a tree hugger.” Sofia snorts. “It’s only for this week. They’ll be back in no time, I promise.”
“I just don’t know if I could do that.” Valentina shrugs. “But that’s just me,” she says as she sips her wine.
Sofia laughs awkwardly.
We all sit in silence for a moment. All you can hear is the clanking of spoons against the bowls as we eat our first course: spiced pumpkin bisque. A nod to the upcoming season, I’m sure. I take my first slurp, and I’m immediately transported to a pumpkin patch. It’s cozy, warm, and perfectly spiced. The nutmeg dances lightly around the heavy cinnamon. A dash of cloves adds some much-needed depth. It’s perfectly balanced. I could sit here in silence forever, just slurping up my soup.
“Cute dress,” Silvana states blandly.
I’m too distracted by my bowl of heaven to realize she’s even talking to me. Maria nudges me lightly in the ribs with her elbow. I look up to see Silvana staring directly at me. It takes me a second to remember what she said.
I look down at my dress and back up at her. A slanted smile creeps onto her face.
“Thanks,” I reply.
“Where’s it from? Forever 21?” Silvana laughs.
A rush of heat swells in my cheeks.
“It’s Calvin Klein,” I say quietly.
