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Itry to dial Reilly again, my call going to voicemail, and then I get a message from her.
Reilly:
I’m in a meeting. Call you back.
I don’t know what’s going on with my sister but she’s been blowing me off for two weeks now. I’m about ready to get on the jet and fly to Sydney. T has it in my head that the fogginess I’ve been feeling is me picking up on something going on with Reilly, that it has nothing to do with my own brain. I’m hoping it’s not my sister, but with the way she’s avoiding me, I’m starting to think my husband is right.
I don’t text her back. Instead, I drop my phone into my purse. I’m heading to that wine bar that Aurora wanted to visit. Izzy and Mikhail just got into town, which means it’s a full girls’ trip. When I walk outside, I find my four daughters-in-law, three granddaughters, my sister-in-law Angelica, my niece Izzy, and her daughter Mabilia—although Mabilia isn’t old enough to partake in wine yet.
T arranged for two sprinter vans to take us, each outfitted with a driver and a soldier. Then there’s two additional SUVs, one in front and one in the back of the convoy. Personally, I think it’s overkill, but T and Neo were not going to let us all leave without the extra security. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve found a cozy little position somewhere onsite to watch us themselves.
I do my best to shake off that feeling of dread and smile as I hop into a car with my granddaughters, Angelica, and Mabilia. The other five opted to go in the second van. Aurora and Mabilia are thick as thieves, each girl finding herself in just as much trouble as the other. But when they’re together, that’s a whole different story.
“How’s school been, Mabilia?” I ask. She doesn’t attend the same school as the rest of the Valentino kids. She’s in an all-girls school. Something her father insisted on and wouldn’t back down about.
“Good,” she says.
Angelica looks at me. “She just got expelled.”
“Nonna, I did not get expelled. It’s just a momentary lapse in the principal’s judgment. Papa is going to fix it,” Mabilia insists.
“Dante got expelled too, and then Dad and Zio Matteo went to Principal George and fixed it. He’s on a one-month suspension. Which he was already going to be away from school for a month anyway,” Aurora says.
“Dante was expelled. What for?” I ask.
“He hacked into the school admin files to find Josie’s address. She wouldn’t give it to him.” My granddaughter shrugs.
“Who’s Josie?” Liliana asks her.
“A new girl, real quiet type. Sticks to herself. Definitely not Valentino material,” Aurora explains.
“My mom is the quiet type, and she fits in just fine,” Tilly pipes up.
“I agree with Tilly. There’s no fitting in with this family, Aurora. You just become a part of it,” I tell her.
“Well, I don’t think she’s the girl for Dante. She upsets him more often than not,” Aurora says. My granddaughter is extremely protective of her cousins. Reminds me a lot of Izzy. She was always looking out for the boys, making sure they were okay.
“That’s what makes life interesting, Aurora. If you find someone who doesn’t provoke emotions in you, then they’re not your one. Trust me. Do you think Zio Neo doesn’t ever piss me off? I’ve almost killed that man a dozen times myself over the years.” Angelica laughs.
“I would never kill your grandfather, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t disagreed on any number of things,” I tell my granddaughter.
“Mom says if you can’t stab a guy, leave him for dead, and still have him chasing after you while declaring his love, then he’s not the one,” Mabilia chimes in.
Both Angelica and I chuckle at this. Of course, that’s what Izzy would teach her daughter. “I think your mother got lucky your father didn’t bleed out that night,” I tell Mabilia.
“My Papa isn’t killable.” Mabilia smiles proudly. She’s the biggest daddy’s girl I’ve ever seen, that one.
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Angelica says.
“How’s Little Neo?” I ask Angelica. I haven’t seen him since Izzy and Mikhail arrived. Little Neo is Mabilia’s younger brother and named after Angelica’s father.
“He’s the silent, broody type. So basically just like my brother.” She smirks.
“T is not silent.” I laugh. “Broody definitely, but not silent. That man doesn’t know when to shut up.”
The van pulls up to the front of the wine bar a few moments later. We all pile out of the car and are ushered inside the building by security. It’s not until we’re standing in the entryway that I realize T (or Neo or even Theo—really, it could have been any number of them) has booked out the whole place just for us.
“I thought this was the heaven of wine bars. Why’s it empty?” Aurora asks.
