by Robin Kaye
Rich took a sip of his drink and ran his hand over Tripod’s stomach. “I can’t. If I leave, so will Becca.”
“What are you doing? Holding her hostage or something?”
“No, but I’ll be damned if I let her leave me without at least talking about this. Vin, she thinks I used her. She thinks I lied to her—that I’m after her money or somethin’. I made her cry.”
“Fuck, I hate it when they cry. I’d rather have a freakin’ rectal exam than have to listen to Mona cry. But Richie, you can’t make her stay, and you can’t make her talk to you. All you can do is let her go and then do everything you can to get her back. Prove to her she’s wrong about you. She is, isn’t she?”
“Fuck you.”
“Eh, I gotta ask. It’s Mickey’s little sister we’re talkin’ about here. If you hurt her on purpose, we’re gonna have words.”
“I hurt her, but I didn’t mean to. Shit. You’re not helping at all.”
“You want help? Here’s what you do. You get on your fuckin’ knees and beg her to give you another chance. Grovel, and if that don’t work, you’re gonna have to prove her wrong and pray to God she comes back to you.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to prove her wrong?”
“I don’t know. One thing at a time. You gotta try groveling.”
“I did. She won’t listen.”
“Fine, then I guess we gotta figure out a plan B, but you better make sure she’s the one for you, because I gotta feeling you’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do. She’s a hard one, your Becca. She ain’t like the girls you’re used to dealing with.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Becca didn’t sleep; she tossed and turned and cried. Her migraine was so bad, it hurt to think, but she couldn’t turn off her brain. After waiting hours, Rich finally fell into a hard sleep and started snoring. She tiptoed out of the bedroom, praying she could get past Tripod without him sounding the alarm. When she saw the two of them curled up on the couch together, she realized Tripod was more Rich’s cat than hers. Just one more thing Rich stole from her.
Tears burned her already raw eyes as she slipped out the door and headed to Ben’s place alone.
Becca let herself in and sat in the dark living room trying to figure out what to do next. Cold and exhausted, she curled up in an oversized chair and pulled a throw around her. She’d just fallen asleep when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Rich. She waited for it to go into voice mail and called her brother. He picked up. “Hey Bec, what’s got you up so early?”
“Mike? Could you do me a favor?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need some help. I’m at Ben’s place. Rich and I split up—”
“I’ll kill him.”
“Mike, Rich is your brother-in-law, and this has nothing to do with you, so for the sake of your marriage, just stay the hell out of it. If you can’t, you’ll be no help to me.”
“What do you need, Bec?”
“My luggage. I packed but left after Rich fell asleep, and I can’t handle seeing him right now. It’s over, and I don’t feel the need to rehash the whole thing. I just need you to pick up my bags and make sure it’s okay for Tripod to stay there until I can move into my own place.”
“You just left without even talking to him? What are you running away from?”
“Nothing.”
“Did he hurt you?”
Becca wiped a tear from her eye and heard Annabelle in the background. “Of course he didn’t hurt her.”
“Becca, it’s me. What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m at Ben’s, and God, Annabelle, I left Rich. It’s over.” Becca sobbed. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk. Could you just get my stuff from the apartment and don’t let the guys beat each other up?”
“Sure, I’ll be there in a little while.”
“No—” She was speaking to dead air. Shit, Becca just wanted to be alone to wallow in her misery. Now she was going to have to deal with Annabelle.
Vinny got up early as usual, and twenty minutes later, Nick was on the line calling for backup. He asked if Vinny could meet him and Mickey at Rich’s apartment to haul out Becca’s stuff. Which was just what Vinny wanted to do on a Sunday morning. Still, it was probably a smart move considering Mike and Richie almost came to blows when Rich and Becca were just dating. Once Mickey heard that Richie made Becca cry, he was going to want to rearrange Rich’s face.
Vinny showed up early at Richie’s place and thought that maybe he could have most of Becca’s things packed out before Mickey showed up. He pressed the button on the intercom. “Eh, Richie. Open up. It’s me, Vinny.”
