Page 53 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

“She’s a perfectionist and a control freak just like you are,” Eva said as she rolled onto her back, ready to take a nap. She turned her head to admire his precise, controlled movements. “And speaking of your mini-me, where is she? She’s supposed to be bringing over the script so we can do a dry run.” Eva had been hoping she’d be here by now and give her an excuse to escape the yoga class with at least some of her dignity intact.

“I dropped her off at Windemere on my way here. She was, uh, leaving the prenup with David.”

At the slight hesitation in James’s voice, Eva rolled onto her stomach so she could see his face. The movement had the added benefit of making it look as if she were following along with the class. “Why didn’t she give it to him when he came for dinner last night?”

“He had to cancel at the last minute. He had a meeting with the organizer of the dental convention,” he said, acting as if that were a good enough reason for David to cancel the date.

“Why didn’t she join us last night? Was she too upset?”

He gave her a look. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Of course she would. It wasn’t even about the Rosetti curse anymore; it was about the man her daughter was marrying. Lila was stressed and unhappy, and Eva blamed David. She supposed that was hypocritical of her since she believed you were responsible for your own happiness. But the situation with Lila and David was different.

“Of course I wouldn’t. The last thing I want is for Lila to be hurt.” Which was why the wedding had to be canceled sooner rather than later. “And I don’t know how you can continue taking David’s side. He’s barely spent any time with her, and they’ve been here for more than a week.”

“I’m not taking his side. It’s just that I understand the work that’s required to make an inn a success, and so does Lila. This isn’t easy for David, you know. He’s used to having Lila’s support. They worked together as a team for years, and now he’s basically doing it on his own. Not to mention the pressure he’s under from his father.”

It didn’t matter that Eva knew James was right. “Even so, he could’ve taken an hour to have dinner with Lila.”

“You sound more upset about it than she did.”

“As if she’d tell you.”

“She would, which is why I know she had a nice night with Luke. She ran into him on the beach, and they had dinner together.”

“Well, why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?” she asked while trying to keep athis is the best news everlook off her face. “I’m so glad she didn’t have to spend her Friday night alone.”

“That look right there is why I didn’t want to tell you.” He pointed at her face with a scowl on his. “It was a business meeting.”

“Of course it was.” She smiled.

“Eva, I’m warning—”

A shadow fell over them, and they looked up to see her sister standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. “Okay, you two. You’ve disrupted my class long enough. Pack up your mats and go.”

“But I was just getting the hang of it,” Eva protested as she practically leaped to her feet and began rolling up her mat.

“I’m sure Gia would let us stay if we promised to be quiet. I mean, it’s only taken her three years to get you—”

Eva cut him off before her sister relented. “You can stay. I have to prepare the food for this afternoon.”

“Nah,” James said, coming to his feet. “It wouldn’t be nearly as fun without you. Nothing against your class, Gia. It was great.”

“Um,” her sister said, her narrowed gaze moving from James to Eva. Eva had a feeling her sister wasn’t about to let this go as easily as she had James and Eva’s accidental kiss.

***

Eva hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat, and they were two minutes away from wrapping up the live cooking session on Instagram. Probably because the beach house was a shiver-inducing sixty degrees and they’d precooked the summer pizzas and toppings earlier in the day.

Singing a rousing rendition of “That’s Amore” with her mother and sister while she tossed and twirled the pizza dough in the air with dramatic flair had helped keep the shivers at bay. As had the heat from the cooktop when she demonstrated how to char slices of tender chicken, juicy peach, and smoky red onion on a grill pan before transferring them onto the creamy ricotta cheese she’d spread onto the thin-crust pizza with its golden-brown edges.

Her mother had demonstrated how to make a perfect béchamel sauce for a white pizza with toasted garlic and provolone, mozzarella, and cheddar cheeses, while Gia had mixed Boston lettuce and microgreens with a red vinegar salad dressing, placing it on the pizza crust before garnishing it with a layer of sliced red onions, pepperoncini, and mozzarella balls.

They’d worked as seamlessly together as they had for decades in La Dolce Vita’s kitchen, laughing and joking, at times forgetting they had an audience. A quiet throat clearing from Lila or a low laugh from James would remind them that it wasn’t just the three of them.

As the segment drew to a close, Eva removed the cooked pizzas they’d prepared earlier from the oven, displaying them for the viewers. Then she sat with her mother and sister at the small kitchen table, pouring each of them a glass of wine. “Refreshing and tart with notes of green apples and lime, a sauvignon blanc is the perfect pairing for Gia’s salad pizza. And for Carmen’s white pizza, I recommend a pinot noir. Its earthy notes complement the flavors without overpowering them. And if you’re a fan of sweet and salty, I’d recommend pairing my grilled peach, chicken, and ricotta pizza with a semi-dry Riesling.”

“Because everything is better with wine,” her mother ad-libbed, and Gia and Eva nodded, laughing.

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