Chapter 25: The Photo

When her family arrived on the scene, the restaurant got a new infusion of energy. Their excitement to see Emily and take in the beautiful views was palpable. It was not only Emily's parents but her younger brother Nick who had made the trip.

"Hi pooky," her mom exclaimed, embarrassing her from the get-go with the childish nickname. Then she went over to Byron. "I'm Chiara, Emily's mom, as you probably know."

"Uh... mom, this is my boyfriend Byron," Emily said.

They had agreed to maintain the fake relationship with everyone to ensure the perfect secrecy of their plan.

"In the old country they call me Giovanni," her dad jumped in, "but here everyone calls me Johnny."

Everyone was talking at once, hugging, and ordering lots of coffee.

"Emily didn't tell us about you," her dad said as they sat down at the table.

"She did mention she was seeing someone," he mom corrected, "but it was very vague. Emily can be so secretive!"

"It's hard to judge the timing in a relationship," Byro