“Why are you afraid of me?” he asked, bending down so he could smell her hair and the soft scent of her perfume.
Antonia tried to think of some witty remark to put him in his place, but her mind was blank. He was so close, she could feel the heat of him through the thin layers of her dress and sweater. “I’m not,” she finally said although the words were strangled.
Brett shook his head, falling under the spell of her soft, brown eyes, which were wide with the fear that he might kiss her. “Yes, you are. Why?”
Antonia couldn’t take this today. She tried to turn away, but he was still there. And she could feel her body leaning towards him but she couldn’t stop herself. “I don’t know,” she finally said, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly.
Brett nodded his head. “I don’t understand it either,” he said, moments before his mouth crushed hers in a passionate kiss that stole her breath away.
Antonia didn’t know why, but her arms reached up to encircle his neck, her hands delving into his thick, blond hair. She knew that her body was aching for his touch, that it arched closer, desperate to feel him along the length of her.
It was several minutes before Antonia realized that the bell had rung, indicating that lunch was ready. But she jumped away from Brett when she heard small voices giggling off to her left.
“Aunt Tony?” Daniel, her cousin’s son whispered, a huge grin on his face as he peered around the soft green leaves of the hedge.
Antonia didn’t trust her voice yet. So she turned to him with raised eyebrows, asking him without words what his question was.
“Uncle Sal told us to find you and Mr. Hancock. Lunch is ready,” he said, still whispering.
Antonia nodded with as much dignity as possible and watched in despair as three children ran away, giggling louder as they reached their parents. “She’s kissing him,” she heard one little voice yell, but couldn’t identify who the tiny traitor was.
Brett’s deep chuckle brought her out of her reverie. “Not very good about keeping a secret, are they,” he said.
Antonia couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Not really,” she replied. “I guess we should get out of here before they believe them.”
Brett didn’t reply, but he took in the rosy color in her cheeks, her swollen lips, and the comb that had fallen out of her hair when his hands dislodged it. He knew that with one look at Antonia, everyone on the patio would believe the boy. Instead, he picked the comb up off the ground and handed it to her.
Antonia took it with shaking hands and tried as hard as possible to replace her style. “Is it straight?” she asked, turning back to Brett.
He was silent for a moment. Then he replied, “You’re beautiful.”
Antonia smiled weakly, more flattered than she wanted to be. What was she doing? Kissing out here in the middle of a maze of hedges wouldn’t help her case with her brothers much. And she knew the “talk” was coming.
Brett and Antonia walked silently back to the patio where tables had been set up with linen and flowers. Antonia never understood how her aunts and cousins could make even a barbecue look elegant. Wasn’t mustard supposed to be falling down everyone’s hands, beer being consumed, children running around everywhere?
Not here. All the kids were sitting down at a table together; a plate with either a hamburger or hotdog on it was placed in front of each one. There was a huge bowl of chips placed in the center, and each child dug into the bowl to grab his or her own chips.
Somehow, it just wasn’t natural, the way this family worked, Antonia thought to herself as she accepted a glass of white wine from Marsha.
Picking up a plate, she got a hamburger and a bun then sat down at one of the tables. She knew she should be a good hostess to Brett, but now that everyone knew they’d been kissing in the maze, she couldn’t look him in the eye. She was grateful to Jennifer and Belinda, her cousins who sat down across and beside her.
She was just about to take a sip of her wine when a strong, dark hand took it away from her. A beer, opened already, was placed in front of her instead. Antonia turned around and watched Brett put the glass of white wine back on the table that held the other drinks. He then headed over to the grill and accepted a huge hamburger from Michael.
When Antonia turned back to her food, she noticed three stunned faces. Jennifer, Marsha and Belinda were staring at her, their mouths literally hanging open in confusion.
“We had a drink Friday afternoon,” Antonia explained how Brett knew she liked beer instead of wine.
One by one, their mouths closed. And without a word, each of them took a bite of their hamburger. Antonia picked up her beer and took a long, grateful swallow.
Antonia ate her hamburger and drank her beer, almost completely relaxed. It was a beautiful afternoon, and for the first time since she was able to drink alcohol around her family, she was drinking her preferred beverage. And no one said anything about it. It felt wonderful.
Around three o’clock, Brett left. Antonia, who was playing with the children in the solarium in order to avoid him, didn’t know that Brett had offered to drive her home. But Sal turned down his offer, explaining that they needed to have a sister to brothers chat.
And so the day was soon to be ruined. Between Brett’s kiss and the enjoyment of her meal, Antonia had forgotten about the fight she’d had with Sal and the possible repercussions. But her brothers hadn’t. And as the late afternoon approached, her brothers all assembled in the library, asking Antonia to join them.
Antonia had been playing in the flowers with the children and was lost in the enjoyment of the afternoon. She hadn’t even seen Brett leave, but she turned around when Michael called and he was nowhere to be found. All she saw was a line of tall, broad shoulders moving towards her, and an occasional concerned look if they glanced back at her.
Antonia, resigned to the upcoming argument, followed behind them after Sal waved her towards the library. She refused to look at any of her aunts, uncles or cousins. She couldn’t handle the looks of pity she was sure to see on each of their faces. Not a single one of them would ever argue with their husbands, much less the entire line-up of Attracelli men.
Standing in the doorway to the library, she realized that all the comfortable seats had been taken. Sal was the only one standing; he had his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows low over his eyes as he leaned against a bookcase.