Page 46 of When Love Gives You Lemons
No time to dwell on me—thank god. My back straightens and I’m back to daydreaming: Me and Ricky working alone on a romantic surprise late at night? Sneaking in moments together? I couldn’t have asked for a better best man task.
Topher’s wedding and happiness needs to be the most important factor in my actions. He deserves as much.
“You can count on me,” I say resolutely.
Chapter 12
He’s Kept You on a Pedestal
First act of Fielder Lemon, peacemaker extraordinaire: find Cam and try to bridge the gap, broker a deal, common ground and all that. After all, we must have something in common. My inner voice screams,Yeah, Ricky, dumbass!Which feels both too obvious and far too sacred, even though Ricky fell for both of us, so there’s got to be something there worth getting to know, right?
That realization makes me feel ill.
Ignoring. Rising above. I’m suspending the urge to follow through with the original plan of lightly sabotaging their relationship!
Benny and Riccardo Sr. are outside Massimo Andreozzi’s, leaning against the exterior of a stone building opposite in the alley.
“Was it just me or was Massimo daddy?” Benny asks.
“You need help, nephew,” Riccardo Sr. says, which causes me to burst out laughing. He locks eyes with me, and before I realize what’s happening, he’s making his way toward me and holdingout a hand for me. “I didn’t get the chance to properly catch up. It’s really nice to see you, Fielder.” Suddenly, he pulls me into a man-safe hug, where we’re still shaking hands, but his other is wrapped around me, patting my back. It’s strangely relieving to be so close to him—especially since I haven’t had this kind of contact with a father figure since my own passed away. I hadn’t realized how much I missed this kind of affection. It makes me miss my dad. “We missyou, son, if you catch my drift.”
A lump in my throat forms. “I miss you guys, too.”
“One day, my son will wise up.” Riccardo Sr. smacks my cheeks lightly. “Give him some time. DeLuca men always find their way home.” His hands linger on my jaw, as if he’s inspecting me for stock. Riccardo Sr. has always been a man of few words, like Ricky’s nonno. For all the years I spent next door at the DeLucas, we’re at the maximum of our usual word count.
“Yes, sir,” I say. “I’m patient.”
“Good. He loves you, you know. You never forget your first love. I should know. I married mine.” He nods behind me as Ricky makes his way back toward the group.
“We ready to hit the Piazza del Duomo?” Topher asks. “Sienna is texting . . .”
“I can’t find Cam,” Ricky says. “I’m trying to call, but nothing.”
Benny’s antsy. “I’m hungry. All I want is the homemade pasta I was promised.”
My stomach gurgles. “I can help. Sooner we find him, the sooner we meet the girls, the sooner we eat.”
“Divide and conquer?” Tyler chimes in, hanging an arm on my shoulder and motioning for Benny and Matty to join us.“Toph, you and Trav go meet the girls. The rest of us will go comb the town.”
“We can all look as we walk,” Topher says, checking the time on his phone. “As long as we make our way to the Duomo, we can divide and conquer.”
“I’ll stay here, just in case he comes back here,” Ricky says, sounding more annoyed than concerned for the whereabouts of his boyfriend.
How often does this happen?
The group fans out on the way to the Duomo. We search shops and cafés, down narrow side streets, in between large tourist groups surrounding fruit stands—nothing.
No sign of Cam anywhere.
Matty is busy on his phone, sifting through messages from guys on a hookup app, and I’m looking over his shoulder trying to get in on the action, but he keeps shouldering me away.
As we’re walking through the town, I move between Benny and Tyler to pick their brains about what they know about Cam.
“Honestly, I didn’t know Ricky had a boyfriend until he brought him on the plane,” Benny says. “It’s not like he has social media, and we don’t really talk, so he’s not texting me all the gory details of his life. I found out at the same time as you.”
Tyler says, “I thought it was interesting how last night Cam was going on about you and how he got the impression you were not really a nice person. But I wonder how much of that is coming from Ricky. And thinking you’re a bit of a . . .” His voice trails off.
“A what?” I ask.
