Flirting with Deception

by Ava Catori

  I was crazed trying to find answers. The only one with an answer was Gia. Where the hell was she?

  * * *

  23

  Gia

  Saturday night dinner was a smaller affair than I thought it would be. Since the roads had cleared and electricity restored in our part of the island, all the friends and leaches who’d sought shelter at my mother’s place had gone back to their own homes.

  “Who’s the third?” I asked my mother as I helped her put the finishing touches on a salad.

  “Gino,” she answered. “He said he had a short errand to run and would be back soon. You don’t mind if we wait for him?”

  “No, of course not.” What else could I say? I smiled sweetly and followed her to the kitchen island with the salad bowl.

  Studying her as she poured herself a glass of Chianti, I notice new lines on the corner of her eyes. The years had turned my mother into a stunning mature woman without crushing her insolent optimism. She managed to see a silver lining even around the darkest clouds. Every time someone told the story about the kid screaming with joy in a field of manure, it made me think of her. No matter how bad things got, she was still searching for a stupid pony.

  So when I’d confessed my crush on Hunter to her, and his running back to Tiffany earlier this morning, I’d refrained from telling her anything more about the mess I had created or the way I intended to solve it.

  If I had, she would’ve probably offered to help anyway she could, and I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to get her involved. Furthermore, she would have told Gino. Of course, I could have begged her not to tell him anything, but then I would have had to explain why. That would have been a disaster. There was no way I could open up to her about my suspicions regarding her baby brother’s ambition.

  I knew too well the way she would react if I were to tell her I didn’t trust Gino. I was better off keeping to myself that I sincerely believed he would try to sabotage any attempt to mend fences with the Guarnieris.

  She switched the television to a local channel without turning the sound on. Good. The images alone were enough to create an information overload. The entire East Coast had suffered from the blast of the storm. Even if the rains had turned out not to be as bad as predicted, some places had been severely hit.

  I wondered about the Ocean Crest revival project properties. How had the rows of cottages facing the ocean weathered the storm? I worried too much about things I couldn’t change. Instead I should be making a decision about what to do as far as my job was concerned.

  In a perfect world, I would clear the air with the Guarnieris, they would understand I was no threat and allow me to get back to my job. In that same perfect word, Hunter and I would suffer from an unexplainable bout of amnesia, forget about last night, and things would go back to where they were. Yep, that would be really cool.

  The problem was I was not living in a perfect world. There was no turning back the clock and my memory was in perfect condition. I would probably never forget last night. Just thinking about it again made me tingle. Stupid body. It was a real bitch because that meant I couldn’t hide my feelings for Hunter. Even if I managed to smother them somehow, working side by side with him would be … awkward at the very least. Impossible was more like it.

  “Here he is,” said my mother watching through the window as Gino parked in the driveway next to my car. She opened the oven and by the time he was done washing his hands, she had the lasagna and the freshly grated Parmesan on the table.

  He smiled and hugged my mother, and I wondered how genuine his feelings were for his sister. He turned to me and I hugged him back. If he noticed the warmth I used to greet him with was gone, he didn’t let on. He sat down, unfolded his napkin and sighed as my mother served him a huge slice of lasagna. Gino could gulp down huge amounts of food and remain thin as a rail. Tonight that was one more reason to hate him.

  He inhaled the delicious smell as he waited for my mother and me to start eating. We all dove in and ate in silence until he said, “I took care of your jerk.” What the heck was he talking about? I looked up to my mother, but she kept eating as if her brother hadn’t been talking to her.

  “He’s got balls, I’ll give him that,” Gino added looking at me.

  “Who are you talking about?” I asked.

  “That young man you told me about earlier, darling,” my mother answered before Gino had a chance to say something.

  “You mean Hunter?” I growled.

  “Yes, dear.” Two words with the sweetest voice and I wanted to strangle her. Her condescending tone reminded me of the one she used with my Nona when dementia had wiped away all reasoning power.

  Trying to remain calm, I took a deep breath and asked Gino, “What did you do?”

