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“No one you know.”
“You gotta be careful. Going out with guys you don’t know can be dangerous.”
“I didn’t know any of the guys you or Aunt Rosa have fixed me up with, so what’s your point exactly?”
“That’s different—we know them.”
Turning to her aunt, she said, “Did you know the guy who wanted me to smell his armpits? What was his name?” She lightly tapped the edge of her plate with her fork.
“Eddie,” Dominic said. “And he was a loser. You can’t always get a winner.”
“I told my friend about him. She won’t ever fix him up with another girl again,” Aunt Rosa added.
“At least I can rest easy knowing that.” Angie wiped the corners of her mouth with the linen napkin.
“There’s this great guy I know from the shop. He brings his Mercedes in, and I’ve gotten to know him.” Dominic glanced over at Nick. “Jerry Pasotti.”
“He’s a great guy. Funny too,” Nick added.
“And loaded—he’s a doctor with a private practice. A specialist in something. Do you remember what it is, Nick?”
“Nah, but it’s something.”
“Anyway, he’s nice-looking, single—never married, Catholic, and Italian on both sides of his parents. I was telling him about you, and he wants to meet you. I thought—”
Angie pushed her empty plate away and held up her hands. “Stop right there, Dom. I admire the tenacity in your ongoing campaign to try to fix me up—Ireallydo—but I’m not on the market.”
Aunt Rosa frowned. “Listen to Dominic, Angela. Your brother is just trying to help. You’re such a beautiful girl. You deserve a nice man in your life.”
“Yeah,” Nick interjected. “There’s a great guy out there just waiting for you.”
“And Jerry may be the one,” Dominic said.
“Since there’s a great guy out there for me, you don’t need to intervene. So it’s a win-win. I’ll meet this ‘great guy’ when the time is right. Until then, I’m done with blind dates.” She stood up, collected the empty plates, and brought them into the kitchen.
Angie poured dishwashing liquid into the sink and filled it with warm water. She washed and rinsed each dish meticulously while staring out the kitchen window. She knew her brothers meant well, but when would they acknowledge that she was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.
“Don’t let them get to you,tesora,” Aunt Rosa said as she came into the kitchen. “They mean well. We only want the best for you.”
She looked over her shoulder, meeting her aunt’s gaze. “I know that, but I have to live my own life. Just because I made a mistake with Devon doesn’t mean I’m incapable of finding someone suitable for me in the future. I want everyone to trust me with my own choices, regardless of what happened in the past.”
“I understand, but I believe you’ve given up on love. It breaks my heart to see you alone.”
Angie wiped her hands on the dishtowel and turned toward Aunt Rosa.
“I’m not alone. I have you, Dad, Uncle Leo, brothers, cousins, and some great friends. Don’t worry about me so much.”
“I can’t promise you that,tesora, but I will promise not to fix you up for a while.”
Shaking her head and laughing, Angie wrapped her arms around Aunt Rosa and hugged her tight.
“What’s going on in here?” Dominic asked as he put several dishes on the counter.
“Girl stuff.”
“What type of ‘girl stuff’?” Dominic reached past them to grab a plate of pizzelles.
“Never mind.” Aunt Rosa lightly pushed him toward the door. “Go talk with the others and leave us alone.”
