Justin’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Who said anything about Natalie? My friend Will is coming with me. You met him at the fire station that time you and Dylan came by last year, remember?”
“Oh, right. Of course.” Embarrassment flooded through me, and I rose to my feet. “Would you like some coffee? I’m dying for a cup. It will only take a second to—”
Justin stood as well, forcing Luigi to jump off his lap and go scampering into the other room. He whirled me gently around to face him. “As long as you brought her up, I came to tell you something.”
I swallowed hard. “You’ve made a decision.”
“Yes. Actually, I mean no. There never really was a decision to make. She caught me off guard at a difficult time in my life. I told her I’d think about getting back together but knew deep down that I’d never be able to trust her again. What basis is that for a marriage?”
“Not a very good one,” I admitted, thinking about Dylan and the secrets he’d kept from me.
He rubbed a hand over his chin where a five-o’clock shadow was prominent. “You probably think I was stupid to even be considering it.”
“No. She was your first love. You wouldn’t have married her if you didn’t love her.”
Justin was silent for a minute. “I did love her, but she wasn’t the first woman I ever loved. Do you remember when we first met?”
“Of course. At Anna and Ryan’s wedding.” Anna had been a childhood friend of mine, and I’d come home from college one summer to be in her wedding. Dylan and Justin had been friends of Ryan’s in high school, and both had served as groomsmen. Justin and I were paired off to walk down the aisle together, but it was Dylan who had managed to attract my attention.
He grinned. “After the reception, Dylan and I went back to the hotel room we were sharing for the night. We had an argument—about you.”
I stared at him in amazement. “Really? Why? Dylan never mentioned it to me.”
“I’m sure he didn’t,” Justin said wryly. “We discovered that we were both planning to ask you out before leaving town.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Why are you so surprised? I asked you to dance three times at the wedding. Did you think it was just out of politeness?”
To be honest, I’d never really thought about it before. Justin had been a nice guy, attractive, and we’d had fun together that night. But he hadn’t stood a chance once I spotted Dylan. “What happened?”
“Dylan got so angry at me. He made me promise not to ask you out until he tried first, so I agreed to wait. I was so confident you’d tell him no.” He gave me a sad smile. “The worst decision I ever made in my life.”
I was speechless for a moment. “I don’t know what to say.”
He reached for my hand. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t some jerk lusting after my best friend’s wife all those years. You went out with Dylan, fell in love, and got married. I learned to accept it and moved on with my life, met Natalie, and fell in love with her. After she cheated on me, things changed. I started to regret the way things worked out that one summer long ago. But one thing is for certain. I’ll always want you in my life, no matter what happens between us.”
“Same here.” I was relieved that we could talk to each other like this, and it made me feel closer to him. “Does Natalie want the house back?”
“I’m going to buy her out,” Justin said. “We should have taken care of this when the divorce happened. My lawyer warned me she’d come back someday and stake a claim for the property, but I wanted her out of my life as soon as possible. I had him draw up an agreement of sorts and then asked Natalie to meet me at Java Time the other night, so she could sign it. That’s when I told her that I didn’t want to get back together. Ever. I deducted money for the years she never paid into the mortgage. She wasn’t happy but agreed. It took almost every bit of my savings but was well worth it. I never have to see her again.”
Relief soared through me. “Well, that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
“Oh, yeah? I like the idea of you worrying about me,” Justin teased. “Actually, the last thing I want to do is burden you with any more problems. There was so much going on these past few months it feels like I’ve been on a rollercoaster, but you’ve had a far worse ride than I have. With trying to pick up your life and start the restaurant, I didn’t want to dump my troubles in your lap as well.”
“That’s what friends are for. I’ll always make time for you.” I squeezed his hand. “You’ve been looking out for me ever since Dylan died. I want to return the favor.”
Our talk was interrupted by a plaintive meow, and we both stared down at the floor. Luigi had his paw on Justin’s pant leg. Justin laughed and picked him up in his arms. “Seems like someone else is looking out for us too.”
Twenty-Four
“Well, I have to admit, you were right,” I said to Gabby as I plated chicken parmigiana and set it on the counter next to the small plastic sign, Table 7. “I guess everyone in this town does like to plan things at the last minute.”
Renee hurried into the kitchen and picked up the two plates of chicken parmigiana, flashing us both a broad grin. “There’s people out front waiting for tables. And both Tables 5 and 10 want more garlic bread.”
“Music to my ears,” I said.
Gabby laughed. “What—the tables or the garlic bread?”
“Both!” I said joyously.
“I’ve got the bread ready to go.” Stephanie arranged it on top of the red checkered cloths in two wicker baskets and added them to Renee’s tray. As soon as she departed through the swinging doors, Judy bounced in. She was a pretty girl with light brown hair and blue eyes. Freckles dotted her cheeks when she smiled. “Tessa, there’s quite a line out by the hostess station. Do you want me to seat them?”
Stephanie looked momentarily flustered. “I’m sorry, Tessa. I’ll get back out there.”
Gabby waved her off. “No worries, I can do it.”
I started cutting a tray of cooled lasagna into squares. “Forget it. I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. Go back out to the dining room and sit with our mothers and Lou.”
