Lorenzo looked so sexy, as he always did, with his tall, toned frame, coffee brown short hair, dark eyes, strong features, and well-groomed, stylish appearance. Then his mask, that unreadable expression, fell and he turned away.
“Lita Lawson?” Lorenzo’s uncle said. He approached her table.
Lita nodded and scooted herself to the edge of her chair. Lorenzo whispered to his uncle as his uncle waved a hand at him.
“Won’t you join us, young lady? We haven’t met in many years.” Mr. DeGrazia took her hand. “I’m pleased to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you again, too, Mr. DeGrazia.”
Lorenzo stared out the window when Lita gazed at him. Even though she wanted to be angry with him for not returning her calls, she smiled and her body mellowed, sultry and soft, as though she’d been lying out on the beach on a hot summer day.
“Perhaps you could join us? We were about to have coffee,” Mr. DeGrazia said. “Shouldn’t she, Lorenzo?”
“How are you,” Lorenzo asked, meeting her gaze.
“Fine. Better if I could find out something about my father.” If she could regain a sense of herself, something, someone to trust.
“You found out who he is?”
“Yes, I found a photo, and Emma told me. His name was Timo Sabatini, he owned a bookshop in Naples--”
“My God,” Lorenzo’s uncle said. His face paled as he studied Lita.
“Are you okay, Uncle Enzo?” Lorenzo said.
“Wonderful,” he said. He smiled and took Lita’s hand before kissing her cheek. “That’s why you look like her…my dear, Timo Sabatini was my late wife Angela’s younger brother. You are her niece, my niece.”
Lita laughed and cried at the same time. Uncle Enzo hugged her. He was warm and the aroma of lemon, bright and fresh, soothed her.
“Sophia, my eldest daughter, will want to meet you. Will you come with me? We can pick her up on the way. I’d like to show you some photos of the family, your family.”
“My family,” Lita whispered. A big family, a traditional family full of love and warmth—her own small miracle. Proof. She smiled as she wiped away her tears.
“Would you like to join us?” Uncle Enzo asked Lorenzo.
“No, thanks, I’ve got work to do. I’m happy for you, Lita,” he said. He didn’t look it.
“Thanks,” she said. “Are we cousins now?”
“Not really,” he said. “Only by marriage. I’ll see you.”
He walked out with a wave as Lita followed with Uncle Enzo. She smiled up at him as he opened his car door for her.
“I have so much to tell you,” Uncle Enzo said.
“I want to hear it all, Uncle Enzo.”
She studied the older man, his silver hair gleaming, as he drove away, talking about his family. She listened, all the while a feeling warmed her, a feeling she would be okay.
5
Lorenzo had underestimated his uncle Enzo again. Somehow he talked him into coming over for dinner, making it sound like Lita wouldn’t be there, but she was. As he’d feared, seeing her giggling, smiling, and chatting with Uncle Enzo, Sophia, Carlo, and Janice, only made her more appealing. She fit easily into his family, their family. He couldn’t share anything with her or it would spin out of control and he would lose everything. He followed his uncle and Carlo upstairs, hoping to say his goodbyes before Pete and Lita returned from Jane’s with her things.
“You all right, Enzo?” Carlo said as he stopped behind him.
“Yes, fine,” Uncle Enzo said. Lorenzo hadn’t seen him climb these stairs since his aunt Angela died five years ago.
“Don’t you think we’d better have Lita at our house?”
“You just want her to be around Joe,” Uncle Enzo said.
Lorenzo gripped the banister harder than Uncle Enzo, who did so to support his bad knee, whereas Lorenzo needed to keep himself from punching the wall.
“She would be an ideal daughter-in-law. She and Sophia were talking and laughing together like old friends over dinner.”
No. He had to
“Lita Lawson?” Lorenzo’s uncle said. He approached her table.
Lita nodded and scooted herself to the edge of her chair. Lorenzo whispered to his uncle as his uncle waved a hand at him.
“Won’t you join us, young lady? We haven’t met in many years.” Mr. DeGrazia took her hand. “I’m pleased to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you again, too, Mr. DeGrazia.”
Lorenzo stared out the window when Lita gazed at him. Even though she wanted to be angry with him for not returning her calls, she smiled and her body mellowed, sultry and soft, as though she’d been lying out on the beach on a hot summer day.
“Perhaps you could join us? We were about to have coffee,” Mr. DeGrazia said. “Shouldn’t she, Lorenzo?”
“How are you,” Lorenzo asked, meeting her gaze.
“Fine. Better if I could find out something about my father.” If she could regain a sense of herself, something, someone to trust.
“You found out who he is?”
“Yes, I found a photo, and Emma told me. His name was Timo Sabatini, he owned a bookshop in Naples--”
“My God,” Lorenzo’s uncle said. His face paled as he studied Lita.
“Are you okay, Uncle Enzo?” Lorenzo said.
“Wonderful,” he said. He smiled and took Lita’s hand before kissing her cheek. “That’s why you look like her…my dear, Timo Sabatini was my late wife Angela’s younger brother. You are her niece, my niece.”
Lita laughed and cried at the same time. Uncle Enzo hugged her. He was warm and the aroma of lemon, bright and fresh, soothed her.
“Sophia, my eldest daughter, will want to meet you. Will you come with me? We can pick her up on the way. I’d like to show you some photos of the family, your family.”
“My family,” Lita whispered. A big family, a traditional family full of love and warmth—her own small miracle. Proof. She smiled as she wiped away her tears.
“Would you like to join us?” Uncle Enzo asked Lorenzo.
“No, thanks, I’ve got work to do. I’m happy for you, Lita,” he said. He didn’t look it.
“Thanks,” she said. “Are we cousins now?”
“Not really,” he said. “Only by marriage. I’ll see you.”
He walked out with a wave as Lita followed with Uncle Enzo. She smiled up at him as he opened his car door for her.
“I have so much to tell you,” Uncle Enzo said.
“I want to hear it all, Uncle Enzo.”
She studied the older man, his silver hair gleaming, as he drove away, talking about his family. She listened, all the while a feeling warmed her, a feeling she would be okay.
5
Lorenzo had underestimated his uncle Enzo again. Somehow he talked him into coming over for dinner, making it sound like Lita wouldn’t be there, but she was. As he’d feared, seeing her giggling, smiling, and chatting with Uncle Enzo, Sophia, Carlo, and Janice, only made her more appealing. She fit easily into his family, their family. He couldn’t share anything with her or it would spin out of control and he would lose everything. He followed his uncle and Carlo upstairs, hoping to say his goodbyes before Pete and Lita returned from Jane’s with her things.
“You all right, Enzo?” Carlo said as he stopped behind him.
“Yes, fine,” Uncle Enzo said. Lorenzo hadn’t seen him climb these stairs since his aunt Angela died five years ago.
“Don’t you think we’d better have Lita at our house?”
“You just want her to be around Joe,” Uncle Enzo said.
Lorenzo gripped the banister harder than Uncle Enzo, who did so to support his bad knee, whereas Lorenzo needed to keep himself from punching the wall.
“She would be an ideal daughter-in-law. She and Sophia were talking and laughing together like old friends over dinner.”
No. He had to
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