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He nodded his head once, acknowledging her sympathy. “It was rough on my dad. After all, there were five of us kids, ranging in age from seventeen to twelve.”
“You’re the oldest?” She’d had a million questions rolling around in her head about Tony, Rhys, and all the guys they ate lunch with every Wednesday. It was cool to finally get some details.
“Yep. I’m the oldest, then Joey, then the twins, Gio and Luca, and Layla, the only girl, is the baby. She moved back to Baltimore a few years ago.”
“And you were seventeen when your mom died?”
He nodded. “Obviously, Dad was overwhelmed, struggling to work and raise us kids on his own. Nonna, Aunt Berta, and Aunt Rose all convinced him to move back to Philly so they could help. We came back just before my senior year of high school. My uncle Renzo, Dad’s brother—and Aunt Berta’s husband—was a carpenter who’d been working as a contractor on his own for years. When we came back, he and my dad decided to open their own business. That’s when Moretti Brothers Restorations began.”
“Oh,” Jess was surprised. “I assumed you and your brothers started the company.”
“Nope,” Tony said, crossing his feet where they were propped up on the raised foot of the recliner. “Moretti Brothers was the brainchild of Frank and Renzo Moretti. After I graduated, I joined them in the business. Then a year later, Joey hopped on board. Two years after that, Luca and Gio.”
“And who are all the other guys who eat lunch with the two of you every week? Are they all Morettis too?”
Tony shook his head. “No, not all of them. My cousin Aldo usually joins us. He’s a firefighter here in the city. Every now and again, Aldo’s brother, Elio, comes along. He’s not in town often.”
“He’s the hockey player, right?” Jess was very aware of who he was, even though he hadn’t come for lunch more than a half dozen times. Whenever Elio walked in, the typically quiet diner erupted with a simmering excitement over the fact there was some big sports star in the room.
“Yep,” Tony said. “You a hockey fan?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, I’ve seen bits and pieces of games, but it’s sort of boring. Bunch of men on skates pushing a puck back and forth.”
Rhys laughed, while Tony looked at her like she’d just announced she was a vampire who fed on the blood of babies.
“Boring?” Tony repeated, completely aghast.
“You’ve done it now, Jess.”
“Done what?”
Rhys winked at her. “Something tells me you’re about to get schooled on why hockey is the greatest thing since sliced bread.”
She turned her attention back to Tony and grinned. “If I take back what I just said, can I get the rest of the rundown on the lunch gang?”
Tony sighed heavily. “Pretty hard thing to take back. We can move on, but I’m reserving the right to teach you the error of your beliefs at a later time.”
“So noted,” Jess said with a playful salute. “Any other relatives at the table with you?”
Tony shook his head. “No. I’ve got a bunch of other cousins, but they’re not part of the lunch posse. The rest of the guys are just buddies, like Rhys. Kayden has been best friends with Aldo since they were in diapers, while Rafe and Gio played on the same hockey team all through high school. They’ve been thick as thieves ever since.”
“You should probably start taking notes, Jess. There’s going to be a test later,” Rhys joked.
“Damn,” she winced. “Wish I’d known that at the beginning of the lecture. Maybe you can sketch out a family tree later, Tony.”
“Don’t tempt him,” Rhys said. “There’s nothing this guy loves more than his family.”
“What about you?” She turned toward Rhys. “Do you come from a big family too?”
Rhys shook his head. “Nope. Just me, my parents, and my kid sister, Penny, though we’re all pretty tight. My dad texts me every night to check in, and I see my mom and sister at least once or twice a week.”
“So they all live locally?” she asked.
Rhys nodded. “Yeah. My family moved down here from Connecticut shortly after I finished my undergrad. Once I completed my residency, I decided to set up a practice here to be close to them. Of course, our family of four is tiny when you put us next to the seventy-two thousand Morettis.”
“Both of your families seem enormous compared to mine. By the way, you’ve met both of us already,” she joked.
“Your family of two is awesome, Jess. You’re doing a great job with Jasper. Never met such an easygoing kid,” Tony said, and she smiled, wondering what it was about this man’s praise that made her feel like a million bucks.
