by Mary Leo
I smiled then shoved more scone into my mouth, happy that he didn’t press me.
After a couple minutes of silence went by, while I slurped up my second mug of Russian Blend tea, one of my favorites, and devoured the scone, he finally asked the question I dreaded most. “So, when did you decide not to go to Hawaii? Why didn’t you call me?”
I could answer this question in one of two ways: tell him the truth about finding Giuseppe in the road, or lie and tell him I simply changed my mind.
I chose the third option. “Did you hear that my mom and Uncle Benny announced their engagement last night?” I preferred avoidance whenever possible.
He put down his mug of coffee. Leo rarely drank tea. He was a black java man all the way. “What? Your mom and Benny? Since when?”
This avoidance and change the subject tactic always worked . . . especially with Leo. “Apparently since a few weeks ago, but they made it official last night.”
“That must have been some kind of party. Where did you guys have it? In the barn?”
The barn he referred to was our main storage facility for our oils. It was quite large, with its own heating and cooling unit, and it was also where Lisa and I had found a very dead cousin Dickey . . . but that was another story that I didn’t have time to think about at the moment, and hoped to forget about, truly.
“A warehouse, actually, the old Valley Of The Moon Chocolate Company’s warehouse. I think someone in my family bought it. I don’t know all the details yet, but it’s a great place.”
“No wonder you smelled like chocolate.”
“So, not only did I look bad, but you could smell the chocolate as well?” I was horrified.
“Well, now that you mention it, you reeked of the stuff, along with some other scent I couldn’t quite put my finger on.” He leaned across the table and sniffed. “But you smell like olive oil now. Yum, I could eat you up.”
The vision gave me a sudden thrill, and I wanted nothing more, but for some reason, with the way that things were going in my life, I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to drop into bed with Leo again.
At least not until this whole thing with Angelina and Giuseppe was resolved.
Still, despite my apprehensions, Leo came over to me, took my hand, lifted me out of my chair, and kissed me. His lips felt warm and inviting against mine, and I could feel the heat surge through me . . . but . . . I resisted . . . a little.
“Umm,” he said, as our lips momentarily separated, and I gazed into his dark and sexy eyes. “I think your bed is calling to us.”
Oh yeah, it’s screaming!
I came to my senses when reality forced itself into my reasoning. “Not exactly. That bed is full of dirt and leaves and I’m sure it reeks of chocolate. Maybe it would be better if you came back tonight, after I washed the sheets. Nothing like clean linen to heighten the love experience.”
“The dirtier the better,” he said in his best sexy, deep voice.
My knees went weak and I found myself hopelessly lost in the lusty moment. “How about the sofa?” I offered, still trying to hold out, hoping that I’d somehow regain my sanity.
“The bed, the sofa, the floor, a wall, your deck, anywhere is fine with me.”
“We, well . . .”
“Does this mean the rumor I heard about you marrying that Italian import, Giuseppe Nardi, was just that . . . a rumor?”
My stomach lurched.
He continued, “Because, babe, if you’re going to marry anybody, it should be me. Nobody gets you like I do, especially not that import who couldn’t even begin to appreciate you like I do.” His lips dusted my ear, sending a hot shiver down to my very core while he whispered, “Nor could he make love to you like I can.”
That did it. My resistance slipped right out of me and I was about to give in to my intense desires, and rip off his shirt, when the entire building shook.
“What the hell?” I yelped. “Are we having an earthquake?”
He kissed me again, a small one and with his lips still on mine he muttered, “You bet we are, kitten. Right here. Right now.”
He tugged his T-shirt over his head exposing that perfectly gorgeous chest of his. That chest that I wanted to taste, to kiss, to . . .
I saw it pass by my windows, a crane, followed by what looked like the two olive trees, now sitting on the flatbed of a huge truck, trees that had been parked in the warehouse last night.
“No. Look,” I said, pointing to my window. “It’s not you. It’s the trees that are causing all the shaking,” I slipped out of his tempting embrace and headed towards my front door.
He gently grabbed my hand to stop me. “You don’t have to be out there every time your family gets more trees. Come on back. Let’s do this first.”
Oh, how I wanted to melt into him again, but now was not the time. Not when my father’s gift was being brought onto our property.
“You don’t understand,” I told him, pulling him along with me. “These aren’t just any trees. These trees are from Italy. They’re ancient, maybe a thousand years old.”
“Is that what all the fuss is about?”
I didn’t know what fuss he was referring to. “What do you mean? What fuss?” I cautiously asked.
“The tree planting ceremony in front of the main barn. I didn’t know why this place was so crowded this morning, until I asked someone. They’d heard about it on Facebook and I’d guess half the valley showed up for the planting of the trees. I thought it was just another kind of olive tree, but this sounds exciting. How’d you get them? I thought it was illegal to move ancient trees?”
“A wedding present from my father, and from Giuseppe’s grandmother,” I told him, deciding I didn’t need to keep that a secret.
We walked out onto my deck to watch the trees pass by. The road was almost not wide enough and the truck driver hauling the trees really had his work cut out for him.
“Let me get this straight. Your gangster dad sent illegal trees to your mom all the way from Italy for a wedding present?”
