Chapter Seven

Nora

Nonna Gloria looks like Meryl Streep without the laugh lines.

Not Mamma Mia Meryl. Devil Wears Prada Meryl.

And, since Benji and I are now blocked between the bar and this woman, all I can do is stand here and listen to her conversation with Alessia and Sebastian. It'd be rude not to.

Alessia slides a hand across Sebastian's lower back. "Sebastian, this is my grandmother, Dr. Gloria Mazzelli."

"You make me sound so stuffy, darling. Gloria is just fine. He's practically family."

Practically family . Here I thought Mamma V was ruthless about setting Benji up, but Gloria is trying to bag a BOGO wedding deal for Alessia and Sebastian with that kind of language.

Sebastian extends his hand. Hello, forearms. "It's wonderful to meet you. Alessia has told me so much about you and your work. Great River is so lucky to have such an esteemed practitioner in the community."

"Oh my. Aren't you sweet?" Gloria gives Alessia a polished smile and a nod of affirmation. A big well done from grandma, it would seem. "And you're in the nonprofit world, correct?"

"I am."

Alessia rests her head on his shoulder. "His organization supports children, and he's opening branches all over the country. I hope I'm more like him when I grow up."

Sebastian lets out a dismissive sound. "Don't be modest, babe. You built your audiology clinic from the ground up." The fond, dazzling smile he gives her nearly takes me out at the knees. "I'm proud of you."

God , he's good at this. That babe was so smooth it slid down my back.

Gloria's tone is fond. "I agree with Sebastian. You should never be modest with the business you've started. You're a Mazzelli, darling, keep your head high."

Alessia and Sebastian exchange a tense smile as Gloria's focus moves to me and Benji. "And you two are with our wedding as well? The Mazzelli side, I assume?"

We should really all have color-coded name tags to specify which family we're aligned with. Introducing ourselves feels risky, like simply standing on the wrong side of this room may stoke the embers of the feud.

Alessia is quick to jump in. "This is my friend Nora and her boyfriend, Benji."

I wave hello, but Benji's attention has been stolen by a man with a mustache cutting through the crowd.Or, rather, a mustache accessorizing itself with a man. Either way, Colonel Mustard has nothing on this guy.

"Nonno!" Benji smiles so hard the apples of his cheeks nearly touch his eyes. I've seen that look of unadulterated joy on his face only once before, and it was when SUNY offered him an adjunct position.

"There's my boy." Santino's polo is emblazoned with flamingos doing yoga.

Benji side-steps me to get to him. "Didn't think I'd see you until dinner!"

"Thought I'd be fashionably on time." Santino's frame is small, but his smile is mighty. "Your hair helped me find you in the crowd—never cut it, nipote, you'll miss it when it's gone. I got a cue ball under this hat."

All his hair migrated south to that mustache, then.

The two share a quick hug that requires Benji to curl his body like an apostrophe to accommodate Santino's height.

"And hello to the rest." Santino enthusiastically shakes hands with both Alessia and Sebastian. He tucks that hand in his pocket before bidding Gloria a tiny nod. "Evening, Gloria."

"Santino." Gloria's timbre is ice cold.

"Nonno, I'd like you to meet Nora," Benji continues, oblivious as ever to the hostility thickening the air.

Benji's vague introduction leaves a little something to be uncovered. "Hi there! I'm the girlfriend."

Santino wraps me in a warm embrace. "Oh, I know who you are, dearie. Benji's girl, Nora D'Amato. Born on New Year's Eve, your mother is Lulu."

The specificity of his answer is both concerning and nice, if that's possible. "Wow, yes. How did you know?"

"My daughter Veronica ran a full background check the day after she met you." Santino claps my back twice before releasing me.

Benji's voice is strained. "Are you joking?"

"Relax, Benjamino. She just did an internet search. You know how she gets excited. Anyway, Nora, you've made quite an impression already."

My throat is dry as I swallow. When Benji and I phase this relationship out of existence, I'll miss that look of fondness in Santino's eyes. And maybe the dearie . I've never had a nickname before. "Thank you."

"Is there a problem, Gloria?" Santino says, startling me out of my sentimental moment. "You're staring awfully hard."

"Am I?" Gloria's voice cuts across the circle like a bird swooping in, talons out. "I guess I'm just surprised. I thought surely you'd dropped dead when you didn't return any of my wedding planning emails."

Santino's neck elongates as he regards her, like he might well stretch to match her height. That'd be a feat, since she's got half a foot on the guy."Those weren't rhetorical emails?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Santino, proving his love of all things rhetorical, ignores her question. "My granddaughter did a great job planning all this, didn't she? Glad you were able to make it."

"To the event I'm paying for?" She cracks a sharp smile, a slant of a thing. "Wonders never cease."

"Surely you don't mean this open bar, paid for by the Ferraros?"

"I mean the rest of the week, paid for by us—the groom's family, despite tradition."

"Tradition." His laugh is a hot burst of air. "What does your ‘tradition' have to say about a week-long wedding at a venue Rosalina didn't even want?"

Gloria's cadence slows and her volume drops, forcing us to hang on her every word. "You expect our hundreds of collective relatives to fly to Miami or Vegas so Rosalina can have the event at a venue of her choosing? With no regard for what's best for the elderly?"

Santino wags a finger in concession. "You know, you're right. I should've entrusted you to know what's best for the elderly."

Her stare is lethal. "You're older than me."

"Who said otherwise?" He steps up to the bar and signals the employee. "Good evening. Could I have a Glenlivet neat, and a vodka martini for my co-host this week? It's a special occasion, after all."

"What kind of vodka?"

"That'll be well liquor, the lowest shelf you've got. We're not snobs here." He spares a fleeting glance sideways. "Unless?"

Gloria lifts her chin. "Always a pleasure, Santino. I'm going to change for dinner. Alessia, mind coming with me? I need help zipping my gown."

Alessia is quick to step out of the circle. "Of course, Nonna. Let's go."

Sebastian moves when Alessia moves, like he's motion-activated by her decisions. "I'll escort you to the elevator."

As soon as the drinks Santino ordered are ready, he takes his Scotch and hands me the spare martini, grandfatherly charm etched in his smile lines. "Welcome to the fun house, dearie. Has my grandson introduced you to my sister and her wing of the family yet?"

Benji takes the martini from me and throws back a sip. "Not yet. We haven't been here that long."

Santino extends an elbow. "Well, let's get down to business, then."

I take his arm, fighting my nerves. I've never had to impress a family before. The relationship may not be real, but it's still the real me I'm putting on display.

I can only hope it's enough to earn my keep at Benji's side.