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“My pleasure! Thank you for inviting me,” he tells her, then turns to me. “Wonderful to see you again, Isabella.”

I give him a forced smile in response, not trusting myself to say anything nice to him. Taking a deep breath through my nose, then blowing it out through my mouth, I turn my head slowly toward my mother.

I’m looking at her through narrowed eyes, my nostrils flaring with barely contained rage. She calmly keeps her eyes in front of her at the pulpit, where Father Joseph is getting ready for the homily.

“Be nice. The only reason you’re not content staying in one place is because you haven’t fallen in love yet. I’m simply helping the process along,” Mama whispers to me without making eye contact.

“I’m already seeing someone,” I whisper back through gritted teeth.

Mama’s head snaps over to look at me. “What? Who? When?”

“Do we really have to do this now?” I angle my head backward, gesturing to the man next to me.

She purses her lips, making her frown lines even more prominent. “We’ll discuss this as soon as possible. Is he even Catholic?”

I roll my eyes and release a heavy sigh, just as everyone in the church has quieted down in anticipation of Father Joseph to walk out from the side door by the pulpit. Father Joseph glances at me, quirking one eyebrow in an annoyed stare.

I do the sign of the cross and he clears his throat before announcing which passage he’ll be reading from today.

Fabio leans toward me and whispers in my ear, “You look nice today.”

Not only does his breath smell like a weird mixture of garlic and coffee, but he’s one of those guys who thinks nice is a compliment. How about sexy, gorgeous, breathtaking, your body is almost as beautiful as your brain… take your pick! Any adjective besides nice.

Okay, honestly, I don’t want any compliments from Fabio whatsoever, especially if I have to be subjected to the stench of his breath.

The wooden pew we’re seated on seems harder and more uncomfortable than ever, with Fabio sitting on my left side and Mama on my right. My spine is tense and my butt is already getting sore. I look up above Father Joseph to study the beautiful stained glass to distract myself. The ornate window depicts a scene of Mary and Jesus walking together. The glass is a rainbow of colors and I’ve loved it since I was a child. The chapel has smaller stained glass windows lining the walls of the chapel, all of them colorful and show a different saint.

I listen intently to Father Joseph’s holy reading, even closing my eyes in reverence. Mostly so Fabio will leave me alone. Once Mass is over, which seemed to run abnormally long today, I scurry out of the pew as quickly as possible.

Mama glares at me. I wrinkle my nose and smile apologetically. “Please excuse me, I have to use the ladies’ room.”

My parents stare at me with unconvinced expressions. “Sorry! Too much coffee this morning,” I say, huffing out an awkward laugh before rushing to the bathroom, which is conveniently located by the front doors. Close to freedom.

I almost take out an elderly woman when I open the bathroom door and seek out an empty stall to hide in. After apologizing profusely, I lock myself in an empty stall and take a deep breath. A light tapping sound comes from the stall next to me.

“Bella?” Lily whispers. “Want some help escaping?”

Thank goodness for sisters. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll tell Mama I checked on you and you’re not feeling well. You can head home in your car and we’ll leave with Mama and Papa.”

“I owe you big time,” I whisper back.

She giggles. “I’ll make sure you pay up one of these days.”

Chapter twenty-four

David

“Wait, so you hid in the bathroom?” I ask Isa on the drive over to my parent’s house for our Sunday family barbeque.

“Yes!” She covers her face with her hands. “It was awful.”

I chuckle, picturing her escaping to the restroom to get away from some guy named Fabio.

“It’s not funny!” She slaps my shoulder with her tiny hand. A text from my mom pops up on the screen in my Land Rover.

Isa reads the message out loud since I’m driving. “‘Are you on your way, I can’t see your location on the app.’” Then she bursts out laughing. “Wow. At least both of our moms are insane and we can commiserate.”