Page 123 of The Sweet Spot

“What does that mean?”

He bites my ear. “Use Google translate.”

Luca

The next few days are a whirlwind as I try to show Wren all of my favorite places: Skye, a stunning rooftop bar and restaurant that overlooks the city, Ibirapuera Park, Jardim Bôtanico de Sâo Paulo, and Sé—an exquisite neo-Gothic cathedral that I love for its architecture.

Sâo Paulo is filled with art, and thankfully Wren likes that kind of stuff as much as I do. We check out the murals at Beco de Batman (Batman Alley) one day and several art museums another. On our last day, I take her down Avenida Paulista so we can people-watch, explore the shops and cafes. Pai’s company, Veritas, is closed for the wedding, but I have the keys, so I let us in to show her around.

Friday afternoon finds us back at the airport, where we catch a quick flight to Rio de Janeiro.

We take a taxi to the Belmond Copacabana Palace, an iconic five-star hotel near the beach. Wren wiggles next to me, her excitement plain.

“Okay, I’ve seen some nice hotels with Arlo, but this one really takes thecake!”

“Pai loves to be extravagant,” I say with a laugh. “Nothing but the best, especially for his wedding.”

“Lucaaaa!”

I turn toward the familiar voice, grinning at my brother as he makes his way across the lobby. “Nicoooo!”

Grinning, he catches up to us, hugging me and kissing Wren’s cheek. “You guys just get here?”

“Yeah…haven’t even checked in yet. Where’s the fam?”

“Phoebe took Delia to the spa. Manny and Jay are with the cousins.”

I look at Wren. “The cousins could mean five kids, or it could mean thirty-five.”

Nico snorts, nodding. “He’s not joking, Wren. Pai has two brothers and three sisters, and they all have a ton of kids.”

Wren beams, eyes shining. “I can’t wait to meet everybody! I’m telling you now, though, I’m horrible with names—”

“Wedon’t even know half their names,” says Nico, following us to the front desk. “Anyway, I was just on my way down to the bar to meet Pai and some of the guys for drinks. You in?”

I shake my head. As much as I love my family, we’ll have plenty of time for that. “Maybe later. We just got here, Nic.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” His eyes glitter with mischief. “Sorry, Wren. I’ll let you have him a little longer.”

He wanders off, leaving us to check in. Our room is on the third floor, a spacious, well-appointed suite with city views. There are rooms with ocean views, as well, but when Pai asked what we’d prefer I told him we saw the ocean all the time. I wanted something different, and there’s no place like Rio.

“I sound like a broken record,” Wren says with a sigh, flopping back onto our enormous, white bed. “But…this is amazing.”

“It is,” I agree, gazing out the window at the buildings and streets. “What do you want to do first?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go see your dad? I don’t mind hanging out here,” she says. “Maybe I’ll go down onto the beach.”

I pause, considering. I’m not sure I want Wren wandering the promenade and the beach by herself.

“I think it’s great that Nico seems so relaxed, by the way,” she adds.

Wren knows all about Nico’s complicated feelings about Pai. Things have changed a lot over the past year, though. In many ways, my leaving Veritas for good was the wake-up call our father needed. He began reaching out to us more, trying to rebuild the bridges he’d all but burned over the years, and Nico’s responded well. It’s been a long time coming.

“Me too. It’ll feel good, being together again.”

She rolls onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow. “How long has it been, you think?”

“Since we were all in the same place? My graduation.”

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