Page 22 of Look on the Bright Side

“Boring!” Izzy said. “There are millions of pretty women in the world.”

Not entirely stupid was the phrase he’d used when pitching this idea to her. She waited, enjoying his discomfort.

“She’s uncomplicated,” he said. “You get what you see. She’s a nice, kind person. Very caring.”

For the second time that day, Lark was a little gobsmacked. “Thank you,” she said. Almost added honey but couldn’t quite manage it. “That’s very sweet.”

“Okay, we’ll accept that answer,” Sofia said. “Lark, how about you? What drew you to my brother?”

“His desperation?” she said, and everyone laughed. (Except Lorenzo. And Noni.) She caught Dante looking at her.

“Seriously, though,” said Anita. “We’d all but given up on him finding someone. He’s forty already, and he can be a little…”

“Rude? Obnoxious? Cocky? Arrogant? Humorless? One-dimensional?” Izzy suggested.

“Shush! That’s your brother you’re talking about,” Anita said. “The one who paid off your student loans. And bought his parents a beautiful home, which—thank you, honey, as always.”

“He’s also generous,” Izzy added. “You’re not all horrible, Lorenzo.”

“Gosh, thanks,” he said.

“I think that underneath that hardened exterior, he’s a puppy dog,” Lark said. “He’s got a Mr.Darcy kind of thing going on. But we’re still getting to know each other. I may be wrong.” She smiled at Lorenzo. He, in turn, knelt down to say something to Noni in Italian, leaving her hanging. Dante, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at her slightly, as if he already didn’t buy it. That was fine. What had Lorenzo said? Five family events. Dante didn’t have to buy it for long.

All in all, the afternoon was less awkward than Lark had expected. She’d always had an easy time talking with people, and the Santinis (minus the firstborn son and slightly scary grandmother) were lovely. Connery had been a hit, chasing a tennis ball, lying on Izzy’s lap for his nap, sneezing on command, his latest trick. Silvio and Anita were warm and kind, asking about her family, admiring pictures of Esme and Imogen and, like most people, fascinated by the resemblance between her and Addie. People did love identical twins. Sofia and Henry cuddled up against each other, and Sofia and Izzy told Lark about the wedding, showed her pictures of the dresses and asked for her opinion on bouquets.

But Noni, the reason Lark was here, was a tougher nut to crack. She stared at Lark with her off-kilter gaze, her toothless mouth frowning. Lark smiled, asked if she could get her anything. No answer. Okay, then. She’d take a little more work. But the poor old lady was on hospice, and so old, and quite possibly uncomfortable for a plethora of reasons. Lark was not going to judge her.

There was also the palpable tension between the brothers. Dante seemed far more comfortable than Lorenzo with his family, teasing his sisters, talking about the Sox with his dad, making sure his mom’s wineglass never got empty. The sense of competition was thick, and every time Dante made his sisters or parents laugh, she felt Lorenzo’s irritation mushroom. When Noni asked to be taken in for a nap, Dante stood up to wheel her away, but Lorenzo cut him off and did the job himself.

Otherwise, Dante was polite, but he didn’t talk to Lark much. Whatever weird, uncomfortable sensation had flashed was no longer present, and Lark made sure not to pay him too much attention. But Dante Santini…there was something about him. She’d felt something, a tectonic shift, just for a second.

She’d ignore that. Her job was to be Lorenzo’s new girlfriend. She’d be done with that after Sofia’s wedding, but there was no reason that she couldn’t enjoy and get to know his family until then.

When the sky began to darken, Dante stood up. “I gotta get going,” he said. “I’m on tomorrow. Noni, I can take you back to your place, if you want.”

“Sure, kid,” she said. Her voice sounded like dry leaves rustling in the wind. This triggered the exodus, but not before Tupperware was packed and Lark had given her number to Lorenzo’s sisters and Anita said it was wonderful to meet her and she couldn’t wait to see her again.

Lark stood in line to hug Noni. “It was so lovely to meet you,” she said to the old lady, who sat there like a statue, not bothering to lift her arms to fake a hug back.

“I watching you,” Noni whispered so only Lark could hear. “I no trust you yet.”

Lark stepped back and smiled, as she often did in times of stress. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Nice meeting you, Lark,” Dante said casually as he lifted Noni out of her wheelchair and placed her carefully into the passenger seat of his truck. She didn’t clear the dashboard.

“Same here,” she said.

Lorenzo moved in to check that Noni was secure. Then the rest of the family piled into their vehicles, beeped horns and left as Lark and Lorenzo stood there, Connery tucked under her arm so he wouldn’t leave with Izzy.

“What a lovely family,” she said at the same time Lorenzo said, “Thank God that’s over.”

They looked at each other a minute. “Come back inside for a few minutes,” Lorenzo said.

“Sure. This house is really gorgeous, by the way. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to have been my first time here, or if your family thought I’d visited before.”

“It hardly matters.”

“Mm. Well, it’s very nice, Lorenzo.”

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