Page 45 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

“Yes, even though I think they’re an atrocious waste of money.” She patted her daughter’s cheek. “I’m happy to spend your father’s.”

As Lila hiked up the dress and headed to the back of the shop, Eva caught Willow’s eye and lifted her chin in Lila’s direction. Willow shook her head.

Gia sighed and pulled her daughter off the couch. “Lila needs us.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you when she bites your head off,” Willow said.

“Paloma,” Eva called to the attractive dark-haired woman helping another customer at the cash register. “When you have a minute, could you get my daughter a cup of tea and some cookies while I find her a dress? I can get it if you’re busy.”

“Eva Rosetti, I’ll get your daughter whatever she wants as long as I can take a picture of you and Gia in my shop. Any chance you can get Carmen here?”

“Kiss myculo,” Eva said with a laugh as she walked to the racks of dresses along the wall, rolling her eyes when Paloma started telling her other customer about the Rosetti curse.

“I’m so glad you got here when you did, Eva. I was afraid Lila was going to call off the wedding.” Jennifer glanced in the direction of the changing rooms and then said in a conspiratorial whisper, “I don’t blame her, you know. I don’t know what’s gotten into my son. David has always been the sweetest, most considerate boy, and I know he adores Lila, but lately he’s been acting like”—she made a face—“his father.”

“I don’t know David well, but it seems to me he’s trying very hard to please Gavin.”

As much as Eva wasn’t happy her daughter was marrying David, she knew he must have some wonderful attributes, otherwise Lila wouldn’t have been attracted to him or said yes when he proposed. And there’d been a couple of times during the dinner the other night when Eva had had to restrain herself from coming to David’s defense when Gavin made fun of his ideas to attract two large conventions to Windemere. In the end Eva hadn’t had to. James had.

“He is, and I wish Gavin could see it. He does the same thing to our boys that his father did to Gavin and his brother. But whenever I bring it up, he just sloughs me off.”

“He seems to do that to you a lot, Jennifer,” Eva said as she flicked through the dresses. “I thought your ideas for hosting weekend events targeted at women were wonderful. David seemed to think so too.” Until Gavin had shot them down, making both mother and son feel foolish.

“Thank you, but I shouldn’t have mentioned them last night. That was thoughtless of me.” She touched Eva’s arm. “I’m sorry that you’re struggling because of us. I’d like to help if you’d let me.”

Eva stiffened. As much as she liked Jennifer, she didn’t want anyone’s pity or charity. “We’ll be fine, thank you.”

“I offended you. I’m sorry. It’s just that James mentioned you were planning to update the restaurant, and I thought I might be able to help.”

At the family dinner Sunday night, James had mentioned the restaurant getting a face-lift while they were discussing which parts of Lila and David’s wedding would be held at La Dolce Vita—none if Gavin got his way. David’s father hadn’t been very subtle in his opinion of their restaurant’s decor. Eva would be the first to admit it needed to be updated, but Gavin’s remarks had been tactless and cutting and would’ve earned him her glass of wine on his head if not for James covering her hand and intervening.

“I love decorating,” Jennifer said as she flipped through the dresses with Eva. “It’s the one thing Gavin let me do at Windemere.”

“You decorated Windemere?”

She nodded. “It was the happiest I’ve been in years,” she admitted, then shrugged as if she’d given too much away.

“I accept your offer,” Eva said. “I can’t pay you, but I will feed you.”

Jennifer’s face lit up with a smile, and she held out her hand. “It’s a deal.”

“And I think I just found the perfect dress for Lila,” Eva said, working it from among the other dresses on the rack. She held it up. The dress was a simple but elegant sleeveless A-line gown in brushed white satin with a jewel neckline.

“Simple but gorgeous. Lila will look absolutely stunning in it,” Jennifer declared.

Ten minutes later, Lila stood on the dais modeling the dress with a happy smile. “This is it. It’s perfect.”

Eva dabbed at her eyes, sniffing back tears. She hadn’t expected to feel so emotional, and it had nothing to do with the possibility that Lila might actually go through with the wedding. Seeing her like this, it felt as if her daughter had grown up in the blink of an eye.

As Lila stood there looking breathtakingly beautiful, every special moment in her daughter’s life flashed before Eva’s eyes—the night she’d given birth to her, her first smile, the day she’d first said Mama, her first step, the morning she’d lost her first tooth, her first day at school, the days she’d learned to swim and ride her bike without falling, her first crush, her high school graduation, and the day she’d left Sunshine Bay to go to college in London. So many moments of sheer joy, bitter frustration, sweet laughter, and utter heartbreak had all morphed into this moment.

Her sister leaned in to her and whispered in Italian, “Brava.You’re a better actress than I gave you credit for.”

“You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

Eva glanced over her shoulder to see James standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at Lila with love and pride shining in his damp eyes. His gaze moved to Eva, and he smiled. “Good job, Mom.” His voice was husky, no doubt filled with the same emotions that had overcome Eva just moments before.

Gia snorted and muttered under her breath, “Accident, myculo.”

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