Lucia shook her head and then looked at Mrs. Higgins.
Mary smiled.
“Shall we go over some ideas for colors? I love what the three of you have come up with so far. When did you go over all of this?” Mary asked as they headed out of the room and down the stairs.
“I saw them in town on Saturday after the fall festival committee met.”
“Oh yes, I heard they snookered you into the assistant coordinator position.”
Lucia squinted her eyes at Mary. “I’m very good friends with Abigail Jones and her husbands. So, if you don’t mind me asking, it appears the Walters brothers are very interested in you.”
Lucia lowered her eyes, and her cheeks turned a nice shade of red.
“We spent some time together over the weekend. I met their brothers Maxwell and Gabriele too.”
“Such amazing, honorable men. All of them. I don’t think I’ve seen Salvatore smile since he was a kid.”
“Oh, that can’t be.”
“I’ m not lying,” Mary told her as they walked into the home office to find Beth setting out some tea for them. Mary sat down, and Lucia and Beth joined her.
“So you knew them all as children? Were they well behaved?” Lucia asked as the way she daintily took the teacup and prepared her tea bag like a person of class and sophistication would indicate more about Lucia then she let on. Seemed to Mary, Lucia came from an upper-class family, perhaps a very wealthy one.
“They were a wild bunch. A handful in a lot of ways. I can remember Salvatore being the quietest and most attached to Lilly. That was their mom’s name, Lilly, and their dad was Benny. What a great couple. They were so in love. Those children of theirs were their everything.”
“That must be nice,” Lucia replied then took a sip from her teacup.
“How about your parents? Any siblings?” Mary asked her.
Lucia looked away and then took a deep breath and released it. “No siblings. I’m an only child. My parents weren’t exactly the perfect couple.”
“Lucia, if you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to overstep boundaries. It’s just that I can see the sadness in your eyes sometimes, and even a bit of fear. Except when you’re around Salvatore and Lucifer. They seem to calm you, maybe bring you security.”
“They do have that effect on me. I guess because they and their brothers are so big and capable.”
“Perhaps there’s more to it. You like them, don’t you?”
“Of course. They’re very respectful and well mannered.”
“And handsome,” Mary said and raised her eyebrows up and down, and Lucia chuckled.
“Yes, very handsome,” she whispered then looked up toward the doorway and the staircase.
“I can vouch for them, that they’re good reliable men. They like you. I can tell, and I bet Gabriele and Maxwell like you too.”
“I think so. But to be honest, I’m not sure I’m in any position to date or whatever it is one does when they find they’ve gained the attention of four men.”
Mary chuckled.
“So it’s the ménage thing you’re worried about?”
Lucia nodded. She leaned forward and whispered, “I don’t understand how it can work. I mean, I know that they’re brothers, and that this town has these rules about protecting women and children and being guardians, but still, I don’t understand it all.”
“Have the Walters men requested guardianship of you?” Mary asked. She felt so excited but tried to hold it in.
“They mentioned something about it. I’m sure by the end of the week they’ll make it official. But I don’t really know them. We’re working on it, but I have fears.”
“Of course you do. What woman wouldn’t be a bit scared?”