SLICK

by Peavey Marshall

"You don't have to keep coming here, Miss Genovese."

  Delilah Gallo had her hands on her waist. Her hair was shorter, face bare of any makeup.

  Caly smirked at her bitch act. "What? I like this store.”

  She roamed around as Delilah tailed her with a condescending stare. She chose a red headband with a huge red ribbon on it before she went to the counter.

  "Is something wrong?" she asked.

  Delilah shook her head as the employee scanned the items. "Will you keep doing this until I forgive you?”

  "No. I'll keep doing this even after you forgive me," she replied.

  "Fine." Delilah agreed with a roll of her eyes. "Who's the headband for?"

  "My daughter.”

  She gasped. "Really? I didn't know that! What's her name? Who did she take after? Does she—"

  Delilah cleared her throat. "I mean I don't care. I unfollowed you, you know!”

  Callista chuckled at her mood shift. "It's fine. I don't post her pictures that much. I never realized you liked children.”

  "Yeah. It's my... well, used to be my stupid dream."

  Caly felt guilty again. She had apologized to Delilah the first time she had entered the store but the woman had ignored her. She knew it wouldn't be easy to gain her forgiveness.

  But now, she realized that forgiveness wasn't enough. She wanted them to be friends. For real this time.

  "I'm sorry. I hope we can talk more some time. And if you want to have coffee, I'm here," Caly mumbled as she grabbed the paper bag.

  "Seriously?" Delilah looked amused. "You know I haven't forgiven you, right?"

  "Yeah. But I'll always be up for talking about my daughter."

  She sighed and grabbed something from her pocket. "Here."

  It was an apple charm.

  "Really?"

  "Hey!" she complained. "That's for your daughter. Not you.”

  She laughed. "I know."

  ~~~~

  Castor Luciano carried his daughter on his arms as they walked to his car. He had just finished another casino inspection. All of his businesses were doing well except of course, the taxes that Franco kept hounding him for. His driver opened the door when his baby pointed to a billboard.

  "Mi!"

  He looked up to see a picture of a Starix ad that Callista did. His wife was smiling with sparkling jewelry on her neck.

  He kissed her daughter's cheek. "Yes, Amara. That's mommy.”

  Castor entered the car as Amara's gaze stayed on the window and its view. He pulled out his phone to see Caly's message.

  'I better see you at Celeste's party. you promised!'

  Shit.

  He couldn't refuse now. For the past three years, he had given a lot of excuses not to attend his mother's birthday. He was busy. Or that Amara was being fussy.

  He couldn't help it. His mother's 360-degree turn made him uncomfortable.

  Castor knew he should appreciate her efforts of reaching out but he wasn't interested. And he was afraid he might offend her so he had always slithered away from her invitations.

  Amara kept pointing at anything as they traveled to Queens. He kissed the top of her head though she pushed him away and stood up to focus on the view.

  Castor couldn't believe how much love he felt for her. Maybe it was the reason why having a relationship with his mother was impossible.

  He was a parent now. And he would die if ever he made the mistake of hurting his daughter.

  They reached the mansion and Castor's heart immediately hammered. He shifted Amara on his arms and went to the garden where the party was. His eyes instantly seek out his wife.

  Caly waved at them. She wore a red sleeveless dress. Her hair was atop her head, displaying her slender neck and shoulders.

  Fuck. His wife was so hot.

  "I know that look," she mumbled as Amara reached out for her.

  Their identical features made him smile. Blue-gray eyes and dark hair. Her princess' frown was all him though.

  Castor kissed his wife, long enough for their daughter to wiggle in impatience. That trait was from Caly. "I'm here. Do I get a price?”

  Caly shot him a warning look. "Cas, please. Just greet her. That'll be enough."

  He rolled his eyes. He didn't want to fight about this. Luckily, he saw Franco with a girl. "Look, blondie has a date. Let's go say hi."

  "You're changing the topic," she said and let Amara rush towards his uncle.

  Franco picked her up as Vince and Mallorie instantly fought over who would hold her next.

  Castor watched his daughter and felt irritated as strangers began to fawn over his kid. He was about to rush forward when Callista grabbed his arm.

  "Cas, it's been years."

  He winced at her harsh tone. "Callista, I don't wanna argue over this."

  "My dad's inviting me to Greece. I agreed." She crossed her arms. "You can go with me or not."

  "What? How about Amara?"

  "She'll be fine. Your parents can watch her."

  "No way!"

  "And why not?"

  "They might drop her!”

  "She's two! She won't fall over!" She laughed and reached for his hand. "Cas, I won't force you to get along with your mother but our daughter is different. She has a relationship with her grandparents. You can't stop that!"

  Castor sighed as they reached Franco and their friends. "Care to introduce us, brother?"

  "This is Ivy. We're dating," he said just as their parents moved into their circle. He shifted Amara in his arms as his other hand grabbed Ivy's palm.

  Castor snorted at his confidence. He used to keep quiet and let others make judgments. He supposed the carefree attitude suited him but damn, he was no fun to tease now.

  "It's the first time you brought someone, son," Celeste muttered with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Ivy."

  "Thanks. It's also nice to meet you all. Franco talked a lot about you," the girl mumbled with a smile.

  "At this rate, you can't babysit Amara that much." Callista eyed Castor with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Oh, his devious wife.

  Castor raked a hand through his hair. He knew that Caly was right. His attitude couldn't affect his daughter. He couldn't allow that. He wanted to be a good example for her. "Maybe you can watch her some time, Mother."

  Celeste gawked at him. "R-Really?"

  "Yeah. Caly and I are planning to see her dad so..." At his voice, Amara reached for him.

  "Da!" His little girl babbled excitedly.

  "You wanna be with Grandma for a while?" he asked softly.

  "Gram!" she echoed and flailed her tiny arms towards his parents. He let her despite the hesitation he felt.

  Caly grabbed his hand as the crowd moved towards the center. "It'll be okay."

  He knew that. His parents had done their best for the past years. They never disappointed him. Maybe it's a good way to test how much his mother had changed. "What if they won't return her?”

  "You're ridiculous." She chuckled. "You know, we can make another one."

  "I'll hold you to that." Castor leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

  "Still?”

  "Always."

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