by Lynn, JB
“Fine,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Let’s get it over with.”
“First, you have to open your present, Aunt Maggie,” Katie insisted. She thrust a tiny bag at me.
“What’s this?”
“I bought it for you.”
Knowing full well she didn’t have any money, I looked to Zeke.
He shrugged helplessly. “She really wanted to get it for you.”
Opening the bag, I pulled out a heart-shaped keychain that contained glitter in some sort of liquid.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Katie asked when I didn’t say anything.
“It’s beautiful,” I told her. “Thank you.”
“That way, no matter where you go, you’ll remember I love you.” My niece threw her arms around my neck and pressed a sticky kiss to my cheek.
Touched, I found myself blinking away tears.
Zeke handed me two paper napkins. I used one to dry my eyes and the other to clean Katie’s face.
“Shopping time,” Katie announced, pulling free of my ministrations.
Thankfully, we could only find three brown dresses in the entire store, so that’s what I tried on. One was low-cut and covered in sequins, one was billowing ruffles, and the other was probably shorter than Susan would like. I dutifully modeled them for both Zeke and Katie, who waited outside the dressing room for me. I went with the sequins, first, thinking that if I blinded them, perhaps the length of the dress I liked best wouldn’t be quite so offensive to the naked eye.
“Shiny!” Katie said, clapping her hands with delight.
“Shiny.” Zeke chuckled.
I turned in front of the three-way mirror, amazed at how the light caught all the sparkles. I looked like a living, dancing disco ball. “I’m going to try another one,” I told them, on the verge of tears.
“Yay!” Katie cheered.
Zeke gave me an overly enthusiastic two thumbs up, as though he was excited to see what I would be wearing next. I could tell that he was barely holding back his laughter. If Katie hadn’t been sitting with him, I would have flashed something back at him involving fingers, specifically middle ones, but I was acting like a grown up today and chose not to. I flounced off with my sparkling sequins back into the dressing room.
“Pretty, pretty, pretty,” Benny approved. I’d put him on the bench of the dressing room while I changed.
“No,” I snapped. “It’s really not. It’s ugly, ugly, ugly.”
“You’re pretty, Maggie,” he squeaked. “You’re pretty, Mag—”
“Hush, please,” I begged, afraid someone would hear him and that I’d get kicked out of the mall for bringing my pet rodent inside. Aunt Susan would never let me live that down. “But thank you for the compliment.” I bent and pressed a kiss to the top of his little head.
Then, I tried on the next dress. In some ways, the ruffles were even worse. I looked like a deflated bounce house as I shuffled out of the dressing room to model the atrocity.
“You look like a princess, Aunt Maggie,” Katie gushed with a wide smile.
“She looks like a pillow,” Zeke countered, unable to hold back his laughter.
“A tree pillow,” Katie said, dissolving into a fit of giggles.
“Maybe we should go look somewhere else,” Zeke suggested.
I shook my head. “Nope. I hate trying on clothes. I’m going to put the last one on and I’m walking out of here with one of these monstrosities.”
It took some shimmying and physical contortions, hampered by the fact that dressing rooms that are the size of airplane rest rooms are not conducive to trying on tight clothes, but I finally got myself into the third and final option. I hesitated when I stared at my reflection. Aunt Susan would no doubt comment on the hemline.
Still, since it was neither festooned in sparkles or ruffles, I thought the plain ribbed creation was my best option.
I crossed my fingers like a little kid, hoping Katie would agree as I stepped out to show it off. “What do you think?”
Zeke sat up straighter, no hint of amusement on his face.
“That one,” Katie said without hesitation.
I gave her a tight nod. “And so it shall be.” I hurried back into the dressing room to wiggle out of it.
I’d managed to zip it up on my own, but despite my twisting and turning, I couldn’t get it unzipped. I was breathless and flustered when I stuck my head out of the dressing room. “Uhhh, I need a little help.”
Zeke leapt to his feet.
Katie, who was engrossed in something she was looking at on his phone, didn’t even look up.
I turned my back to Zeke and lifted my hair off my shoulders as he stepped into the dressing room. “I can’t get the zipper down.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said gruffly.
I could feel his body heat as he stepped closer.
“See? It’s a good thing I was here,” he murmured, his breath tickling the nape of my neck.
I swallowed hard, trying to make sure I didn’t collapse due to my suddenly weak knees.
He tugged on the zipper. Then, did it again. Nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. My voice sounded unnaturally high and breathy. I closed my eyes, hoping he didn’t hear it.
“It’s stuck in the fabric,” he murmured. “No wonder you couldn’t get it.”
He stepped even closer; his hand pressed firmly against my back. I could feel him working to free the fabric. I had to force myself to take a steadying breath as heat suffused my body.
“Hot, hot, hot,” Benny pointed out.
I didn’t know whether he meant the moment or the actual temperature of the enclosed space.
“Got it,” Zeke murmured triumphantly as I felt the fabric give.
I let out a shaky sigh.
He unzipped it halfway with tantalizing slowness that had every nerve in my body on high alert. “I’ll check on Katie.”
“Thanks,” I choked out, my back still to him.
