by Jo Leigh
Sara shook her head. “He was coming from his parents’ house to the subway. The two guys were walking behind me. He saw them getting too close. I feel terrible he got hurt. But I was lucky he acted quickly.”
Ellie still didn’t look convinced, but that was just tough. What Sara had told her was the truth. How Dom ended up in the upstairs bathroom was perfectly logical. Hearing herself explain had even made Sara feel better about the whole thing.
“Jeanette rarely works late, but we need to tell her and the other girls to be really careful. The neighborhood isn’t what it used to be.” Sara carried her glass with her into the living room. “After being away for a while, it’s a lot easier to see the changes.”
While Ellie had followed, she still hadn’t said anything.
“I hope you’re taking this seriously,” Sara told her, then listened intently when she thought she heard her cell phone ringing upstairs.
“Hey, Sara?”
She looked back at Ellie.
“Your T-shirt’s inside out,” Ellie said with a mocking smile, and Sara felt the air leave her lungs. “Better go answer that. It’s probably Robert.”
8
SARA PACED BETWEEN two benches in Collect Pond Park with her cell at her ear. It was 8:00 p.m. in Rome, and Robert wasn’t picking up. Sara would let it ring a few more times. He could be in the shower. Or something. She was getting sick of playing phone tag with him.
That they were already down to two calls a week—well, actually one now—wasn’t nearly as upsetting as it should have been. It would be easy to think Dom had something to do with it, and if she hadn’t experienced a few twinges of guilt over what happened two nights ago, she would’ve thought something was wrong with her. Especially since she hadn’t even kissed another man since she and Robert had become exclusive.
They’d never actually talked about it, though, and while she hadn’t been with anyone else, she honestly didn’t know about Robert. While they’d still been in school, she’d say no. But since they’d been separated, she couldn’t say with any certainty at all.
He’d skipped their last call. Each conversation started out well enough, always with him asking her how she was doing, only to quickly change to an in-depth report of Robert’s kick-ass investigative reporting in Vatican City.
“Sara. Hey.” He sounded breathless.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, no. This is fine. I, uh, was just working and I got caught up.”
“Still gathering facts about the conservatives?”
“Some, yeah, but I’ve gotten a couple of interviews with some more radical factions. This pope. I mean every day there’s something new.”
“I’ll bet. You must be up to your ears in story ideas.”
“That’s so true. Like Angie says, this is the single most exciting time to be a journalist.”
The sudden ache in her chest wasn’t new either. Although it had nothing to do with whomever Angie was. Once upon a time, Sara would’ve done anything to be out in the world digging up hard news. “No wonder you skipped our last call.”
“What? No.” Robert’s voice went up a couple octaves. “Angie had nothing to do with it.”
“I meant that you were busy.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “That was my bad. I’m really sorry. I mean it, hon. I think about you all the time, but there’s just been so much going on.”
“Right. Can you hold on a second?”
“Yeah, sure.” Robert’s voice almost cut out on that last word.
She lowered her cell before calling out to her two charges. Beth and Bhodi were her neighbor’s five- and seven-year-old kids, under Sara’s care while Gail was busy getting out of jury duty at criminal court across the street. The kids were under strict orders to stick by Sara far away from the water feature, and to play nicely with their toys.
“Hey, kids, you’re not supposed to be outside the big square, remember?”
Beth looked up and brought her doll back to the blanket that didn’t do much to soften the concrete it covered. Instead of yelling at Bhodi, who was zooming his toy helicopter in circles above his head, Sara walked over, took his free hand and guided him back to the designated play area.
It was then she caught sight of Dom, standing almost directly across the park from her, staring at the bank of trees that lined the fence at Lafayette Street. The jolt to her system was magnified by the unbearably vivid memory of his mouth. She hadn’t seen him since the night in her bedroom. But thoughts of him had been a recurring disruption.
He wrote furiously on a note pad, paused, shifted his gaze a bit, then wrote some more.
She couldn’t decide if she wanted to wave and get his attention. The cell phone in her hand reminded her that Robert was still waiting. “You still there?”
“Who are Beth and Bhodi?”
“My friend’s children. She has an appointment, so I’m babysitting.”
“Maybe we should talk when you don’t have such an important job to do.”
Sara couldn’t be sure if he’d actually sounded condescending or if she was the one imagining the tone. It had happened before, several times in fact, since he’d gone to Italy. “Who’s Angie?”
“Oh. She’s just—” His voice lowered. “She’s another reporter.”
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Sara tried to keep a lid on her temper. “I didn’t hear you.” Guess she didn’t have to wonder about the whole exclusive relationship thing. Or Angie. But that wasn’t what made her angry.
After what had happened with Dom, she’d have some nerve if it did. But it wasn’t just anger either. She was sad.
“She’s a reporter,” he repeated in a more normal voice.
“From?”
“Here. She’s Italian.”
