Prologue

Three Years Ago

M ost class reunions are anticipated with either dread or extreme enthusiasm. It's hard to find a middle ground. Either you feel a kinship with your former classmates and can't wait to catch up, or you realize you probably have absolutely nothing in common with any of them. Who are these people?

Francesca "Frankie" Cappella had that very thought as she walked under the banner that read: W ELCOME R IDGEWOOD H IGH A LUMNI . She couldn't help noticing the edges on the banner were a little frayed and wondered how many reunions this worn piece of fabric had resided over. She took a deep breath and scanned the room, catching a glimpse of one of the few people she intermittently stayed in touch with. It was Nina Hunter. A well-known actress who had been on a popular sitcom, she and Frankie had bonded performing together in their high school plays. Frankie sang, Nina acted. Delighted to see each other, Nina and Frankie sidled up to the bar, and before long, two of their other high school theatre friends appeared on the scene. Amy Blanchard was the brainiac of the group—not that any of them were mental lightweights, but Amy was brilliant. Back in high school, she was in charge of the staging of their plays. Then there was Rachael Newmark, the dancer, also known for her delight in chasing men.

The four women were quite different in personality except for a few shared traits: they were smart, ambitious, and talented, and all had a passion for their work. It took less than a few minutes for them to find a table, where they huddled and exchanged impressions on how everyone in the room had aged. There were a few who looked like they could be "Real Housewives," with their vacuous eyes, over-Botoxed foreheads, and lips that looked like they had been stung by a school of jellyfish. There isn't anything wrong with trying to keep oneself "refreshed," but too many women went over the top.

Nina had been under much pressure when she was living in Los Angeles and working in the film and television industry. Studio executives either wanted a well-known talent or an ingenue. Nina was well-known, but not well enough to continue an on-screen career as she maneuvered through her thirties. Talent was the least of media moguls' priorities.

Frankie bemoaned that it was the same in publishing. Even though it was a female-dominated industry, the very top positions were held, by and large, by men. Frankie wasn't necessarily interested in climbing the corporate ladder. What she was interested in was acquiring good books, but it seemed like her superiors were less interested in quality than they were celebrity.

Amy was feeling stifled in her job at a biotech company. Sure, she made tons of money, but it was just so boring.

Then there was Rachael. She was the only one who had gotten married and had children, but her marriage was a bust, and she was divorced. She had thought she would spend her days being a socialite—until her husband wiped out her trust fund and reality smacked her in the face. She thought she needed another man, but what she really needed was a job. In her search for a greater meaning in life, she opened a dance studio, which was quite successful, much to her own surprise. Yet, she was still in search of validation from another man, an error many women make.

After an hour of the torture of classmates they no longer had anything in common with, the four women left the past behind and regrouped at a nearby motel, where Frankie and Nina were staying, for an impromptu pajama party. Realizing they were all unattached, they made a pact that if they didn't have dates for New Year's Eve by Thanksgiving, they would do the unthinkable: go on a singles' cruise.

The excursion provided a boon for all of them in different ways. The adventure proved to be one of enlightenment, romance, revelation, and renewal. Nina's career went from being on television to writing for television. Amy went from Silicon Valley tech geek to a professor at MIT. Rachael began working with a world-famous dancer, and Frankie was promoted to executive publisher for Grand Marshall Publishing's cookbook division. She also found romance: "right in her own backyard," as the saying goes. Even Amy's divorced father found love on the same ship on the high seas.

Their seafaring triumph encouraged them to devise a plan to meet again for another New Year's Eve escapade a year later. They agreed on Lake Tahoe, where estranged friendships were rekindled, professional adversaries quashed, and lessons about snowshoeing were learned. The hard way. But persistence, love, and solid relationships prevailed, and a promise of another adventure was made.

Fast forward to the present. Brothers Marco and Giovanni Lombardi are partners in the eponymous family restaurant, Marco's, located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. It is a modest, neighborhood favorite for dinner and ideal for a casual business lunch. The food is authentic, and the atmosphere is cozy without being overcrowded like some New York restaurants where you're practically sitting on a stranger's lap. There is a laid-back bustle—an oxymoron if there ever was one, but an oddly accurate description. One can feel the passion the Lombardis have invested into the business over the past thirty years. The minute you walk through the door, your senses are immersed in the lush aromas of fine herbs, the distant sound of classical music, and warm lighting that filters through the lemon trees that surround the dining room. Whatever is on your worry list takes a brief hiatus once you are inside.

Marco and his wife Anita live in the apartment above the restaurant, just as Marco and Giovanni had when they were growing up. They are the third generation to be at the helm. They rarely have time to rest, let alone take a vacation. But that was going to change this winter.

The holidays are always frenetic, with private parties and their usual customers. But this year it will be different. Marco and Giovanni decided it is time to give all their employees a break; they will close the restaurant for ten days, from right before Christmas through the New Year so the staff can spend the holidays with their loved ones. The Lombardis will spend time with their family, too, in Italy. Marco's two children are old enough to fly without annoying other passengers, and they will finally meet their cousins and Aunt Lucia.

Their now-widowed mother, Rosevita, had moved back to Italy to be with her long-widowed sister-in-law Lucia. Lucia had never set foot outside of Italy and still lives in the same house where their husbands were raised. It is a modest villa in the hills outside of the city of Salerno, but has ample room for Marco, Anita, and the kids, as well as Giovanni and Frankie. Giovanni was certain he could convince Frankie to spend the holidays with his family as long as he could concoct a plan for her folks.

For the past two years, Frankie and her parents have spent Christmas Eve at Marco's restaurant, and then on Christmas Day, Giovanni would join them at Frankie's parents' house. Giovanni knew Frankie would love to go to Salerno, but he didn't want her to feel any guilt about leaving her parents alone, so he devised an "offer they could not refuse." He would pay for Frankie's family's airfare and secure a spot at a nearby Airbnb. It would be his Christmas present to them.

One morning in late August, over breakfast, Giovanni shared the details of his plans with Frankie. He posed it as a suggestion, hoping Frankie would be amenable. "You know my mama doesn't want to leave Aunt Lucia alone since Sergio moved to Australia, and Aunt Lucia will never set foot on an airplane. Dominic moved to Baronissi, a few kilometers away, to be closer to the school." Giovanni was referring to Lucia's sons. "I was-a thinking, maybe you, me, your family could go to Italy for Christmas. I would pay for all the arrangements."

"That's very generous, Gio, but what about Nina, Amy, and Rachael?" Frankie asked with a slight frown. "We all agreed to plan another trip between Christmas and New Year's."

" Cara , we can still celebrate together. You, your family, and I will go to Salerno for Christmas, and we can meet the others in Rome, Firenze, or Napoli. Wherever they wanna, but I have to spend this holiday with Mama. It's importante ."

Frankie understood the significance of his words. "Okay. I'll figure something out." Frankie got up from the table, rinsed her coffee mug, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "Time to put on my bossy pants!"

"You look so good in them!" Giovanni grinned.

She blew kisses to the kitties, grabbed her tote, and hustled her way to her office.

Later that day, she sent a Zoom invitation to the other women and hoped they wouldn't protest her suggestion. She did some research and made a list of scenarios she would run through with them, making the trip as attractive as possible. Who wouldn't want to spend the holidays in one of the most spectacular countries in Europe?

And so it began . . . a visit to Italy in search of another new beginning, a peek at a scientific wonder, a glimpse of ancient history, and the secret recipe for Mrs. Lombardi's panettone.