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 Funny? Bonnie asked.
 You know, the illegal type. She turned to her son and said,  You worry too much, Jimmy.
There s nothing in these brownies, but even if there was, I m eighty. All drugs should be legal after a
certain age as a reward for making it this far.
 I ll be in the car, her son said with a frown.
Bonnie held her next burst of laughter until after Jimmy was out of the house.  Tilly, how did
someone like you have someone like him?
Cassie chimed in,  Hey, he loves you. He just thinks I m a bad influence on you. Wait until he
hears about you and Myron. He s really going to hate me.
Bonnie leaned forward.  Myron? As in  I ve wanted you my whole life, Tilly Myron? You
finally slept with him and didn t even tell me? Tilly, how could you?
Tilly adjusted the front of her blouse modestly.  I have a reputation to protect. So don t let it get
beyond this kitchen. She studied her freshly painted nails.  Now which one of you wants to go
outside and tell my son to go on home because I m sleeping at Myron s tonight?
The three ladies started laughing again until they were gasping for air. Cassie thought about Luke
and how much she wanted him with her, but she didn t feel the need to hide and cry anymore.
She was home.
And, with or without Luke, she was going to be okay.
***
A few days later, Luke sat with his three brothers at a table in Richard s posh, uptown restaurant.
The food was phenomenal as usual, but Luke was too distracted to appreciate it.
Midway through the meal, Luke laid his fork down on the table and said,  I asked you all to meet
me here because I want to announce a few decisions I ve made.
Nick s eyebrows rose comically and he looked back and forth between the serious expressions
on Gio s and Max s faces.  I bet I can guess them. I m really good at this.
Gio took a swig of his drink and said,  Let Luke speak, Nick.
Max lent his support to Nick.  Do we have to pretend to be surprised?
Some of Luke s tension about speaking to his brothers dissolved. There would likely always be
a layer of sarcasm in their banter with each other, but lately it was said humorously and not
defensively.  I m leaving New York, Luke said.  I ve handed in my resignation at the hospital and
have started the process to get licensed in Ohio.
 Shocking, Nick said dryly.
Gio laid a hand flat on the table.  Don t forget you agreed to one Sunday dinner a month at Uncle
Alessandro s home. I m not going without you.
Max laughed.  I think all the children running around makes Gio nervous.
 I ll fly back for it, Luke said, finding it easier and easier to smile.
Gio waved a thumb at Nick.  Nick has this crazy idea that we re having a triple wedding in the
fall. I don t know how he did it, but the women are excited about it now. You need to be part of that,
also.
Luke tapped his fingers on the table beside his plate.  I don t want to be part of a triple
wedding. A strained silence fell over the table. Luke continued,  It needs to be a quadruple wedding
or nothing.
It took a moment for his brothers to get what he d said then a general laugh erupted from them.
 Congratulations, Max said, and clapped a hand on Luke s back.
 That was one of my guesses, Nick said with a self-satisfied smile.
 Did you ask her yet? Gio watched Luke s face closely.
Luke s eyes shifted uncomfortably beneath the scrutiny.  I bought the ring.
Nick burst out laughing.  You re announcing you re marrying a woman you didn t propose to
yet?
Luke raised a hand in defense.  I didn t take out an ad in the newspaper. You re the first people
I ve told.
Max brought a hand to his forehead.  Have you spoken to Cassie since you sent her back to
Ohio?
Luke frowned.  No, but I told her I would go to her after I cleared up a few things here.
Richard appeared at the table in his chef whites.  How is everything tonight?
Nick joked.  Fantastic. Luke announced he s getting married. He decided to join our wedding-
fest. The only problem is he hasn t asked Cassie yet.
Richard s lips pressed together as he tried not to smile.  It s customary to do it in the reverse
order, but Luke has a good plan I m sure.
 I am closing up my apartment here in the city. I resigned from the hospital and will soon be
licensed to practice medicine in Ohio. Everything is set.
 And the proposal? What of that? Richard asked.
Not sure what Richard meant, Luke said again,  I bought a ring.
 Mon Dieu, Richard said and spoke to himself for a moment in French.  If you don t do better
than that, I will never hear the end of it from Maddy. He snapped his fingers.  Have I ever asked you
for anything, Luke?
 No.
 But I have always been there for you whenever you needed something, yes?
Luke answered cautiously,  Yes.
 Please ask my wife to help you plan this proposal. She has been so sad since the funeral, and
she thinks you re still upset with her. Maddy is good with things like this, and it would mean a lot to
me if you included her somehow.
Luke sighed.  If Maddy gets involved, the whole Andrade clan will show up. As he said the
words, he thought about what Cassie had said she yearned for more than anything else. Family. He
said slowly,  The whole Andrade clan. Richard, you re a genius.
Chapter Twenty
As soon as Cassie received a package from a courier, she threw on her coat, stuffed the envelope
in her pocket, drove over to pick up Tilly, and called Bonnie at her restaurant to tell her they were on
their way.
Within moments she and her two closest friends were huddled at the end of the restaurant
counter. Cassie laid the unopened card down between them.
Bonnie picked it up and inspected it.  Are you sure it s from Luke?
 It has to be, Cassie said.  It came with three dozen red roses.
Tilly grabbed it from Bonnie and handed it back to Cassie.  The only way to really know is to
open it.
Cassie held her breath and hugged the card to her chest.  This could be his way of saying thank
you, but goodbye.
Tilly waved a hand in the air.  Suspense is wasted on people my age. I don t want to be dead by
the time you figure out if Luke has come to his senses. Open the damn card.
Cassie tore it open.  It s an invitation with directions for how to RSVP.
Bonnie chewed her bottom lip.  He s inviting you somewhere. That has to be good news.
Cassie turned the card so her friends could read it.  He s inviting us.
 Us? Bonnie and Tilly asked in unison.
Cassie read over the invitation again.  It says I m invited to an Andrade family gathering on
Slater Island this coming weekend. I can bring as many guests as I wish as long as I call this number
and tell them how many. Everyone should bring at least an overnight bag and be prepared to spend the
weekend. Cassie took out her phone.  He disappears, and then this? I should tell him where he can
shove it.
Bonnie snatched her phone from her.  Oh, no you don t. This is his big romantic apology. It
could be where he proposes to you. Don t kill the romance by calling him.
Cassie looked to Tilly for her opinion.
Tilly nodded in agreement.  Telling him off might feel good, but is it what you want to do? The
problem with your generation, Cassie, is that you often choose instant gratification and cheat
yourselves out of what would have been better if you d had a little patience.
Confused and afraid to believe in anything as good as what seemed to be happening, Cassie
asked,  What if it s not an apology or a proposal? What if this is a fundraiser or something he invites
everyone to?
Tilly raised one eyebrow and said seriously,  If that s the case, we take him aside and beat the
tar out of him. Then we come home and have a toast to the most clueless man on the planet.
Not too much was scary when Tilly broke it down that way. Cassie smiled, hopped up and down
with joy, and waved the invitation.  I m going to an Andrade weekend.
 We, Bonnie corrected with a whoop of joy.  There is no way you re going without me. Can I [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]