"I'm sorry, Grandma. I don't have an appetite."
Mike reached into the china tureen for another braciole. "It's really good, baby. You don't know what you're missing."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "After what happened today, how can you possibly eat?"
He grinned and kissed my cheek. "I can't help it. Digging out basements makes me hungry."
Grandma Rosa continued to watch me with her large, somber brown eyes. "I am so sorry you had to witness that horrible tragedy today."
Gianna sipped at her wine. "There are already articles online about Alexandra and the shooting. Her wedding planner was quoted as saying she was the biggest bridezilla that he ever had the misfortune of working with. Maybe he took her out."
"Jeez," I grumbled. "The poor woman isn't even cold yet. How can people be so cruel?"
Grandma Rosa scratched her white head thoughtfully. "Did they say that someone had been trying to kill her?"
"No one knows for certain." Mike piled more pasta onto his plate. "But they must have been."
Grandma Rosa locked eyes with me. "I am not so sure."
I adored my grandmother, but the look she gave me made me shiver inwardly. I turned to address my mother. "I think I'll skip Betsy Taylor's shower tomorrow."
A look of sheer alarm crossed my mother's face. "You can't skip the shower! I mean—I've already told them that you, Gianna, Grandma, and I will be coming. It would be terribly rude to decline at the last minute."
Good grief. "Mom, I don't even know her that well. She's your friend's daughter from church. I have a gift for her that you can take along. I'm sure they'll understand."
My mother exchanged a glance with Grandma Rosa, and I saw her lower lip tremble. She rose to her feet and quickly ran up the stairs on her tiny stiletto heels. Baffled, I stared at my grandmother. "What did I do?"
Grandma Rosa waved impatiently. "All these wedding plans are starting to make your mama a little cuckoo."
Gianna drained her glass. "Yeah, like she wasn't there already."
"Does anyone know when the funeral is for the Walston woman yet?" my father asked. "We should go pay our respects."
"We don't even know them," my sister protested.
My father pointed at me. "Sal knew the deceased. It would be tacky if we didn't show up."
My father loved going to wakes. "Dad, I talked with her for about two minutes before she died. I wouldn't exactly say that I knew her."
"She did save your life though," my father put in. "Why, if she hadn't stepped in front of you—"
He didn't finish the sentence, and we were all silent for a few moments thinking about his words. My stomach muscles constricted at the thought.
Mike's hand tightened around mine, and I spoke in a shaky voice. "I think I want to go home."
"Sure thing, princess."
We rose to our feet. I kissed my father and stopped to talk to Gianna for a minute while Mike kissed my grandmother on the cheek, and she whispered something in his ear.
"Tell mom I'll call her tomorrow, and we can go over the seating arrangements then," I said to Grandma Rosa.
"No cheesecake?" Mike looked mournful.
It was terribly unfair how my fiancé managed to stay so lean despite the amount of food he could consume in one sitting, while I had to worry that my wedding dress would be too snug at my final fitting. "Maybe Grandma will let you take some home."
Grandma Rosa nodded in approval. "Of course. I will get some for both of you." She patted me on the shoulder. "Come with me while I get it ready."
I followed her into the large, sunny yellow kitchen where she spent most of her days. Up until last week, Josie and I had been running the bakery out of this room. It had been full of complications to say the least, thanks mostly to my parents and their whackadoodle ways, but had served its purpose until the new location was ready.
My grandmother cut two thick slices of her famous ricotta cheesecake and wrapped them in aluminum foil. She placed them in a paper bag and handed it to me. "It is not like you to not want cheesecake, cara mia," she said. "I hope you will be feeling better tomorrow."
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. "Thank you. I think I might still be in shock on some level. I want to put the shooting out of my head and think about more pleasant things—like my wedding."
