Page 29 of Highball and Chain

Holy non-answer, Batman.“Mm hmm. We both live in New Orleans. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who knows gunshots when I hear them.”

Enzo glanced over the lawn. “No one in Ragusa would fire on a Marchionni. You’ll see at the wedding. The people here treat us like celebrities.”

I didn’t doubt it. The family’s name appeared on everything from the school to the local clinic. “I was thinking about what you said earlier about the business. I meant what I said, I think you should take over for your father, if that’s what you truly want.”

His eyes widened, but rather than replying, he turned his face toward the sun and sighed.

Getting nowhere except frustrated, I went for a different angle. “How’s your dad? I was surprised when Maggie said he was making the trip to Sicily.”

Enzo dipped his chin. “He doesn’t want to go back to the States. I think he came home to die.”

“I’m sorry. That has to be hard on all of you.” I didn’t care for Papa Joe, but Enzo’s expression chipped away at the wall around my heart.

He sat beneath a tree and motioned for me to join him. “I used to play here when I was a kid.”

“Did you grow up in Ragusa?” I seated myself a safe distance from him and pulled my knees to my chest.

“Until we moved to the States the summer before I started second grade. After that, we spent summers at the villa. Sometimes we’d come and ski Mount Etna in the winter. How about you? Have you always lived in New Orleans?”

We’d talked for hours, but somehow avoided the topic of our families. Looking back, we’d spent most of the time flirting or talking about easy stuff. Tired of dancing around the hard topics, I decided to lay it all out there for him. “I was born in Chicago. My mom and I moved from Florida after my dad left us when I was seven.”

He cocked his head. “Divorce?”

“More like he went out for doughnuts one Sunday and never came back.”

“At such a young age? You must have been devastated.” Enzo squeezed my hand.

“It’s not something I really ever got over.” I hadn’t spoken about my father in years. It surprised me I could discuss it with him and not get choked up “I still wonder where he is and what he’s doing. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. He could have a whole new family.”

He softened his voice. “Wherever he is, he’s missing out on the honor of knowing the remarkable woman you’ve become.”

I’d never been one to take compliments, but rather than argue, I allowed myself a moment to enjoy it. “Thank you.”

“I believe I was the only kid in my graduating class whose parents were still married. It’s the biggest difference I saw between growing up here and in the States.” Enzo brought my hand to his lips. “When did you move from Florida to New Orleans?”

“My sophomore year of high school.”

“It must have been tough to leave your friends behind.”

“Yeah, but that’s when I met Maggie. Her family basically adopted me. My mom worked a lot of late nights at the hospital.”

“Is your mother a doctor?”

Score one for not assuming Mom’s a nurse. “Yes, but she retired last year and moved back to Florida with her new husband.”

I turned into the breeze and drew a breath. “I had my doubts, but I understand why Gabe and Maggie wanted to get married in Sicily—it is beautiful.”

“It has its charms.” Enzo pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “I should take this.”

I nodded.

Walking away, Enzo shouted into the phone in Italian.

The language amused me. Depending upon the volume, it either came across as angry or seductive. No one deadpanned in Italian.

He returned to my side. “We need to go.”

“What? Why? What about the others?” I rummaged through my bag for my phone.

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