My own parents were almost the opposite of Bianca’s. Dad was great in his own way. Heck, so was Mom. However, having parents so much older made growing up different form me than the others. My parents didn’t have the energy for me. They loved me, I loved them, but they were more like grandparents.
Plus, I looked nothing like either of them. I think they found me under a rock.
“Well, when I’m not mooching off Gramps here—”
“You pull your own weight.” Gramps cut me off. “Now.”
I snorted while half of the others laughed loudly. I loved that old guy. He’d basically taken me in as an honorary granddaughter since I didn’t remember my own and he never complained about my antics.
“Anyway,” I said, drawing out the word. “I don’t know. I’m not up to much other than working at Romano’s.”
“No special guy?” Maria asked as if expecting some great revelation.
“Oh, they’re all special… not in the way you’re thinking though.” A soft, bready ball hit me in the side of the head with a soft thud.
“Let’s not start a food fight,” Maria warned.
Turning to my right, I found Bianca trying, unsuccessfully, to hide a giggle.
I fought back the urge to lob the damn thing back at her but knew it’d turn into an all-out war. Maria would pull us out by our ears no matter how old we were.
“All?” Sal finally spoke.
I cocked an eyebrow and gave him a tiny grin. “All.”
After dinner was the guys’ responsibility. Since the first Thanksgiving I spent with the Romano/Russo family, the women cooked and the men cleaned up. Maria said that was the other reason she kicked them out of the kitchen. She hated doing dishes.
This was Gio’s first holiday with the family, and he tried really hard not to make it glaringly obvious by acting like he knew what to do. But he knew nothing about how this family worked. Not yet. He’d learn.
Gramps had a decent sized kitchen, but it looked so small with the four sizable men trying not to trip over each other. Bianca and I watched the comedy unfolding and giggled as they bumped into one another or almost dropped something when one stopped himself from slamming another.
They all knew how to wash a damn dish. What Sal and Gio didn’t seem to know how to do was hang out and make small talk. Watching their awkward interactions made me think of Bianca saying she didn’t think Sal understood social interactions like the rest of us.
Watching him made me believe her.
Tony and Gramps finished up with the dishes, loading the dishwasher and scrubbing the countertops, while Gio and Sal packed away the leftovers.
Then the whole group of them settled into the living room, taking up every ounce of extra space as they turned on the football game.
This was the time I loved the most about holidays with Bianca’s family.
Well, second most. Desert topped my personal list because Maria made the absolute best pumpkin pie I’d ever tasted in my life. No matter where else I went, no one could top Maria.
Suddenly, as if I’d unexpectedly gained superpowers and could conjuring things up just by thinking of them, a slice of pie appeared in front of my face. I lifted my gaze to find Sal was the one offering.
“Thanks,” I said.
He dropped down on the end of the couch closest to my chair.
“So, Sal, you got a girl back home pissed off that you came here instead of going to her parents?”
“Nope.” He shoved a big bite into his mouth like he thought it might disappear if he didn’t eat it quickly enough. His eyes rolled back in his head with a moan.
Yup, it was that fucking good.
“Really? Are you gay?”
He coughed and sputtered on that pumpkiny goodness. Hard enough to catch Gio and Bianca’s attention from across the room, pulling them from their disgustingly lovey bubble.
She questioned me with a look but all I could do was smile and shrug.
“No,” he answered once he cleared the passageway.
“We should go out, then. Tomorrow.” It wasn’t really a question. More of an observation. But this guy was hot, sexy, and someone I would only see occasionally, which meant he was right up my alley. I wasn’t really looking for a boyfriend. “You’re flying out Sunday, right?”
“Right.” He glanced at me then away quickly, his voice uneven.
I probably shouldn’t have noticed. It was only one word yet I did. My forwardness could sometimes do that to a person.
“Ok,” he finally said.
I didn’t expect him to say yes. I wanted him to but honestly hadn’t thought he liked me enough to agree.
“I’ll pick you up since this is my town,” I said. “You’re staying in the apartment, right?” I pointed toward the kitchen to indicate that I meant Gramps apartment outside. The building which used to be a garage had been renovated for Bianca several years ago so she’d have her own space. When she moved, it kind of turned into a guest house.
“Right.”
He still didn’t look the most comfortable with his decision. His skin was a little pasty with tiny beads of perspiration on his forehead. I said I’d be there at seven o’clock then took my plate to the kitchen before he could change his mind.
We didn’t speak again before I left Gramps’. I think that by Sal’s choosing. He’d agreed to the date then kept me at a distance. He focused on Gio as they whispered furiously at each other.
If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought they were arguing. But without warning Gio’s face softened then he wrapped an arm around Sal’s shoulder and shook him playfully, which earned him a boyish smile from Sal.
I really wished I could’ve heard what they were saying.
The moment I was in my car, I grabbed my cell and dialed Bianca. I knew she had her phone somewhere nearby, she usually did, and could only hope she’d hear it.
“I thought I’d be hearing from you,” she answered with a smile in her voice as the background noise got quieter and quieter.
I pictured her moving away from the group to one of the bedrooms so we could talk without extra ears.
