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“We kept it very quiet,” Enzo says with a shrug. “You go by Benji?”
Benji’s lips pull in a line as he peers down at Nora. “Apparently I do now, thanks to this one.”
Enzo turns to Nora with a curious smirk. “And you’re…?”
“Nora.” She shakes his hand with a bright smile. “Thanks for allowing me to come to your wedding!”
“Any ‘date’”—he uses air quotes—“of my fiancée’s brother is a friend of mine.”
Alessia fiddles with her earring. “Okay well, now that we’ve all aired our laundry, can we agree to not say anything to anyone else?”
Enzo attempts to mess up Alessia’s meticulously styled hair and she swats his hand. “I’m going to tell Rosalina, obviously. But that’s it.”
Benji and Nora both start talking at the same time.
“My sister cannot find out this week,” he says. “She’ll tell my mother and none of us want that.” He shudders.
Enzo scrubs a hand down his face. “You all want me to lie to my fiancée?”
“Not a lie,” Alessia clarifies. “Just don’t bring it up until after the wedding. You’re doing her a favor, I promise you.”
He groans, but it reeks of defeat. “Fine. I won’t say anything. I’ll omit—but not outright lie. And you all have to do your parts. Keep your side of the road clean. Now, if my sister is done avoiding me at my own cocktail party—”
“I wasn’t avoiding you. I was saving our conversation for later.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Enzo beckons for everyone to follow. “C’mon. I’ll get us a round.”
Alessia throws me a remorseful smile and trails her twin like a baby duckling.
Nora puts her hands on Benji’s lower back and shoves him after Alessia. “You heard the groom. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s back to work we go.”
I massage my temples as I fall into line. So much for our group jailbreak.
Back inside the bustling lounge—where not one person seems at ease—Enzo flags the bartender as we file in beside him. As soon as eye contact between the pair is established, the bartender drops what he’s doing to greet Enzo by name.
“Groom privileges,” Enzo tells us with a smug smile before turning back to the man. “Five shots of Patron, good sir. Actually, make it six. My sister could stand to double up.”
Alessia rolls her eyes but doesn’t disagree.
The drinks arrive. We clink glasses and throw back our shots. Nora’s elbow bumps mine, sending a tiny jolt of awareness through me.
“Oh crap, Nonna Gloria, twelve o’clock.” Alessia downs her second shot and sets her glass on the bar. She winds her arm through mine. “Look at me like I hung the fucking moon.”
“I’m not drunk enough for Nonna Gloria,” says Enzo. He points at his sister. “Hate you for making me lie. Love you for everything else.” He winks at the group as he gets out of Dodge.
Benji and Nora try to make their own escape, but they aren’t fast enough.
Gloria comes to a halt at the edge of our loose circle, trapping us all. “Alessia, there you are!”
Even if Alessia hadn’t informed me, I might’ve gleaned that Dr. Gloria Mazzelli was well off by her St. John pantsuit and diamond necklace. It’s like a disco ball hanging off her neck. Her swoop of white-blond hair is short enough to show off the matching earrings.
But Alessia, for all her eat the rich sensibilities, still respects and values the opinion of her grandmother, which means I will, too.
The air seems to grow thinner as Gloria’s gaze meanders across the four of us, like we’ve stepped off a plane at a high altitude.
The tipsy fun dissolves in the air. Even Nora’s tiny smile falls off as Alessia’s hand slides up my arm.
Gloria extends two hands and Alessia takes them as they air-kiss each other’s cheeks. “I was hoping to meet your Sebastian before I got pulled into conversation.”