“Oh, stop.” She looked happier than I’d seen her in weeks. “Since you saved my bookstore from going under, I’d say I owe you at least one night of unpaid labor.”
“It wasn’t just me. You played a big part as well. Oh, and there was also that little matter of saving my life.”
Gabby placed her hands on her hips. “Funny, I seem to remember you doing that for me once. Guess that evens the score, until next time.”
Yikes. “I hope there isn’t a next time.”
“You and me both.” Gabby hurried out the swinging doors and into the dining area.
Stephanie was preparing salads for Table 1 while I ladled minestrone into bowls for Table 5. “Can you fix a basket of bread for Table 6?” I asked her.
Stephanie stared at me wide-eyed. Her eyes took in the pan of lasagna, dish of eggplant, and pots of penne and soup that surrounded me in my happy little corner by the stove. “I’m on it,” she said. “Gosh, I wish that I could multitask like that. You have a real knack for this, Tessa. The best part? You look like you’re loving it.”
“That’s because I am.” I arranged a garnish of parsley next to the piece of lasagna, then moved deftly over to Stephanie’s work counter to add a piece of garlic bread to the plate. Satisfied, I set the dish next to the sign for Table 4. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” Of course, I’d planned to do it with Dylan. Stephanie didn’t know, but if Dylan were still alive, he’d be doing her job—seating people and helping in the kitchen, although he didn’t have her culinary skills. He couldn’t even nuke anything in the microwave without causing a minor disaster. I smiled at the memory.
My
thoughts of him continued as I emptied a package of my frozen sauce into a pot and turned the burner on underneath. We’d talked endlessly about the restaurant and even how we’d cap the first night off—with a champagne toast to celebrate our success. I blew out a sigh and glanced around. Stephanie was fussing with the croutons on a salad, mumbling to herself, and didn’t notice me. It was odd to feel so elated but also sad at the same time. No, I shouldn’t be sad. Dylan would have wanted me to be happy, especially tonight. He’d be proud of me, and this place never would have happened without him.
Stephanie spoke up. “I know it’s impossible, but I’d love to have my own place someday. Of course, I’m nowhere near as good a cook as you are.”
“If you want it badly enough it can happen.” I removed the sauce from the burner and poured it liberally over a waiting dish of penne. “Remember our slogan.”
“Anything’s Pastable!” Stephanie laughed. “Hey, is that hot-looking landlord of yours stopping over tonight?”
“No, he had to go to New York City on business.” Vince had texted me earlier and apologized but said he would stop by to see me on Tuesday.
Gabby returned to the kitchen. “You need to get out to the dining room, Tess.”
“Is something wrong?” I cut up another square of lasagna for a plate and then covered the rest of the pan.
“There’s a customer who can’t wait.” She grabbed my arm, trying to push me away from the stove.
“Gabs, I’m way too busy. Justin knows I’ll be out later.”
“I’m not talking about Justin.” Gabby was relentless, pulling on me. “Someone has asked specifically for you, and you can’t keep this man waiting. Take the apron off, chef.”
“Go ahead, Tess,” Stephanie encouraged. “I’ve got it covered for now.”
Resigned, I gave in. “Well, only for a minute.” At Gabby’s insistence, I removed my apron and straightened my short-sleeved, pink silk blouse that I’d paired with blue jeans. It would have been silly to get all dressed up since I spent the entire night in the kitchen, but I’d wanted to make some type of effort.
I followed Gabby through the swinging doors. Standing next to the hostess station was a silver-headed man in an immaculate dark blue suit. At his side was a blond woman wearing a belted beige overcoat. A man about my age with glasses stood across from them, a camera strap around his neck.
“Oh!” I said, startled, and grasped the silver-headed man’s outstretched hand. “What a lovely surprise. Welcome to Anything’s Pastable, Mayor Randolph. And to you too, Mrs. Randolph.”
Mayor Randolph beamed at me. “You have a lovely place here. I can already tell it’s going to be one of our favorites.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Mrs. Esposito.” The man with the camera in his hands stepped forward. “I’m Jared Elmsby from the Harvest Park Press. Can we have a picture of you with the mayor and his wife cutting the ribbon?”
Bewildered, I stared at him. “There’s no—” Then I noticed a yellow ribbon stretched across the doorway of the dining room. Red and white balloons that read “Congratulations” floated near the ceiling. “This is silly,” I laughed. “People have already been seated. You have a ribbon-cutting ceremony before anyone comes in.”
“So what?” Gabby said grandly. “It’s your restaurant, so I guess you can do whatever you please.” She handed me a pair of scissors.
I approached the ribbon, aware of everyone’s eyes on me. I hated to be the center of attention, but it was too late to back out now. Jared lowered himself underneath the ribbon with great agility to get the photo from the other side. Mayor Randolph stepped forward and placed his hand over mine as I made the cut. The flash popped in my face, and everyone clapped and cheered.
After chatting with the mayor and his wife for a minute, and then letting Gabby seat them, I walked around to each table, asking everyone if they were enjoying their meal. It was how I’d always pictured it would be. People were laughing and talking, enjoying their food and each other’s company. My heart soared with pride.
