Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (7 page)

A chorus of Hi ‘Lizbet’s greeted her. She looked deep into their brown eyes and fell instantly in love.

“Hello, boys.” She gave them her warmest smile. “Are you three ever b-big. Are you going to sit right here with us?”

“Of course,” Alessandra Gabinarri broke in. “Everyone should gather ‘round the same table. To give thanks. To eat. To talk about the day. I wish the others were here, too.” She turned to the triplets. “Boys, sit down.”

Her grandsons did as she commanded but, Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice, nothing could keep their little bodies from squirming.

“Antonio, time to eat.
Now
.”

“Yes, Mama,” Tony said, looking sheepish as he sauntered into the room and took his place at the head of the table, between two of his children and opposite his mother.

For a moment, Elizabeth wondered about this. Tony was only two years younger, it was true, but didn’t the head of the table traditionally go to the eldest male present? Maybe being a married father carried extra weight with Alessandra Gabinarri.

She caught Rob staring at her again and being surprisingly silent amidst the family chaos. Elizabeth, meanwhile, answered questions galore from Camilla, Sammie and even an occasional triplet. Dishes clattered as roasted potatoes, manicotti with meat sauce, grilled carrots and tossed salad with crouton cubes were passed back and forth. Hunks of bread slathered in garlic butter were distributed to the crew. Wine or soft drinks were offered. Nobody dared refuse anything.

“None of that stinking low-carb stuff for us Gabinarris,” Tony whispered to her with one eyebrow cocked while his mother heaped several spoonfuls of potatoes onto little Sammie’s plate.

Alessandra stopped abruptly, ladle in the air. “What happened to my music?” She looked accusingly around the table. “Roberto, was it you?” she said.

Rob shook his head, wide-eyed but with upturned lips, and his mother’s gaze fixed on Tony.

“Antonio?”

“Oh, all right. Yes, it was me.” Tony rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air.

His mother continued to glare at him.

“I’ll go put it back on,” Tony said.

“You do that, Antonio.” She set down her bowl and crossed her arms. “Fooling with my CD player,” she muttered until the strains of Madonna’s classic “Get into the Groove” floated into the dining room. “Hmm. That’s better,” she said when Tony returned. And the clattering, clanking, chattiness and general chaos resumed again at the table.

Fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth had managed to mostly relax. The children’s queries kept her occupied and Marie-Louisa tossed encouraging smiles her way. She released a deep, pent-up breath. She’d almost done it. She’d nearly made it through the meal without saying or doing anything too embarrassing, thank goodness. In another half hour she’d be able to go home.

She glanced around the lively table. The triplets were making a game of poking holes in their bread. Sammie was still hiccupping. Camilla and her mother were giggling about something they’d seen in a Disney video. Rob and Tony were in the midst of a rousing debate over the previous NFC and AFC champs and the players who’d make the best draft picks for the fall season. Everyone grinned, talked, munched. She took a big bite of manicotti.

“So, Elizabeth,” the family matriarch said loudly, “don’t you think my son should get married soon?”

She gulped her half-chewed pasta too fast, which plunged her into a fit of coughing.

“Oh, let me get you some water,” Maria-Louisa said, jumping to her feet and rushing into the kitchen. The kind young woman returned a moment later with a full glass. “Drink this.”

“Th-Th-Thank y-you,” she managed to say between coughs. She could feel her face flushing and knew it must be a delightful shade of scarlet by now.

“Mama,” she heard Rob say. “I don’t think—”

“Oh, nonsense, Roberto. She’s your girlfriend, after all. Don’t you think the lady’s got an opinion?”

Elizabeth choked on the water.
His girlfriend!
“H-H-His—” was all she could get out before Rob interrupted.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” he told her in an unfamiliar, ultra-soothing tone. “I told them about our long-distance relationship, and how glad I was to be able to spend the month up here with you while we were helping out our uncles.”

WHAT?
“Wh-Wh—” she began, seeing him leap out of his seat and walk around the table toward her.

“You know, maybe you need some hot tea instead,” Rob said, the pleading note in his voice starting to break through as he reached her. “I know you’re still getting over that awful cold.” He put his arm around her shoulder and began steering her out of the room. “Hey, everyone, why don’t you guys just continue eating while I make Elizabeth a steaming mug of tea to
quiet
her cough.”

