Princess of St. Vincent

Chapter 50

"It's been too long, Giorgio. Come in." Matteo said, signalling to one of the chairs in front of his desk as Giorgio Carangi walked in.

Giorgio smiled as she sat, his thin lips curling only on the left side of his face. He'd aged, not particularly badly, but as would be deemed normal. His hair was all but gray and his face was marked by lines of age and experience. In truth, even if he did look well into his fifties, Giorgio was still a handsome man with a pleasant demeanor. He hadn't gained an extra pound, not in all the years they'd known each other, in fact he looked thinner but he was always good humored, having lived quite an amusing life with his wife, Amy, his daughter, Caroline, and their two sons.

"You know me, I like to take things easy. How are you? How is your family?" Giorgio asked. He much admired the man sitting in front of him, as many, many years before he had shown mercy and justice towards him and his family.

"Good..." Matteo began but a knock at the door interrupted him. "Speaking of- come in."

Davide entered the room and smiled as he spotted Giorgio Carangi sitting across from his father. It had been a long time since he had seen the man but when he was younger they did meet more often, encouraging a friendliness between the two families.

"Mr. Carangi- I had no idea you were here." Davide said, moving towards him to shake.

"Davide Peroni- Matteo, this boy is your exact copy." Giorgio said with a laugh. "None of mine came so close."

"So I hear- but they say the original is always a little better." Matteo said with a grin, making Davide laugh.

"He likes to tell himself that. So then I wasn't mistaken? That was Carolina I saw sitting at the Cafe?" Davide asked, thinking of a pretty redhead he'd noticed sipping coffee leisurely.

"It was- She and I were in the city together when I decided, a bit spontaneous, to pay your father a visit." Giorgio said.

"You should know that when my mother hears of this, she'll want your family over for dinner." Davide said.

"He's right- Vivi has asked for Amy recently." Matteo said.

"Then I will make sure to bring Amy and the family soon to see her." Giorgio.

"Anytime, Giorgio- You know you are welcome." Matteo said.

"I appreciate that invitation and we will take you up on it." Giorgio said.

"I heard about Carolina's wedding- congratulations." Davide said. "When will we celebrate?"

"She wants a winter wedding, which is fine by me. I was beginning to think that girl would never want to get married." Giorgio said with a chuckle. "Even her brothers are thinking of settling down."

"They're still too young for that." Davide said with a smile, thinking the boys must be in their early twenties.

"They are romantic fools, looking for love in all the wrong places. Can you believe just the other night, Joe told me he had fallen head over heels for one of the girls at St. Vincent?" Giorgio said.

"He should be careful- I've known those girls for years and they are all venom underneath the sweet facade." Davide said laughing.

"I remind them but they do not listen." Giorgio said.

"And did he mention who he'd taken a liking to?" Davide asked. Matteo sat up in his chair, staring at Davide's face. Could this be the moment he'd been waiting for?

"Strange thing- he said it was a new girl." Giorgio said.

"The new girl?" Matteo asked with a smile, realizing he was talking about Vada.