Free Say Ye by Celia Juliano Page A

the wine.”
    Lita and Paolo laughed and continued their talk until dinner.
    Sitting at the table, Lita almost choked on her bite of salad when the doorbell rang. But it was only Lee who followed Carlo into the dining room, apologizing for being late. He kissed Lita on the top of her head before sliding into the empty seat beside her, the seat she’d imagined Lorenzo in. Prickles of guilt pestered her. Lee joining them was great, just what she’d hoped.
    “I don’t suppose you’ve spoken to Lorenzo?” Uncle Enzo asked him.
    Lita strained to hear over the five other conversations around the table.
    “Yes, he’s busy packing. He told me he’d already said goodbye.”
    Lita placed her fork on her plate and sipped her water.
    “I suppose he did,” Uncle Enzo said. He glanced at Lita, who wanted to pour the water on her head, she felt so hot.
    Instead, she sat, rearranging the food on her plate, hoping it would look like she’d eaten more than she had, waiting for the moment she could escape to the kitchen to help with the dishes. But apparently Lorenzo hadn’t lied to Emma that Thanksgiving two years before--all the men except Uncle Enzo and Vittorio cleaned up while everyone else went into the living room.
    When Carlo and Joe brought out coffee and dessert, Lita’s entourage settled in again. Lee soon joined them, edging ever closer to Lita. She glanced at him and wondered at his frown and crossed arms, so unlike his usual easy posture and smile. Then Uncle Enzo called Gianni and Joe into his study while Frankie, Michael, and Vincente moved off, talking about the Giants.
    “Something going on?” Lita asked her brother.
    “Just worried about you,” he said. He put his arm around her shoulder and walked her into the foyer.
    “I’m fine. You know how great everyone here is. This is…” she stopped, realizing saying this was the family she’d always wanted might hurt Lee, who had been her only real family before now.
    “I know, what you’ve always wanted. I just want you to be careful. You give yourself away so easily, you’re bound to get hurt.”
    “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not as trusting as you think. Is there some reason…I mean, I thought you loved…” She didn’t want to say his name.
    “Sure, I do, but you’re my baby sister.” He hugged her. “Let’s go grab a cookie before Janice eats them all.”
    “Okay,” she said. She laughed. Janice could pack it away, though it never showed. Must be nice to eat whatever you wanted and not get pudgy. Lita would never know.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    7
     
    Two months and Lita still didn’t feel settled. She smoothed her skirt and twisted her foot around. She didn’t know what they meant. She sat and tried to listen to Janice and Uncle Enzo explain all the parts of her father’s estate and Uncle Enzo’s plan to put his house in her name, a sort of living trust. She didn’t understand all the legal terms, but Lee sat with her and summed it up.
    “Once you sign all these papers, you’ll be set for life, as long as you’re careful and don’t trust the wrong people.” Lee kept saying that these last two months, ever since she’d moved into Uncle Enzo’s. He didn’t understand that Lita needed to believe in goodness, that life was full of miracles.
    “Not much chance of that. I have all of you to help me,” Lita said. She smiled at Uncle Enzo and Lee and even at a grimacing Janice. Lita was used to her sour faces after the last two months of family dinners, though Janice had only shown up twice. “Now I can finally get you a good Christmas present,” she said to Lee.
    “Sending me to Hawaii?”
    “I would.”
    “Just kidding. I like all the homemade gifts you’ve given me. Don’t change.”
    “I won’t.” Lita hugged everyone, even Janice. “How about dinner at Nick’s later this week?”
    “Only if I get to return the favor for your birthday.”
    Lita nodded as she and Uncle Enzo walked Lee and Janice to the