Swinging on a Star Read Online Free PDF

man in front of her. Thankfully, he seemed to take it in stride.
    I wanted to ask the girl to close her mouth. To tell her that she looked a little silly. But I held my tongue.
    “H-how are you going to do this?” she asked me at last. “Is he staying on the island?”
    “Yes. We’re putting both Rob and Brock up at the Tremont for the next week. It’s a lovely hotel, and I really think they’ll like it.”
    “The Tremont?” Sophia shook her head. “They can’t stay there, Bella. You know that.”
    “Sure they can. They’ve already got a room waiting.”
    “But don’t you remember?” My sister turned to Brock, batting her eyelashes. “The Grand Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro is this weekend, and most of our out-of-town guests are staying at the Tremont.” Sophia turned back to me. “D.J.’s parents are coming down from Splendora and bringing several of their church ladies with them, remember?
    They’re all staying at the same hotel because they want to be close to each other. And the Tremont is the closest hotel to the opera house.”
    “Oh man!” How could I have forgotten that half the town of Splendora was coming for Bubba’s debut? His mama— Earline—would be there, along with half the congregation of Splendora’s Full Gospel Chapel in the Pines. Likely the whole of east Texas would show up to support him. And they were all staying at the Tremont! How had I forgotten that teeny-tiny detail?
    Easy. My mind was on a thousand other things.
    “Opera?” Brock’s eyes lit up. “I love the opera. And The Marriage of Figaro is one of my favorites.”
    Great. Wonderful. This was getting better by the minute. I dropped down into my chair, slapping myself in the head. “What are we going to do?”
    “Oh, I’m sure we can find another place,” Rob said with a wave of his hand. “Marian managed to find a condo for rent. There’s got to be another one available. Or maybe we can rent a bed-and-breakfast somewhere.”
    “Or . . .” Sophia’s eyes lit up, and her perfectly arched eyebrows elevated in anticipation. “You guys can stay at our place next door.”
    I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Our place?” A house already filled to overflowing with a large Italian family, a disobedient Yorkie-Poo, and a parrot that cursed at strangers in between verses of “Amazing Grace”? No way! I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, let alone a Hollywood star.
    “Sure, why not?” Sophia said. “Nick’s room is empty, and so is Armando’s now that he’s living in Houston again. Besides, Joey would probably love the company. He’s always complaining about how there’s too much estrogen in the house.”
    “Too much estrogen in the house.” Rob shuddered as he repeated the words, then looked at Brock and laughed. What was up with that? Was the groom-to-be hoping to find a fair lady for his best man while here on the island? If so, he’d better look elsewhere! I was already taken. And Sophia . . .
    Hmm. I looked at the hopeful expression on my sister’s face and paused. She wasn’t exactly taken, though my ex-boyfriend Tony certainly had his eye on her.
    Still bubbling, Sophia looked my way. “Bella, you know they’ll love Aunt Rosa’s cooking.” She turned to Brock and began to sing our aunt’s praises, going on and on about her amazing Italian cuisine. I’m pretty sure we had him at the words chicken parmesan .
    Not that I blamed him. There was something about the mention of Italian food that did most of us in, and I particularly loved it when Aunt Rosa cooked chicken parmesan. It made the whole house smell delicious and was incredibly tasty. Perfect for an evening like this, when the world was imploding.
    “We’ve got plenty of room,” Sophia added, clearly oblivious to my ponderings. “Besides, Mama’s busy with the opera, so she’ll hardly even notice they’re there.”
    With a shake of my head, I began to explain all of the reasons this wouldn’t work.