Gabby was sitting with Lou and Aunt Mona. Gino and Lucy were at the table next to them with Rocco and Marco. When Rocco saw me approaching, he stood up and threw his arms around my waist.
“Aunt Tessa, your pasghetti is awesome!” he shrieked, wearing a giant red stain on his white shirt to prove it.
Marco looked up at me from his seat, a meatball poised on his fork. “Aunt Tessa, Mommy’s going to have a baby and Grandma started crying when she told her.”
I leaned over to give Lucy a hug. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you.”
“Thanks, Tess.” She smiled up at me with brilliant green eyes that resembled jewels. Gino winked at me as his arm went around her shoulders. “The place is amazing, but I always knew it would be,” Lucy said.
My mother, who had been talking to the mayor, came over. She beamed at me under her dark hair, piled high on top of her head in dramatic fashion. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. People have been complimenting the food all night. The restaurant is going to be a great success.”
“I hope so.” I bussed her cheek.
She cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s all a little overwhelming, I guess.”
My mother was not easily fooled. She squeezed my hand. “He’s looking down on you, sweetheart. And he’s every bit as proud as I am.”
My throat was tight with tears, but I was determined not to cry. “Thanks, Mom. I’d better get back to the kitchen, but I want to have a word with Justin first.”
She nodded in understanding. “We’ll stop in the kitchen later to say goodbye.”
Justin’s table was at the other end of the room. He rose when I approached. “Hey there. I knew this place would sell out. How could it not with the best chef in the world cooking? Tess, you remember my buddy from the firehouse, Will.”
Will rose to shake my hand. He was at least ten years older than Justin, with wrinkles forming at the corner of his brown eyes, which regarded me kindly. “It’s nice to see you again, Tessa. Justin said not to worry. If you burn anything, we’re on it.”
Justin and I both laughed out loud. “See if I invite you to join me for dinner again,” he told his friend.
My eyes scanned the room and I noticed Carlita standing alone by the hostess counter. I placed a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Will you excuse me for a minute?”
“Of course. We’ll catch up later, when you’re not so busy.”
I moved across the room to Carlita, who held a bakery box between her hands. “I’m so glad you’re here. Can I get you a table?”
She shook her head. “I cannot stay but made you present. Call it a restaurant-warming.” Her brow furrowed. “Is there such thing?”
“There can be, if you want.”
Beaming with pride, Carlita lifted the lid of the box and I peered inside. There was a luscious-looking cake covered with chocolate chips and two cannoli on top. My mouth watered at the sight. “Oh, my goodness. Is that what I think it is?”
“Si, cannoli cheesecake. Some are inside the cake, too. Theresa, you charge big money for this,” she ordered. “At least ten dollars a slice.”
I burst out laughing. It was wonderful to see her back to her old, bossy self. “Carlita, thank you so much, but this wasn’t necessary.”
Her dark eyes gazed directly into mine. “It is necessary. My way to say thank you for helping Lorenzo.”
“How’s he doing?” I hadn’t seen him since the day he took off from the doctor’s office.
She wiggled her hand back and forth. “He is going to be all right. It has changed him, though. Look like he is finally getting his act together. Lorenzo ask me if he can go full time at the bakery. And he plan to move out and get apartment with friend.”
“That’s wonderful.”
&nbs
p; Carlita’s expression suddenly became pained. “It makes my heart ache whenever I think about that baby—his baby. It will always hurt him.”
She was right. Hopefully in time Lorenzo would heal and meet another woman that he loved and could start a family with. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“May that Marta rot in jail,” Carlita seethed. “What those Rigottas say when they find out their housekeeper a killer?”
“I don’t know.” Gabby had told me earlier the Rigottas had left their home in Saratoga and rumor had that it wasn’t together. Apparently, there were still reporters surrounding it, waiting for their return.
Carlita patted my cheek. “You get back to work. And stay out of trouble. No more murders, okay?”
“You have my word,” I promised.
* * *
It was close to midnight when I emptied the dishwasher. I’d told Andy to go home before the cycle finished, assuring him I’d put away the dishes. We’d been so busy that none of my staff had managed to leave before eleven, and thankfully they hadn’t seemed to mind. It meant more money out of pocket, but I didn’t care. The success of the place had been well worth it.
I’d served almost two hundred people that evening—takeout included. Sure, I knew that every night wouldn’t be like this, but right now, I was feeling confident about the future of Anything’s Pastable.
Stephanie slung her purse on her shoulder and walked over. “Want me to do that before I take off?”
I shook my head. “That’s okay, I’m almost done.” The counters had been scrubbed, the floors swept, and tables set for Tuesday. I could rest up Sunday and Monday and then the craziness of the restaurant world would begin again. And I could hardly wait.
If the restaurant continued like this, I’d need to find another employee, and soon. Thanks to Gabby helping intermittently tonight we’d managed, but now that her bookstore was back open and had seen some increased traffic today, I couldn’t ask her to do this often.
“Sorry that I kept you so late. It won’t always be like this.”
It Cannoli Be Murder Page 23