“You’re psychic obviously.”
She laughed, and I couldn’t help but join in.
“So, what the fuck is up with Sal?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I asked him out. He said yes then wouldn’t get within a football field of me the rest of the night.”
“Wait.” A door shut in the background. “He said he’d go out with you?”
“Why is that a surprise?” I wasn’t trying to be conceited by saying that. But usually, if I asked a guy out, he said yes. “And actually no, he didn’t say yes. He just didn’t say no.”
“I… well I don’t think he’s gone out with anyone. Or at least not for a really long time.”
I sighed. “You gotta give me something here.”
“Like?”
“Is he a serial killer, does he have a small penis… whatever he’s got going on. He is so hot, and I want to run my tongue—”
“OK, that sentence can end right there.” The smile in her voice was palpable through the airwaves. “There’s nothing going on with him. He’s not a serial killer. I haven’t a clue on the penis size thing, and he’s actually a pretty decent guy. They just… the Diamati and DeLuca’s didn’t have a normal upbringing, that’s all.”
“Who did? I mean besides you.”
“Just… be nice.”
As if I was ever anything other than nice.
Chapter Four
True to my word, I arrived at Bianca’s old apartment in Gramps’ garage exactly at seven. I thought it was nice that the apartment still had a use. Sal could’ve stayed with Bianca and Gio, but she’d said he liked his own space.
Sal staying there didn’t mean the happy couple got their place to themselves. No, Gemma stayed with them.
I took a deep breath and knocked. Sal pulled the door open before I finished.
As soo
n as I saw him, I decided I wasn’t stepping into that apartment. The idea of him was far too enticing for me to enter the apartment. His dark jeans and long-sleeved black V-neck made him look large and intimidating. Sal was definitely large but not so intimidating.
He just knew how to dress himself really well.
I’d taken a lot of time to get ready for tonight, with him mind. Choosing jeans and boots that I knew would accentuate my body but be fun and comfortable as well.
Yet no one could compete with him. Not me or any other guy.
“You look fantastic,” I said, regaining my composure long enough to put a sentence together.
Go me.
“Thanks.”
His lips turned into a sexy grin that gave me a better understanding of how Bianca fell for Gio so quickly. I’d seen Gio give her that look many times before.
“You do, too,” Sal said.
We fell silent, our gazes locked.
The way Sal looked at me made my knees week. A warm spiraled low in my belly as he inventoried me in the way one did on a first date. While a guy doing that had never flustered me before, my skin warmed on Sal’s perusal.
“Ok,” I said to break the moment of silence. “So let’s go.” I walked away so he’d follow and get me away from the enclosed space of the apartment.
“This car is beautiful,” he said getting in the passenger side of my red corvette.
“I agree.” I slid in behind the wheel. “It’s not practical, but I love it. It’s such a smooth ride.” I pulled my baby away from the curb. “I’ll probably have to get something more normal at some point, but I will never get rid of this thing.”
“You look good driving it.”
“I agree,” I said again, this time with a smile.
We made the rest of the ride in quiet until I started singing along with the radio. I hadn’t realized I started doing it until Sal snorted. When I turned his way, I found him with a small smile, his index finger running over his top lip.
Living in small town Harbor Point didn’t leave me a lot of options as to where Sal and I should go. Dates needed to be creative to not be boring. I cautioned on the boring side since Sal had to return to Chicago soon, and I wanted to make sure he’d remember the night.
Olivia, a girl I’d gone to high school with, showed us to our table at Dawson’s then gave me two thumbs up with a big smile as she walked away. Fortunately, the look had been given behind Sal’s back. I shook my head just the same.
“What?” He turned to look over his shoulder but Olivia was already gone. “Did I get the seal of approval?”
“I don’t need her approval but yeah, you got it anyway.” I flipped the menu open even though I already knew what I would be ordering.
Post-Thanksgiving, I always ordered their hot, open-faced turkey sandwich. Which was exactly what I did order once Blake, our waiter came back over. Sal ordered the pasta. He also ordered wine while I stuck with water.
“You’re not drinking?”
I shrugged. “It’s a new thing.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
At first, I didn’t answer but then decided I wasn’t going to hide the reasons behind my not drinking. “Sometimes I like to let loose a little too much, so I’m trying to curb that.”
“Bad experience?”
“Well, I don’t love the next day hangover, that’s for sure. But the last time I drank way too much, I fell into bed with someone I shouldn’t have.”
He let out a breath that sounded more like a cough. “You’re really honest, aren’t you?” He eyed me like he was trying to sort out a puzzle.
Blake set our plates in front of us and snorted. Obviously, he heard what Sal said. Jackass.
“I’m sorry.” I glared up at Blake. “Did you have something to add?”
“Not at all.” He shook his head and pinched his lips together like he was afraid the words might fall out of his mouth unintentionally. Then he walked away.
“What’s his problem?” Sal’s brows slammed down in confusion crossed with irritation.
If I didn’t know better, Sal might’ve been on the verge of pummeling the poor kid.