“Any time I can be of service, Maggie.” He pressed a quick kiss to my bare shoulder, which almost made my knees buckle, and then stepped out.
I turned slowly around after I heard the click of the door.
I took my time getting dressed, trying to get my heart rate under control. I didn’t feel that way about Zeke. We are old friends, who now occasionally work together for Ms. Whitehat. That’s it. Nothing more. And yet…
“I’m getting to be as bad as Aunt Loretta,” I muttered. I had a relationship, of sorts, with Gino. I shouldn’t be getting naked with another man. Not that I’d actually gotten naked, but if he’d kept lowering that zipper, I would have been sorely tempted.
Doing my best Moonstruck impression, I slapped my face. “Snap out of it.”
“Pretty, pretty, pretty,” Benny insisted.
“Thanks.” I picked up the short dress, wondering whether the sequins or the ruffles might be a safer choice.
“That one, that one, that one,” the mouse insisted, making the choice for me.
When I re-emerged from the dressing room, Zeke and Katie were in a deep discussion.
“Can we go to the bookstore?” Katie said when she noticed that I had returned.
“Sure,” I said. After all, it was a good adult thing to do, to buy a child a book. I was going to nail this semi-parenting thing. “As soon as you get your dress,” I told her.
“Okay,” she agreed easily, hopping off her seat.
Zeke, standing behind her, made an impressed face. I beamed, feeling like a grown-up ninja. I had pulled off the impossible. It didn’t take long to find Katie a green dress, and we soon left the mall to go to a nearby bookstore.
“I’ve got to run,” Zeke said, glancing down at his phone. “Let me know when the party is.” He bent and kissed Katie’s cheek, and then, grabbing my shoulders, kissed mine, whispering in my ear, “You’re doing great, Maggie.” Then, with a grin and a wave, he trotted off in the opposite direction.
“I like Zeke,” Katie declared, watchi
ng him leave.
“Me too,” I told her.
“Can we get books for Alicia and Dominic, too?”
“Sure,” I replied easily.
“And can we bring it to him? Can we stop on the way home?” she asked hopefully.
“Let me make a call and see,” I told her. It’s not like you can just drop by a mobster’s house unexpectedly.
6
For some people, dropping by a mobster’s house might be a bit nerve-wracking. For me, it was getting to be an almost everyday experience. Gino, Delveccio’s bodyguard and my … I really wasn’t sure what we were. I knew he was a great kisser, and I knew that he accepted me for who I am, but I wasn’t sure what label to put on our relationship, greeted us at the front door.
“Hi, Gino,” Katie said, offering him a high five.
“Did you bring me something?” he asked, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her.
Katie held up the bag she had. “Nope. This is for Dominic.”
Gino pouted. A reaction that made my niece burst into giggles.
He winked at me as he stood up. “Fine,” he said. “Go find Dominic. He’s in the playroom.”
She went running off.
“And what about you?” he asked, pitching his voice lower. “Did you bring me anything?” He stepped nearer so that I could feel his breath on my cheek as he asked the question.
“Afraid not,” I murmured as my heartbeat sped into overdrive.
“You could make that up to me,” he suggested.
I glanced around nervously, knowing that Delveccio had cameras everywhere. “Here?”
A wicked gleam glittered in his eyes. “Not here,” he said. “But just remember you owe me, and I aim to collect.”
My mouth went dry as I imagined what paying off that debt might include.
Gino’s gaze darkened and he turned away. I wasn’t sure which of us he was giving space.
He cleared his throat. “The boss is in the garden.”
I blinked. Somehow, I’d never associated a crime boss tilling the earth. “A real garden?”
He chuckled. “It’s a miniature version of Eden. Go through the back door of the kitchen and follow the path. You’ll find it. I’ll keep an eye on the kids.”
Nodding, I moved toward the kitchen. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that he was watching me with undisguised appreciation.
“You owe me,” he reminded me with a wink.
I went through the kitchen and followed the path back to the garden. Gino hadn’t been kidding. It really was a glorious garden. I couldn’t even see Delveccio in it. I’m not much of a plant person, preferring the indoors to the out, but even I recognized rows of corn. Who grows their own corn?
“You’ve got to taste this,” Delveccio boomed.
He stepped out from among the rows of greenery, holding half a dozen plump tomatoes cradled in his hands.
“Best tomatoes in the country are Jersey tomatoes,” he announced proudly.
“Okay,” I agreed.
He handed me one, and I just kind of stared at it. “Eat it like an apple,” he suggested.
Still warm from the sun, I had to admit that the sweet-tangy taste was amazing as it hit my tongue.
“We’re lucky to live in the Garden State,” Delveccio said, nodding his approval.
I was too busy wiping tomato juice off my chin to answer.
“Come, come,” he said, indicating that we should go sit at the table on the outskirts of the garden area. Once we were settled, he gave me a searching look. “What do you need?”
I stared back at him for a long moment. “Excuse me?”
“What do you need?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Then why are you here?” he asked, appearing to be thoroughly confused.
“I told you,” I said. “Katie wanted to see Dominic. She was bringing him a gift.”
He leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers under his chin, and considered me for a long moment. “You just came to see Dominic?”
I nodded. “Well, technically, Katie came to see Dominic, but until she’s old enough to drive herself…”
“And here I thought you were going to ask me for help.”
If I’d been thinking, and not enjoying the last of my tomato, I wouldn’t have asked what I did. “Help with what?”
“Your brother.”
I swallowed the last bit of red produce, almost choking. “Ian?”
“Do you have another brother that I don’t know about?”
I shrugged. “You know my parents.”
Delveccio threw back his head and guffawed. “That’s why I like you. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”
“Is Ian in trouble?” I asked, a sick feeling settling in my stomach that I didn’t think was caused by the acidity of the tomato.
He shrugged. “Not my place to say.”
“But you just said that you thought I was here to ask for help for my brother,” I reminded him crossly.
“I think it’s a family matter,” he said carefully. “You should probably ask him about it.”
I frowned. It’s not good sense to argue with a mobster, but I really wanted to at that moment.
“Quiet, quiet, quiet,” Benny urged from my purse.
The mobster’s eyes went wide. “Are you wired?”
I scowled at him. This was not the first time we’d had this conversation. At regular intervals, he seemed to be convinced that I was trying to get recordings of him. “No,” I told him impatiently. “That’s my mouse.”
His forehead creased in confusion. “I thought you normally carried around a lizard,” he said.
“Well, today it’s a mouse,” I said, reaching into my purse and pulling Benny out. The little white rodent stood on my palm, whiskers trembling.
“Oh, he’s cute,” Delveccio said, leaning closer with a big grin on his face. “What’s his name?”
“Benny,” I told him.
“Can I pet him?” He sounded more like an enthralled little boy than a man who ran a criminal enterprise.
“Sure,” I said, extending my hand.
“Hello there, Benny,” the mobster cooed softly. “Aren’t you a pretty boy?” He stroked the mouse. “You’re so soft.”
As though he suddenly realized how he was acting, he suddenly sat back in his seat and said gruffly, “I had a pet mouse, once. He didn’t meet a good end.”
Benny squeaked in terror.
7
I was worried about what kind of trouble Ian had gotten himself into and didn’t pay much attention to Katie on the drive home from Delveccio’s place. She was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting in the back seat, staring out the window. As I pulled into the driveway, I asked, “Everything okay, my favorite niece?”
She shook her head.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I think I have to think about it, first.”
I nodded, wondering where a little girl got the kind of wisdom that I rarely possessed. It wasn’t like she came by it genetically. Both of her parents came from families who were impulsive and destructive.
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” I told her. “But when you’re ready, I’m here.”
She smiled. “I know.”
She ran into the house, looking for her cousin Alicia, wanting to give her a book, while I gathered all of our shopping bags out of the trunk of my car. I’d almost made it to the front door when a deep gravelly voice called my name, “Maggie.”
I turned slowly and found Jack Stern, Armani’s former boyfriend, the crime reporter, watching me.
“Hey, Jack,” I said. I didn’t say anything else, unsure of what the status of his relationship with my friend was.
“I brought you something,” he said, holding up a brown paper bag.
“It’s too early for me to drink,” I quipped.
He grinned. “Well, technically, it’s not for you, it�
��s for Katie.”
“It’s definitely way too early for her to drink,” I told him. I put down my shopping bags and stepped closer to him. “Do you want to come inside and give it to her?”
“Can’t. I’m working a story. A possible serial killer, right here in town.” He grinned his excitement at the prospect.
“Great?” I wheezed weakly. There were enough regular killers around, I didn’t like the idea of a serial in the neighborhood.
“Besides, it’s not from me,” he said, waving the bag. “Angel wanted me to give it to her.”
I eyed him suspiciously. Sure, the last story he’d been working on, a human-interest piece involving the Delveccios, had turned out to be in our favor when he’d realized D.A. Reese was scum, but that didn’t mean that I necessarily trusted him. I like Jack, but he’s all about the truth, and if he knew my truth…
“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t bite,” he said, extending the bag toward me. “It’s a doll,” he said. “Angel wanted Katie to have it.”
I nodded slowly.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and examining me carefully.
“It’s not you, it’s Armani,” I told him. “I really don’t want to have her mad at me because she thinks I’m being too friendly with you. You understand, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do,” he admitted. “Has she said anything about me?”
I shook my head. “Not much. All I know is that you broke up.”
He nodded slowly. “It may just be a temporary thing.”
“Okay,” I said noncommittally. I had enough problems; I wasn’t going to step into that hornet’s nest.
“Tell her I said hi,” he said, and then he walked away to where, I realized, he’d parked his car. I watched him go, tucked the bag with the doll into my shopping bags, and strode into the house.
“Did you find something respectable to wear to Lawrence’s party?” Aunt Susan asked me the moment I stepped inside.
I shrugged. “Acceptable? That’ll be up for debate.”
She frowned.
“Katie picked it out.”
“Thank you for making the effort,” Susan said sarcastically, and then flounced off in the direction of the kitchen. “Your brother’s in the barn,” she yelled over her shoulder.