Of course she was. Angie probably fit very well into the slot Sara had left. “How’s your Italian? Any better?”
Robert replied with silence, so maybe she wasn’t doing such a good job keeping her temper in check. Finally, he said, “Okay, you know what? Maybe it’s time we had a talk.”
“Can’t right now. I’ve got an important job watching these kids.”
She heard half a word, but she honestly couldn’t have said what it was before she disconnected. She didn’t particularly care about Angie, or anything Robert had to say at the moment. It should’ve been Sara out there digging deep, fighting to tell the truth. Human interest stories were fine, and Little Italy’s history was particularly significant. But would she have cared enough to make it the subject of her thesis if she hadn’t been beaten down in high school? And then held back again later by Robert’s insecurities?
Competition was everywhere. She really should’ve told him to get over it.
She zeroed in on her charges, both safely in the zone, and then found Dom had moved from his original position, still writing in the notebook.
It wasn’t a complete shock to see him in the area. Although it was now part of Chinatown, Collect Pond had played a major role in Little Italy during the early years. And Paladino & Sons did business all over the Lower East Side.
Her gaze swept up his long, lean body from his classic shoes to his well-tailored pants and jacket. Working, probably.
She hoped like hell he didn’t have any interviews until his black eye faded. She’d hate to see it screw up his chance at a job he wanted. The thought made her feel ill. Dammit, where was Gail? Sara had been with the children for over an hour, when it should’ve been thirty minutes.
Her cell rang out a snippet from “Mad World” signaling an incoming text from Robert, which turned out to be very short and to the point.
Hey, I think we should see other people. Just for a while. Think about it?
“What a chicken sh—”
“Soon, honey.” She smiled, imagining steam coming out of her ears at Robert’s stunning cowardice. “Anytime now. In fact, get your dolly and your brother, and come walk with me so we’ll be closer to where Mommy is supposed to meet us.”
It didn’t take but a minute to collect everything, and only two seconds to want to delete Robert’s number from her contact list. Instead she let a whole bunch of juicy paybacks swirl through her brain. Stupid bastard. They’d talk eventually, even though she honestly didn’t see the point.
And then her gaze caught on Dom again, and all thoughts of Robert died a suitable death. Her only decision now was whether or not to get his attention. Or maybe he’d seen her and chosen to ignore her. Well, she wouldn’t know until she walked over there, closer to him and the Lafayette entrance. At least she had a good excuse.
His back was to her when she approached. So she had a few seconds to regulate her breathing. And decide how to handle seeing him after he’d seen her bare breasts. God.
“Oh, so, you’re following me again?”
He jumped as if she’d slapped his butt, and then looked at her through his sunglasses. “Sar—What? I’ve been here for almost an hour.”
Her grin came easily, thank God. “Gotcha.”
“Ha,” he said, finally noticing that she was flanked by little kids. “Who are your friends?”
“This is Bhodi and Beth, and I’m watching them for my friend Gail. Who should be here anytime now.”
He crouched down to their level. “Nice to meet you both,” he said, and shook Bhodi’s hand.
Beth put hers behind her back. “Are you a stranger?”
“No, he’s a friend of mine,” Sara said, a little surprised but happy to see the sweet way Dom interacted with the kids. “A nice man who probably knows your daddy. Ed McCoy.”
“Yeah, sure. I played baseball with him in school. Your dad was a real good pitcher.”
“Really?” Beth and Bhodi said at the same time.
“Yes, he was,” Dom said, rising to his full height. “We won lots of games because of him. I bet he plays ball with you two.”
Both kids nodded, and then they each turned to their toys.
A lot of things had changed in her world, but everyone knowing everyone who lived in their neighborhood? That would probably be true until the end of time. Or until the rest of her generation all moved away. The thought saddened her, even though she knew she’d soon be one of the defectors. “You have a job coming up here?”
He seemed confused for a moment. “No, just checking out a few things for a possible project. What about you? Working a lot?”
Having the kids with her was a stroke of luck. The moment could have been awkward, considering that she knew exactly how her breast fit in Dom’s hand and what an excellent kisser—
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying not to lose ground...or her mind. “You asked me something?”
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Have you been working a lot?”
“My folks are back, so I took a couple of days off to concentrate on my thesis. There’s a senior residence in Brooklyn where I’ve found some folks whose families lived in the tenements.”
“You haven’t told me much about your dissertation.”
“It’s on the early history of Little Italy. Do you know the story of how this park came to be called Collect Pond?”
He shook his head. “If I ever heard it, I’ve forgotten.”
“It used to be a forty-eight-acre natural spring and the Dutch called it Kalck Hoek, which got butchered somehow into Collect Pond. It became so polluted that the city ended up burying the whole area in landfill to build houses on.”
“So not much has changed, then. Although I’m not so sure the city did us any favors with this renovation. It’s barely a park, and that’s a wading pool, not a pond.”
“How’s your eye?” she asked.
“Mending.”
“May I see it?”
