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“You’re a jerk,” she shot over to Elio, who flashed me a killer smile. I just shook my head. “Men,” she said with a laugh and motioned for me to follow her inside the house. “The three of us went to college together,” she said over her shoulder. “Unfortunately, Andrew’s father got a job with the Coppolas, and Andrew was summoned to join him. You know how fathers can be. They only want what’s best for their kids,” she said sarcastically, “even when it means they have to work for the enemy, so to speak.”
“Couldn’t he have said no?”
“Andrew graduated top of his class in world economics, and when a syndicate like the Coppolas comes knocking…” She shrugged and poured me a glass of cucumber water. “It all worked out for the best, anyway. Andrew stayed in contact with Elio and, well, he’s one of the reasons the Capris were able to make some big business deals in the east.” She waved her hand. “No more about me, though. Your story is much more interesting. So, when I heard Theo’s long-lost daughter and Elio’s childhood love had returned, you could only imagine how intrigued we all were.”
“News travels pretty fast, I see.”
“Andrea and my mother are close,” she chuckled, “and when the biggest mob underboss,” she threw her gaze toward Elio, “wouldn’t settle down and get married like most of the others before him, people want to know why. So, tell me, what was it like? I mean, finding out everything about your past. All I know is that you’ve discovered you’re Theo’s daughter.”
“Nothing like finding out your father was a mob boss.” I chuckled, and she joined in.
“Have you seen this yet?” She slid over a tablet and clicked on the screen before handing it to me. It was a photo of a newspaper.
Wait, where have I seen this before?I moved closer to get a better look at the photo of a field and some police. Oh! It was the one I’d seen in my mother’s hotel room. I’d wondered about it, but never got to really read it.
“Remains of two bodies found in a field.” She recited the line from memory, then began to read out loud. “Authorities conclude they are the bodies of a mother and daughter who went missing recently from the Coppola manor. It is believed they are the bodies of Elenora and Alessia Coppola, wife and daughter of Theo Coppola.” I shook my head, thinking if only I had read it before when I’d seen it in my mother’s room maybe I’d have gotten my answers faster, instead of waiting for her to decide when to tell me. “What’s it been like for you since this whole thing started?”
“Truth,” I sat down on the chair she pointed at, “it’s as if someone printed my entire life on a piece of cardboard, cut it into puzzle shapes, shook it up nice and good, and left me to figure out how it goes back together.”
“That painted a pretty good picture.” She lightly chuckled then followed my line of sight over to Elio who was now elbows deep into some kind of baby food. “He’s a pretty special guy.”
“He is.” I smiled when he caught my eye, and he smiled back.
“So,” she pulled out a notebook, “let’s chat about tonight and who you’re going to meet and who you really need to win over.”
I was impressed with Tabby’s knowledge of the people we had to meet. She had even gone so far as to host a party the previous week to make sure everyone was told the real story about me and what was going to happen. A few times Andrew would speak in a low voice to Elio, and I tried not to watch, but I could tell something was going on.
After a good rundown, Tabby suggested we go upstairs to get ready. I looked around at their modern home and was impressed with the simple beauty of it. The huge windows with their curved chocolate wooden trim allowed a view of the garden beyond. The honey-colored walls made a lovely backdrop for the subtle striped furniture. Simple and gorgeous.
“I absolutely love your home. It’s beautiful.” I had to complement her as we walked up the staircase lined with large stone.
“Thank you. I did put a lot of time into choosing the fabrics, but my husband loves to design, and he’s the one with all the inspiration.” She laughed as she left me in the doorway of our room.
“See you downstairs later.” She continued down the hall with a wave, and I got to work on myself.
“I see you’re almost ready.” Elio entered the room and planted a kiss on the top of my head, giving my bare bottom a friendly tap. He looked thoughtfully at my blue dress that was draped over a chair then removed the green tie he’d chosen for one that matched my outfit.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I assured him. “You could have told me how wonderful Tabby is.”
“You told me you wanted to learn this life. Well, part of that,” he came up behind me in the mirror and kissed me again, “is walking into things not knowing what to expect. We’re often going to be in situations that we can’t predict or control. It comes with the territory.” His eyes went serious. “Sometimes you’ll have only seconds to react and pivot.”
“That makes sense.”
“I may look for teachable moments, but I won’t let anything happen to you.” He kissed my neck.
“You looked pretty comfortable with that baby.” I watched his gaze move to mine while his lips still lingered on my skin. “Like a natural.”
“Do you want kids?” His question threw me.
“Of course I do,” I answered honestly, “but should we wait until we get married—”
“I can get a priest here in five minutes.”
“And,” I continued through my laughter, “not until we get this situation under control.”
“I have everything under control,” he purred, and I heard his belt strain as he undid it.