“Okay.” Rich buzzed him through the security door and had the apartment door opened before Vinny got there. Rich looked like shit.
“How you doin’, Vin?”
“Better than you. But then most people on life support would look better than you.” Now this was what a man looked like when the woman he loves dumped him.
Vinny looked around the apartment. Everything was neat, clean, and normal except for the three-legged cat sitting on the coffee table drinking out of a big ass coffee cup. “You got a cat?”
“Tripod’s Becca’s cat.”
“I guess you didn’t do too good keeping Becca from leaving.”
“I must have fallen asleep, and she snuck out. I’ve been trying to call her. She’s not answering.”
“I guess right now she don’t want to talk to you. But it’s a good sign that she wanted to make sure her big brother didn’t beat the shit out of you. Your sisters and Becca sent Nick to babysit Mickey, and I’m assigned to you, so don’t pull no shit, okay?”
Rich sat back down. “I don’t want to fight with Mike. I want him to help me get through to Becca. She won’t listen to me.”
“And you think Mike’s gonna want to listen to you?”
“You got any better ideas?”
“Actually, no. I don’t.”
The door buzzed, and the cat ran for it. Richie picked up the cat. “I’m going to lock Tripod in the mud room so he can’t escape. You want to let Nick and Mike in?”
“Sure.” Vinny buzzed them in and opened the door. Once Mickey got a glimpse at how pathetic Richie looked, he lost the murderous gleam in his eyes.
Richie stood his ground, not lookin’ like a wimp, but he wasn’t the same cocky bastard he usually was either. It takes a real woman to take a man like Richie and cut him off at the knees. It looked as if that was exactly what Becca had done.
Rich nodded. “Hey Mike. Nick.”
The three of them stood with their hands in their pockets, staring at each other.
Vinny wanted to smack them all upside the head. He got both Richie and Mickey, but Nick was too quick and ducked. “Come on, yous guys. It’s obvious Richie fucked up and wants Becca back. I know for a fact that everyone in this room has been in Richie’s shoes, so the least we can do is listen to what he’s gotta say.”
Rich shrugged. “Yeah, what he said. I fucked up.”
Mike rolled back on his heels. “Well, that’s obvious. Why don’t you tell me something I don’t know, like why my little sister is crying her eyes out over you?”
Rich held up his hands. “Shit, okay, I’ll tell you, but you gotta help me get her back.”
Mike crossed his arms over his chest, and he and Richie just stared at each other.
“Mike, I love her. I didn’t do anything wrong. Well, okay, I fucked up, but I didn’t do what she thinks I did.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I need some coffee. You guys want some?”
Nick followed Rich to the kitchen and leaned against the breakfast bar. “Are you makin’ it?”
Rich turned and laughed. “Yeah, I learned how to make a damn good pot of coffee, brought Becca coffee and breakfast in bed every morning, and she still dumped me.”
Vinny and Mike went to join Nick. The kitchen was immaculate. Vin smiled. He always liked a cl
ean kitchen. Even the dishwasher was running. “You did the dishes from last night?”
“Yeah, I was hoping Becca would come back for her stuff so we could talk. She taught me how to clean, so I’ve been straightening up. I washed the tablecloth and napkins and vacuumed. It’s hard to sit still.”
Nick watched Rich count out scoops of coffee. “Yeah, I always clean when I get stressed.”
Mike nodded. “It’s really relaxing, and at least you feel as if you’re accomplishing something instead of just pacing the floor.”
Rich looked up from what he was doing. “It sounds like you’ve been there.”
Vinny rolled his eyes. “Okay, it looks like I gotta play Doctor Phil or somethin’—just don’t expect me to get teary-eyed or nothin’, okay?” He ran his hand through what was left of his hair. “Rich, why don’t you tell Nick and Mike what landed you in deep shit?”
