Lindsay smiles. She loves Chloe as much as if she were her own daughter, and she’s grown to love Serena as well.
After asking Giovanni and Lindsay if they’d like anything to eat or drink, the four of them—along with Luca, who’s being held by Anthony again—have a seat in the living room.
“All right,” Anthony says, taking the bottle Natalie hands him to give to the baby. “What the hell is going on?”
Giovanni and Lindsay glance at each other. They’re sitting on the couch together, though they aren’t touching.
“It’s complicated,” Lindsay says, watching Luca’s eyes drift shut as he drinks.
“It concerns what happened to Paul a few months ago,” Giovanni tells Anthony, who’s apparently already familiar with the situation, judging by the solemn expression on his face.
Giovanni leans forward on the couch, his forearms resting on his knees as he explains everything, filling in some of the details about Paul’s death for Natalie.
Lindsay is silent, listening, but speaks up when he’s finished. “I met the kids online,” she tells her sister. “I couldn’t not help them after that.”
“Have you heard anything yet?” Anthony asks. “About the adoption?”
Giovanni shakes his head. “No, it’s too soon. I just faxed the paperwork to the lawyer a couple days ago. I talk to Phillip regularly, and we’re all hoping it works. They’ve been trying some other things through the embassy, but so far there’s been no movement.”
Anthony’s face is grim, nodding as he glances down at Luca. “All I can say is I hope you get them out. How long do you think you’ll have to stay married?”
Giovanni glances over at Lindsay. “I don’t know. Six months, maybe?”
The four of them talk a little more about the situation and about their Elvis wedding in Las Vegas, which both Natalie and Anthony find quite amusing.
Eventually, Giovanni stands and tells everyone he should call his mom. Natalie points him in the direction of the family room for some privacy. Lindsay can’t help laughing to herself at the dread on his face.
After he’s gone, and Anthony has taken the baby upstairs for his nap, Natalie tells Lindsay she’s set up the guest bedroom for her to sleep in. “Is that all right?”
“That sounds great. I appreciate it.”
“Should we put Giovanni on the couch downstairs?”
“No, he can sleep with me.”
Natalie nods, her expression searching. “So, it’s like that, is it?”
“Yeah, it’s like that.”
“I appreciate what you two are doing here, and I’m all for helping those kids, but I have to admit I’m surprised you agreed to marry him so easily.”
Lindsay doesn’t say anything. She knows she needs to tell Natalie about the poker, but this doesn’t seem like the right time.
“Did he talk you into it somehow?” Natalie asks. “I’m having trouble picturing this.”
“I didn’t say yes right away. But then later, I changed my mind.”
“After you started sleeping with him?”
Lindsay lets out her breath. “No, some other things happened. There’s more to the story, but I don’t want go into it right now.”
“I had a feeling there was more.” Natalie eyes her steadily. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Normally, I’d say yes, but this whole thing is complicated by the fact that this is Anthony’s brother we’re talking about. He’s not just going to disappear when you’re done with him.”
They go into the kitchen where Natalie checks the food she has in the oven. She’s making a large dish of lasagna, along with fresh bread from the bakery. It smells divine. Lindsay realizes she’s hungry after all and pulls a banana from the bunch in a nearby wooden bowl.
“Giovanni’s not what you think,” she says, looking down at the banana in her hand, not peeling it yet. “There’s a lot more to him. He’s got depth. I think something happened to him in his past that’s messed him up.”
“Anthony’s never mentioned anything. Do you know what it is?” Natalie puts the bread on a wooden cutting board and gets out a knife.
“No, he won’t tell me.”
Natalie starts slicing the loaf into thick pieces to make garlic bread but doesn’t say anything.
“I told him about what happened to me in Vegas,” Lindsay says, her voice quiet.
“You did?” Natalie looks up at her with surprise. Lindsay doesn’t have to elaborate, as her sister already knows what she’s referring to. “How did he respond?”
Lindsay tells her the things Giovanni said about it not being her fault, how she was a victim.