He slowly removed the sunglasses.
She held back a sigh. “Well, it’s not horrible,” she said, reaching over and brushing his eyebrow just above the cut.
The next second, his hand was around her wrist. “You never did finish telling me about the spring dance.”
“I like to dance,” Beth said, as she and her doll started to twirl. Sara wanted to hug the little one for giving her a reprieve, however brief.
“That’s not dancing.” Her brother stopped making helicopter noises long enough to give his sister a shove.
It was the perfect excuse to step back from Dom. She hadn’t expected him to confront her like that, but she fully intended to tell him everything, no matter how silly it made her seem. “Stop it, Bhodi. No shoving.” She inhaled and turned back to Dom. “I can’t remember where I left off.”
“You overheard me talking to my friends.”
“Right.” She nodded. “You told them that I’d be the last person you’d ever take to the dance. Because I wore braces and I was ugly and flat chested. And you had your pick of all the popular girls.”
Dom’s face reddened. “I said that? You heard me yourself?”
“Well, you and your gang were hanging out around the corner by the gym, so I didn’t actually see you. But...it was you.”
His jaw muscle flexed hard. “Anything else?”
She shook her head, glad he was wearing the sunglasses again, and wishing she had a pair.
“Oh, my God, Sara...”
She shrugged. “We were both kids, and I knew you didn’t mean for me to hear. I was just, you know, a teenager. My feelings were hurt.”
“Of course they were. I had no idea. I don’t even remember saying that, but I’m appalled. I hate that I was such a dick.”
She glanced at the kids, still bickering, not paying a lick of attention.
He caught her hand and lifted it to his lips. The kiss was gentle, more apologetic than words could have been.
She thought back to the hours she’d spent mentally obliterating him with scathing rejoinders, cutting him down to size in front of the whole school. That had been her inner scenario for years. Naturally that had changed over time, but to see him this revolted by his behavior, so repentant, touched a place deep inside her that had apparently needed some healing.
“I’m still mad at myself for bringing it up. It was so stupid.”
“No, I’m glad.” He didn’t look glad. He looked devastated. “It needed to be said.”
“Dom, please, you were fourteen. Don’t give it another thought. Promise me.”
“Mommy!”
Dom let go of her hand, and Sara looked out across the busy street to see Gail waving broadly at the crosswalk.
“I think she wants me to take the kids over there,” Sara said. “Come on, guys. Let’s go rescue Mommy.”
The children jumped at the chance, literally, but she managed to capture their hands as she backed away.
Dom looked like a lost puppy watching her leave. Just as she was about to turn, he called out, “You going to the Easter feast?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“You want to be my date?”
Again, a physical jolt. Like a sweet punch to the gut and just as confusing. She just laughed at his teasing, which she deserved, although, silly her, she wished he was serious.
As the light changed, the crowd at the corner forced her and the kids away from park, and back into the real world. The Easter feast was a tradition at the church their families had been going to forever. She’d never gone with a date.
When they reached Gail’s side of the street, Sara wondered how much her friend had seen between her and Dom. If Gail asked, Sara had no idea what to tell her
. They’d almost had sex the other night, but that didn’t mean anything.
Another thought had Sara feeling slightly ill. Had Dom asked her to be his date out of guilt? Was that his way of doing penance?
9
DOM WALKED INTO the parish hall at the aging church the Paladinos had been going to for several generations.
No Sara in sight.
Not a surprise, it was still early. At his mother’s request, he was here to help set up tables and chairs. He caught a glimpse of Tony coming out of the kitchen. Luca was undoubtedly around somewhere.
“Why are you just standing there?” Tony said. “Chairs.”
Dom nodded. “You know, this place could use some help.”
Tony frowned. “Meaning?”
“The kitchen is outdated, the playground is all concrete, I know the stained glass in the church needs repairs. The last thing they had done to the building was when we fixed the plumbing, and that was what, seven years ago?”
“Okay. Yeah. You should look into it. Talk it over with Dad. We could make a big difference here.” Tony slapped him on the back. “Good thinking. Now go to work. It’s going to get crowded in here real soon.”
Dom started setting up chairs at the three long tables. Covered with white tablecloths, they already had place settings, water pitchers and wineglasses. In the back, closer to the kitchen, the big buffet table was also set up for the bounty of food the parishioners would bring.
Every time the door opened, Dom glanced over, hoping to see Sara. She’d said she was coming, but then she’d laughed at him when he’d asked her to be his date. What a dumbass he was. Asking her to come with him right after reminding her of his arrogant teens.
What he couldn’t get over was how callous he’d been. Especially given his own sensitivity about being judged. His mom had once told him that he made everything look easy. His parents knew he’d worked hard to keep his grades up, to be his best at sports, but his casual demeanor made his classmates think all those accomplishments were effortless.
For him to have been cruel to Sara was unforgivable in his book. He still couldn’t remember talking about her that way, but he believed her.
