Page 59 of Highball and Chain

“He had a call.” I settled at the kitchen island with my water. “This house is huge. I can’t imagine being the one to clean it.”

“It’s easier now that the boys are grown, but I don’t do it alone.” Hildie settled on a stool beside me. “Have you and Enzo been dating long?”

“Oh, no, we aren’t dating.”

Hildie’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “It only takes a second to fall in love. I knew the first moment I saw my husband.”

With anyone else, I’d argue, call them delusional, and dismiss their advice as romantic BS, but I wanted to believe her. Or maybe my attitude change had nothing to do with Hildie and everything to do with my feelings for Enzo.

I swallowed past the emotion clogging my throat. “How do you know? I mean, how do you know they’ll love you back?”

She leaned closer, as if afraid someone would overhear. “You have nothing to worry about. I saw the way he looked at you when you weren’t watching. He’s quite taken with you.”

I nodded, though I doubted her assessment.

“You don’t believe me?” Hildie chuckled. “You are the first woman he has brought home.”

Not like he had much of a choice, or did he? He offered to take me to his place tomorrow, but had practically insisted we come to his parents’ house. Enzo Marchionni wants me here.I smiled and turned to the pictures lining the shelves in the breakfast nook. “May I?”

“Of course.” She followed me. “My husband and I couldn’t have children of our own. It was my pleasure to take care of the boys for Evelyn and Joe.”

I lifted a framed photo of six boys. “Which one is Enzo?”

“Look close and you tell me.”

I studied the image. Four of the kids were grouped together, while two stood alone. The tall loner had to be Joe Jr. He looked older than the rest. I squinted at the other boy and recognized Enzo by the way he dipped his chin. Come to think of it, I’d never seen Gabe or the others hold their heads down. “That’s him. He looks so sad.”

Hildie nodded.

Enzo had the same expression in every picture taken with his brothers. There were several shots of individual boys but none of him alone. It broke my heart to the point I longed to see a photo of him smiling. “Do you have any of just Enzo?”

“Other than his graduation pictures in the family album, no.” She frowned and returned to the kitchen.

That’s so wrong.Gloomy and more than a little pissed off at Evelyn for playing favorites, I turned back to Hildie. “You’ve never met one of Lorenzo’s girlfriends?”

“Not a one. I met the dark-haired girl that’s sweet on Leo, and Joe Jr.’s wife and Maggie, but Enzo has never brought a woman to meet me.”

I wrinkled my nose. “What about Nicolina Lazio?”

Hildie muttered something under her breath. “Evelyn invited her here a few times over the years.”

I didn’t blame her for her dislike of Nico, but the fact Enzo hadn’t brought her here lightened my steps. “Can I help with lunch?”

Hildie pointed toward a china cabinet. “Would you set the table? The silver is in the top drawer, plates on the bottom shelf.”

Lost in thought, I busied myself with the simple chore. While I wanted to believe my being here meant something, I couldn’t. The one constant truth in my life was men didn’t stick around, not fathers and especially not lovers. Enzo had proved my point after the gala.

Will he ghost me again once the Lazio situation is under control?

I thought about him getting into the SUV while everyone said their goodbyes, and the sad little boy in the pictures and sighed. The Marchionnis hadn’t physically abandoned him, but emotionally he’d grown up feeling alone. We have more in common than I thought.

“Tell me about the wedding,” Hildie said from the kitchen. “I wanted to come, but these old bones can’t handle long flights.”

“It was beautiful. Gabe had tears in his eyes when he saw Maggie coming down the aisle.” I avoided mentioning the rushing crowd and the guns because it wasn’t my place to tell her.

“Did Evelyn behave herself? She wasn’t always a fan of Maggie.” Hildie laughed.

“Evelyn’s coming around. It’s hard not to love Maggie—she’s great. She’s been my best friend since high school.”

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