“Okay. I told you what my boss said on Monday, right? Dean Stewart said because I got Becca by my side, I’d go far. Her dad’s an alum, and well, she’s got this queen-of-all-things act, which means she’s great at the schmoozin’ professors and deans have to do. Now, when he said that, I was pissed. After all, I’m a really good professor, and it shouldn’t matter who I’m with.”
Vinny cleared his throat. “Come on, Richie, we’re aging here. We ain’t got all day.”
Rich took cups from the cabinet and piled them into the microwave and turned it on. “I was afraid that if I told Becca what Dean Stewart said, she’d freak out.”
Vinny groaned. “You might want to tell them about your dumb-ass move now.”
Rich took the cups out of the microwave and groaned. “I asked her to marry me.”
Vinny shook his head. “Yeah, a dumb-ass move especially when she didn’t say yes.”
Rich cringed. “Thanks for reminding me. She didn’t say anything. Then when she finally did talk, she asked to table the whole marriage discussion.”
Vinny grabbed the coffeepot. Shit, if he was going to wait for Richie to pour, he’d be there all day. “That was until the dinner when the dean spilled the beans.”
Rich passed around the cream and sugar. “Yeah, at first Becca was pissed, then she seemed to be fine.”
Nick stirred his coffee. “Oh man, when a woman goes from pissed to fine in a blink of an eye, that’s the time to start sleeping with one eye open.”
Richie nodded. “Right. See there I was thinking everything was copacetic. I walked Dean Stewart and Emily out, and when I come back in, Becca’s packin’ her stuff. When I asked what the fuck was goin’ on, she’s calling me a liar and a user and said that I only proposed to her to get the job and her trust fund. She accused me of looking though her investment portfolio.”
Nick shook his head. “Man, that’s harsh.”
“I know I fucked up. I should have told her about what the dean said. But it’s not like she’s been one hundred percent straight with me either. When we went to Philly we ran into some assholes who claim to be her friends, and they said that most of the money in her trust fund went to Mike. So I’m thinking she might be hurtin’ for funds and might have to get a job instead of working on her art, so I offered to lend her money if she needed it.”
Mike laughed. “Rich, she’s hardly destitute.”
“Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that? Have you ever seen how the girl dresses?”
Vinny, Mike, and Nick all nodded. Vinny took a sip of his coffee and was surprised by how good it was. “She’s usually in clothes ten times too big.”
Rich took a drink and rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a tray of biscotti left over from last night. “When she dresses up, let me tell you, she’s gorgeous. Last week at that ball, I was wishin’ she’d wear another one of her potato sacks. I felt more like a bodyguard than a date.”
Mike sat on the stool and took a bite out of his biscotti. “So what are you going to do?”
Rich shook his head. “What can I do? I told her I love her, I want to marry her, and I didn’t do all those things she accused me of, but it’s not like I can prove it.” He stared into his coffee cup as if it was a crystal ball.
Mike shook his head. “I don’t know, man. That’s rough. You should have seen Becca the day our dad said he’d gotten her work into an art gallery because he got the owner’s son into med school. She flipped out. She’s real sensitive about that.”
Vinny finished his coffee and sat the cup down. “It looks to me like you two have some communicatin’ to do.”
Rich ran a frustrated hand through his hair that was already standing on end. “Yeah, how the hell am I supposed to communicate with her when she won’t even talk to me?”
Nick, Vinny, and Mike all answered at the same time. “You have to wear her down.”
Rich blew out a breath. “Yeah, thanks for the advice. It helps a lot.”
Vinny walked around the bar into the kitchen and threw his arm around Richie. “We’ll work on her too, and I’m sure Mickey and Nick will talk to Annabelle and Rosalie. Once they find out what happened, they’ll take your side.”
Richie didn’t look like he believed them, but really, there wasn’t much he could do. His face brightened when he looked at Mike. “I guess I can drop by your place and maybe bump into her.”
Mike took the last sip of his coffee and walked to the sink to rinse his cup. “She’s not with us, and I’m not allowed to tell you where she’s staying. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Give it some time, Rich. If she’s in love with you, she’ll have as hard a time being away from you as you will being away from her. If she doesn’t, it’s not meant to be.”
