Free When Love Finds a Home by Megan Carter Page A

patriarch of the
boisterous family, Stefano Pagonis. Rona had seen men like him around the
fishing docks when her mother would take them with her on her occasional trips
to purchase fresh fish for one of the many meals she prepared for her husband's
business associates. They were hearty men who worked hard, always striving to
make life better for their children.
    She estimated Anna's father to
be in his mid-sixties. His hair was completely silvery-gray. Even with the
slight thickening around the middle, which she surmised hadn't been there
during his prime, he was still an imposing figure. Beside him was Mrs. Pagonis,
a robust woman with salt-and-pepper hair. It didn't require much intuitiveness
to understand that here was the heart of the family. Next was Polly, wife of
the missing eldest son, Hector. There were already touches of gray in her short
brown hair. When Polly smiled and welcomed them, Rona felt an underlying sense
of gentleness about the otherwise rather plain woman. At the head of the table
between Polly and Anna was the wiry Julian. He had the highchair of his
youngest daughter, Ellen, next to him. Like his siblings, he possessed warm
olive skin and ebony hair.
    When the introductions were
completed, there was a new flurry of activity as lids were lifted from the two
blue-on-white tureens that sat at each end of the table. As the steam rose up
from die large bowls, the air filled with the fragrant aroma of lamb stew. The
table looked as if it had been prepared to feed a hungry army. In between the
tureens sat large platters of bread and chunks of cheese and bowls of olives.
Mr. and Mrs. Pagonis began filling bowls with the savory-smelling stew.
    "We hope you like lamb
stew," Mr. Pagonis said as he passed bowls over to Tammy and Rona.
    "It smells
delicious," Rona said as she inhaled deeply.
    "It's the perfect day for
it," Tammy agreed as she helped the twins with their bowls.
    "How old are your
twins?" Gina asked. "Jason and Susan just turned five." She
nodded to the children on either side of her.
    "They're four,"
Tammy answered as she brushed a hand over Katie's towhead. "How old is
your youngest?" She nodded to the chattering Ellen, who sat perched in a
highchair beside Julian.
    "She's three and getting
to be quite a handful."
    Rona blocked out the
conversation as she added bread and cheese to her plate. A bowl of
almond-shaped olives was passed to her. They were a dark eggplant color, not
the black olives she was accustomed to eating. She glanced at Anna's plate and
saw she had taken six or eight. Unsure about them, she took two from the bowl
and passed it to Tammy. She tasted the stew and could barely suppress a moan of
pleasure. She had grown up on thick hearty fish stews and soups. After a
tentative taste of the sharp, salty olive, she regretted not taking more.
    "What kind of olives are
these?" she asked Anna.
    "Aren't they delicious?
They're Kalamata olives. I love to eat them with salads or with bread and
cheese."
    "Where are you girls
from?" Mrs. Pagonis asked.
    "Michigan. Miami. San
Antonio," Rona, Anna and Tammy piped in unison.
    Rona cringed as the entire
room grew still and all eyes turned toward them. Without missing a beat, Tammy
spoke up.
    "Rona is from Michigan. I
was born in San Antonio and then moved to Miami several years ago."
    Rona noticed Mrs. Pagonis
watching Anna, who was concentrating on her food.
    "Gina, this is a really
great batch of stew," Julian said as he helped Ellen tear her bread.
    "It's Mother Pagonis's
recipe," Gina replied.
    Several times during the meal,
Rona glanced up to find Pietro watching them.
    After dinner the men
disappeared into another room as the women worked together to clear both the
dining room and kitchen tables where the older kids had eaten. Julian's twins
whisked off Katie and Karla.
    As Rona had suspected, Tammy
seemed completely at ease with these women. It was almost as though she had
known them her entire life. Even after the tables were cleared and