"Will Lucy ever be able to decide which man is the next best thing for her?"
Reviewed by Viki Ferrell
Posted January 16, 2010
Romance Contemporary
Lucy Mirabelli is a card-carrying member of the Black
Widows. There are only four members in the group: her
mother, two aunts and Lucy. "Black" is the maiden name of
her mom and two aunts, and all of them were widowed long
before they should have been. Lucy was only 24 when Jimmy
was killed. They had only been married a very short time. It's been five years now, and Lucy feels she is ready to
date again, marry, have a family and settle into a nice
normal life. However, there are not too many prospects in
Mackerly, Rhode Island. And there is one order of business
she must attend to first. Jimmy's brother, Ethan, is Lucy's
best friend "with privileges." If Lucy is to move on, she
must terminate Ethan's "privileges." Ethan gives Lucy her space and she muddles through several
unsuccessful dates. Deciding she really misses her friend,
she wants things to be like they were before with Ethan. He
cautiously re-enters her life, but seeks to discover what
Lucy really wants. Lucy isn't sure she even knows. Ethan
asks Lucy to give the two of them a chance at a
relationship. With reservations, she agrees. Meanwhile, Lucy, who is the bread baker at the family
bakery, receives an offer for her bread to be distributed
by a national company. Enter Matt DeSalvo, the
representative for the company and a dead-ringer for Lucy's
dead husband. She can't get over the likeness and finds
herself falling for Matt. Exit Ethan Mirabelli, one more
time. Will Ethan be "the next best thing" or will it be
Matt? This charming story is a fun read. You'll love the antics
of the Black Widows. Warning: do not read this book while
you are hungry. The description of the Italian dishes and
desserts will have you salivating over the pages. Enjoy!
SUMMARY
Lucy Lang isn't looking for fireworks...
She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbeque, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important... someone who won't inspire the slightest stirring in her heart...or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can't risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate "friend with privileges" and hello to a man she can marry.
Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere. As far as he's concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?
ExcerptAround nine that night, I’m playing a lively game of Scrabble with my computer, seventeen pounds of purring pet on my lap —my cat, Fat Mikey. A knock sounds on the door.
“Come on in,” I call, knowing who it is.
“Hey, Lucy,” Ethan says.
“Hi, Eth. How’s it going?” I tear myself away from the computer…I was just about to play zenith, which would totally slay Maven, my arch enemy computer foe, but humans come first. Or they should. I play the word discreetly, then close the lid of my computer. Take that, Maven!
“Everything’s great.”
My late husband’s brother, who has logged many hours in my apartment over the past five years, makes himself at home by opening the fridge.
“Can I have one of these?” he calls.
I swallow. “Sure. I made them for you.”
Earlier in the evening, I did what I often do — created a fabulous dessert. Inside the fridge are six ramekins of pineapple mango mousse, each one topped with a raspberry glaze. I figured Ethan will eat at least three, and I need to be on his good side.
“You want one?” he calls.
I can tell he’s already eating.
“No, thanks. They’re all yours.”
I don’t eat my own desserts. Haven’t in years.
“This is fantastic,” he says, coming into the living room.
“Glad you like it,” I say, not meeting his eyes.
“Hey, thanks for e-mailing those pictures of Nick,” he says, already scraping the ramekin clean.
“Oh, you’re welcome. He sure looked cute.”
Ethan and I grin at each other in a moment of mutual Nick adoration. On Wednesday, the nursery school put on a play about the life cycle of the butterfly. Nicky was a milkweed seed. It’s become my habit to photograph Nicky and e-mail pictures to Ethan while he’s traveling, since Parker, Nick’s mother, never seems to remember her camera.
“Um, listen, Ethan, we need to talk,” I say, cringing a little.
“Sure. Let me grab another one of these. They’re incredible.”
He goes back into the kitchen, and I hear the fridge open again.
“Actually, I have something to tell you, too.”
He returns to the living room “But ladies first.”
Sitting in the easy chair, he smiles at me. Ethan looks nothing like his brother, which is both a comfort and a sorrow. Unlike Jimmy, Ethan is a bit…well, average. Nice-looking, but kind of unremarkable. Medium brown eyes, somewhat disheveled brown hair, average height, average weight. Kind of a vanilla type of guy. He has a neat little beard, the kind so many baseball players favor — three days of stubble, basically, which gives him an attractive edginess, but he’s…well, he’s Ethan. He looks a bit like an elf in some ways — not the squeaky North Pole elves, but like a cool elf, a Tolkien elf, mischievous eyebrows and sly grin. He regards me patiently.
I swallow. Swallow again.
It’s a nervous habit of mine. Fat Mikey jumps into Ethan’s lap and head butts him until Ethan obliges the bossy animal by scratching his chin. Ethan rescued him from the pound a few years back, saying no one would take the ugly beast, and gave him to me. Fat Mikey has never forgotten just who sprung him from prison, and now favors Ethan with a rusty purr.
I clear my throat. “Well, listen. You know, ever since Jimmy died, you’ve been, just…well. Incredible. Such a good friend, Ethan.”
It’s true. I don’t have the words to voice my gratitude.
His mouth pulls up on one side. “Well. You’ve been great, too.”
I force a smile.
“Right. Um…well, here’s the thing, Ethan. You know that Corinne had a baby, of course. And it got me thinking that, well…” I clear my throat. “Well, I’d like to have a baby, too.”
Gah! This isn’t coming out the way I want it to.
His right eyebrow raises. “Really.”
“Yeah. I always wanted kids. You know. So, um…”
Why am I so nervous? It’s just Ethan. He’ll understand. “So I guess I’m ready to…start dating. I want to get married again. Have a family.”
Ethan leans forward, causing Fat Mikey to jump off his lap. “I see,” he says. I look at the floor for a second.
“Right.”
Risking a peek at Ethan, I add, “So we should probably stop sleeping together.”
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