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Mrs. Williams squealed with excitement. “Two boys so they can play together, and a daughter to bond with.”
“Exactly!” I exclaimed.
Braden was tensing next to me, but I didn’t care. I was crushing this. All embarrassment about my wardrobe was now long gone.
The tequila was also beginning to kick in. I wolfed down another piece of bread as my head began to spin.
Keep it together. You’re doing great.
“What do you think of the show, Nadia?” Tony asked.
I shrugged deeply. “Before I criticize it, you didn’t write it, did you?”
Tony grinned and held up a hand. “I swear I haven’t. Give us your honest opinion.”
“It’s not great,” I admitted. “And that’s just the script. Throw in Tatiana the diva and a minuscule budget? It’s going to bomb.”
Braden’s parents made protesting noises. “I’m sure the two of you will raise it far above its potential.”
“We’ll do our best,” Braden said. “But there’s only so much lipstick you can put on a pig.”
I gave him a playful smack. “That’s not a nice thing to say about Tatiana!”
His parents laughed.
I’m crushing it. I didn’t consider myself the life of most parties, but I had an audience and I was feeling smooth.
“In all seriousness, Tatiana’s not ugly,” I said. “Far from it. She’s like Miss South Carolina. All beauty and no brains.”
Tony and his wife laughed even harder. I was in a groove.
“Thank God Braden’s more than just a pretty face.” I grabbed his jaw and gave him a kiss. Fire blossomed in my body at feeling his lips on mine, but it felt totally natural. “I only started dating him on account of how gorgeous he was, and lo and behold there’s brains and personality as a bonus!”
“He wasn’t always that way,” Mrs. Williams said while wiping tears from her eyes.
“Mom!”
“He was a late bloomer,” she said over his protests. “Thick glasses, acne, and greasy hair. And now look at him. Like the ugly duckling.”
Braden rolled his eyes and put his arm around me. “Next she’ll be showing you old photos of me.”
“I’ll save those for next time!”
“The show has deeper problems than that,” I said. It felt good to talk about my frustrations and roast the people we worked with. “The stage director isn’t the greatest in the world. Granted, our budget is so small that he’s doing all the work that should be done by choreographers and dance captains and singing instructors and musical directors, but he’s bad at it. He barely gives any feedback where it’s needed—and trust me, some of the other backup dancers need it.”
“But not you,” Tony said with a wink. “You’re perfect, right?”
I sat up straight and stuck my nose in the air. “I am flawless every single time. Ask Braden.”
They looked at Braden, who made a waffling noise. Then his parents erupted in laughter as I started smacking him playfully on the arm.
An obese Italian man came out of the kitchen with a plate of garlic knots for our table. “Tony! Martina! Braden! It is so good to see you!” He turned to me. “And you must be Braden’s beautiful girlfriend. I am Giuseppe, and the Williams family has been coming to my restaurant so long they helped put my twins through college!”
“He’s not joking,” Tony said, deadpan. “We’ve probably spent a fortune here over the years.”
“I’m sorry I’m under-dressed,” I said. “I came straight from the theater, and there was an accident, and…”
Giuseppe took my hand and enveloped it in both of his. “Nadia. There is no need to apologize. They are practically family, which makes you practically family. If anyone has a problem with your clothes, they are not welcome in my restaurant! I will kick them out at once!” He nodded past me. “I have known Braden since he was only the size of my leg. I am overjoyed to see that he has landed a beautiful woman.”
