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“I strongly encourage caution unless you’re with an experienced apiarist,” I warned, wagging a finger.

“The entire island belongs to the couple for those days,” Dante assured us. “Carlo, your chef, will prepare your favorite meals and exotic desserts. All expenses will be paid, and a generous stipend will be yours to keep. Let us lift our glasses to the happy couple. Congratulations!”

We leaped to our feet, lifted our glasses, and cheered our approval. After a moment, Dante indicated we should sit.

“Please, sit down and enjoy your meal,” Dante said.

Even though the pope had told us not to engage in any formalities, no one else sat until he had. Dante took the place to the pope’s right, while Slash sat to his left. I took the chair next to Slash, and my mom sat on the other side of me. We bowed our heads while the pope blessed our meal.

Even Ciro and Chiara looked awestruck to be in the presence of the pope. During the prayer, I peeked and caught them whispering by the kitchen door. Shortly thereafter, they served us the first course of the dinner, a rich tomato and bread soup. I was just glad it wasn’t spicy so I wouldn’t end up on the veranda with Oscar again.

“Lexi, you didn’t tell me you knew the pope,” my mom said between bites of soup. “How could such a detail slip your mind?”

“I told you I met him,” I protested.

“Met him, notknewhim,” Mom said. “There’s a big difference, you know.”

“Well, I don’t reallyknowhim,” I said. “Although he did give me a necklace.”

“The pope gave you a necklace and you never bothered to mention this to me?”

“It’s a cross. Probably hopeful thinking on his part.”

To my surprise, my mom laughed. “You must tell me all about it, young lady. What other secrets are you hiding from me?”

I thought for a moment, accepting her question at face value. “Slash and I are honorary citizens of Salerno. Although Slash complains he’s yet to receive a hotel discount.”

Mom set her spoon down and reached over to pat my hand. “We need to have a girls’ night out before your wedding so you can catch me up on everything. And I mean everything.”

I set my wineglass down carefully. “What exactly does a girls’ night with you entail?”

“Whatever we want,” Mom said, waving a hand. “As long as we have fun. And now you know wecanhave fun together, right?”

She had a legitimate point. The prospect of spending time with my mom didn’t terrify me as much as it might have just a week ago. “Deal. As long as we set the parameters in advance.”

“Great,” Mom said, smiling and lifting her wineglass to me in a toast. “To a girls’ night out.”

“Okay, but before we make any more girl dates, I want to personally introduce you to someone. Come on.”

Mom’s eyes widened, but she stood up and followed me to where the pope sat chatting with Stefan and Juliette. When the pope saw me coming, he pushed back his chair and stood.

I immediately bent to one knee, so my mom tried to do the same—a bit awkwardly, since she was wearing a tight dress.

“What did I tell you about forgoing formalities for tonight?” he scolded me. When I rose, he kissed both of my cheeks and put his hands on my shoulders, studying my face. “It’s such a joy to see you, my dear.”

“Likewise. Thank you, Holy Father. I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to my mother, Clarissa Carmichael.”

I would never forget this moment for as long as I lived. For the first time in my life, I witnessed my mother completely tongue-tied. She stammered something, so I smiled as I confidently and smoothly guided the conversation while she recovered. Gah! What had happened to me? Had I turned into my mother?

We chatted for a few more minutes, and my dad joined us, so I introduced him, too. We eventually returned to our seats, and my mom couldn’t stop talking about how exciting it had been.

“I’ve learned a lot about you these past few days, Lexi,” Mom said, placing her napkin on her lap. “You’re no longer my little girl. You’ve found your path in life, and it’s one in which you are exceedingly competent. You’ve changed from a shy, awkward girl into a confident, independent, and wildly successfully woman. Shame on me for not trusting your decisions.”

I hadn’t ever expected to hear those words from her, so it took me a moment before I could speak. “I don’t know anything about being a mom, but I imagine it’s pretty hard when you have an awkward little girl who would rather cite math theorems and tote around a laptop than dance ballet to theNutcracker. You and Dad did good work. I guess I turned out okay.”

Mom put her hand over mine and smiled. “Better than okay. The best.”

For the rest of the evening, we feasted on beef braised in red wine, roasted artichokes, and thick, crusty bread, while the pope chatted easily with everyone. When the dishes were cleared and the limoncello, coffee, and dessert were served, Dante motioned to Lorenzo, who disappeared into the kitchen. He stood, clinking his glass to get our attention.