“What happened?”
She rubs her temples, looking exhausted. “Bullies at school. What else? Picked last for volleyball in gym class and shoved to the ground during the game. Then, to top it off, they apparently made fun of his size.”
I roll my neck, trying to temper a bigger reaction. Micheletto is about the same size I was at his age. Abig“little” kid, for lack of a better term. Broad and tall with fat around his hips, standard size pants for his age group bite into his waist and don’t even cover his ankles. It’s been a labor of love tailoring a collection for him, just as Nonno did for me when I was his age. The way his little chest puffs out with confidence after trying on a tailored outfit fills me with the type of satisfaction couture fashion will never provide. I’m lucky I grew up when I did in Brescia, where bullying like this wasn’t as prevalent. I can’t imagine handling it gracefully.
Retrieving a candy from the bowl on my desk, I hand it to Lu. “For the stress.”
She smiles gratefully, and I count it as a win.
“Do you want me to talk to him?” I offer. He only sees his shitty dad one weekend a month, even though the reason Lu stayed in America was to strengthen their relationship.
“I’m going to leave you two to chat,” Tessa says quietly.
Caught up in my protectiveness over Micheletto, her presence slipped my mind. A rare occurrence.
She leaves the door open as she slips out, granting me an incredible view of her ass in the black cigarette pants she’s wearing.
“You might want to close your mouth to avoid drooling.” Lu’s voice cuts through my blatant appraisal, and I immediately snap my jaw shut. I didn’t even realize it was open.
“So, what? You’re into her?” Lu murmurs, wearing a knowing smile. “Or… have you already hooked up with this girl? Is that why there’s so much weird tension in this room?”
“What? No. Of course I haven’t slept with Tessa,” I hiss, switching to Italian. “Even if we weren’t already working together, just look at her.” I gesture to Tessa, my hand slowly tracking her long, lean body from the top of her midnight, wavy hair to the bottom of her heels. The outfit she’s wearing looks so good on her that it’s distracted me all day.
“I’m looking at her…” Lu cocks an eyebrow.
We both are—the pair of us no better than Italian nonnas.
“She’s too young for me.”
“You’re thirty years old, Gi. And she’s, what? Mid-twenties?” Lu feigns horror. “You know what? You’re right. Five years is extremely problematic.”
I cross my arms in an effort to physically shield myself from Lu’s line of revealing questions. “Well, she’s difficult, too. Sometimes.”
“Sure. She’srealdifficult. What with her looking all beautiful, sitting next to Michael, being in the fashion industry just like you. Seems terrible. Lock her up.” A mischievous smirk appears on Lu’s face. “Maybe we should video call your parents. Your mother would like her for you.”
“My mother would like anyone for me. She’s relentless.” I love Mamma, but the number of questions about my personal life has increased exponentially over the past few years.
Lu quirks an eyebrow. “Aren’t you the one fueling the fire with half-truths about actively seeing someone?”
I shrug. “I don’t want my parents to worry. It’s bad enough we’re so far from each other. Her heart would break if she knew I was alone.”
When I first moved here, I’d assumed I’d meet someone, fall in love, live happily ever after. I became disillusioned the first time I stepped into an upscale club and got mistaken for a bouncer. Next was a string of failed dates with women who only wanted me for my fashion connections, before I decided to keep my romantic life casual. There’s no point in getting to know someone on a deeper level if they can’t see themselves dating someone without a six pack.
Mirrors show measurements, not hearts, nor minds,Nonno always said.Bodies are simply a home for souls, and you have the most beautiful soul, Tesoro.
A hint of a smile touches my lips at the memory, and I refocus back on Lu. “Idohave someone. Two people, actually. You and ometto.”
She pats my arm and directs her attention toward the front, where Tessa is laughing at something Micheletto said. “Andomettohas Tessa in the palm of his hand, it appears.”
The mention of her name amidst all the Italian has Tessa swiveling her head around. Caught red handed, we walk their way.
Tessa casts a familiar glare at me. “Looks like your zio was spying on us, Michael. Rude of him.”
“Lu is also here.” I point to the smiling woman next to me.
“That’s different. She birthed him. She can do whatever she wants.”
“I like her,” Lu mutters before taking a step closer to Tessa. “Michael is at his dad’s this weekend, but do you want to comefor dinner next Sunday evening at my place? We always cook too much pasta. You’d be doing us a favor if you came.”
