“Hold your ricotta horses.” Lorena brays out a laugh just the way Flo is prone to do as she lands a cannoli onto my plate. “You’re about to die and go to heaven.”
“Ooh.” Flo nudges Carlotta. “Get me one of those, too.”
The cannoli shell is perfectly crispy and flaky and explodes as soon as I put it into my mouth. The ricotta filling is decadently rich and just sweet enough. And the crunch of the miniature dark chocolate chips adds just the right texture along with a note of cocoa. Both ends have been dipped in dark chocolate, and it simply adds to the magic.
“Slow your roll.” Donata cackles. “You won’t have room for the rest of it.”
“Oh, I’ll have room.” I nod her way as I swallow down the last bite. “What’s next?”
“Zeppole. Italian fried donuts,” Lorena says as she slips a few round donuts covered with powdered sugar my way.
“Mmm, I love zeppole,” I say as I pop one into my mouth, and Carlotta, Keelie, and Lainey all follow suit. Both baby Josie and baby Bear tried to snatch it from their mothers, but Keelie and Lainey proved stealth. I can’t blame them. This might just be the best, freshest, softest zeppole I’ve ever had.
“Sfogliatelle,” Donata says, sliding the crunchy, creamy dessert onto my plate. It looks a lot like a croissant, but the shell is comprised of dozens of layers that look like the distended pages of a book someone is getting ready to thumb through. Traditionally, these happen to be filled with ricotta and cream as opposed to a custard cream like their dessert counterparts, the lobster tail, and boy, is it ever off the crunchy charts.
A hard groan comes from me, and Carlotta snickers.
“I haven’t heard Lot make that noise since I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. You’ll have to excuse the dark circles under her eyes. The other two mamas might have a little one keeping them up all night, but Lot’s got a sexy one in her bed making sure she doesn’t get a wink of shut-eye.”
Lorena belts out a laugh. “You and me both, sister.” She plops another cannoli onto my plate. “Carbs equal energy. Eat up, girl. I’ve seen that husband of yours. You’re going to need the tackling fuel.” She slips one onto her own plate as well. “And so will I.” She tweaks her brows.
“Look at that.” Flo gives a spontaneous applause. “It sounds like Lorena found someone to bring her a little comfort in her time of mourning.”
Keelie nods. “I’m right there with you both. At the end of the day, unless I’m sugared up and raring to go, my man finds me doing a face-plant in my pillow.”
Lainey shakes her head. “Forest hasn’t had any action in months.”
“Months?” I balk in shock at the revelation.
“Lottie.” Lainey averts her eyes. “Having a baby is exhausting. She’s cute, but she doesn’t believe in sleep and she hates both her bassinet and her crib.”
“Where does she sleep?” I ask, popping another fried zeppole donut into my mouth.
“Right where you see her,” Lainey confesses. “On me. This girl thinks my bed is her bed and I’m her pillow.”
“Same.” Keelie nods as she takes another bite of the ricotta cheesecake. “I don’t know if Bear and I will ever get used to sleeping on the edge of the mattress. Last night Bear fell off, hit his head on the nightstand, and blacked out. When he came to, he said it was the most rest he’d had in five months.” She glances to the ceiling. “I’m hoping to get lucky with my nightstand tonight.”
“Sounds painful.” Lorena shudders.
“It is.” Donata points their way as she breaks up a fried donut in her hand. “My sister has a two-year-old. Let me tell you, having a kid is no picnic. They might look cute, but they mean business.”
Lainey and Keelie share a commiserating laugh.
Donata cocks her head. “Come to think of it, Flo would’ve pulled her hair out if she had the kid.”
“What kid?” Lorena backs up a notch as she looks to her bestie.
“Oh no, oh no.” Flo claps her hands over her ears. “Donata found out by accident.” She points a finger her way. “Don’t you dare use this to hurt Lorena. I was gonna tell her,” she says to Carlotta and me. “I was gonna tell her that night, but everything went upside down and then the bullets started flying.”
Lorena takes in a hard breath, her face turning just as pink as her running suit.
“Tell me you’re kidding,” she bites the words out like a threat. “Tell me my bestie didn’t die with a kid tucked in her belly.”
Donata shudders. “I gotta get a drink.” She zips over to the counter, and I quickly follow behind, muttering something about a Frappuccino.
“Hey, Lottie.” She lifts a shoulder my way as we get to the back of the line. “I could cut right to the front, but I think it’s best I give Lorena a second to cool off.”
I agree.
“So it’s true about Flo, huh?” Of course, I know it’s true, but since she opened the door to the deceased, who am I to close it?
“That’s what the test said. I happened to find it in her trashcan. I’m not a creeper or anything. It was in her restroom, and I was using it. The stick was practically calling my name less than two feet from me. Anyway, Flo didn’t deny it. She seemed excited about it, too. There was the question of paternity.” She says that last bit through her teeth.
“I’m familiar with the situation.” My hand taps my belly.
“You too?” She gives a wistful shake of the head. “Who in the world did you find worthy to compete with that hubba hubba hubby of yours?”
“Noah Fox.” I shrug. “We were just calling it quits when we—anyway. I was committed to Everett right on the heels of that potentially life-giving event. But we’re all working through it. I’m sure Flo would have made it work, too.”
Flo zips over, and her pink aura blows all around us like the supernatural gust it is.
“Sorry, Lottie,” Flo says. “I had to calm Lorena down the only way I knew how. I made sure she polished off the rest of the zeppole. She doesn’t think it’s true. Go on.” She nods to Donata. “Let’s cross this girl off the list. I could tell you right now she didn’t pull no trigger.”
Donata shakes her head. “Flo would have made the who’s-your-daddy situation work because she was great at manipulating people to do her bidding. I should know.”
“How would you know?” I bite down hard on my lower lip to keep from mentioning her brother. “I mean, I know you were her best friend, but isn’t everyone manipulative to a certain extent?”
A hearty laugh belts from her. “Not like Angel Face. And believe me, that was a sarcastic nickname. Flo was no angel.”
Flo growls over at the girl, “Is that how you speak of the dead, Donata? Is that how you do me?” She pokes her in the chest, and Donata quickly presses her hand to it.
“I think something just bit me.” Donata glances around as if she was fit to kill.
“It’s those darn no-see-ums,” I say.
“This time a year?” The girl’s eyes bug out.