“I’ve got some Earl Grey in the cabinet,” his mother said.

“Thanks, Mama.” He all but pushed Elizabeth into the kitchen. “Anybody else want some?” he called over his shoulder.

No one did.

“Okay. See you all in a few minutes,” Rob said cheerfully.

She swiveled around to face him once they were alone, pointed her index finger at his broad chest and tried to speak. “H-How could y-you t-t-tell them—”

“Shh. Please, Elizabeth, just listen to me,” he whispered. “I know I made up a whole bunch of stuff about our relationship, but could you please, please, please find it in your heart to play along?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’m in way over my head here, and I didn’t know what else to do. A
month
. My God, a month with my mother trying to set me up with every available woman in Wilmington Bay. I just couldn’t do it again. Last time I was home only for a weekend, and she called her friends and managed to get me three dates in less than forty-eight hours. No way will I survive a whole month.”

He pointed frantically in the direction of the dining room.

“I love my brother with all my heart and soul, but that guy in there is killing me.
Five
kids! Who, by age twenty-six, has five kids? I’m older than Tony and not even married. Not even engaged. Hell, the last time I had a steady girlfriend was when I was still in college. I like the single life. I like being unencumbered. Kids scare the shit out of me, and every woman I’ve ever dated wants like twelve of them.”

He inhaled several gulps of air.

“I come from a family of six siblings, Elizabeth. Only my little sister Ginny is still unmarried, and that’s just because she’s a college junior. But even
she’s
got a serious boyfriend. Andy-something-or-other. And he looks like the type who’ll propose the second after he crosses the graduation podium. The others are scattered around the country, but they call Mama. They speculate about me and exert their pressure on me long distance.”

He ran his fingers through his thick dark wavy hair and looked at her with the closest thing to “fear” she’d ever seen on his handsome face.

“I know this has to be really awful for you,” he said. “But would you please pretend you’re my girlfriend, just for a few weeks? We can break up when our uncles come back from Europe. I’ll go back to Chicago and won’t ever bother you again. And I promise I’ll make it seem like I’m the bad guy so you don’t have to deal with my family’s wrath or resentment if you run into any of them in town.” He paused. “I’d be forever indebted to you, Elizabeth, and in the meantime I’ll work all of your shifts so you can finish your cookbook. I—I own a restaurant. I know how to make really great sandwiches. I can bring lunch over to you on my break. If you’ve got a dog, I can walk him. I do windows. I’ll have Jacques teach me how to make éclairs and—”

“Rob?”

“Yeah?”

“W-Would you please shut up now?”

He clamped his lips together so comically she was seduced into laughing. And then, despite the absolute horrendousness of his idea, she found herself agreeing to “be his girlfriend” (and, yes, coming to family dinners as such) for the month of June.

How did her life get so out-of-control all of a sudden? So bizarre? Oh, that’s right. Roberto Gabinarri came back into town.

“How’s your throat, dear?” his mother asked upon their return. “Did the tea help?”

“Um, y-yes. I-I’m fine.”

“Good. So, where were we when you left?” Alessandra Gabinarri paused and glanced around the table filled with her clan. She smiled with warmth at everyone. “Ah, yes. My son. Don’t you think he should get married soon?”

CHAPTER FOUR

ROB COULDN’T BELIEVE he’d talked Elizabeth Daniels into this. A smart lady like her posing as his girlfriend. Probably the most intelligent female in his high school graduating class. Jeez, she must think he and his family were criminally insane.

But if she did, she didn’t show it.

He watched her from across the table, still holding his breath as she fielded a slew of questions from his mother. Despite her longstanding difficulty speaking, she bravely fought through the stutters and tried to answer diplomatically.

“I-I think m-marriage is only right when two people are r-r-really in l-love.” She glanced at Tony and Maria-Louisa as she spoke these words and, for the first time ever, he felt a surge of something like envy at what his brother had going. The guy was still in love with his wife, and it showed in Tony’s every glimpse at her and at his passel of children.

“But there comes a time when a man needs to settle down,” Mama insisted. “Don’t you want a husband? A house? Children?”

