Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Constantine pulled a chair out for me and got me seated before he took the last unoccupied chair at the four-seater table.
Dario and Constantine’s mother finished up their talk, and then he headed back to the kitchen.
His mother gave her full focus to me. “Oh honey, it’s so nice to see you.” She was the one who got out of her chair and came all the way over to give me a hug when I should have been the one to go to her. She hugged me and smothered me like a child, then pulled back to look at me. “You’re so beautiful. Every time I see you, you get more and more beautiful.”
“Aww, thank you.” She was so damn nice to me.
She went back to her seat, beamed at her son, and then held his hand on the table. “This is so nice. Having you both here. I swear the sun shines brighter on Taormina these days. At least, it does to me.”
Constantine smiled, but it was restrained, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes.
I noticed it, and I wondered if she knew her son well enough to notice too.
“How’s Medusa?” she asked.
“She’s a lot better,” Constantine said. “Got her a walker so she’s able to zoom around the house again. That really picked up her mood.”
“Yeah,” I said. “She was pretty sad for a while there.”
“There’s nothing worse than losing your independence,” she said. “Especially for someone like Medusa, whose entire purpose is serving others. How long is the recovery?”
“At least four weeks,” Constantine said. “So we have a little over two weeks to go before she can put weight on it.”
Sofia patted her son’s hand. “She’s lucky to have you, Con.”
His eyes shifted away like he didn’t deserve the praise, even though he’d taken a bullet for her.
No other man would have done the same.
“Okay, let’s eat.” She pulled her hand away and clapped them together. “It’s a treat not to be the one in the kitchen.”
The waiter came over, and Sofia ordered a bottle of wine for the table without asking what we wanted, something that Constantine did himself. She ordered an appetizer too, bruschetta with ripe tomatoes and torn basil leaves.
Sofia turned her attention back to us. “So, how have you liked being back in Taormina?”
“It’s been great,” Constantine said. “Been seeing the boys a lot. Love eating at my favorite spots. Aurelia has been at Bam Bar nearly every morning.” He shifted his gaze to me and gave me a playful smile.
“Guilty,” I said with a shrug.
“I love that place too,” Sofia said. “I’d go there more often if I weren’t working all the time.”
“Speaking of work . . .” Constantine said. “Aurelia lost all her clients when we left Rome. I told her I would help her pick up accounts with the hotels nearby, but she said she wanted to take a break.”
“Good,” Sofia said. “Don’t work too much like me.” She smiled at me across the table, looking so different from Constantine that I had to assume he mostly took after his father. But he definitely had her hair, thick, luscious, and dark. She had an inherent sparkle to her eyes, beautiful full Italian lips. I could tell she would have been a total bombshell when she was my age. No wonder she gave birth to such beautiful children. “You don’t need to work when my son can take care of you.”
Any other mother would probably worry I was taking advantage of his wealth and being lazy when I wasn’t even his wife, but not her. She was so accepting of everyone. The kindest soul I’d ever met.
“Actually, Aurelia wanted to know if you needed another hand at one of the restaurants,” Constantine said.
“Really?” she blurted. “Why?” She looked to me for an answer.
“I just thought it would be nice to spend time with you and the rest of Constantine’s family—and to have a purpose. I burned myself out on the photography gig toward the end. Hours and hours I’ve spent sitting at a desk, editing photos, and I just want a break. Something that keeps me on my feet.” Since I was mostly on my ass . . . or my back. “You don’t have to pay me or anything.”
She still seemed surprised by the request. “Never heard someone ask to work for free.” She released a quiet chuckle. “But of course you’re welcome to help out. Do you have any restaurant experience?”
“No, not really.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said as she gave a wave of her hand. “Waitressing is straightforward, and I’m sure you’ll pick up quickly in the kitchen.”
“Ma, if this doesn’t work for you, please don’t feel obligated to accommodate us,” Constantine said. “The last thing we want is to inconvenience you.”
“It’s no inconvenience,” she said quickly. “If Aurelia wants to learn the ropes, I’ll be happy to show her. Besides, a pretty waitress always brings in more business, so . . .”