She said nothing, but the concern in her eyes unnerved me. Next to Mike, my grandmother was the other love of my life. Her words were always filled with wisdom, and on some level she was like my own personal fortune cookie, but a more pleasant variety than the ones I encountered at my shop.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
She looked startled at the words and then smiled. "It is nothing. I am so grateful that you and Mike were not harmed in the shooting today."
"Me too." Still, I suspected that there was something else. "Are you sure nothing is bothering you?"
She patted my cheek gently. "Go home, cara mia. Get some rest. You are about to marry the man you love. Nothing else matters right now."
On the ride home I realized that she'd never answered my question.
CHAPTER FOUR
"There's something I should tell you," Mike whispered seductively in my ear.
I was lying in his arms, tired but sated, basking in the intimate moment we had just shared together. It was early Sunday morning, and he had successfully managed to stop me from thinking about the horrible events of the day before. There was a life lesson in this somewhere—I was sure of it. Never again would I take anything for granted. Especially him.
"What, you're ready for more?" I joked.
He chuckled. "For the record, you never have to ask that question. But that's not what I'm talking about. Okay, two more guesses."
"Hmm." I grimaced. "You know I hate guessing games."
Mike's mouth was at my ear. "Indulge me, okay?"
I buried my head into his smooth muscular chest. "You're in love with another woman?"
He played with my hair. "That's not even worth an answer. You're on your last guess, princess."
I sighed. "Well, that only leaves one thing. You're going to marry me on Saturday and make all my dreams come true."
"That is my plan," Mike admitted as he stroked my shoulders, "but not what I was referring to. I've got to tell you something that isn't going to make you very happy."
He had my full attention now. I propped myself up on one elbow to look him directly in the eyes. "Do I want to hear this?"
"Probably not," he admitted. "But since I'm about to be your husband, I think it's only fair to warn you."
Uh-oh. "Spill it. You're making me nervous."
"It's not that bad," Mike said. "Your mother is planning a surprise bridal shower for you today."
A groan escaped from my lips. I sat up in bed and pulled the sheet around me. "Please tell me you're joking. I told Mom I didn't want one."
Mike raised himself into a sitting position as well and kissed me. "Princess, you know that your mother never listens to you or anyone else for that matter."
He had a point. I wanted to scream, but that would have scared Spike, our black and white Shih-Tzu who was curled up in a ball at the bottom of our bed. Months ago I had explained to my mother that I didn't feel right about having a shower. I'd had one before—an expensive and elaborate affair when I married Colin. Sure, I knew people had multiple ones, and that was fine, but I didn't want people spending extra money on me. Plus, Mike and I had been living together since January. We were far from rich, but there wasn't anything we needed.
"Okay, but we've been engaged for several months," I said. "Why is she springing this on me six days before the wedding?"
He wrapped his arms around me. "In your mother's defense, she didn't decide until a couple of weeks ago to go through with it. Maria said she had so much fun at your surprise birthday party that she wanted to have another party. I guess she figured you might not mind so much. She told me she got an advance from her model
ing shoot and wanted to put it toward the party. With the fire and everything else that happened, the plan suffered a setback, and she had to wait until things were back to normal. She only made the final arrangements last week."
I sighed. "Things will never be normal in my family. You know that. And why didn't my grandmother warn me?" Grandma Rosa was the only one I could count on in times like this.
"She was going to," Mike explained. "But I told her last night I'd take the rap for this one since your mother is bound to find out. I don't want her to be angry at your grandmother. Hell, no one has a right to ever be mad at that woman. You don't exactly have a poker face, Sal, so your mother is going to know you're not surprised the minute you walk into the restaurant. Last night when you said you weren't in the mood to go to the shower, you missed the panic in her expression."
"I knew something was up. Mom never worries about anything. Everything is always beautiful in her little world."
He traced a finger down the side of my face. "Your mother loves you very much. But for some reason she's weirdly obsessed about this wedding. Was she like this when you married Colin?"
