Page 19 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
They descended into the warm July morning. The sky overhead was achingly blue, and the land around the airport was made up of rolling green and brown hills and vineyards. A faint scent of lush vegetation filled the air. The scenery was reminiscent ofNapa Valley, in a way. They crossed the tarmac to the waiting car, bidding Carolina goodbye, and got in.
As they rolled out, Mia undid her hair from the bun and brushed it back with her fingers. Then she glanced at Evan.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me the plan for the day,” she said, her tone brisk and distant. Evan winced. He deserved that, though he felt like her students probably felt when she chastised them for a forgotten piece of homework or for talking in class.
“We’re going to the villa where the wedding will be held,” he explained. “We’ll have a bit of time to change, then we’ll meet my family for dinner.”
“And who exactly does ‘your family’ mean?” Mia asked.
“My parents, Arthur and Ellen, and my brother, Luka. He’s marrying his fiancée, Sarah.” Evan paused. “Well, that’s my immediate family. There will also be a few aunts, cousins, and grandparents around, but you won’t be expected to know their names.”
“Great.” Mia folded her arms and turned to look out the window. Evan was tempted to try to continue their conversation, but instead he turned and looked out his own window. He had no idea how Mia managed to look so fresh and lovely after a twelve-hour flight, especially given that she was annoyed with him.
Evan tried to distract himself by looking at the scenery outside. They were near Val D’Orcia, if he remembered correctly, and the countryside was absolutely gorgeous. Green rolling hills lined with a scattering of pine trees gave way to stone villas that were probably older than the United States. A few people passed on bicycles, and Evan spotted an older man holding the hand of a small boy and walking down one of the country lanes that ledaway from the main road. They passed a few olive groves and a couple of fields populated by fluffy white sheep or brown-and-white cows.
Mia seemed equally entranced by the scenery. She even snapped a few photos on her phone, but mostly she watched. Evan couldn’t help stealing a few glances at her now and then, still aware of her movements and her breath.
After about forty minutes, they pulled up in front of the villa where the wedding would be held. The villa was enormous, with beige stone walls and a reddish roof. A huge archway led through to the vineyard behind it, and the yard featured numerous seating areas, a pool, and a sweeping lawn where Evan imagined the wedding events would be held. There were a few cars in the front already, and several members of Evan’s family were sitting at a stone picnic table beneath an awning in the front. His heart sank. He’d hoped to sneak Mia inside and buy them both a little time before they met his family.
“Here we are,” the driver said in Italian-accented English.
“Grazie mille,” Mia said.
“Thanks,” Evan added, feeling unprepared. Did she speak Italian? There was so much he didn’t know about this woman. They got out of the car, and Evan came around to her side.
“That’s my mother and two of my aunts,” he told her in a low voice, gesturing to the group at the table.
“Okay.” Mia took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” Then she put on a bright smile, one Evan remembered from the Napa Valley wedding, and took his hand. Warmth spread up his arm, and he tried to pretend that this was normal. He was very aware of Mia’ssoft palm and the way their arms brushed as they walked. In an instant, she’d turned from rightfully angry to friendly.
“Evan!” His mother, Ellen, stood and hurried over to them. She wore a floaty white dress and low heels, along with classy silver jewelry that included a necklace and earrings. Her hair was dyed brown with lighter highlights and had been curled away from the sides of her face. She looked more Evan’s age than that of a woman in her sixties.
“Hi, Mom.” Evan let go of Mia’s hand as his mother pulled him into a lavender-scented hug.
“And this must be the girlfriend you mentioned!” Ellen let go of him and turned to Mia. Her gaze swept over her, evaluating as always. “So nice to meet you. Please, call me Ellen.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Mia held out her hand for a shake. “I’m Mia.” Evan could see that she was nervous from the way her eyes didn’t quite meet Ellen’s, but so far, this was going well.
“Your outfit looks so… comfortable,” Ellen said, and Evan winced. So much for this going well. He glanced at Mia’s travel outfit, a pair of jeans and a light purple T-shirt, along with sneakers. She looked perfectly lovely to him, but of course his mother would think that she wasn’t dressed fashionably.
“Oh!” Mia bit her lip, glancing down at her clothes. “Um, thank you. I picked something comfy for the flight.”
“Of course, of course.” Ellen furrowed her brows. “We’ve been begging Evan for details since he told us he’d be bringing a girlfriend to the wedding, but he’s been as reticent as ever. Tell me about yourself.”
“Mom, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Evan said, wanting to head off an awkward conversation, but Ellen was deep into questioning mode and waved him off.
“Don’t worry, darling, we’re just chatting. So, Mia, what do you do?”
“I teach high school math,” Mia explained. Ellen’s eyebrows shot up.
“Is that so? How… noble.” The last word sounded more than a little snide, and Evan knew it was time to step in. He cleared his throat.
“So, Mom, are you looking forward to the festivities?”
“Of course.” Ellen glanced at Mia again before turning her full attention to her son. “It’s wonderful that Luka is getting married, and Sarah is such a catch.”
“Yep.” Evan glanced at his phone. “Listen, Mom, we’d better head upstairs and get changed before brunch.”
“Oh yes, do get changed.” Ellen glanced at Mia’s outfit again. “And we’ll see you in a bit. This villa is simply gorgeous, you know. Your father and I are in the Rose Suite, and it’s darling. You and Mia will be in the Lemon Suite, I believe.”