Elizabeth nodded. “S-Sure.”

“See?” His mother raised an eyebrow at him. “Women are smart. They know what they want. It’s men who need to get their act together.”

And at this, shy, sweet Frizzy Lizzy actually snickered. Mama beamed at her.

He didn’t know which Madonna he should pray to tonight, but he was willing to send invocations to them both to keep his dear mother from planning a fall wedding.

Shortly after they devoured one of Mama’s trademark tiramisus, he said it was time to go.

“Elizabeth has a cookbook to write,” he told them, knowing how impressed they’d be by this fact. “And I have the closing shift at Tutti-Frutti to get to.”

“Thanks for the d-delicious dinner.”

Elizabeth’s words were met with a gigantic squeeze from Mama who said, as he knew she would, “You must come every time with Roberto. He will be here tomorrow night, too, and I’m making a big lasagna.” She gestured to show the enormous size of the tray. No exaggeration, either. Mama cooked large. “Please join us.”

His new “girlfriend” stole a look in his direction before saying, “I’d b-be delighted.”

“Fantastico!”
And with that promise to hold close, Mama let the two of them go for the night.

“See you later, Rob,” Tony said to him, and he knew his kid brother would have the sofa sleeper already pulled out and made up for him when he got in tonight after his closing shift. He was one lucky dude, having a brother like that. Even if the guy made him look like a slacker when it came to relationships.

“Thanks, Tony.” He gave his mother a kiss and the family a parting wave. Then he lightly took Elizabeth’s arm and led her to his Porsche.

“Whew,” he said, when they’d driven a mile away from the house. “We did it.” He turned to her. “Thank you. You were amazing. Brilliant. No one suspected a thing.”

She looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. “Roberto Gabinarri, that was the most deceitful, underhanded, lousy trick I’ve ever seen anyone play on their mother, and I think you should be ashamed of yourself. Both for trying to fool her and for manipulating her emotions in such a disgraceful way.”

He felt a stab of pain in the vicinity of his heart. Damn it if she wasn’t right, but this wasn’t something he wanted to admit. Or intended to.

“And that was the longest sentence I’ve ever heard you say to me without stuttering,” he said, striking back without thinking, and then wishing he could slap his own mouth for his thoughtlessness.

“I-Is that why you chose m-me?” she asked, pulling her lovely lips into a tight, unforgiving line. “Not because I wouldn’t want to say no to you, but because you thought I
couldn’t?”

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. It killed him that she’d think so poorly of him, that he’d hurt her like this, especially when she was trying to help him. It killed him worse that, in some small way, she was right. Not that he’d admit that either.

“I am so sorry, Elizabeth. No, that wasn’t why I chose you. My comment was rude and inexcusable, and I hope you’ll forgive me. Sometimes I speak without thinking.”

“I never do,” she whispered.

He nodded but the lump of self-recrimination in his throat kept him from replying.

“So, w-why did you choose me, th-then?”

Her question was a fair one, but he didn’t have an honest answer. He’d already stretched the truth a bit. Yes, her inability to speak quickly and freely
had
, he was ashamed to admit, passed through his mind when he formed the idea of taking her to his mother’s. With a family as chatty as his, and Elizabeth being so naturally quiet, he thought he might be able to direct the conversation with no one being the wiser. That had backfired, of course. But he’d also counted on Elizabeth’s warm heart to see him through if he got caught. Which he had.

“I knew that, even if you were furious with me, you’d still back me up. That you wouldn’t throw wine or ice water or hot tea in my face. That you wouldn’t embarrass me in front of my family.” All this was true, and he tried to project every ounce of his sincerity in saying it. “Thanks for being someone I could count on. Even though we haven’t seen each other in years, you’re still just as I remembered you.”

At this, something dark passed behind her clear eyes and she looked down. “It’s almost eight,” she told him, belatedly touching her watch although she was clearly well aware of the time. “You’d better drive us back to Tutti-Frutti.”

“Okay,” he said, and let it go. He’d make this gaffe up to her. Hell, he’d have a month of dinners to do it. Maybe he’d even confide in Tony at the end of the month, ask him if he knew of any nice guys to set Elizabeth up with after he hightailed it back to Chicago.