Fabrizio was putting the finishing touches to dinner when Tommy entered dressed in what could be considered his Sunday's best. Lily was right behind him, her favorite stuffed rabbit embraced in her arms.
"Is it ready yet, mate?" Tommy asked, lifting Lily up into his arms. He smiled as the child rested her head against his shoulder. Tommy found that he really adored taking care of the little girl. He couldn't help but hope that he'd find a wife someday and have a child of his own. It was funny, back in Ireland. He had never given fatherhood a second thought, but now in this new world, he wanted it to be part of his future.
"Almost. Just finishing the bread," Fabrizio peeked into the oven and closed it again. He turned to face his friend and chuckled. "You are spoiling the Bambina. Rose and Jack will not be happy."
"Children need lots of love and attention. This little one needs it now, especially after what happened to her family on that ship. Besides, doesn't she make you think about becoming a papa yourself, someday?"
Fabrizio just shrugged. With Helga gone, he didn't think much about having a family of his own. He just worked on making himself useful and helping his friends when he could. He really didn't think there was anyone out there for him now that Helga was gone. "I have enough now."
Tommy frowned, seeing the shadow of grief in his friend's eyes. "That lass Sarah will be here for dinner tonight. Try to get to know her, will you? It's time to start getting to know new people, mate. Make new friends." Meet new girls, he wanted to add but knew Fabrizio would push away the idea.
"I'll finish off the bread, mate. Take Lily to Jack and Rose and then go get dressed for dinner. Make sure to look your best. I think Rose wants to impress her friends."
Actually, Tommy was thinking about himself and Fabrizio impressing Rose's friends, but again he kept that part to himself.
"Yes, alright, alright. Be sure to keep eye on the bread. Should only be a few more minutes before it's ready to come out."
"Yes sir," Tommy grinned, handing Lily over to Fabrizio.
Fabrizio just gave Tommy a strange look before leaving the kitchen with Lily in his arms. He found Jack and Rose on the front porch. Rose was seated on the porch swing with a bouquet of lily's in her hands and Jack was seated on the stairs, sketching her. Both seemed to be oblivious to the time.
"Tommy is watching the bread. I go up and change into something better for dinner before the guests arrive," Fabrizio explained, giving the couple a pointed look as if telling them that changing their clothes may be a good idea as well.
"Oh wow, I totally forgot about the time," Rose got to her feet and took Lily from Fabrizio. "Sarah and Leah will be here soon and we're still dressed in the clothes we had put on this morning!"
Jack blinked, feeling a little confused. "So? I mean...this isn't first-class Titanic, right?"
"We're having company, Jack! Surely, your mother would have you dressed in better clothes when the company came over! There's no time to waste! Lily and I have to change into something nicer than this! You do too!"
Jack stared at Rose for a second then he just good-naturedly rolled his eyes. "Yes ma'am. I'm on my way, Mrs. Dawson," He closed his portfolio and got to his feet, kissing Rose's cheek and giving Fabrizio a playful punch on the arm. "Thanks, man."
"Do not blame me. It's Tommy's fault. He looks like he goes to church," Fabrizio snorted, following Rose and Lily into the house.
…..
It didn't take too long for Fabrizio, Jack, and Rose to get themselves and Lily ready for dinner. Fabrizio had chosen the suit he had purchased for Jack and Rose's wedding. Jack also wore the suit he had worn to his wedding while Rose dressed herself in a burgundy day dress and Lily in a clean yellow dress that the child had only worn once.
When they came down, the table was set and the food was ready to be served.
"Everything looks and smells delicious, Fabri," Jack complimented.
"Hey, I helped with the bread, boy-o," Tommy huffed, crossing his arms as if he had been insulted.
"You did good too, Tommy," Rose smiled, just as there was a knock at the door. "Oh, that's them! What do we do?!"
"We answer the door," Jack chuckled, amused by Rose's reaction, who was smoothing down the fabric of her skirt, looking for any sign of imperfection. "Calm down. You look great."
Rose simply smiled and took his hand. "We'll answer the door together."
"Right," Jack kissed her again before leading her to the door and opening it to their two guests.
"Sarah and Leah! Welcome!" Rose ushered the two girls inside, hoping that the girls wouldn't be too disappointed in her new home. To her, the Dawson farm was as beautiful as any big mansion that she had set foot in. She didn't know what Sarah and Leah would think, despite their having personalities close to her own.
Sarah gasped as she looked around. She had been charmed by the outside appearance of the house, but she was absolutely taken by the inside. It was cozy and warm. There was a sense of family and safety here that she couldn't really explain, but she liked. Rose's new home was everything she wanted for herself, but probably wouldn't be able to have, especially if her father and brother caught up with her.
"Oh Rose, I love it! It's absolutely precious! You must be so happy here," Sarah exclaimed, turning to talk to her old friend.
"I am. I'm happier than I've ever been, Sarah. Truly," Rose happily smiled, feeling relieved by her friend's reaction.
