Page 11 of Until Now

Chapter Seven

“Where’s your boyfriend?”My brother asks when I join him and Eileen in the kitchen. Kai Villa — my older brother and my mother’s pride and joy, to anyone who knows our family, it’s obvious she favors him over me. We never got along growing up and we’re still trying to navigate the brother-sister thing. We have only one thing in common: being a workaholic. Kai finally pulled himself away from some last-minute work twenty minutes ago. Daddy has been putting more on his plate lately — I think he wants to start the transition to Kai sooner than expected. Kai is dressed in gray slacks and a blue button-up, his dark brown hair combed back. He looks like he is about to walk into the boardroom at any moment. I can’t deny Kai is handsome, but handsome in a men’s aftershave commercial kind of way.

“Mother has been holding him hostage for over an hour,” I say, taking the glass of red wine Eileen offers.

“If he survives this trip, you should marry him.” I roll my eyes. “If he can survive Mom for this long, you better not—”

“Nick!” Eileen interrupts as Nick walks in from the patio. “How was tour al la Brina?”

“It was…great.”

I laugh at his hesitation.

“Don’t worry, she can be a little much, but you’ll get used to Mom.” Kai extends his hand, “I’m Kai Villa, pleasure.”

Eileen offers Nick a glass of wine, but he declines, “I’m more of a beer man.”

“Dad keeps some in the garage, come with me.”

“He seems nice,” Eileen says when Nick and Kai are gone.

“I guess,” I shrug and count plates pulling them from the cabinet. I hand part of the stack to Eileen to set the table for dinner. I will never hear the end of it from Diana, the personal chef Mother always hires, but I enjoy doing small things to help out.

“He handles your mom well, that’s a huge plus.”

“A treasured skill, for sure.”

“Davina, what are you doing?” Mother’s shrill voice interrupts our laughter. Mortified at the sight, she slams the patio door and marches into the dining room. “Stop this. The help will be here soon.” She slaps my hand. One of the navy blue plates clatters against the black tabletop before falling and breaking into three pieces on the floor. “Now look what you’ve done!”

“What I’ve done?”

“You just broke that plate. How could you be so careless?”

“Sai una cosa—”

“Nin,” Eileen stops me. I threaten to say more, but she gives me a warning glance. A classic Brina-Nina fight is the last thing anyone needs on the first night in town.

“I can’t believe this. Stronzata,” I huff before leaving them upstairs to find a quiet place to cool down.

§

“Diana says dinner will be ready soon.”

I look up from my book to see Nick in the doorway, hands deep in his pockets. After the altercation with Mother, I needed to be alone. Away from the questions I was sure to face from Kai when he found out what had happened. I decided the best way to cool down was to sit on my bedroom balcony and finish my book. “Thanks, I’ll be up in a few.”

I turn back to my worn copy ofThe Shiningby Stephen King with no sign of moving any time soon, but Nick still stands in the doorway unsure of what to do.

“Are you okay?”

“Bene,” I say without looking.

“What does that mean?”

I crack a smile. “It means, fine or good. Sorry, sometimes my Italian slips. I don’t even notice. I’ll try to refrain while you’re here.”

“Italian?”

“My grandpa was from Italy, he taught my dad, Daddy and Nonna taught me.”

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