jerk. “He’s a chef at one of the nicest restaurants in town. His name is Michele Sorrentino. My mom introduced me to him. She works at the restaurant.”
Anna started egging her on, telling her to borrow a black lace dress I had for her date, since Michele was taking her to his cousin’s fancy wedding.
“My…” Brooklyn made a motion over her breasts. “Are not big enough!” Then she looked at mine. She and Anna started to laugh.
I smiled, but I was watching Nunzio through the mirror. He had both hands on the wheel. He was squeezing the life out of it. I touched Brooklyn on the leg, nodding toward him, lifting my eyebrows.
“I will tell you about it later,” she mouthed.
There was a line for Macchiavello’s, and after Nunzio pulled the car up, he got out to open our door. Before he did, Adriano said something to him from the street, and he stood there talking to him.
“Tell us!” Anna said, rushing the words out.
“He…likes me, I think. But I can’t see him. Not like that. My dad was the same thing…well, he was like Corrado used to be, you know? Not that high up in ranking like Corrado is now. I’m not sure exactly what my dad did, but he was hardly ever around. My mom was miserable. And then he got killed.” She shrugged.
“I never really knew him, my dad, but my mom would go crazy if she knew I even…liked Nunzio. Because I do. I like him a lot. But it would never work. She told me she would rather die than see me marry a man like my dad. And by ‘a man like my dad,’ she means a man in that life.”
“Your life was hard?”
She shrugged. “My mom refused to take a penny from the Capitanis, even though she let me see them. The only reason she did is because one of my best friends is my cousin. She’s about to marry a made guy. My mom has been obsessing over it—in the worst way. She says if you dance at one of their weddings, you might as well dance at their funerals. But I digress.
“After my dad was killed, she started working a lot. Sometimes two jobs, seven days a week, to keep us going. She said she didn’t want a penny of their blood money. I’ve had a good life, but she’s bitter, and I never got to know my dad. Even when he was around, he was never around, if that makes sense. There are no happily-ever-afters in that life, that’s what my mom always says.”
Brooklyn became quiet when Nunzio opened the door and offered her his hand. She stepped out, and I noticed when she tried to let go of him, he held on a second longer than he should have.
“That is depressing,” Anna said. Then she stepped out.
The restaurant was packed, but we were seated right away. No matter where we went, we were always seated without a reservation. Not that we went out a lot, not after the scorpions, but when we did, it was almost like the red carpet was rolled out.
Mari was waiting for us when we entered the same room Corrado and I had been seated in the first time we came.
“I love it here,” I said to Anna, even though my attention was elsewhere. Brooklyn had reinforced the scene with Ele this morning, and it weighed heavily on my heart. “The food is really good.”
She did the nose thing, like I was lying.
“You will see,” I said. “It tastes familiar. That’s why I thought you would enjoy it.”
Anna and I took turns hugging Mari. I knew her a little better since I had lived with her in-laws in Modica for a while, and she would visit with Amadeo. Then we introduced her to Brooklyn. We all took our seats, looking over the menu, and then we ordered.
Conversation flowed as Anna and Brooklyn got to know Mari better. We chatted about Saverio, Ele, the aunts, the chocolate shop, Bella Luna, and then Brooklyn’s date again. Before any of us realized, we were finished eating.
“The food is so good,” Anna said, patting her stomach. “I think even mamma would approve of this place. I am stuffed! Anyone want to take a look at the bar area with me? I need to walk.”
“I will!” Brooklyn stood. “I’ve always wanted to see it up close.”
I sighed after they left, setting my fork down. I looked up and found Mari