Natalie nods. “I can’t believe you told him. But you should listen to him about this. He’s right.”
“Maybe.” Lindsay peels her banana, takes a bite, and chews for a while. “I don’t know if I agree with everything.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m starting to make peace with it though. I don’t think I ever really have before.”
The conversation between them stops because Anthony comes into the kitchen. He turns on the baby monitor they keep nearby then pours himself some coffee from a warming pot.
“Where’s Giovanni?” he asks, adding cream to his coffee. “Is he still talking to Mom?”
“He hasn’t come out from the family room yet.”
Anthony leans back against the counter, chuckling as he sips from his coffee. “I don’t envy him this conversation. Both our parents sounded freaked out.”
Lindsay tries not to be offended about the fuss being made, but it’s starting to get on her nerves a little. “All because he married me?”
“I don’t think it’s so much you, but the situation. They’re very conservative about stuff like this.” Anthony shrugs. “And let’s face it, this whole thing is unusual.”
She nods, remembering what his parents were like when she met them at Natalie and Anthony’s wedding. Conservative, wealthy, and living in their own affluence bubble—at least that’s how Lindsay saw them. To his parents’ credit though, they do love Natalie—especially now that’s she’s given them another grandchild—so Lindsay can’t be too harsh on them.
“Do you think you can fill in at the bakery this week?” Natalie asks her, smearing garlic butter onto the slices of bread. “I know you just got back, but as always we’re shorthanded on the register.”
“Sure.” Lindsay takes another bite of her banana. “I can watch Luca in the mornings too now that I’m back.”
“We’re okay for the moment,” Natalie says. “Anthony has him before work, and I’ve found a daycare during the day. I need to start interviewing nannies soon though so we’re covered when he leaves on his next observing run.”
“That reminds me.” Anthony puts his coffee down on the counter and gives Lindsay a look. “I understand you have some concerns about us hiring a nanny?”
Lindsay takes in his annoyed expression. She can hear her sister laughing a little as she finishes with the bread, wrapping it in foil.
He crosses his arms. “You’re worried I’m going to fall under something called the ‘nanny spell’?” He makes air quotes with his fingers. “Seriously?”
Lindsay shrugs and tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Hey, it’s nothing personal. I’m just trying to protect you both. Haven’t you ever seen The Hand that Rocks the Cradle?”
He’s staring at her in amazement, and it looks like he wants to say more, but Giovanni comes into the kitchen with the phone at his ear, speaking Italian in a frustrated voice. It sounds like he’s still talking to his mother, and clearly the conversation isn’t going well.
He pulls the phone away for a moment and looks at her. “She wants to speak with you,” he says quietly. “You don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind.” She reaches for the phone.
His mother, Francesca, is a beautiful, wealthy Italian woman who knows her mind and typically gets whatever she wants. It’s clear she loves h
er family and would do anything for them, but it’s also clear she has high standards and expects a lot.
She puts the phone to her ear. “Yes.”
“Lindsay, you must talk sense into Giovanni,” Francesca says in her heavy accent. “It is not too late to get the annulment!”
“Hello, Francesca,” Lindsay says, in a dry voice. “It’s good to speak with you again too.”
“You must do this right away. Do not wait! I already have all the information for you and where to go.”
Lindsay thinks back to yesterday when she and Giovanni basically consummated their marriage all day long. “Um, I’m pretty sure it’s too late for any kind of annulment.”
“No, it is not too late.” Francesca sighs dramatically. “You must listen to me. Ever since he was a little boy, Giovanni wants to save the world, but there are better ways to handle these matters.”
Lindsay glances at Giovanni, who’s standing over by the fridge with Anthony. He’s watching her with a tense expression that says he’s ready to take the phone back at the first sign of trouble. She tries to imagine him as the little boy Francesca is describing and she sees it clearly. Serious and with a big heart, he would have definitely wanted to save the world as a kid. In fact, he still does.
