it. They definitely had a wonderful relationship, and it would be the same for Celia and me. I just knew it.
After Mass, many lingered outside the church. Maria, not one for socializing, was already gone. Francesca and my parents stood with several others, speaking with Father Ricci. I steered clear of that group to avoid any knowing looks from the priest regarding my confession. It was bad enough that my mother had glared at me, Massimo, and Francesca before she’d stood to receive communion. I stared down the boy talking to my youngest sister, Martina but didn’t stop to separate them. Instead, I searched for my fiancée, eager to take her hand and lead her somewhere hidden so I’d have yet another confession for Father Ricci in a week. Usually, she was outside as well, either with her mother or with friends, but I didn’t see her.
When Tessa came out of the church behind her parents and little brother, I approached her. “Is Celia still inside?”
“No, or at least not that I saw. She isn’t out here?”
Glancing around, I shook my head. “No.”
“Where’s Massimo?”
That was a good question. Typically, my brother was also outside, chatting with one of his many admirers—or with Tess.
I shrugged. “Maybe he left with Maria.”
Tess’s gaze lingered on me for a moment, but she turned away with a shrug of her own. “Yeah. Maybe.”
It seemed that she had wanted to say something else but changed her mind. I opened my mouth to ask her about it but was interrupted by a few of my brother’s groupies. They were all very pretty, though dressed a little too provocatively for church with breasts aplenty on display.
“Have you seen your brother?” the one named…Gina…Tina…whatever asked.
I shook my head. “No, sorry.”
They all pouted as one. I expected them to leave then, but they didn’t.
“You do,” one of the other Ginas or Tinas said with a purr. “I never noticed how cute you are.”
I blinked. “Umm…”
“Why don’t you come out tonight with your brother?” Gina-Tina Number Three asked, touching my arm.
Again, I blinked and pushed my glasses up my nose. “Umm. I…I guess?”
“You’re so cute. Isn’t he cute?” Gina-Tina Number Two asked no one in particular.
“We’re going dancing, so dress for the occasion, okay?” Number Three said.
The three simpered, waved, and pranced away. Number One turned around once more with another wriggle of her fingers before turning back to her friends, all three giggling as they went.
I stared after them, baffled and red in the face. I wasn’t one of those people completely unaware of my attractiveness, but it wasn’t something I fixated on. After all, I resembled my brother, who was an attractive man, but I wasn’t like Massimo. He thrived under the attention given to him by the opposite sex. He was very flirtatious. I’d witnessed him charm females of all ages, from toddlers to geriatrics. There was never a shortage of fans for him, and not just women. Men too. As my father once said, “Massimo has a friend in every corner of Europe. Some of them don’t even know it yet until they meet him.” That could not be truer. Once, on a family vacation to Greece, by the end of our first full day, Massimo had collected about a dozen new friends, and the number only grew from there.
No, I certainly was not like my brother. I admired him and the life he led, and I loved to hear his stories, but I was not like him. I wasn’t gregarious with his magnetic pull. I stayed on the sidelines during large social functions and preferred quiet, constructive activities. I had very few friends. As one could probably surmise from my brief encounter a moment ago, I was not a smooth operator when it came to the ladies. If it was not for the fact that I’d always known Celia, I most likely wouldn’t even have a girlfriend, let alone a betrothed.
“Nice, Don Juan,” Tessa muttered, watching the girls go.
“That was awkward.”
She refocused on me with a slight lift of her lips. “And it was awkward to watch.”
I studied her face. Tessa was a real beauty. A heavy, dark mane of hair, big brown eyes, with a full figure she tried to hide. Even I appreciated her body, but more than that, I loved her mind and her smile. Lately, she hadn’t been smiling much at all. The impending move was enough to stress anyone in her