“We live in a small town. Everyone knows just about everything, which is why I’m so honest about pretty much everything. Everyone would know if I was lying anyway.”
“I wouldn’t.”
He had a point. He didn’t live here. I could’ve been anyone I wanted to be with him but for whatever crazy reason, I wanted to be myself. Pretending to be something I wasn’t definitely didn’t suit me.
“True. But I just don’t get the point of trying to be something you’re not.”
I spent the entire meal trying to get Sal to open up a little. It was like cracking the spine on the story of his life. He’d give me a glimpse, stiff and hard to bend, but not the full story.
“So, you thought you could fly and ended up with a broken leg?” I tried not to laugh after he told me about a time he and Gio jumped from the top of the stairs of their house. Apparently, it was pretty high up.
“It was Gio’s idea,” he said back with a mere hint at a smile.
“Would Gio agree with that?”
Sal rubbed a finger over his top lip. “Probably not.”
After dinner, I decided not to do a movie, which would’ve been a classic Point date. Instead, I wanted to give him a walking tour through town. Bianca had told me that, although Sal had been here a couple of times, he hadn’t really seen much.
We walked down Main where the shops had started decorating for Christmas already. The bookstore had their traditional scene in the window complete with stockings and a tiny family around the fireplace reading A Christmas Carol. The streetlights were lined with garland and white twinklers.
“You’re an only child?” I asked him as we stood in front of the window.
He nodded.
“Me too.” I took a minute to think about how I might get him to open up to me. “I love the snow. I don’t love the cold but when we actually get some snow… it’s beautiful. Plus it makes me appreciate spring more.”
“We already have a bunch of snow,” he said, “in Chicago.”
“Yeah? You like living in Chicago?”
It was like watching the tiny inch of space I’d created with him slam to a close before my eyes.
Sal’s jaw tightened and twitched but nothing else about him changed. He always seemed to be in control of everything. I heard an intake of air.
“I don’t… love it, no.”
As if on cue, large fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky as I walked him around the corner to the business who were starting their window painting contest. There were barely any scenes yet but I liked to try to predict which direction each place was going to go.
We finally stopped at the end of the pier. My favorite spot in town.
“I can see why you guys love Harbor Point.” He looked out over the midnight black water.
In reality, this area of the ocean was a beautiful sparkling blue. However, in the dark, it was like looking out into a black abyss.
“Yeah. I’ve thought about moving to New York or Chicago, do the big city thing for a while, but I can’t seem to make myself do it. I loved growing up here. Almost like the perfect combination of small town and big city. Plus, Bianca’s here.”
“How?”
“What?”
“How is Harbor Point both big city and small town?”
“Starting in May, we get overrun with tourists and out population quadruples. Meaning, we get traffic jams and can hardly move without bumping into people.”
I pushed off the railing I’d been leaning against to walk back down the pier, assuming Sal would follow.
“So,” he began, his voice so close, “was Blake the inappropriate person you fell into bed with?” Not sure why he wanted to know.
“No.” I snorted. “That kid is like, nineteen. It was Nick.”
“And he’s inappropriate why? You guys seem close.”
>
“Which is why he’s inappropriate. He’s one of my best friends, and that wasn’t the first time. Neither of us is interested in anything regular with each other.”
Sal looked out over the water while nodding slowly.
“It’s not going to happen again.”
The closer to my car we got the more I slowed down. I wanted more time to figure out what Bianca had meant about Sal being awkward. Yes, I’d seen him in action and no, he wasn’t exactly like everyone else. But that was one of the things I was coming to like about him.
“Do you like your job?” I asked as we climbed back into my car.
Sal groaned. “It’s what I know. I enjoy the actual work for the most part. Since I majored in business I’d be doing this kind of thing wherever I worked.”
“But being the boss?” I pulled the car away from the curb.
“I’m not entirely a fan.”
“I’d love to be the boss.”
Sal snorted and I couldn’t help but glance over at him. I still hadn’t actually seen a real smile from him. And I didn’t this time either.
When we got back to Gramps’ guest apartment, I expected Sal to kiss me goodnight. He didn’t. When I thought about it after, I was dumb for thinking he would so quickly. Clearly, it’d take more to get Sal DeLuca to kiss me and Bianca had warned me.
“Did you have fun?” I asked while sitting in my car outside the apartment.
“Yeah.”
The word may have said yes but the uneasy tone and low volume behind it weren’t so sure.
“Enough fun you’d want to do it again?”
Sal stared at me, his gaze dropping from my eyes to my mouth. I wet my bottom lip with my tongue when he reached out and cupped my cheek. He ran his thumb across my cheekbone then dropped his hand and climbed out of my car without an answer.
Um… what?
I sat there, dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded. I also couldn’t decide if he actually had fun or not. If he ever wanted to see my face again or not.
Weirdest ending to a date ever. And that was saying something.
The next day, Gemma, Bianca, and I spent a lazy Saturday at her house painting each other’s nails while doing the girl talk thing. Bianca said that Sal and Gio were out doing some vaguely masculine thing with Gramps and Tony while Maria was being a good daughter at Gramps’ house.
Love by the Mile Page 3