  “I went to see him and told him to stay away from you or he would have to deal with me.” Listening to him, one would have thought that threatening people was the most natural thing in the world.

  This was insane. “Why?” I kept my question short for fear of losing it totally.

  “Because that’s what being the head of the family is about,” Gino answered. “Like it or not, from now on you’re under my protection and—”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I interrupted him and turned to my mother. “Ma, please tell me this a joke.”

  Watching my mother shake her head as if I was being childish and unreasonable, I had to ask again. “But I don’t need protection. Hunter isn’t out to hurt me or anything. And when did Gino become the head of this family?”

  Gino was about to speak when my mother extended a hand to silence him. “Gino is the interim head of this family while your father is away.” She said away lightly as if he was gone for a weekend or on some sort of business trip. Didn’t she realize he could possibly remain in jail for the rest of his life? “And as to this man not hurting you, young lady, I beg to differ. Have you already forgotten what a mess you were when you arrived this morning? I, for one, have not.”

  I looked at my mother and Gino incredulously. For a moment, I wondered if I was living on the same planet or in the same century they were. If I hadn’t needed to go to church with them the next day, I would have probably ran back to Ocean Crest to apologize to Hunter for my uncle’s threats. Instead I just dug into the lasagna and refrained for any participation to the conversation for the rest of the meal.

  They acted as if they didn’t notice my silence and as they would with a petulant child. After the last bite of my meal, I dropped my plate in the dishwasher and retreated to my room to sulk.

  I could do this. Just one night, one mass, and then I would set things right.

  Well, Barbara and I could.

  I admired Barbara for her courage. After I had explained my plan to her, she insisted. She wanted to be by my side to help me stand up to her grandfather. She also admitted that she was curious to meet the patriarch of that special family.

  * * *

  24

  Hunter

  I busied myself the following day, still annoyed I hadn’t heard from Gia. I had no idea how she was feeling, but I was lost. Just when things started to go in the right direction, there was a giant hurdle in the middle of the road. And who the hell had threatened me? Where did it come from? I shook my head, trying to loosen the marbles that felt wedged together.

  Even though it was the weekend, there was still plenty of work to do, and clean-up wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. The massive storm they had predicted had been more of a bobcat than a lion. I stopped at the diner for a bite to eat, and settled into one of the vinyl booths.

  There was nothing like a Jersey diner. I missed them when I was out in California. The menu was pages long, the atmosphere was from an earlier time laced with chrome, and the vinyl booths were patched with strips of duct tape to repair the rips that formed over time. They’d spruced this one up a little bit during a make-over, but they never got out of the era. Colors may have changed, maybe the music on the table jukeboxes, but not much else.
It was where everybody melded, the rich, the poor, the laborers, the executives, to have eggs and coffee. Good food, big portions, and low prices made diners a place that never went out of style.

  I ordered the Lumber Jack breakfast with eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausage. Juice and coffee, along with toast topped it off. All for less than ten bucks, a price that kept a loyal clientele. Just as I was finishing, my brother showed his face and dropped in the seat across from me.

  “Hey, Hunter, glad I caught you here.” Ryder settled in and flagged down the waitress. “Coffee, fruit, egg white omelet with peppers and onions, thanks.”

  “What’s up?” I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk, but holding things in wouldn’t do much better.

  Ryder clapped his hands together. “We have some work to do. Thanks for starting the clean-up process. It looks like we’re going to have to replace a few roof shingles, repair any leaks that showed themselves, but otherwise we weathered the storm pretty well.”

  “I slept with Gia.” The words were out faster than I could stop them.

  Ryder flinched. “You what?”

  “Yeah, and then some big guy showed up and threatened me.” I wasn’t sure if I should have said anything, but she was all I could think about.

  “You slept with her, huh? How are you going to tell Tiffany? You two are still an item, right?”

  “We split up. I’m fine with it. Gia’s all I’ve been able to think about anyway. I was lying to myself believing Tiffany and I still belonged together. I think it was easier than dealing with my feelings of coming home and being lonely.” We weren’t big talkers when it came to personal stuff, but he was the one I turned to. I needed to. The confusion that clouded my brain was too much this early in the morning. I’d barely slept, tossing and turning.