“As a woman, you and I must have more common sense,” Francesca continues. “That is often our role with men because marriage is not so frivolous.”
“We’re trying to do some good here, and hopefully, we’ll succeed.”
“This is not the way. Are you listening? I do not want you to get into trouble!”
“I’m not worried about it. I want to help.”
There’s a string of Italian words and then, “You are behaving as stubborn as him!”
“Look, no offense, but Giovanni is a grown man who can do whatever he thinks is right. Plus, I happen to agree with him.”
Francesca, obviously upset, starts carrying on in Italian. Lindsay doesn’t understand a word and finally goes over to Giovanni to give the phone back.
He puts his beer down. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. She’s speaking Italian.”
“Uh-oh.” He takes it from her and puts it back to his ear. “Si, Mama . . .” He nods, and then starts talking to her again. Lindsay reaches for his bottle and takes a sip. What have I gotten myself into here? Anthony only shakes his head with amusement. Luca cries in the monitor, and they both hear Natalie asking Anthony to come upstairs through the speaker, so he leaves to go check on them.
Giovanni talks to his mother for a short while longer, eyeing Lindsay and wearing a funny little smile the whole time. Finally, he puts the phone back in his pocket.
“What did she say?” she asks, taking another swig of his beer.
“She says she likes you. That you have spirit.”
Lindsay nearly chokes as she starts to laugh. “I’ll bet. What did she really say?”
He gives a weary sigh then turns his head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Oh, well.” She shrugs and takes another sip from the bottle before handing it back to him. “It’s not like she can stop us.”
His eyes are on hers, watchful. To her surprise, he leans down and gives her a kiss on the mouth.
“What’s that for?”
“Just you,” he whispers, wearing that funny little smile again. He rubs his nose playfully against hers. “For your spirit.”
Chloe and Serena both make it home in time for dinner. There are hugs and kisses, and Lindsay is happy to see them, amazed how they look older even though it’s only been three months. She notices Serena is happy to see Giovanni and, after listening, is surprised to learn he Skypes with her regularly. Lindsay knows Anthony’s family is close-knit, but she hadn’t realized Giovanni was involved as much as he apparently is. She’s never really heard Anthony talk about his brother and is starting to wonder now if the reason had something to do with the one-night stand she shared with Giovanni years ago.
They sit down at the dinner table, and there’s a lot of good-natured banter, as well as a fair amount of Italian thrown around, especially between the brothers who use elaborate hand gestures and facial expressions when they speak it. Serena keeps laughing, so their conversation must be quite amusing.
“I get why you’re learning Italian,” Lindsay tells her sister, who has started taking a class recently. “Can you tell what they’re saying?”
Natalie has Luca on her lap and is feeding him some pureed vegetables. She tilts her head. “I’m not sure. Something to do with a pig, I think?”
“Really?”
“Mi dispiace,” Anthony says to her and Natalie, still laughing about whatever it is they’re talking about. “It’s just great to have my brother here. We were talking about one of our cousins in Rome who’s always trying different jobs. Now he’s gone into business with someone who owns a small sandwich shop, but apparently he was complaining to Giovanni about the customers and how it’s all too much work.”
“Porca miseria,” Giovanni says, chuckling. “It means ‘pig misery,’ but in Italian, it’s a common way of saying a word like ‘dammit’ when something goes wrong.”
Lindsay tears off a piece of garlic bread. “I’m pretty sure I could find a use for that phrase.”
“Me too,” Natalie says with a laugh.
After dinner, the brothers go out and bring in the luggage from the car. Both Lindsay and Giovanni have gifts for everybody. Hers are mostly T-shirts and various items from Berlin.
“These are so cute!” Chloe says, holding up some Ampelmann earrings she got both girls.
Lindsay explains how Ampelmännchen—the little figure of a man walking—are used at crosswalk lights. “But only in East Berlin, which is where I was living. After the wall came down, people were so fond of them they took on a cult status.”
All her gifts are a hit, though it turns out they don’t generate anywhere near the kind of interest and excitement as those Giovanni’s brought from Africa.