"This is a very lovely home, Mr. Dawson. I thank you for inviting Sarah and me here, tonight. I hope that it wasn't an inconvenience," Leah addressed Jack, who quietly stood next to Rose, watching the friends reunite.
"Thank you, ma'am,' Jack nodded. He glanced over at Fabrizio and Tommy, who appeared to look a little out of place. "Oh and, you have met our roommates, Fabrizio DiRossi and Tommy Ryan, and our daughter, Lily."
"Oh, yes. They rescued us from that horrible man at the market!" Sarah instantly recognized Fabrizio.
"Yes, after Sarah stole an apple," Leah snorted.
"I didn't steal it. I was...borrowing it. That child was hungry! Hungry children should not have to pay for food," Sarah huffed indignantly. "Really, I did what any decent human being would do."
"Jack, why don't you take their coats and I'll show everyone into the dining room. Dinner is hot and ready to be served," Rose simply laughed, not knowing how else to respond.
"Sure," Jack nodded, his face going a little red, realizing how rude he was being. His mother would have had a fit if she was there, knowing that he had failed to take the girl's coats when they first came in.
Once her coat was safely taken to the coat tree, Sarah linked arms with Rose and walked with her to the dining room.
"How adorable is that husband of yours? Simply stunning, Rose. You got so lucky in finding him," Sarah girlishly giggled.
"And his two friends are equally as handsome," Leah spoke up from Sarah's other side. "Are they single?"
"The answer is yes. Oh and Fabrizio cooks. Tonight's dinner was prepared by him. It's rather delicious. Definitely better than the Hockley's chef's attempt at Italian cooking," Rose happily chattered on. "The girl that lands him will have to watch her figure, I suppose."
"Handsome and can cook. He definitely sounds like a catch to me. I just wish that father would think the same. Unfortunately, he lacks the millions that father thinks is so important," Sarah sighed. "Which is why I ran away. I refuse to have father choose my husband."
"Well, there's no one here to force you into anything," Rose smiled, settling Lily into her seat as everyone else got seated as well. "In fact, I have to say that I admire you, truly. Never have I thought of running away. Yet, here you are. You took your life into your hands and now you're free and having dinner with us in Chippewa Falls."
"But you did run away. Mind you, it was onboard a sinking ship, but you didn't return. You quite literally died and became reborn as someone completely different. It's only by chance that Leah and I ran into you again. If we had never left Pittsburgh, we would still think that you had gone down with the ship."
"Yes, not to mention that you were alone and had a child with you, you were very brave. I know I would never have had the courage to start a new life," Leah nodded her agreement.
"So….where are the servants to serve us?" Sarah looked around, not missing the looks that Leah and Rose gave each other.
"Sarah, we have no servants here. We all serve ourselves," Rose stated matter-of-factly, trying not to sound amused. She didn't want Sarah to think that she was making fun of her. "Things are quite different when you're not rich. Besides, it's nice to have a conversation without having to worry about the servants listening in," Rose took the dish of lasagna and dipped herself and Lily a serving each.
"Ooh, that was a problem. I remember how mother always lowered her voice so we could hardly hear every time she had something juicy to share," Sarah rolled her eyes, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Well, I suppose that I have a lot to get used to now that I've left home."
"What was life like growing up with Cal for a brother?" Jack asked, unable to help his curiosity.
"As horrid as you may think it is. If he wasn't bullying me, he was behaving as if he owned me. Just another version of our father. Even mother's love couldn't soften him. I am so happy that Rose had escaped. Now he's Isabella's problem."
"Isabella Lovegrade?" Rose frowned, pouring a glass of milk for Lily.
"Yes. She's his new fiancee. It was announced right before Leah and I had left. A match made in heaven if you ask me. She and my brother are a perfect match."
"I bet they are. I wonder why he hadn't chosen her in the first place."
"Because you're so much more prettier than her, that's why. And elegant. Cal considered you the best, but since you're gone, he's settling for Isabella."
"I take it that Isabella is just like Cal," Jack arched a brow.
"She's worse actually," Rose flatly replied. "She makes my mother look like a good Samaritan by comparison."
"You should have seen her the night of the gala, Rose," Leah chimed in, placing an unfolded napkin onto her lap. "The minute Cal presented her with that necklace, she went prancing around as if she was the newly crowned queen of England. Honestly, it was so embarrassing."
"That necklace was gorgeous though...but it was nothing like the heart of the ocean," Sarah sighed wistfully. "I had only seen it that once. So gorgeous and now it's at the bottom of the ocean…"
Sarah didn't see Jack and Rose give each other a knowing look as she took a bite of her lasagna.
"Enough about Cal and his new fiancee. I want to know more about Fabrizio and Tommy," Leah smiled, tired of the same old gossip she had heard a million times before. "You're both from Ireland?"
"No, lass. I'm from Ireland and Fabrizio here is from Italy," Tommy explained, taking a bite of his garlic bread.
"Were you both of the Titanic too?" Sarah asked.
Both men nodded.
"Jack and I won tickets in a game of poker," Fabrizio explained. "We were traveling companions before that. I met Jack in Italy. He made me want to travel too."