I shook my head. "A little, but not to this extreme. Then again, she didn't like Colin." Actually, no one had. It was as if everyone had been able to see the writing on the wall back then, except for me. "She always liked you though."
"Score one for me then," Mike grinned. "Your grandmother thought you should be warned. I mean let's face it, the party would kind of be ruined if you weren't there."
"So this shower for Betsy Taylor is really mine?" I asked.
"The jig is up," he teased.
Great. I sighed and snuggled closer to him. "This is our only day together all week. I'd rather spend it with you."
He kissed me tenderly. "One week from today it will just be you and me. In paradise."
"Which can't get here soon enough."
"Try to enjoy the wedding preparations until then, okay?" A sly smile formed at the corners of his mouth. "We still have some time left today. Let's get in more practice for the honeymoon."
* * *
"You knew all about this, didn't you?" Josie demanded.
I was sitting at a table in Mama Lena's private dining room, flanked by Gianna on one side and Josie on the other. My mother was busy prancing around the room, chatting with people and looking sensational in a print, jeweled, light blue halter minidress. Grandma Rosa was standing next to her, watching the goings on, and I could have sworn she rolled her eyes at her daughter.
There weren't many occasions when I dressed up, but for the occasion I had worn a pink sundress with spaghetti straps. It was a pretty dress and very comfortable, but I didn't look half as good as my mother. Actually, no one in the room did.
Gianna noticed me watching her. "That dress is from Forever 21. She showed it to me the other day when she bought it. Seriously, when is she going to act her age?"
"Your mother?" Josie asked. "She'll be wearing animal prints and bikinis until she's ninety." She elbowed me in the side. "Don't try to avoid my question. You knew about the shower. I could tell the minute you walked in."
I blew out a breath. "All right, but don't tell my mother, okay?"
Gianna paused, a forkful of salad in hand. "She already knows. I could tell from the expression on her face. Who told you, anyway? Grandma?"
I shook my head and stirred some sweetener into my iced tea. "Mike did. I wasn't exactly in the mood for a party today."
"Well, after what you went through yesterday, that's understandable." Josie squeezed my hand. "How are you holding up?"
I wiggled my hand back and forth. "I keep thinking about the fact that a woman who was getting married the same day as me is now dead. What if I had been the one who got shot instead of her?"
Gianna shuddered visibly. "Sal, you have to stop thinking like that. Alexandra probably had tons of enemies. I read about the way she treated other people. Apparently she had a job working at her father's hotel and did nothing all day but order everyone around. Someone just got fed up and decided to take her out. I've seen these cases before. Too bad it had to happen in front of you, though. I can't begin to imagine how terrible the ordeal was for you and Mike."
Josie cleared her throat. "I saw Officer Hottie on the news last night talking about the shooting. How are he and Ally doing?"
I shrugged. "Good, I guess. It's not like Mike and I spend a lot—or should I say any—time with them, you know."
Gianna cut into her chicken. My mother had ordered an Italian dinner for everyone, complete with antipasti, a choice of chicken parmigiana or lasagna, salad, and rolls. Sure, their house was paid off, and my father had a good pension from the railroad, but I hated that they were spending all this money on me.
"Funny that you should mention Ally. I just saw her on my way to the restroom," Gianna commented.
Josie's blue eyes went wide with surprise. "Did you invite her to the wedding, Sal?"
I shook my head. To be honest I had briefly toyed with the idea of asking Brian to the ceremony but ultimately decided against it. I didn't think Mike would be thrilled, and it almost felt like I would be rubbing our love in Brian's face. "No. She must be here for another reason."
"Ally was on her way out. She had a catering menu in her hand and mentioned something about holding an anniversary party here for her parents next month," Gianna said. "She was asking me questions about the service, and could you enter the room directly from the parking lot—blah-blah, you know, for the whole surprise factor. Things like that. Oh, and she did tell me to congratulate you."
"That was nice of her." I took a long sip of iced tea and stared down at my plate. The food looked delicious, but I wasn't hungry. Shootings were a great motivation for my diet.
