Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“What do you mean, when the zias get here?” How much trauma could one person endure in the span of twelve hours?
Natalie fluttered her hand in the air and went back to her coffee. “Your mother and Zia Ella should be here any minute.”
“What? Why?!”
Natalie quirked an eyebrow. “In under four weeks, you’ve planned the largest fashion show this town has ever seen.
It’s all over social media. The crème de la crème of Portland’s high society, and by that I mean all the hipsters, are attending.
Trailblazers will be there. The mayor as well.
Did you think your mother would sit at home making gnocchi and watching Jeopardy with Zio Luche on your big night? ”
Well— “Yes!”
Her mother would find a way to criticize everything that Vanessa chose to wear, what she had the models wear, the appetizers she had catered, the music, the show’s length, the—
“This isn’t a good enough reason to catastrophize, Ness,” her cousin said, reading her mind. “It’s too late for that. Besides, it’ll be fine.”
“What about your mother?” Her Zia Matilde wasn’t quite as obnoxious as the other two, but that was probably because she had two other daughters, both with husbands and children, who she could focus all her attention on.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Natalie took a bite of the muffin she’d pulled from her grocery bag. “She’ll be there too.”
Vanessa threw back her head and groaned. “Whyyy?” She slouched on the couch, placing Nigel gently beside her. He proceeded to burrow behind the small of her back. “My mom didn’t even attend my first big show in New York when I was sixteen.”
“That was different.”
“How was that different? If anything, it was more important. I was young and could’ve used my mom’s support.”
“They didn’t know anything back then, Ness.” Natalie always referred to the senior Barone women in plural, even if she was only talking about one. “They thought it was a phase, like thinking you’ll be a popstar or play for the NHL. They had no idea what was coming.”
Vanessa flicked a tuft of Nigel’s fur off her thigh. “Yeah, well, spoiler alert, neither did I.”
Natalie sat beside her on the couch and patted her leg reassuringly. “You know I’m here for you, right? No judgment.” She nudged Vanessa with her shoulder, another subtle invitation to open up if she wanted to.
When tears stung her eyes, she blinked them back hard. She’d cried enough over everything Kurt had done to her. She reached behind her to retrieve Nigel and settle him on her chest for a cuddle. Damn, she was falling in love with this rabbit.
“I’ll never live down that fucking video.
” She sniffled as she stared at Nigel’s silky coat.
“My mother will forever judge me for it, regardless of what she says. It’s what she doesn’t say that makes me know that.
” Fucking tears. A big one dropped onto Nigel’s back, and she wiped her cheek with her sleeve.
“Doesn’t matter what she does or doesn’t say. You can’t let the past hold you captive, Ness.”
“I try not to, and I think I’m doing good, until a fuckwad like Kurt accuses me of sending a copy to his wife so he’ll be with me.”
A snort sounded beside her. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny.
It’s not funny.” Natalie said, her words muffled behind her fist. “I just really can’t believe he thought you sent a sexy video from six years ago, that was not meant for him, to his current wife because you wanted him for yourself?
It’s so delusional.” Another snort, followed by an escaped giggle.
“I’m sorry, men are so fucking whack sometimes if you don’t laugh, you’re gonna cry. ”
Vanessa nodded. “Which is what I did all night until Jordan—”
“Licked your kitty?” Natalie guffawed, clutching her sides. “I’m sorry, Ness. I love that man. Please tell me you’ll marry him.”
Vanessa’s heart stuttered at her cousin’s words. Natalie was obviously joking, probably also trying to lighten the mood. But now Vanessa was picturing something she’d never pictured before. A white dress and beautiful roses, a long aisle with a handsome grump standing at the end.
She’d never thought about marriage. Not in the sit down and plan out every detail way that some people did. She’d been too busy daydreaming her modeling career into reality. Marriage seemed like a far-off prospect.
Jordan definitely didn’t seem like the marrying type. But she’d already misjudged him in many ways. None of that mattered. Jordan’s life was in Portland, and she was moving to New York in a week. That was still the plan, right? It was absurd to let the image even enter her head.
“Oh, shit!” Natalie threw her half-eaten muffin in the air and jumped up. “They’re here.”
“What?” Vanessa snapped out of her thoughts of rings and cradles. “How do you know?”
“I can hear them in the hallway.”
Sure enough, the chattering in Italian got louder outside the door with every passing second.
Vanessa shot up and frantically scanned the living room searching for anything worth criticizing: a sock on the floor, empty cups on the table with no coaster underneath, half-empty prosecco bottles, rabbit poop on the floor.
“Shit!” Literally. “I have to clean this before they get in here. Throw me a napkin.”
Natalie threw her a handful of napkins, half of which fluttered in every direction. Vanessa grabbed the nearest one and scooped up the pellets, fisting the napkin in her hand as the door burst open.
“Vanessa, there’s a strange man at your door who won’t even let your mother in!” Maria Barone entered the apartment shouting in Italian.
Dex appeared behind her, towering over the older Italian lady, with a frown etched on his face. “She keeps yelling at me in a language I don’t understand.”
Natalie snorted. “Get used to it, big guy.”
Dex glowered at her, then glanced at Vanessa. “Look, I was told to ask every person who arrives if you’re expecting them, and she tried to hit me with her bag when I did.”
“Since when is your mother treated like a criminal just for arriving to make sure you eat properly before your big show?” Maria sniffed in Dex’s direction before she walked calmly through the living room to the kitchen.
Dex raised his eyebrow in Vanessa’s direction.
“It’s fine.” She sighed. “I don’t think there’s a bodyguard in the world that could keep her away.”
“Fine,” Dex grumbled. “I’ll be in the hallway if you need me to disarm her.”
Vanessa bit back a grin as Natalie sidled up beside her.
“Who knew he could be funny?” her cousin said, casually draping her arm around Vanessa’s shoulder. “Bright side, at least we’re guaranteed a solid lunch.”
Vanessa shrugged. “True. If I must endure my mother’s intimidation, at least there’s food involved.”
As if on cue, her mother’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “Vanessa! Where’s the cucchiaio di legno?”
Natalie shot her a wide-eyed look. “Should we be concerned that the first thing she asks for is a wooden spoon?”
Vanessa sighed, shaking her head. “When it comes to mother dearest, always be concerned.”
Clasping hands, they bravely ventured toward whatever wooden-spoon mayhem awaited them.