"I had to work hard to get my ticket. My whole goal was to leave my poor life in Ireland and make a living here and perhaps send some money home to my folks to help out."
"How are you finding life here in America? It seems that the both of you are fitting in quite well," Leah complimented.
"I suppose it's a better life than what I had, even though I had to go through hell to get here. I have a nice place to live, money in my pocket, and great friends to share my life with. And great food on the table," Tommy chuckled. "But I do miss Ireland though. The wide open spaces...the fresh Ireland air, most of all the delicious Irish ale…"
"How about the music?" Rose couldn't help but ask. "I assume that the music that was playing at the steerage party Jack took me to was Irish."
"That it was, lassie, and may I say, you dance a perfect Irish jig for a beginner."
Rose simply blushed. "I was just trying to keep up with Jack, but oh what fun it was. I wish you and Sarah could have been there, Leah! You would have loved it!"
"What was life like for you in Italy? Was it hopelessly romantic?" Sarah asked, her dark eyes sparkling with interest as she eyed Fabrizio.
"I don't think you'd find much very interesting in my old life back in Italy," Fabrizio nervously smiled, not really wanting to talk about his life before he had met Jack and his life had changed. He felt like he had been a totally different person back then. Someone more...pure. More innocent. Someone who hadn't been touched by grief and tragedy.
"Come on, Fabri. You had a pretty interesting life back in your home country. I'm sure Sarah would find it fascinating as well. As well as Rose. Have you ever been to Italy, Rose?" Jack's eyes might as well have had hearts in them telling from how he looked at his wife. Pure adoration.
"France is the only European country I've had the good fortune to visit, even though Cal and mother ruined it for me," Rose sighed.
"Leave it to my brother to ruin the city of love," Sarah rolled her eyes, then turned back to Fabrizio. "But I bet Italy is very romantic, judging from the accent alone."
"Fabri always said I got the girls in our travels, but I had nothing on Fabri's Italian accent," Jack chuckled.
Rose cleared her throat, seeing that Fabrizio was about to become embarrassed. She gave him a soft look and a sweet smile. "I really would like to hear about your home country, Fabrizio. I doubt very much I'll ever get the chance to see it."
Something in Fabrizio melted and he smiled. "Alright, bella Rose, I will talk about Italy."
Rose and Jack's eyes met again, both knowing that Rose had just used the fact that Fabrizio had a soft spot for her to get him to open up some for Sarah. They both hoped that this would set their friend on the road of healing over his grief, even if nothing should come of Sarah's interest.
"I grew up in a small village in Italy, not too far from Florence. Near enough for Jack to wander in and tell me stories of places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do and convince me to travel with him. But that's getting ahead of myself. I grew up in a small Italian village, it was just me and my momma," Fabrizio sighed, sitting back and just allowing his memories to take him over. "It was a nice childhood. I'd run the streets with my friends and play catch-and-play ball games. I went to grade school and made my momma proud with my good grades. My papa died when I was a bambino, so it was just me and her and we were reasonably happy. We weren't rich by any means, but we didn't starve. I just knew one thing all my life. I wanted to grow up to be a man that my momma could be proud of."
"That's so sweet," Sarah replied. "I bet she was proud of you. She would surely be proud of you now if she knew all that you had done for me and Leah the other day."
Fabrizio could only smile. "You think so?"
"Yes. You were very kind and heroic. You didn't have to help us at all, but you did."
"Fabri was nothing like me," Tommy snorted. "I was a rebellious little buggar. Always getting into trouble. Never doing anything my ma told me to. But she loved me anyway. She'd say 'You laddie will be the death of us, but you will do great things someday. She always had faith in me. I just want to prove her right somehow."
"Me too. I want to become a millionaire and make my mama proud. Send for her to come here with us," Fabrizio nodded.
"Those are good goals to have. We wish you luck," Leah nodded, impressed by the two foreign young men.
"What are you and Jack planning to do, Rose? I mean, you already have the great guy, but I know you. You've always been one to want more than a husband and a house. Now that you're free of Cal, what's next?" Sarah asked, curious.
"Well, it's funny. Now that I have the freedom, I don't know what I want to do or where to start. I just know that whatever it is, Jack will support me. Right now, I'm just settling into learning to be a good wife. Oh, and I have a job. I'm going to be teaching a little girl french. So my finishing school skills won't be going to waste."
"Oh so that's good, but what about being a moving picture actress? What happened to that?"
"Not to worry, Sarah. That is still on the table. Maybe someday you'll go to a nickelodeon and see me in a big moving picture. You can then say that you were friends with a moving picture actress," Rose happily smiled, just imagining herself doing such a thing. "And with Jack's good looks, he can be my leading man!"
Jack just laughed. "I think it's best that I leave dreams of the big screen to you, Rosebud."
Rose simply laughed and gave a little wink, feeling full of good cheer. After all, why shouldn't she be, here in her warm cozy home, surrounded by the people she loved. Nothing could bring her down that night.