Page 41 of With Us

“Now, Mariangela Jules Moretti.”

“Uh oh. Middle name,” Kat whispered loudly, grabbing her cousin’s hand and pulling her inside.

There was a knock on the fence.

“Perfect timing,” Tina said. “I’ll go grab the salad.”

Theo opened the gate to a pizza delivery boy. “Hi Mr. Amato,” the kid greeted.

“Pete. How’s your old man?” Theo asked, handing him some cash as he accepted four pizza boxes.

“Good. His knee surgery went well, so he’s back in the restaurant, terrorizing us all. He says hi.” He handed Theo a smaller pizza box. “Based on how many pizzas you got, he guessed either the girls were here swimming or Mr. Ricci was over, so he sent a double order of garlic knots.”

“Garlic knots!” Kat screamed, practically flying out the door to the table.

“Hey girls!” the kid yelled out, folding up his pizza warming bag.

“Hi Petey!” Kat called back, waving enthusiastically, her drink spilling.

Mar, surprisingly staying away, mumbled her greeting as she rushed to the table, keeping her back to everyone.

Uh oh.

“And it begins. You’re so screwed,” Julie whispered to Tina, earning her an elbow to the gut.

“Give it a couple years, and you’ll be right here,” Tina returned. “And if you keep this up, I won’t share any of my experienced wisdom in dealing with it.”

“Wine?”

“Damn, you guessed my secret weapon.”

“Tell your dad I said hi,” Theo said, closing the gate behind Pete.

Pizza boxes were flipped open, everyone digging in. Conversation was mostly controlled by the kids, which meant it was hilarious for Theo and I, and occasionally embarrassing, or worse, for Tina and Julie.

When no more cheesy goodness could be consumed, Theo stood and started combining it into fewer boxes.

“We’ve got it,” Julie said, shooing him away.

“Can you come swim with us, Uncle Theo?” Kat asked, already bouncing.

“Depends. Will you throw me in?”

Kat paused, her lips pursing before she nodded. “I’ll try!”

“Good, I expect to make it halfway. At least.” Dropping a quick kiss to my forehead, I watched as he headed to a small shed like building.

“It’s a little pool house,” Julie said, reading my mind. “Towels, suits, supplies, all that stuff.”

“Cool.” Grabbing the empty cups and some garbage, I followed Tina and Julie inside before pausing.

An island that was almost as big as my entire kitchen took up the middle of the room, a smooth cooktop on one side. Four extra padded, dark metal stools were situated on the other.

The counters wrapped around the room in a large u-shape. Two ovens, a dishwasher, and a wine fridge were all built right in, plus who knew what else. Even the fridge fit so perfectly, it made me wonder if it was picked with the size in mind, or if the spot was built around the fridge.

Like the outside, it looked as though it belonged in a magazine.Almost.The backyard had toys strewn about. The pool slide and diving board didn’t match with the rest of the design and were there to be used, not just to keep a certain look. In the kitchen, a few dirty dishes sat in the sink. Smudges were on the stainless-steel appliances, and some spots weren’t wiped down thoroughly on the stove.

Little things like that added together and made the place feel more lived in and homey, rather than a show house I needed to take my shoes off before stepping in.

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