“Yeah, my mom, my dad, and my brother. And I have no doubt they’ll be wearing matching shirts. Well, Wes will put a hoodie on over his, but still.”
“That’s really sweet,” Mel says, but I just shake my head.
“It is, but it’s the kind of sweetness you get from one of those big-as-your-face lollipops. Or three servings of cotton candy. Or an all-you-can-eat fudge buffet.”
“None of that sounds especially bad. I like sweet stuff,” she says.
“It’s not bad, just overwhelming.”
Mel doesn’t get it. “Come on, how overwhelming can your family be? There are only three of them, right?”
“Yeah. But my mom has enough energy for a dozen people. If you think I’m a live wire, just wait until you meet Wendi Franconetti.”
38
Mel
Will warned me that his mom would come on strong.
And he wasn’t kidding.
Wendi Franconetti is a lot. A whole lot.
And I kind of love her.
Wade, his dad, is sweet and quiet, much like Wes, Will’s younger brother. It’s clear that Wendi and Will are the hyper ones, while Wade and Wes are a lot more chill. Wade’s an engineer, and Wendi teaches kindergarten, which means all that energy gets put to good use.
There’s a family resemblance, for sure. In stature, Will takes after his dad, while Wes is leaner and shorter, like their mom. Will gets his brown hair and blue eyes from Wendi, though. And Wes looks like he’d rather not be related to these people, though it’s clear he loves them. His hair is probably the same color as Will’s, but he’s dyed it black, with hints of teal. He’s got facial piercings and the start of a pretty wicked looking sleeve on his left arm. He graduated high school last spring and he’s in culinary school now, back home in Ohio.
I learned all of this on our five-minute drive to dinner, and if the trip had taken any longer, I’m pretty sure we would have FaceTimed Will’s grandma, just so she could meet me.
We’re at The Gatehouse, the scene of our first, disastrous date, having dinner before the game. It’s crazy to me to think that night was barely two months ago. So much has happened since then, and as much as I was rolling my eyes, cursing my luck, and brainstorming ways to torture Ollie that night, looking back, I really am grateful. Will Franconetti has made my life better, and I have to admit, I’ll miss him a lot more than I should when this is over.
“Will brought you here, right?” Wendi asks as we all look over the menu. Will’s at dinner with the team, so it’s just me and the Franconettis. It should be awkward, but it isn’t.
“Yes,” I answer. “It’s where we had our first date.”
“Oh, my Will is such a good boy,” she coos as Wes rolls his eyes.
Our server arrives to take our order and we settle into small talk. Wes and I are in the middle of a deep discussion about rumors surrounding the next season of our favorite teen drama when Wendi asks Wade to run out to the car for her. He returns moments later, with a giant patterned bag. Wendi claps her hands in excitement and digs through the bag. It’s so cavernous she could probably fit inside it, but her hand emerges a moment later with a purple gift bag.
“A little birdie told me purple is your favorite color,” she says, handing it over.
“Thank you,” I say, taking the bag and wondering what could be inside.
“It’s not much,” Wendi insists. “But when I was making shirts for the game, I didn’t want you to feel left out.”
I remove the tissue paper and sure enough there’s a shirt inside. It’s white with burgundy letters outlined in silver glitter, and it says,Franconetti’s #1 Fan.
I’m speechless.
“I have one, too,” Wendi says, “but mine saysMama Bear.”
“And mine saysPapa Bear,” Wade adds, beaming.
“And mine will never see the light of day,” Wes adds.
“Thank you so much,” I say, because really, what other answer is there? Wes can read my mind though, because he shoots me a disbelieving look.
