Page 6 of Their UnBearable Destiny

The younger of the Bruno girls turned her head back over her shoulder. “Well?”

Emiliana shrugged and shook her head. “You don’t have anything to say?”

Felisa turned back to the refrigerator and looked into the back behind some of the bottles.

“Isa? Come on, you’ve got to have something to say.”

Taking out a few jars, she elbowed the door closed. “Same old, same old. Nothing new.” The glass bottles touched the hard surface of the counter with just a kiss of sound. “When it comes to Uberto, you only want to hear what you want to hear.”

“He’s a boar!”

“He’s your mate!”

The door opened, and the two women went silent.

“Should I come back?”

#

Uberto remembered only too late that a kitchen had a lot of knives. And lots of hot water.

And when he looked into the kitchen and saw the tight pinch at the corners of Emiliana’s mouth, he knew he was in a bunch of it.

“Sorry?” He took a hesitant step backwards so that he was at least out of Emiliana’s sight.

“’Berto!” Felisa dropped her potholder and rushed across the room to give him a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

He relaxed a bit into her embrace and prayed that this was going to be a trend in the rest of his day. “It’s good to see you too, Topolina.”

She stepped back and held him at arm’s length for a moment. “Little Mouse?” She laughed out loud. “I’m only a few inches shorter than you now. Not so ‘little’ anymore.”

He shook his head and pulled her closer to brush a kiss on her forehead. “That is true, Isa. So much has changed.”

A groan reached his ears and he saw Emiliana moving across the room. Any hope that she was coming to greet him a second time and rewrite their earlier meeting walked out the French doors and into the garden with her.

He didn’t dare speak until the door closed. “And some things never change.” When he turned his attention back to Felisa he saw her rueful smile.

“You’ve… unsettled her.”

His answering grin was nearly identical. “I could say the same, Isa. Your sister is trying to kill me.”

That caught her interest. He saw the spark of curiosity in her eyes. “I don’t see any marks on you. You’re not missing a limb.” She leaned slightly closer and looked down at the front of his pants. “Or did she lop off something I can’t see?”

Uberto stepped back again and gave the younger woman a reproachful look. “Why do you sound so happy at the thought that your sister has cut me and left me bleeding?”

“You can see into my mind then, Uberto?” She laughed. “I would believe that of Valerio more than you, but you have to admit it doesn’t sound so out of character for her.”

“No,” he agreed, “I believe she would do it and likely take great pleasure in my pain, but I’m hoping that her bear might want to keep all of my bits and pieces together if she ever decides that I’m worthy enough to stand beside her.”

Felisa’s smile tightened just the littlest bit. And for a moment, he thought she was going to say something, but she lowered her eyes and moved back to the stove to give the large pot a tentative stir.

Uberto followed her to the stove and watched her as she worked on the sauce.

“Need any help?”

The look she gave him over her shoulder was telling.

“I’ve learned a thing or two in the kitchen in the last ten years. I don’t think I’ll ruin anything.”

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