SOFIA {SAMPLE}

2

Luca held the door, walking in after me, his entrance drawing the entire restaurant's attention, including our table, sending chairs flying back and Italians flying up.

"Luca! Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday!" A chorus of random shouts mixed with a barrage of birthday greetings echoed after Luca.

Luca raised his hand, acknowledging the masses on his way to Giorgia, hugging her while I headed for Stefano, hand out for the glass in his.

"Only an hour late, that's a record," Stefano huffed, rolling his eyes while reaching to the table behind us, snapping up another glass for himself.

Luca released Giorgia, barely acknowledging Laurence on his way back to us, hands up for Stefano, who stepped forward, throwing his arm over Luca's shoulder.

"Buon compleanno, fratello! Thirty-nine!"

The last thing I wanted to hear about was Luca's age because I was next in line. Time was fleeting. It felt as if it was just yesterday that we were celebrating his thirtieth birthday. Now, he was closing in on forty. As was I. Stefano and Giorgia, luckily, still had a few years to go.

I left the boys, opting to take my seat at the table, across from Giorgia and Laurence. "Giorgia—"

The chair beside me pulled back, at the hands of Eric. There were ten empty seats at this table, and he had to take that one, wonderful. "Giorgia," I continued. "This is Luca's neighbor—" Hoarder Derek "—Eric." I waved my hand across the table. "Eric, this is our sister Giorgia and her fiancé Laurence."

"Nice to meet you!" Eric greeted, springing up from his seat and leaning over the table with his hand out, almost knocking over the wine glasses to shake Laurence's hand. "Is everyone in this family beautiful?" he asked, looking from Giorgia to me.

"No!" Luca boomed, slapping his hand on the back of my chair as he fell into the one on my opposite side. "Our youngest brother Gav is the ugly duckling in this famiglia of swans. Had to send his ass to California so he wouldn't tarnish the Romano name."

I looked at Eric, shaking my head. Gav took off to San Diego willingly, although I'm sure Luca helped nudge his decision. The rivalry between those two never ended. Oddly enough, Luca never sparred with Stefano—only Gav. Once Gav turned eighteen and Luca's guardianship was over, that was it. Gav slowly retreated and was in California before his twenty-first birthday.

"I'm just saying..." Luca trailed off, his distracted stare zeroing in on a waitress with abundant cleavage. And then he was up, eyes on his target.

"Luca!" I demanded. "This dinner's for you!"

Luca tried to hide that devious smile of his. "I'm just securing the after-party. Man's gotta have gifts waiting for him on his birthday."

I tapped his seat. "Siediti!"

He stepped back over, undoing the single button on his suit jacket before falling into his chair.

"So!" Eric spoke again, focusing across the table. "What do you do, Giorgia?"

I shifted to face him, sipping my wine with a smile. "What do you think she does? Please tell us." After all, he had guessed my profession so eloquently.

"I—" Giorgia began to answer, but I held my finger up, stopping her. I wanted to hear his answer.

He blushed, dropping his gaze to the table with a few escaping laughs. Then that blue-eyed stare lifted to meet my eyes. "How about I buy you a drink instead?"

"There's wine already on the table." I raised the glass in my hand, taking a sip for show.

"I don't drink wine."