Page 45 of It's Always Sonny

I’m smiling before I can even stop myself.

“You look a little more prepared for a day in Luciano-land than you looked yesterday.”

Her smile stays firmly in place, but her dark eyes spark a challenge. And man, does that fire look good on her. “You know, I think I am.” She hands me a paper. “Here’s some info about what you can expect today. Let me know if you have any questions.”

I look down.

The front side says “Choose Your Own Adventure” and gives a list of activities on the farm and how long each will take, and she’s included everything from archery to zip line. She has crafts and games galore. Lunch and dinner now have a Grab-and-Go option for anyone looking to play through mealtime.

And to encourage maximum fun, she has a bingo card on the back with twenty-four unique activities. The middle “free play” square isn’t free play at all.

It says, “Learn something new about Nonna.”

And then there’s the incentive.

Whoever gets blackout bingo first wins a special trophy, and it’s one we’ll all fight to the death to win. The plaque reads “Ultimate Luciano” with the year.

Holy moly.

This is ingenious.

She’s added an element of spontaneity to her structure AND an element of control. No one’s going to want to do an activity that isn’t on the bingo card. And no one will ever throw a family reunion again without this trophy being up for grabs.

She’s started a tradition.

She’s gamified being a Luciano.

“How did you do this?” I ask in awe.

And it’s then that I see a mass of bouncing curls across from Nonna at her table. The woman’s cinnamon brown hair has a streak of lavender, the same color as her glasses. “You brought in Ash? Cheater!”

Even though I haven’t kept in touch with Ash like I have Millie, I consider her a friend. PJ couldn’t have chosen someone better to show her how to be spontaneous. Ash is the only one of the Janes who didn’t seem to think everything I did was harebrained. She always caught the vision. And sometimes expanded it.

So, yeah, Parker cheated.

“I didn’t cheat.” Is that offense I see in the wrinkling around her eyes? It couldn’t be, right? She cheated! “I consulted.”

“No, you brought in a ringer. A master.”

“Yeah, well, I needed someone to show me how to keep up with you.”

“You’ve never had a problem keeping up with me.” I sound even flirtier than I intended, and I’m not mad about it when I see her neck flush.

“I meant the plural you. You guys. Y’all. The Lucianos.” If it weren’t for her flushing, I would drop the whole thing. But now I know this whole audible she’s called means something. It does. And I want to make her squirm until she admits it, either to herself or to me.

“Why?” I ask.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Why go through the trouble of recruiting Ash’s help? You created a brand new itinerary, made up a bingo card, changed meals, and special-ordered a custom trophy. All this effort for a last minute family reunion at a place where you don’t even work. It must have taken you all night, and I know how much you value sleep. So I repeat: why?”

The pink in her neck spreads all the way to her cheeks, and she stills like a spooked rabbit.

Or maybe like a wolf hunting a rabbit.

“It’s my job.”

I step closer. Only the table separates us. “No, it’s not. You’re filling in.”

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