“Ew!” both Serena and Chloe exclaim after examining a packet of some kind of snack food that he’s handed each of them. “Yuck!”
“We can’t eat this, Zio Giovanni!” Serena says, laughing. “This is like so gross!”
“Of course you can,” he says with a smile. “I eat them all the time.”
“You do not!” Both girls are gawking at him. “No way!”
“What is it?” Lindsay asks, looking over with curiosity at the variety of colorful bags he’s pulled from his suitcase. He hands one to her and immediately Lindsay sees why they girls are freaking out. “Bugs?” Her eyes go wide as she stares at the blue bag in her hand, filled with what are clearly dried insects of some kind. “You don’t really eat these, do you?”
“Let me see,” Natalie says, and Lindsay watches her sister grimace as she examines a bag of some kind of dried worms that Giovanni’s handed her.
Anthony, who’s sitting on the couch with Natalie tucked into his side, shakes his head and makes a face when she holds the bag up for him. “Dude, seriously?”
“I want to see you eat one,” Serena says to Giovanni, dancing around with excitement. “I don’t believe you eat them!”
“Sure.” He reaches for a red bag and opens it. “The curry-flavored crickets are my favorite.”
Everyone is silent, holding their breath as they watch him reach into the bag for a few crickets. He pops them into his mouth, and as soon as he starts chewing both girls are shrieking with delighted horror.
“Mmm.” He licks his lips. “These are great. Are you sure you don’t want to try them?” He holds the open bag out toward Serena and Chloe, who are both laughing and shaking their heads. “What about you?” He turns toward Lindsay. “You’re usually up for any adventure.”
She meets his eyes and can see how much he’s enjoying himself. She peers down into the bag filled with what look like small dried grasshoppers. “I don’t know.” Finally, she shrugs. “What the heck.”
She r
eaches inside for a cricket, feeling everyone’s eyes on her as she puts it in her mouth and starts chewing.
“Yuck, Aunt Lindsay!” Chloe moans. “What does it taste like?”
Lindsay chews up the cricket, trying not to think about what she’s actually eating. It’s crunchy and surprisingly not that bad. “It tastes all right,” she admits. “It’s kind of nutty and salty, with a kick of curry flavor.”
“Are you going to eat more?” Chloe asks. “Did you like it?”
“I’m not sure.” While it tasted okay, she has to admit it’s hard to get past the fact that she’s eating an insect.
She sees the way Giovanni is grinning at her, almost like a dare. “Go on, have some more.”
“Oh, why not.” She reaches into the bag for another cricket, much to Chloe and Serena’s delight.
“Don’t eat them all though,” he tells her. “Save some for the rest of us.” And both girls start giggling.
He stands and goes over to Natalie and Anthony, offering them the open bag. “Would you two like to try some curried crickets?”
Lindsay watches the way her sister and Anthony are eyeing each other.
“Ladies, first,” Anthony says, tilting his head toward the bag, and Natalie laughs.
Finally, she reaches in and pulls one out, staring at it. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“We’ll do it together,” Anthony tells her. He gets a cricket for himself. The two of them are studying each other again. “On three,” he says. “One, two, three.”
Both of them pop the cricket into their mouths. Lindsay can’t help laughing at the panicked expression on both their faces as they chew. Giovanni is cracking up as well. And, of course, the girls are grabbing each other while shrieking with glee.
Lindsay glances over at Luca, who’s sleeping peacefully on a blanket, oblivious to all the noise.
“Would you like another one?” Giovanni asks, still chuckling after they’ve both finished.
Anthony, who looks like he’s just eaten a cat turd, shakes his head. “That was disgusting.”
“I’ve had enough as well.” Natalie tries to smile at Giovanni. “Thank you though.”
Giovanni chuckles, grabs a few more crickets from the bag and then tosses them into his mouth like peanuts as everyone groans with amazement.
Some Like It Hotter (Sweet Life in Seattle #3) Page 22