Crow chewed slowly, then met Aunt Rosa’s gaze. “Delicious.”
The older woman beamed. “Angie knows how to make the same lasagna. Her mother and I learned it from our mother who learned it from her mother and”—she waved her hands in the air—“so far back that I’ve lost count. Angie’s mother taught it to her. She’s a good cook.”
“Aunt Rosa.” Angie felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She glanced at Crow, and he winked.
“So you’re in the billiards business,” Dom said.
“Yeah, and you’re in the car repair business.”
“We are and we got a gas station,” Nick said.
Maria caught Angie’s eye and mouthed, “Your man is gorgeous.”
Angie mouthed back, “I know.” Then smiled. She was giddy with love for Crow and jittery with dread that her brothers would hate him. If that happened, she wouldn’t give him up; she loved him too much. But she prayed that her brothers would see what a decent and great guy Crow was. Her aunt and uncle seemed fine with him.
“Angie, are you listening?” Dom’s voice broke in on her thoughts.
“Did you ask me something?”
Crow nudged her with his knee, and he slipped a hand under the table, onto her thigh, and stroked it. Immediately she felt relaxed.
“I was asking how your new business is doing.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been working so hard to get the office in shape, I’m a little tired.” Angie took a sip of wine. “I love my office. It’s small, but it’s all mine. I have several clients coming in this week. A few of them are referrals from the courts.”
“Being your own boss is the best,” Nick said before stuffing a cherry tomato in his mouth.
“With you going out on your own, everyone at this table is an entrepreneur,” Dominic said. “I hear you’re Irish.”
“Yeah.” Crow finished his glass of wine. “Is that good or bad?” He squeezed Angie’s knee.
“It’s not bad.”
“Dominic!” Aunt Rosa scowled at him. “The Italians and the Irish are good together. In the beginning, there were problems because the Irish were the first immigrants, and they thought the Italians were taking their jobs since we worked for less money, but that was over a hundred years ago. Now it’s all good.”
Crow leaned close to Angie and whispered in her ear, “Your family is really into this ethnic thing, aren’t they?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” she replied.
“I’m not saying anything. Crow, did I say anything about you being Irish?” Dominic asked.
“Well, you didn’t exactly say it wasgoodthat I’m Irish.”
“You see,” Aunt Rosa said, pointing her finger at Dominic, “you offended him.”
Angie snickered.Crow is definitely holding his own. Dom is squirming. I love it.
“No, no, you being Irish is good. I don’t have a problem with it. Calm down, Aunt Rosa.” Dom sighed audibly. “Uncle Leo, will you please tell Aunt Rosa it’s all good?”
“Amore, remember your high blood pressure,” Uncle Leo said.
“Welcome to the Morelli family,” Angie said in a low voice to Crow.
“There’s only one Morelli I care about,” he replied.
“I hear you have a Harley-Davidson. I’d like to see it sometime,” Dominic said.
“Me too. Dom’s always wanted to get one,” Nick said.