“Yes, that’s about it. Why?”
“Can you even imagine how much that had to cost? The shipping probably couldn’t compare to the legal fees and any number of other laws and bribes he more than likely had to pay to get these here. This had to have been in the works for months.”
I hadn’t even considered that.
“When did you say you mom got engaged?”
That seemed like a loaded question that I couldn’t answer at the moment. I checked the clock on my kitchen wall and realized right then that this was the date my mom was referring to . . . a date for planting trees. None of this made sense but there was nothing to do but investigate. Maybe I’d ask some questions and see if I could pick up something juicy that would lead to Angelina’s killer. “Let’s walk over to the barn for the ceremony. It might be fun.”
I led him down the stairs, wondering when in fact this whole tree transport thing actually started, because if Leo was right, Mom was fudging dates again. Plus, I figured whatever answer she would come up with when I tried to pin her down, wouldn’t be the truth.
NINETEEN
The Trees Of Wrath
By the time Leo and I arrived at the main barn, the trees had already been lowered into their prepared spots on either end of the front entrance to our private storage barn. Personally, I would have preferred a more tourist friendly place for them, but, as usual when it came to things my mom wanted, she hadn’t consulted me. Still, I had to admit, the gnarled trees really added character to the entire establishment.
I couldn’t believe the crowd that had formed for the planting of the trees. It felt like half of the valley was there, along with most of the tourists. Rich Sonoma soil was being pushed into place with two small earthmovers. It was actually thrilling to watch these two majestic trees get a new home. I only hoped they would take root and thrive for another thousand years as well as they had in Italy.
Many of my family members were there, along with my mom
who was front and center. The entire event was quite the spectacle, as if it had been planned for quite some time, which it probably had been.
“They’re beautiful,” I heard someone say.
“Those poor trees look angry,” a woman behind me said. “I don’t think they wanted to be moved.”
“I sure hope the Spias know what they’re doing,” a male voice said. “Replanting old trees like that could kill ‘em.”
“C’mon,” I whispered. “I’m not liking all the negativity around us.” I took Leo’s hand and moved closer to the front where my family stood.
“Mia!” my mother shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.”
That was just like my mom to expect something out of me when she didn’t bother to tell me what that something might be.
“How could you have, when you never told me about any of this?”
“Don’t be silly, darling. Of course I did. Last night at the party.”
I ran over the night in my mind, and at no point did my mother mention that there would be this kind of major event taking place today.
“You never said about any of this. All you said was for me to meet you at eleven-thirty. I assumed we were meeting at the deli for lunch,” I argued.
“Where on earth did you ever come up with that idea? Of course I wanted you to meet me here. It’s been all over social media for days.”
“I haven’t had time to check out our page.”
“Tsk, Tsk. Tsk. You have to learn to keep up, darling. Our constant activity on social media is what sells olive oil.”
I loved how when my mom discovered something new, like advertising on social media, she suddenly thought of herself as an expert when she barely knew anything about it.
“I agree, but you must’ve been planning this for weeks or even months. You should’ve told me.”
I tried to keep a smile on my face, despite the anger that bubbled up inside of me.
“I can see how this event could’ve gotten past you. For one thing, you were too busy with the whole Dickey fiasco, and for another, you’re supposed to be in Hawaii right now. That’s what you told me, anyway . . . and I always pay attention to whatever you tell me, dear. I know how important your plans are to you.”
Somehow I felt as if she’d just slapped me.
“Are you trying to guilt me into thinking I don’t pay enough attention to your plans? Because if you are, it’s not going to work.”
Okay, so maybe I didn’t always put much weight on my mom’s plans, at least not her daily plans. They changed as rapidly as her lipstick color, which was a glossy mauve today.
“That’s the trouble with you, dear. You don’t focus. I read a whole book about parents and their children and how adult children have learned to tune out what their parents say. It’s a bestseller on Amazon. I’ll send you the link.”
The link? Last time I checked, my mom still used a flip phone. When did that change? Did Uncle Benny finally convince her to come into the twenty-first century? I wondered if maybe she was right and I didn’t focus enough on what she said or did. After all, I’d had no idea she and Benny were serious enough to get married. That had gone right by me.
“I’ll try to do better in the future, Mom.”
She grabbed my chin, and kissed both my cheeks. “I don’t deserve such a darling daughter.”
Then she shuffled off and climbed the three stairs to the small stage that sat in the center of the two trees that were still wrapped in the burlap garden cloths they’d been shipped in. However, I could see that the burlap had been cut for easy removal, which I assumed would be happening shortly.
Everyone applauded and whistled as my mom tested the microphone that kept screeching whenever she spoke into it. Finally, Jimmy went up onstage and showed her how to hold it so the screeching would stop. Then he stood next to her as she made her announcement.
“I’m so very happy to see everyone today!” Mom began. “Thank you for coming out for this historic occasion. Before we begin, is everyone having a good time?”
Applause and cheers went up from the crowd.
