“Really?” she gasped, her eyes twinkling…I knew that look.
“Of course, he’ll be honored,” he said to her, and she was so interested in him, she didn’t seem to notice the looks I was giving her…or even notice me at all.
“I want shoes, too.”
He tapped her nose. “Of course, how could we get clothes without shoes?”
Inhaling gently, I looked at the ugly wooden chandler, which hung over the table, trying to keep calm. I knew my daughter, especially the parts of her that were like me. She loved testing how far she could go, how much she could get, and so she would demand the stars, the moon, and the sun.
“Anything you want, you—”
“I feel like I’m on the Titanic.” A pale, raccoon-eyed Wyatt, grumbled, holding his stomach as he busted inside the dining room, interrupting his brother.
Beside him, Helen looked much better than yesterday. She wore an oversized sweater and leather pants, holding his arm as he limped forward. However, she got a look from her father, Declan, and sighing, she let him go. He stumbled a bit, having to support his wounded self.
“Uncle Declan, I’m injured,” Wyatt groaned, holding his side. “I was shot. I nearly died, remember? I was in the hospital, and you all were crying and worried. On top of that, I was poisoned—”
“Do you hear anything, love?” Declan asked Coraline as he poured coffee.
She just shook her head, trying not to laugh. “I think Wyatt is giving us a summary of his last month back home,” she replied.
“Hmmm…” Declan lifted the cup to his lips. “Sounds like bitching to me.”
“Language,” she snapped at him, nodding to Gigi, who happily sat on Ethan’s lap, watching everyone.
“Not this again,” Declan grumbled. “They are going to come out cursing worse than sailors anyway—”
“Who’s bitching now?” Wyatt said under his breath as he sat down.
Helen made sure to sit next to him just as Nari stomped into the room.
“When I see that—” Nari paused, seeing me at the head of the table, in her arms her daughter, Saura, dressed in pink and in pigtails, who tilted her head to the side as she looked at Gigi.
“Hi.” I smiled, waving my fingers.
“Mommy, who’s that?” She pointed at my daughter.
“Saura, this is your cousin, Giovanna. She’s your Uncle Ethan’s daughter,” Evelyn said to her gently as Nari moved to sit.
“Where’d she come from?” Saura pressed a confused pout to her lips.
“Where’d you come from?” Gigi asked back in Italian to the surprise of everyone else in the dining room.
“You understand English, Giovanna?” Evelyn asked her.
She nodded and smiled, lifting her three fingers to show her. “I know Italian, English, numbers and water in Spanish. Mommy teaches me. Next is Man…da…man…in.”
“Man…dar…in,” I said slowly to her. “And you can speak English now, Gigi.”
She frowned, not understanding. “But you said English was for lazy people.”
“When we are back home, it is; here, in America, English is what people speak. But you can keep speaking Italian to me, all right? It’s the best language in the world.”
“Okay,” she said in a heavy Italian accent, reaching for the water.
“Now, go to your seat, Gigi,” I told her.
&n