“Have you spoken to Cara since that day in the park?” Her friend Cara meant something to her from all those years ago living in the Di Vaio house, but I knew that when I spoke of Cara, Renzo memories were always close by.
“No.” She sipped her wine. “It was wonderful to catch up, but that part of me is closed. It felt good to connect and know we’re both doing well, but I think that’s where it ends.”
“Did she ever tell you what happened to Renzo?” I thought back to those days. I was glad I now knew that Francesco had sent someone to watch over Sienna. There were so many times I wanted to ask what he knew, but whenever I came close to speaking of it, Francesco would steer the conversation away. I understood, but it had hurt so much being in the dark.
“Yes,” the corners of her mouth rose, “he’s dead.”
“Oh?” That was news to me. “Any idea how?”
“Assault with a pipe.”
“Pipe?” I raised a suspicious eyebrow, and her smile grew. “Is it possible to love you more than I did five minutes ago?”
She chuckled. “We have some twisted love, Elio.”
“Twisted only makes things better.” I winked, and she blushed.
“Hey, Casanova.” A purse landed on the table, and I turned to find Carina with her hands on her hips and a sardonic smile on her face. A man I didn’t recognize stood behind her, looking nervous. “Thanks for the heads up about your announcement.” She looked at Sienna. “Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thanks?” Sienna gave me a strange expression.
“Things happened quickly. My apologies for not calling you first.” I chuckled, then turned my attention to Sienna. “Bella, this is Carina. She and I posed as a couple because of Nonna, even while I had you, my darling, and she had her loved one behind the scenes.” I winked at her.
“Oh, the girl in Salvo’s picture.” Something must have clicked for Sienna as she stood and offered a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m glad I don’t have to kill you.” I muffled a laugh.
“Happy to hear that. This is a new dress.” She matched Sienna’s dark humor. “This is Paolo.” She smiled warmly and reached out her hand to him. “After you announced your engagement to the world, I decided to take a stand with my parents. It wasn’t easy, but if you can break the rules, why can’t I?”
I stood and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Paolo.”
“Same to you, sir.” He nodded politely. “A thank you is in order as well. You might not see it yet, but you’re paving a new way of life for our generation and those to come. We should be leading with love and not just duty.”
“Look at you, changing lives,” Carina joked.
“Carina, why don’t you and Paolo join us for dessert?” Sienna looked at me, and I gave a nod. It wasn’t quite how I wanted this night to go, but I accepted the intrusion for what it was. The best laid plans and all that.
“I’d really like to hear your story.” Sienna smiled.
* * *
The sun’s warmth felt wonderful on my back as I looked over the wagonload of goodies I’d had Donte prepare that morning. “Thank you for this, Donte.” I took the blanket he offered and laid it over top.
“Not exactly what you had planned.” He chuckled as he swept his hand to indicate my clothing.
“No, but when does life go as planned?” I smiled back at him.
“Very true, boss.” He looked around. “Anything else?”
“Yes, call me immediately if Nonna Greta or Noemi decide to show up today.”
“Of course.”
I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt and looked down at my jeans, feeling utterly too casual, but that was what today was all about. I wasn’t the Don, and she wasn’t the Donna today. We were just us.
“Good morning.” Sienna met me at the bottom of the stairs in one of her sexy little sundresses and cardigan. “Wow, jeans and a shirt?” She squinted at my outfit. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing.” I took her hand. “I want to take you somewhere.”
“Don’t we have meetings or people to hunt down?”