off once again, telling me some gossip about Aunt Bev back home, but from the corner of my eye I almost swear I’m seeing Ace. I shake my head, chalking it up to my brain playing tricks on me. He’s been on my mind all day. All week really. I’ve been seeing him everywhere I go, all over the city. Any man with chocolate brown hair and a rock solid body and a brooding walk about him, I’m convinced is Ace. I almost couldn’t breathe on the train two nights ago when I thought for sure that the guy sitting behind me wearing headphones was him.
“Aidy, this is Gianluca,” Topaz says. I glance across the table at her date and nearly lose my breath. Gianluca is modern and urban and drop-dead sexy, wavy, shoulder-length hair, leather motorcycle jacket, and all. Topaz wears an apprehensive smile, like she’s trying to pretend she doesn’t like him or that she’s too cool to get excited over the gorgeous specimen of man seated beside her.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, extending my hand over a flickering candle.
Topaz watches me from across the table, trying to gauge my reaction.
I take a deep breath and reach for the water in front of me. Seeing Gianluca next to Topaz makes me miss Ace so much it hurts.
All the ice cubes have melted in my goblet, and the glass is slick with condensation. Gripping the glass, it nearly slides from my fingers, but the frigid cold snaps me back into the present moment.
Gianluca is nothing like Ace, but there’s something familiar about him. Maybe it’s his mannerisms or his posture. Something I can’t place exactly.
Or maybe I just really, really miss Ace and I’m projecting.
Giving myself a moment, I convince myself that this is all in my head. Topaz has worked with Ace. She knows his aura. His demeanor. If she thought Gianluca reminded her of Ace, she’d surely have said something, right? Then again, it’s Topaz, and she tends to be a bit oblivious to most things.
It’s all in my head. It has to be.
I clear my throat and lean in, composing myself. “Topaz tells me you’re a photographer?”
He leans in before he answers, eyes locked in mine. His dark eyes are intense, but his body is fluid, relaxed.
“I am,” he says. “Mostly fashion. For some reason they love me in Milan. I’m always over there for shoots.”
“What kind of shoots do you do? Like commercials or magazine spreads . . .?” Making small talk with him helps to keep my mind busy and my curiosity at bay.
“Little bit of everything.” He laughs through his nose, the corner of his mouth lifting on one side. He’s extremely good-looking. Pretty, even. The proportions of his face are perfection, and his hooded brown eyes draw me in like magnets. No wonder Topaz likes him. He’s a walking billboard model. I bet he’s the kind of guy who takes naked pictures of his girlfriends, and not in the perverted, skeezy type, but the artistic, sensual kind.
“Oh, nice,” I say, keeping my response canned because I’m struggling to think clearly here as I try to determine what’s so familiar about this man.
Sucking in a deep breath, I sit back in my chair.
“Aunt Aidy, Aunt Aidy.” Enzo taps my left shoulder, and I welcome the distraction.
“Hey, buddy,” I say.
“Did you see my corsage?” He points to the flower on his lapel.
“That’s a boutonniere,” I say, “and yes. I love it. I helped your mom pick it out.”
Enzo takes a look around and then sighs. He’s the only kid here, and he’s got to be bored out of his mind. I feel for him, I do. But this is a momentous occasion and he should be here, celebrating with us grown folk.
“Are you excited for our week together?” I ask. Wren and Chauncey are leaving for their honeymoon first thing tomorrow. They’ll be gone all week, traveling to Jamaica, and I’ll be in charge of Enzo.
My nephew nods. “I can’t wait, Aunt Aidy. I’m so excited!”
“Me too, kid.” I ruffle his russet hair. “We’re going to have so much fun this week you won’t even know what to do with yourself.”
I’ve got a whole week planned for him. He’s going through some major life changes now. He’ll be moving uptown with Wren, to Chauncey’s place, he’ll be switching schools, and come Christmastime, he’s going to be sharing the spotlight with an adorable baby brother or sister.
I figured spoiling him with junk food and