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“Leo, you never said you were dating anyone, much less Harper,” Mrs. G. said to him.
My cheeks flamed at her words. Everything hinged on his response, and my heart was suspended in mid-air while everyone waited for him to say something. Anything.
Leo cleared his throat but didn’t meet my eyes. “I didn’t want to say anything until it was serious.”
My face burned.
“It’s not serious? You’re fucking around with my best friend and it’s not serious? What the hell, Leo?” Gia’s voice rose with every word.
“Gia, language,” her father admonished her.
I couldn’t believe he’d care about a thing like that at a time like this. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, where I was watching everyone react with shock and horror but couldn’t seem to make myself move or say anything.
“It’s not like that,” Leo started again, but I’d had enough.
“Mr. and Mrs. G., have a fabulous vacation. We’ll see you when you get back.” Then I grabbed Evie and strode to my car, eager to get out of there, away from the uncomfortable sensation that Leo was going to deny what he felt for me. Or maybe he’d never really felt it at all.
No one stopped or approached me for an explanation. I knew I owed it to Gia, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
“Why is everyone upset?” Evie asked.
I finally settled on the truth. “They didn’t know that I was kissing Leo.”
Her face screwed up. “Does it matter?”
“I think they might be hurt that they didn’t know.”
Evie shrugged. “Anyone could see.”
“Maybe for you, but not when we were with them.”
“Leo likes you, and you like him.”
That was the simplified version of the story. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that adult relationships were so much more complicated. That even if he liked me, he might not pursue it because his family didn’t approve. I wasn’t ready to broach that conversation with her.
Evie wasn’t worried about what just happened. She was oblivious to the fact that Gia was upset and that Mr. and Mrs. G. were shocked by the news. She realized her words had an effect, but she’d forget about it in a few minutes.
She wouldn’t notice there was an issue until Leo stopped coming around, or we didn’t see Mr. and Mrs. G. as much. Maybe some of that could be put off with them being in Italy for the next few weeks.
When I got home, I had a few messages from Gia. Not wanting to put her off, I texted that we could meet at a playground and talk.
When I arrived, Gia was already there. She must have come straight from her parents’ house. She waited until Evie was on the play structure before she asked, “Care to tell me what that was about?”
“I don’t know what Leo told you, but we were seeing each other.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You’re not anymore?”
“We were keeping it a secret because your brothers thought it might affect your parents’ decisions about the expansion.”
“That’s why you kept it a secret?”
I sighed. “It was more than that. You know, your parents want someone different for Leo.”
Gia paused. “What are you talking about?”
“They’re always trying to set him up with a family friend or someone from church. Remember Bianca?”
“Bianca cheated on him,” Gia said bitterly.
