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He’d only just touched the box when Patricia flipped open the lid, her smile odd. In some ways, it looked as if she was the one receiving the gift rather than him.
He thanked her for the diamond-studded cuff links, then he reached into his suit pocket, retrieving her gift. “For you.”
She oohed and ahhed over the bracelet, asking him to put it on her. It had looked much better on Liza.
After that, the conversation turned to superficial things, as Patricia talked about her plans for the holidays. Apparently, the Eddingtons celebrated Christmas and the New Year in Aspen, skiing ’til they dropped, according to her. He was content to let her do the lion’s share of the talking, nodding and responding appropriately as she gossiped about people in their social circles, bemoaned the lack of good restaurants in the city, and discussed her plans to start her own fashion show on YouTube.
It wasn’t the most stimulating dinner he’d ever had, but considering he had expected Patricia to be difficult about him breaking things off, he couldn’t complain. His coming here had achieved what he had hoped, put him back on steady ground with the Eddingtons. Last night’s mistake-apalooza hadn’t been completely detrimental.
Even if his emotional state was on shaky foundation, professionally, he was fine.
Once the bill was paid, they walked out together, her driver waiting at the curb.
She turned to him as he opened the back door to the limo. “I will miss our nights together.” She lifted her face to his. He bent slightly, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, but Patricia was better prepared for him this time, her hand capturing the knot of his tie. Using a strong grip, she managed to lengthen the kiss a few seconds longer than he wanted. He was about to break the connection when she let him go.
“Goodbye, Patricia.”
“Goodbye, Matt.”
He walked back to his car, accepting the keys from the valet. As he slid behind the wheel, he frowned.
The dinner had gone better than he dared to hope for, yet some niggling, suspicious voice in the back of his brain told him it had been too easy.
And now there was only one thing he knew for certain. He hadn’t heard the last of Patricia Eddington.
Chapter Two
Liza and her cousin Luca dropped down on the couch dramatically and at the exact same time.
“Why?” Luca moaned. “Why do I always eat too much?”
Liza wanted to answer, but she was too full to speak. The food coma was setting in hard. She leaned back and debated unbuttoning the top button of her jeans. She’d watched her dad, Nonno, and two uncles do it while still at the dinner table.
“I should have worn sweatpants,” she finally managed to force out.
It looked like Luca would have laughed if he weren’t in such pain. Instead, he grimaced and nodded. “Next year, let’s suggest a pajamas-only dress code.”
That wasn’t a bad idea, Liza thought, making a mental note to do just that. Her extended family was close enough and crazy enough that they’d probably make a contest out of the best pj’s. Plus, it was Christmas Eve, and they did tend to party until the wee hours, so the relaxed dress code would just make things easier when they all returned home three sheets to the wind.
Or at least, they used to party until dawn. Now the next generation of kids had come along, and her brother Bruno and his wife, Viv, had to leave early so their children were asleep before Santa came. The same held true for her brother Elio, and cousins David, Holly, and Tony, who also had milk and cookies to leave out for Santa Claus and kids to put to bed.
While she adored her nieces and nephews, sometimes she missed the times when they’d been a family of adults and the wine had flowed until daybreak as they sang, laughed, told stories, and ate themselves into oblivion.
She’d been blessed with a huge, close-knit family, most of whom still lived in Philadelphia, so the holidays were always a big-ass affair. Liza looked around the room and counted no less than twenty-five people crammed into Nonna and Nonno’s living room with her, all of whom appeared to be talking at the same time—at full volume, with those truly Italian hands gesturing wildly.
Of course, there weren’t just twenty-five people in the house. That was just the people in the living room. There were at least that many more in various other rooms, including both kitchens and the dining room.
Keeley stepped over to her and Luca, perching on the arm of the couch and holding up her phone. “Penny just texted. She and Gage finished dinner and they’re on their way now.”
“Cool,” Liza said, sharing a glance with Luca, who smirked. Liza had been shocked when Nonna had invited Penny and her husband, Gage, to join them for Christmas Eve dessert.
Penny, at Liza’s request, had stopped by a couple of weeks earlier to help her grandparents set up their new computer. Nonna had finally downloaded enough sketchy spam to cook the old one entirely. Penny, the family’s go-to IT guru, had suggested what computer they should buy, then offered to set it up and teach her grandparents how to use it. She’d also done a tutorial on what emails and links not to open, though Liza was certain Nonna hadn’t understood half of what Penny had said.
When Nonna had issued the dessert invitation, Liza and Penny laughed it off, certain her grandmother hadn’t thought it through, forgetting that Penny Beaumont was now Penny Russo.
While the younger generation of Morettis had—for the most part—gotten over the long-standing feud between their family and Gage’s, the older generation—Liza’s nonno, dad, and uncles—most certainly had not.
Penny had politely demurred, not mentioning why, but Nonna hadn’t taken no for an answer, insisting it was time they put the past behind them, and that Penny brought her husband to meet the family.
