“Well,” Beverly said, “the wedding videos you posted were so cute, and seeing you with Leo and how you both worked so hard to make this happen…”

Wedding videos? And they knew Leo’s name?

She was always careful not to identify anyone in her life by full name. And she would never post a…

Vivienne.

“We were hoping to meet Cosette, too,” Charlotte said.

“She’s at home,” Tessa said, “but you’re welcome to stop by and see her.” Did she just invite strangers to her house?

Well, they weren’t really strangers. And they sure looked a lot more trustworthy than DrLongschlongMD.

Tessa thanked them for coming and was greeted by still more people who knew her name. She was a little dazed when she finally managed to break through the crowd and enter the back door of the restaurant.

It was shockingly quiet in the dining room compared to the noisy buzz in the street. Noah was setting out tea lights on all the tables. “You look nice, Tessa. I love the black lace. Very… Pretty Woman of you.”

“Thanks, Noah. You look really nice, too.” He was wearing a sweater with a bold geometric black-and-white pattern. Under his black skinny pants, his socks matched the sweater.

She was just about to put her nice heels back on when there was a commotion from the kitchen, and Aunt Loretta, Uncle Cosmo, Leo’s dad, and Leo himself burst out of the swinging door.

Aunt Loretta was wringing her hands. “So many people,” she said. “We don’t have room.”

“Don’t worry, Loretta,” Cosmo said. “Leo will figure this out. Look at all the business!”

“Go tell all those people that this is not the Olive Garden, Leo,” Marco said, pointing to the door. “Reservations only.”

“We did take reservations,” Leo said, “but a lot of local folks just showed up, like they usually do. I hate to turn them away.”

“These are more than local people. Where are they all coming from?” His dad sounded a little panicked.

“I have no idea,” Leo said. “We placed a couple of ads in different places. Our social media accounts are still really young.”

“I just heard someone outside say that the food critic from the Chicago Tribune is in that line,” Tessa said.

That’s when Leo looked up and saw her. He smiled a slow smile that warmed her to her toes and, despite the chaos, filled her with a flood of calm assurance.

“Are you serious?”

“As serious as a Zagat rating,” she answered with a shrug.

In that moment, she knew that whatever this chaos was, they would handle it. It was going to be okay.

Leo walked up and took her hand, steering her a little out of the way. “You look amazing,” he said. “I really love the rainbow flip-flops.”

“They’re from Lilac. She never misses an opportunity to support a cause.”