Nick nodded. “Man, when Lee and I hit the skids, it was the worst month of my life. Christ, I’m so glad I’m not you.”
Mike left the kitchen and walked toward the bedrooms. “Rich, you couldn’t take pity on me and move her freakin’ bags into the guest room?”
Rich shrugged. “What’s the point? You practically caught us in the act the last time you stopped by. Do you pretend you’re not sleeping with my sister?”
“I married your sister.”
“Sure, and I’m doing my best to marry yours, so get over it already.”
“Fine. Oh, I almost forgot. Becca can’t take the cat until she moves into the brownstone. She asked if you’d take care of him. Either that, or I’ll have to take him to my place, and it’s not good for pregnant women to be around litter boxes, so I’d like to avoid that.”
Rich nodded. “It’s fine. I guess she’ll have to get in touch with me eventually if she wants the little guy back. Not to mention all the artwork.”
When they had all of Becca’s things packed into the van Nick brought, Richie looked even worse than he did when they got there. Vin gave him a hug before he left, and he could swear he saw Richie’s eyes watering. The poor guy. “We’ll work on it from our end. You work on it from yours. And remember, when you see her, you grovel. It’s worth the embarrassment every time.”
Rich turned around, and Vinny let him. He didn’t want to see a grown man cry any more than Rich wanted to be seen. “Thanks for coming by. I’ll see ya. Oh, and let me know how Becca is, okay?”
Chapter 18
BECCA HEARD ANNABELLE COME IN AND WAS TRULY afraid for the first time in their friendship that she might lose her best friend and maybe even her new brother. She’d spent the last hour berating herself for doing something as stupid as falling in love with Rich Ronaldi. Not just because she ended up feeling as if she was dying inside, but because Rich was Annabelle’s brother, and as he once reminded her, blood is thicker than water.
“Becca, where are you?”
She was in bed with a cool compress over her swollen, burning eyes. “In the guest room.” She pulled the washcloth off her face and sat.
Annabelle waddled in, sat beside her, and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry. Tell me what happened.”
The entire time Becca talked, Annabelle was quiet. She nodded, but the longer Becca went
on, the more scared she became. “Would you say something?”
“I understand where you’re coming from, and I admit that from what you said that Rich looks like a real schmuck. But Bec, I know my brother, and I know he would never do that. He’d never use you to get a job.”
Becca raised an eyebrow, which ended up twitching, and sent a stabbing pain through her head.
Annabelle continued. “Okay, I’ll admit he tried to fake a relationship so he could look good, but Rich is way too conceited ever to take a promotion under false pretenses.”
“Right, he had no problem begging me to pretend to have a relationship with him so he’d look like a good little professor.”
“Oh, come on. Richie’s always been good at whatever he’s done. He wouldn’t take a job he wasn’t sure he more than deserved. And you know if he wasn’t qualified, pretending to have a relationship wouldn’t have made a difference. If Richie let the dean get away with saying that, he must have had a damn good reason.”
Becca pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them before resting her chin on her knees. “Like a trust fund?”
“No, Rich is too proud to live off someone else’s money. If anything, money would be a deterrent for him. All I can think was that Rich knew how sensitive you are to any sign of nepotism and was afraid you’d give up a perfect opportunity to showcase your work.”
“I would have. But that’s my decision.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes “Of course it is, but he’s an Italian man, which means he not only has the ‘Y’ chromosome, he’s über protective, wants to give you the world, and he thinks he knows what’s best for you.”
“Then why did he ask me to marry him?”
“When did he do that?”
“Right after his boss dropped the big bombshell. Remember when the guys went to play basketball Monday?”
“Yeah, that’s why you stopped by and talked to Ben and me.”
“Right. After the game they went to DiNicola’s, and he and the guys had a few drinks while waiting for takeout. Before dinner, and in the middle of sex, he asked me to marry him.”
