Surprised by Love by Kate Hofman Read Free Book Online Page A

still holding his grandmother.  “Not necessarily,” he assured
her.  Waving to the others, he said, “Forgive me, but I haven’t seen my
    Nonnain such a long time.”  Smiles and nods greeted this remark, and he
took his Nonnato a love-seat and sat down with her.
     “Alessandro! 
I am waiting to introduce you…” his mother began. 
     “But
this is a family dinner, Mamà.  Everybody is known to me, and they will
forgive me for spending some time with Nonna . ”
     “Introductions
will have to be made for…”
    Coldly,
Alessandro said, “I told you this would be a family-only dinner,
    Mamà.
I will not tolerate non-family guests.”  He felt sure that his mother had
made some kind of signal, because suddenly he was surrounded by three very
young women—17, 18, he estimated. Dio mio!  Had his mother totally
lost her marbles?  The girls hugged themselves to Alessandro’s free side,
and one even slipped behind the love-seat, rubbing her cheek against
Alessandro’s.
    Still
holding on to his Nonna , Alessandro bit out, his voice contemptuous and
dismissive, “Step back—now!  How dare you put your hands on me!  You
are acting like accomplished puttanas.”  His mother gasped loudly
in dismay, but there was no complaint from Nonna.
    Coldly,
Nonna said, “You’re absolutely right, Sandro.  These girls have no
modesty, no class.  They are trash.” 
    Furious,
his mother said, “These are carefully brought up young ladies, pure and
convent-educated.  Alessandro!  How can you be so rude!”
    “Easy,”
said Alessandro.  “Wherever they were brought up, they were taught the
manners of whores.”  He glanced around and saw Ernesto.  He held up a
hand and Ernesto was instantly at his side.
    “Signor
Conte?”
    Alessandro
said, “Will you please ask Aldo to drive these three interlopers home. 
This is a family dinner.  They do not qualify for it—and they never
will.  As you’ve seen they behave like little prostitutes.”
     “Of
course, Signor Conte.  Immediately.”  Ernesto raised a brow
and two young servers hurried over to him.  “Help me remove these three
non-family members, and put them in the Signor Conte’s limousine. 
Aldo will drive them home.  Get their addresses from them.”
    One
girl protested, “We aren’t going to give you our addresses, so how can you
drive us home, hah?”
    Shrugging
one shoulder negligently, Alessandro said, “If they will not give their
addresses, ask Aldo to drive them to that slum with all the sleazy night clubs. 
Their manners qualify them for such a place.”
     “You
can’t do that!” one of the girls said, and was instantly supported by
Alessandro’s mother, who moaned, “You can’t, Alessandro!”
     “Yes,
I can and I will.  You three get out of here, you are spoiling a family
dinner.”  He turned away from the girls, devoting all his attention to his
Nonnaagain.
    After
a while, Alessandro glanced up and saw his Uncles Armando and Roberto approach,
both smiling widely.  “Forgive us for interrupting what I can see is a
long overdue reunion with your Nonna, ” Uncle Armando said, “But we
wanted to tell you that you were absolutely right in evicting these sordid
little tarts.  What on earth made Gina invite them? 
Convent-educated?  Don’t make me laugh!”
     “Cat-house
educated, they seemed to be,” said Uncle Roberto. 
    Nonna
smiled at her sons.  “You’re absolutely right, Armando and Roberto. 
When I see how my daughter-in-law behaves, I am so sorry for your late brother,
who had to put up with her.  And now she is determined to force one of her
friends’ daughters on Sandro in marriage, for whatever nefarious purpose of her
own.  She will not succeed, while I still draw breath.”  Putting a
thin hand on Roberto’s arm, she said, “Will you two help me defang Gina, once
and for all?”
    Alessandro
gently caressed Nonna’snarrow shoulder.  “Nonna , I promise
you, when the time is right I will