9. Week One
NINE
Week One
ZANO
“W here’s Allegra?” I ask my father as I walk into our house. Normally, I can hear my mother and Allegra somewhere in the house, but today, I walk in to silence.
“Dress shopping. Your mother is on a strict schedule, and dress shopping is on today’s agenda,” Dad says, adding, “Enjoy the quiet.”
I chuckle. Dad has been a bear since Mom became wedding obsessed. She was the same when Elena got married, so this should come as no surprise. “Dad, you had to expect this.”
“Elena was our only daughter. I assumed the mother of the bride would be the one losing her mind when it came to you and Elio,” he says, looking to the heavens. “I’m being punished.”
I have to laugh. Dad is being melodramatic, and it’s hysterical. “You can hang in there for a little longer,” I encourage him.
“The restaurant is suffering. You know your mother is the heart and soul of it. It’s her sauces and pasta that people come back for. We’re running low on everything.” Dad throws his hands up in the air. “We might as well close down.”
“Let’s sit down tonight and see what they have planned. We’ll work it out.” I barely get the words out when Mom and Allegra come home, both loaded down with bags. Allegra looks like she’s had enough shopping to last her a lifetime, but Mom is talking a mile a minute about tomorrow’s adventure.
“Hold it, Ma. Can’t you see that Allegra is exhausted? I think she needs to take a day to unwind,” I tell my mother.
“But—”
“But nothing. The restaurant needs attention. Dad is losing his mind, and Allegra and I agreed on a simple, classy wedding. We have the church booked, we’re holding the reception at our restaurant, and Dad’s taking care of hiring extra servers and shutting it down for the day. There’s nothing that can’t wait another day,” I say, deciding to stop the madness now before Dad has a heart attack.
I glance over at Allegra, and she looks relieved. Mom drops her bags. “What about flowers, centerpieces, bonbonnières, the wedding cake? We still don’t know about the wedding party. There’s so much to do.”
I haven’t taken my eyes off Allegra, who is still carrying her bags. “Put the bags down,” I tell her, then shift my gaze to my parents. “Let’s sit down and talk this out.” I don’t wait for my parents but take the bags from Allegra and set them down. I take her hand, and we go to the living room to sit. Mom and Dad are right behind us.
“Did you find a dress?” I ask Allegra.
She nods. “Yes. It’s simple but nice.”
“That’s because she wouldn’t let me buy the more expensive one. You looked amazing in the other gown,” Mom butts in.
“It doesn’t make sense to spend so much money on a dress I’m only going to wear once,” Allegra says.
I’ll address that later, but what I really want to do is sort out our plans. “Elio is my best man. That’s a done deal. I suggest Victorio give you away. He’s your closest relative, and he would be offended if he wasn’t chosen. I know you don’t know anyone, but Elena will be your sister-in-law, and I’m sure she’d be happy if you chose her to be your matron of honor.”
Allegra perks up. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“That’s done, then. Flowers. What kind do you want?” I ask Allegra.
“Roses are classic. Maybe in cream and lavender?” she says, looking at my mother. With my finger under her chin, I turn her head back to me.
“What do you want?”
“Roses,” she whispers.
“Fine, we’ll call a florist and get it done. Next?” I ask, wanting to get through this list that my mother has accumulated.
“Gift favors,” Mom says. “I was thinking?—”
“No, Ma. I’m picking this one.” I turn to my father. “You still have that guy you know with the expensive wines? The one who supplies our restaurant.”
He nods.
“Get enough for the guest list and ask if he’ll make special labels for the wedding. What do you think?”
“Better than some frivolous thing you put on a shelf to get dusty,” Dad says with a smile. “I’ll take care of it.”
“As for the cake, why not ask Elena to help? It’ll give you a chance to get to know her and she’ll feel included,” I tell Allegra. “That gives Mom the rest of the week to get back to the restaurant.”
“That’s it?” Mom says sharply. “I’m tossed away, just like that?” She snaps her fingers.
“Well, actually,” Allegra says, “I was hoping you could take care of the restaurant decor and make sure it’s set up properly. It’s a big job, and I wouldn’t have a clue. I saw the pictures you showed me of Elena’s wedding. You did such a beautiful job.”
That’s all my mother needed to hear. She needs to feel useful and wants to be included. “Don’t you worry. It will be perfect, cara.” Mom goes to Allegra and bends down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry if I took over.” Mom stands up straight and announces, “I’ll go get dinner started.”
“No, you won’t. We all need a break, especially you, amore,” Dad jumps in. “I’m ordering in, and we’re going to have a relaxing night. We’ll eat in front of the television and do nothing.” He stands and kisses my mother. “Let’s give these two a minute.” He leads Mom away.
I drop back onto the sofa and close my eyes. I feel Allegra do the same. “Can’t we just go to city hall?” she murmurs.
I open my eyes and turn to look at her. She still has her eyes closed. She’s not sleeping well. I hear her every night. Each evening, she calls her brother to check in with him, then spends the rest of the night tossing and turning. I’ve wanted to go in, but Dad stopped me in the hall and told me that it’s best to give Allegra some space. I see his point. Since the second I came onto the scene, Allegra hasn’t had a second to herself. She’s got to find her way and come to terms with the massive turnaround her life is facing.
Victorio moved into Leo’s carriage house. Leo and I have him enrolled in school for the next semester, and he’s started his physical training for Nostra Casa . He’s doing better than I expected, and Leo is watching him closely. He misses his sister; however, I’m thinking that separation is good for both of them. Leo needs a sterner guiding hand, and Allegra has the time to think about what she wants for her future. I haven’t broached the subject yet, but I think setting Allegra up with her own shop would make her happy.
So far this week, I’ve had a message sent to her former boss and friend, Melissa, and arranged for a private call between the two women. Melissa has admitted that the Skulls have been skulking around. The Skulls are not stupid and had one of their women make an appointment asking for her hair to be styled by Allegra. Melissa saw through her at first glance and spotted her ride waiting for her outside, the driver clearly a Skull gang member. Melissa’s quick on her feet and went into a tear about how Allegra was fed up with her brother’s antics and took off with nothing but a text message as notice. She even showed them the text, the same one I sent from Allegra’s phone when all this went down, once we were on the plane.
Anna and Olivia have reached out to check in and have invited Allegra to visit, but my mother has kept Allegra too busy to comply. Elena has tried to rein Mom in but is failing, and that’s why I stepped in this morning.
“Not an option, babe,” I respond. She opens her pretty green eyes. She looks fragile and desperately in need of some chill time. So I ask, “If you could do whatever you wanted for a day, what would it be?”
Allegra blinks. I can see the wheels spinning before a shy smile comes across her lips. “I’d love to do Olivia’s hair. I can’t explain it, but when I’m doing hair, I feel like…me.”
I got Allegra a new phone and programmed the most important numbers into it, including the women I hope she’ll connect with, Olivia being one of them. “Call her,” I urge. “See if she’s doing anything. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. Elena would probably want in on that. She’s been hoping to spend some time with you.”
“What if she’s busy?”
“Won’t know until you ask.”
Allegra hesitates before making the call, but I give her an encouraging grin. She bites her lower lip but dials Olivia’s number. “Uh, hi, it’s Allegra. I was wondering if you still wanted your hair cut.” I hear a delighted shrill from the other end of the phone. It’s obvious that Olivia is thrilled about the idea. I’ve never seen Allegra light up like this the way she is right now. “Elena?” There’s a pause before Allegra responds, “I’d like that. Okay, I’ll leave that part all up to you. I can pick up what I need at a local supplier.”
The women go on and on, and I leave them to it. I only hope the next weeks go by quickly for both our sakes.