Page 75 of Let Me Say It Again

Rolling her eyes, Bianca opened her napkin and tossed it on her lap, trying to get caught up. “Everyone was sharing, I’m sure. I thought I’d share.”

Full of giggles from the slight buzz Allie already had going on, she leaned forward. “Why not? Is Knox not able to get the little guy up?”

Bianca’s eyes shot up from behind her menu, of which she was scanning with a level of dedication I hadn’t seen before. “First of all, not little.” Okay, too much information. “And he has no problems performing.”

“Hmm, then this just got boring,” Allie replied, frowning. Man, did I love my girl Allie. She was fun. And the first to welcome me, but that was a whole other topic.

Bianca didn’t seem to care if she was no longer interested because she went on. “Knox went back to Minnesota to help his parents move. We finally got them to agree to get a new place—one that’s in good repair.”

“That’s nice,” Perla replied.

“Yes, it’s great. Anyway, I was saying, it’s been a while since Dom had a job after turning down the one in Italy, but I have exciting news. Can I get a drumroll, please?” Maria asked, getting the conversation back on track.

When I saw no one was playing along, I banged my index fingers on the table like drumsticks.

Full of smiles, Maria rubbed my arm. “Thank you.” She turned back to the table and announced, “Dom’s going to be our cover model next year. Apparently, his agent wanted this, but my sweeter than sugar fiancé didn’t want to push it because he thought it would be a bad idea to mix business and pleasure. Anyway, we worked it all out, and it’s officially on the calendar.”

I had a new idea. How about we got Dom and all of his brothers to be on the cover? Shirtless. Who was with me?

Perla gasped. “That’s awesome,” she responded, smiling.

Perla was always the first to say something. I liked that about her.

Bianca clacked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, shaking her head to no avail. “Feels like nepotism.”

I angled my head and decided to speak up. “It’s obviously not. He’s a model. This is a magazine. It makes sense. I’m surprised you guys haven’t done it before.”

Bianca waved a hand, brushing me off. “I brought it up before, like I’m talking pre-Perla and Frankie’s sham of a marriage.” Then she pointed at Maria. “And you said no. Insisted against it, actually.”

“Different,” Maria argued, rolling her eyes.

“How so?” Allie asked.

Maria rubbed her forehead. “You know, you can be a pain, Allie. Dom would be great on the cover. Don’t you guys think?”

“I do,” I said, putting in my two cents.

“Thank you, Jade,” Maria replied, winking at me.

Defending her words, Bianca said, “I didn’t say it was nepotism. I just said it felt that way.” She fluffed her hair and looked away.

“If you suggested it before, then why is it like nepotism?” I asked, curious.

“He’s sleeping with the editor-in-chief now.”

Perla pursed her lips. “Technically, he was then, too.”

Oh, this is getting good.

Bianca cracked her fingers. “Yes, but we didn’t know that, did we? Anyway, I vote Knox gets a cover, too, if Dom gets to be on one.”

“Dom is a model,” I pointed out for the second time. “Knox is not.” Although, he was handsome. Not that I’d ever tell Bianca that, she might have clawed my eyes out. She was very intense when it came to him.

“You’re ridiculous, Bibi,” Perla said, which promptly got her a four-finger slap across her arm from Bianca.

Boy, could those two go at it. Decidedly changing the subject, I asked, “Okay, anyone else with news?” My eyes moved from sister to sister around the booth.

Maria shook her head and brought her hand to her growing belly. “Besides moving along nicely in my pregnancy, as my doctor put it, I have nothing else going on.”

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