An hour later, we walk into the living room of Karma and Michael’s home. The door is opened by a grouchy older man who looks me up and down. Then, he turns to Luca and sniffs. "Took your time getting here. Everyone is expecting you." His scowl seems to deepen before he turns and leaves.
"Who’s that?" I whisper.
"Gino. He was Nonna’s companion-slash-chef-slash-housekeeper, combined. After she passed away, he decided to come work for Michael."
"You mean, Michael asked him to come work for them?"
Luca gives me a funny look. "Gino’s an institution. He came with Nonna as part of her dowry. He accompanied her when the lot of us went to study in LA. He was her constant companion, and has a hand in bringing all of us up. With our parents and Nonna gone, he’s the only link to that generation. So now, Gino is one person we don’t tell what to do. He decided to come work for Michael and Karma, instead of retiring or staying on in Nonna’s place, which she left to him in her will, by the way."
"Huh?" I scowl. "Why would he do that?"
"Probably because he wants to make all of our lives miserable." Luca shakes his head. "Come on, let’s get this over with."
I move forward, when a ball of fur comes barreling down the hallway. It careens to a stop in front of me, and stares up at me with huge, limpid eyes.
"Aww, soo cute." I sink down to my knees and rub the kitty’s stomach.
"Andy, where are you, boy?" Karma races down the corridor, only to come to a stop when she sees me. "Ah, I see you found Andy."
"More like he found me. I didn’t know you had a cat."
"Michael gave him to me." Karma beams.
I scratch the cat behind his ears and he purrs loudly.
"Except for the fact that he thinks he’s a dog, he’s perfect. He keeps me company when I design in my atelier, loves to roll around my fabrics. He totally channels the creative spirit he’s named after."
"Is that right?" I glance up at her.
"Andy Warhol," she explains.
"Right." The cat rolls back on his feet, then licks my fingers, before taking off in the opposite direction. Karma takes a step forward, then presses a hand to her back.
"Are you okay?" I close the distance to her.
Behind me, Luca stiffens. The tension rolls off of him.
"Karma?" I grip her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine." Her lips curve. "It’s just that my back is taking the brunt of this pregnancy."
"Why don’t you sit down?"
"Good idea. Let’s go in and find our seats. Everyone is here already."
Luca walks over and kisses my forehead. "I’ll head inside and find Michael." He moves past us and we follow at a more leisurely pace.
"Being married suits you." Karma smiles.
"Being pregnant suits you," I retort.
"Liar," she laughs. "I know I look exhausted. Not even the makeup I’m wearing can cover these black circles.” She waves her fingers in the direction of her eyes.
"You look gorgeous," I reply sincerely.
She laughs and hooks her arm though mine. "I’m so glad you’re part of the family. We need all the strong women we can get. Women who can hold their own against these alpha males and bring them down a notch."
"Don’t know if I fit that bill, but yeah, I’m having to learn everyday how to push back so he never takes me for granted. Not that Luca would, to be honest. He’s just so mushy inside. But it doesn’t hurt to keep a few surprises in store that I can use to keep him on his toes, know what I mean?"