“Remember to grab your gift-sized bottle of our Italian Blend oil before you leave today,” Mom said, while trying to hold the microphone at a good distance from her mouth. “It comes with a fifteen percent coupon for any single purchase from any of our fabulous shops and restaurants on the Spia Family Orchard. It’s good for an entire month! So come back and enjoy the day with your family and friends. And don’t forget to drop your ticket into the basket for our door prizes. We have fifteen incredible baskets, all donated from our shopkeepers.”
More applause.
Meanwhile, cousins Maryann and Rocco had climbed ladders next to the gnarled trunks of the ancient trees. I assumed they would be removing the burlap. Bruna and Audrey held onto the ladders while Rocco and Maryann climbed almost to the top.
Mom continued. “The Spia Family couldn’t be more delighted to introduce these amazing trees to our beautiful grove. The oil we will press from fruit of these stately trees will surely be some of the best you will ever taste. We are hoping to have our first harvest next year at this time.”
My gaze fell on Bruna who wore a black hoodie that looked exactly like mine.
My breath caught in my throat as I contemplated the possibility of Bruna being the muffin thief and the possible killer. But how could I ever prove it?
I’d have to get my hands on her hoodie, and right now that seemed impossible. Besides, I was probably being ridiculous. There was absolutely no reason for Bruna to break into my apartment, steal my muffins and turn all the burners on to try to kill us . . . or was there? What ties did she have to Giuseppe? I couldn’t think of any at the moment, but what I didn’t know about my family could fill several books.
“Hey, girlfriend,” Lisa said from behind me. “Sorry we’re late. Parking was a nightmare.”
I turned and gave both her and Jade hugs. “You two knew about this?”
Jade nodded, grinned. “Look at all these people. It’s incredible.”
“Yeah, incredible,” I agreed, wishing I’d been more prepared for all of this.
“Your mom invited us last night.” Lisa said, then she turned to Leo. “Hey, Leo. How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks. You?”
“Great now that Nick is back,” Lisa said, as if this was a good thing . . . good for her, maybe, but a disaster for the Spias.
“I have something to tell you,” I whispered to Lisa, trying to pull her aside. “I think I know who . . .”
My stomach immediately tightened as Nick Zeleski, the shady detective dogging my dad, came into view. It was at that moment that I realized what I didn’t know had just moved to an entirely new level.
“This is sure exciting!” Nick said, gazing around, looking thrilled to be here. “I’ve never seen anything like it before in this country. Look at those trunks. Must be hundreds of years old. You’re family is fortunate to have them, Mia.”
“Yes, we are. Thanks,” I told him, trying to sound as if seeing him on our property again didn’t cause me heart-palpitations.
“It’s all good. Relax,” Lisa mouthed, facing me, then she turned back to the group. “Nick just returned from Italy last night. He called me a few times, but my phone was . . . um . . . turned off. So, here he is!”
I flashed on her new phone sinking to the bottom of the pasta sauce bowl. Not a nice end to a perfectly good phone.
“Italy?” Leo asked. “Where about?”
“Southern, but it didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped so I came back early.”
“Too bad. Lots to see in Southern Italy, but at least you’re here for the unveiling of these two spectacular trees. Hey, if you can’t go to Italy, the Spias will bring Italy to you,” Leo said, then chuckled at his own attempt at humor. “They’ve got the whole Italian experience going on here.”
Lisa and I moved over while Nick and Leo caught up. They’d been friends since they wer
e kids, and always had a lot to talk about. I hoped they’d catch up for the rest of the day.
Something felt off about this moment. I couldn’t seem to relax and spending my day with Leo only meant he’d ask me more questions that I didn’t have the answers to. Plus, I really didn’t want to be around Nick. I knew that he and Lisa were almost inseparable, but that didn’t negate the fact that Nick was on a crusade to locate my dad, a mob boss who had managed to slip away from more Federal agents than almost any other mobster in history. He was wanted for a litany of crimes, including murder of another crime family boss and, of course, tax evasion. Nick wanted to be the guy who caught him and put him away for good.
He seemed to enjoy snooping around my family for as many clues as he could gather as to my dad’s location . . . which, for all I knew, he could be somewhere on this grove, somewhere in this crowd. I still couldn’t shake that man I’d seen the day Giuseppe was shot, the man who looked exactly like my dad.
A wave of fear swept through me as I considered, if my dad was here, could he be involved in the near-killing of Giuseppe and the very real killing of Angelina? But how would that even tie in with the gas-attempt killing of Giuseppe and me? And Bruna wearing the muffin hoodie?
No, it didn’t make sense.
Giuseppe had been Nick’s other target, and I felt certain that because Giuseppe hadn’t actually gone back to Italy to return my dad’s ring, and instead sent his two henchmen to confuse Nick and his team, Nick was out for blood . . . Spia blood.
“Don’t worry so much,” Lisa told me. “I haven’t said a word to him about Angelina. Let’s just enjoy the day. Look at those unbelievable trees. They’re even more impressive now that they’re in the ground next to your barn, just beautiful.”
“You don’t understand. I found orange muffin crumbs stuck inside my black hoodie pocket . . . my stolen orange muffin crumbs.”
She looked at me. “No. You’re right. I don’t understand.”
“We can’t talk here. I think I know who broke into my apartment.”
“Let’s wait until after the unveiling.”