Gianna grinned. "I have to confess that I got a little nosy and asked her how things were going with Brian."
Josie leaned closer to my sister. "And?"
Gianna wiped her mouth with a napkin. "She said things were good but that he had been distracted the last couple of days. She thinks it's because of the shooting."
"Well, he is a cop," I said defensively. "I'm sure there are many days when he takes his job home with him. It must be hard not to."
My sister raised an eyebrow at me. "For some reason I don't think that's what she meant. When your name was mentioned, she looked uncomfortable. Is she aware that Brian had feelings for you?"
"What a nice way to put it," Josie smiled wickedly. "I would have said, 'Was Ally aware that Brian lusted after your body?'"
Ugh. "Cripes, do you have to be so crude? In answer to the question, I have no idea. It's all ancient history anyway."
Josie leaned back in her seat, laughing. "If Brian was a moron, he would have told Ally about his feelings for you. Chances are she guessed. He still gets that dewy-eyed expression when he's around you. Any woman would catch on to that."
I groaned. "Would you quit it? They seem happy together, and I'm glad for them. I hope he marries her and they have a dozen kids."
"Oh, Sal," Josie sighed. "You take the fun out of everything."
A man in a white serving jacket appeared at my left side. "Done with your plate, miss?" He was cute, with short, curly brown hair and a boyish face that was emphasized by his clean-shaven look. Then I stared into his eyes and was momentarily taken back. They were dark and cold, gazing into mine without expression.
My mouth went dry. "Yes, thank you."
"Are you the bride?" His eyes remained focused on me, and a chill formed between my shoulder blades.
"Of course she's the bride," Josie chortled. "Can't you tell how she's lighting up the entire room?"
He laughed good-naturedly then. As he reached across me for my plate, his sleeve rode up a bit on his arm to reveal a rose tattoo on the back of his wrist with the letter M next to it.
He bent his head so that his lips were near my ear. "May you always have good fortune, miss. Lots of luck."
My napkin fell to the floor, and I ben
t down to retrieve it. When I straightened up, the waiter had disappeared. The chill between my shoulders traveled down my spine at an alarming rate. The man's eyes had been the most notable factor about him—blank and cold, with a lack of any type of emotion. I had seen eyes like that before during some very dark moments of my life. Why did his words bother me? Oh, for goodness sake, Sal. He was just trying to be nice. Stop thinking the worst about everyone you meet.
My mother clapped her hands together. "Attention, everyone! Sally is going to open her gifts now."
She motioned to the three of us, and we all stood, with a bit of reluctance. My mother guided us to the platform where three velvet chairs were lined up behind a table covered with a white lace cloth. The chair in the middle had a banner over it that said Bride-to-Be. On either side of my chair were banners that read Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor.
"Jeez Louise," Gianna murmured. "She's getting a little carried away with this, don't you think?"
Josie and Gianna were my only attendants for the wedding. My mother had wanted to include a few distant cousins, but for once I had put my foot down and refused. I wanted those closest to me in the wedding party this time and no one else. I had also insisted that Grandma Rosa play a special role in the day as well. At her suggestion, she would be reciting a poem.
The three of us sat down, and my mother handed Gianna a pad of paper to write down who the gifts were from. Josie was given the tedious job of transferring gifts from the nearby table for me to open. Josie went to the table laden with presents that were wrapped in silver and gold paper. She brought over three packages for me to start with.
I absolutely hated to be the center of attention. Several of these women didn't even know me and vice versa. They were friends of my mother's from her real estate office and church or relatives that I only saw at weddings and funerals. Well, I had to make the best of it, so I smiled gaily at everyone and tried to act gracious.
My mother's gifts to me consisted of several pieces of barely there lingerie and an assortment of baby onesies in both pink and blue. When I held up the gifts, everyone roared with laughter.
Frosted With Revenge Page 4
