Walk On The Wild Side. Donna Kauffman

had never included something as fun-sounding as this event. Quite the opposite.

      Marina shuttled her sister out the bedroom door, but Andrea ducked her head back in. With a speculative gleam in her eye, she said, “We never turn down an extra pair of hands. Just ask Nick for directions. We’ll be there until mid-afternoon at least. Or as long as the kids last after they get dropped off.”

      Marina nodded. “Hey, if you lasted a week in Nick’s kitchen, this will be a breeze.”

      “Or send you screaming back to wherever you came from,” Andrea added with a laugh. “Come if you dare.”

      “I don’t think I’m running anywhere just yet. Let me shower and get dressed and I’ll be there. If it’s okay. I’m not really a resident.”

      Marina’s eyebrows rose, and she really looked like her brother. “You pay rent, do you not? This is your mailing address, is it not? We’re like a village here, made up of decades of immigrants.” She shrugged. “What can I say? We are more open-minded than our ancestors, perhaps, but we still stick together. Show us what you’re made of. You’ll get a fair shake.”

      Andrea agreed. “You won’t know unless you try.”

      Marina smiled. “I’ll give you some advice. Good gossip is a great way to get in.”

      “I don’t have any gossip.”

      “You have the story about how a blond-haired rich girl got hired by Nick D’Angelo, to work in Carlo’s kitchen, no less. That will get you in the door. Trust me.” She winked. “After that, it’s all up to you.”

      “That is, if you still want to try after stepping into this madness,” Andrea warned as they headed out.

      “Welcome to the neighborhood, Sunny,” Marina called, then the front door slammed shut.

      Sunny flopped back in bed. She’d just survived Hurricane D’Angelo. She didn’t feel sleepy. In fact, she felt invigorated. Enough to go stand on your feet on your day off? She thought of the two women she’d just met, their vivacity and the natural energy that emanated from them. She wanted to be a part of that.

      She’d wanted a life of her own choosing. Never in her wildest imagination would she have chosen this one. But somehow it had chosen her. And she found she liked it.

      “Grandfather, if you could only see your little CEO now.”

      5

      SUNNY STOPPED in front of the office door, hesitating before knocking. She’d been hoping Mama Bennie would be around so she wouldn’t have to bug Nick for directions to Father Sartori’s. No such luck. She knocked.