“My apologies. I’m Elio’s mother. It’s lovely to have you join us,” she said in her softly accented English.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Scott looked at Wyatt and then at me as she led the way to the table.
“Hi, Ugo.” I kissed my cousin on the cheeks, happy he was back. “How was your trip?”
“Good. It was nice to visit some college friends.” He motioned for us to sit.
Andrea had chosen butterflies as her theme this time. I was sure she’d asked little Marabella for her input, as she loved all thingsbsflies,as she called them. The rich blues, pinks, greens, and purples of the swallowtail butterfly peppered the centerpiece bouquets of lavender. They were fastened on with small clear clips, and when the wind blew, they swung up and down like they had just landed for a snack. Mason jars held little tea candles, groupings of wild grasses were held together with twine, and a spring of rosemary was laid diagonally across each of the off-white plates.
“I feel like I’m at a Joanna Gaines party,” Scott whispered to Wyatt.
“You think this is nice, wait for the food,” Wyatt breathed, and I giggled.
Suddenly, a flurry of activity made us all turn. Niccola rushed to the table holding up a hand.
“Sorry, sorry, we were helping Francesco—”
“We have a guest,” Elio interrupted him so he wouldn’t blurt out something that wasn’t meant for all ears.
“…finish off something.” Niccola’s voice trailed off. He looked at Elio to let him know that Francesco had dealt with Oscar, who had completely gone off the rails and needed to be handled. “Nice to meet you.” Niccola reached over and gave Scott a handshake then cast me a funny glance as he sat.
I knew he’d seen it, too. Scott was Vinni’s long-lost twin, and at this point in our lives, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was.
“Needless to say,” Ugo lowered his voice, “Oscar is now at the bottom of a lake neatly tucked inside a tire, and, to answer your next question, no, I’m not upset. Our relationship, if we had any at all, was always in question. We certainly were never close.”
“Glad we’re on the same page.” I squeezed his hand. During the time Ugo and I had spent together at the Coppola house, we’d had a lot of time to talk. Oscar was always someone I wanted to like but never really did. His first impression always sat heavy on me, and any time after that I’d never gotten a good vibe from him. The man had spent nearly his entire life watching me from a distance along with my mother. It didn’t take a genius to realize he loved her. He certainly never made any attempt to help me to like him. He’d manhandled me without thought when given the opportunity.
“Where’s Vinni?” Andrea checked her watch.
“He’s been held up by Gain. Something about a girl not wanting to leave. You know my brother.” Niccola shrugged.
Vinni came up behind me, and I knew the moment he did, because Wyatt suddenly sat up tall and guzzled his glass of wine. Elio pointed to Wyatt’s glass, and a server quickly refilled it. I heard Elio chuckle under his breath.
Wyatt stared at me staring at him, and suddenly something clued him in.
“You know!” he mouthed, and I was like a deer caught in headlights. I never told a soul that I had seen the intimate moment shared between him and Vinni at my wedding, but of course my best friend could read my mind like an open book, so here we were. “Son of a bitch, you friggin’ know,” he whispered but loud enough for the others to hear.
I shook my head but stopped when Scott looked at me then at Wyatt.
“Why do I feel like I’m missing something here?” he asked.
“Welcome to my world.” Elio chuckled again. “You’ll get used to it. With those two, you never really know what’s going on, and half the time you might be happier being in the dark.”
Scott stood as Vinni approached the table. “Hi. I think you’re the last person I’m to meet this evening. I’m Scott. Wyatt’s boyfriend.”
“Oh, would you look at that.” Niccola turned his head to me. “I think he just threw down the glove.” It took everything inside me not to laugh. I hid a smile behind my water glass.
“You owe me, Si,” Wyatt hissed at me, “and I know just what I’ll use for payment.”
“Nope,” I shot back.
“Should I be concerned that I’m the spitting image of your ex?” Scott murmured as he draped his arm along the back of Wyatt’s chair.
“Ex?” Elio mouthed to Niccola, who was having the time of his life enjoying the show.
“This is better than TV.” Niccola grinned.
“So, Wyatt,” Andrea spoke up to break the awkward silence. Vinni seemed stuck in time as he stared at his American twin. “I heard you and Scott brought up an interesting opportunity to Elio and Sienna. Would you like to share with all of us what it’s about?”