  “Not going to lie, I’m not a fan of Tiffany, so I’m not broken up over that relationship. Gia’s cool, a nice enough girl, seems to have her head on straight, and Barbara’s really fond of her.” Ryder paused. I knew it was coming. “But…” There it was. “Do you think it’s a good idea to jump into another relationship that soon?”

  “I don’t know if it was sex or if it’s the start of something. She took off, and now I can’t find her. And then there was the big guy that paid me a visit. Something about me touching her, and he’d lop off my balls with some force.” I shrugged. I didn’t care about the guy; all I cared about was Gia.

  “Whoa, that’s not good. What the hell? Who sent him? Did he say?”

  “Not a clue. I won’t back down. I love her, man. It just took me a while to admit it to myself. We’re good friends, and I wondered if I destroy that. I’d rather be around her as her friend than to have her cut me off and not see her again. She’s the one. I have zero doubts.”

  “Big stuff, bro,” Ryder said, then thanked the waitress as she delivered his breakfast.

  “Yep…can you do me a favor? If she gets in touch with you or Barbara, just find out where she is and if she’s okay? Maybe I crossed a boundary or something. She seemed to want to be there as much as I did, but now that she’s gone, it’s got me wondering if I did something bad. She’s always so tough, but maybe she’s a lot softer on the inside than she’s willing to admit. Either way, I need to find her.”

  “Right, I’ll have Barbara call and check in on her. You’ve tried calling?”

  “Of course, a dozen times; great, it makes me sound like a stalker. It’s not like that. I just left a couple of messages, but she’s not returning my calls.”

  Ryder took a sip of his coffee. “Damn, I need this caffeine. Aidan was up all night.”

  “How’s he doing?” The poor kid had been through so much already.

  “Good, doing well. Now, if we could just get him to sleep through the night, I’d be golden.”

  I looked at my brother’s tired face and mocked him. “Is that a gray hair? Oh, man, that kid is aging you already. Your stud days are over, my friend. I guess I’m the new guard.”

  “Yeah, keep eating that bacon and sausage and those days will end for you soon,” he said with a laugh.

  “Man-food,” I said triumphantly, taking a bite of my last slice of bacon. “This is good stuff. You don’t know what you’re missing with all your healthy mumbo-jumbo. Tell the truth, do you ever miss a good greasy cheesesteak layered in Cheez-Whiz?”

  Ryder shook his head. “Junk, it’s all it is. Besides, I need to set an example for my son.”

  “Going to have him lifting weights in his crib?” I teased.

  “Get to work,” he answered. “I’ll meet you at Locust Street when I finish.”

  I reminded him it was not a workday. Sure, I was willing to kick it in gear on the weekend, but I didn’t want him to overdo things. “Thanks for the talk,” I said. I picked up the check that the waitress left on the table. I paid for both of us, and headed out. Now, if I could just find Gia.

  * * *

  25

  Gia

  Hunter haunted my night again. The last hours we’d spent together left such vivid traces in my mind that the memory of his touch colored all my dreams. Several times in the night, I woke in a sweat, the sheets tangled around my legs, heart racing. If I called out his name in my sleep, my mother was kind enough not to mention it during breakfast.

  We drove to church in her car and arrived late. Well, not exactly late, but just in time to avoid pre-service gossip. It was a good thing. It spared me the small chat of my mother’s friends. They kept her front row pew for her, and when they waved at her she didn’t hesitate a second. She walked up to them and let me fend for myself. She was probably getting back at me for being non-talkative during breakfast and the ride, but the truth of the matter was I was more relieved than annoyed by her attitude.

  I looked around searching for the Guarnieri capo and had no problem finding him. After studying his pictures on the net, I knew to look for some sort of black hair giant. That was indeed what he was. The reality was more impressive than what I had imagined. The man towered over the rest of the parish members, and when he sat, he occupied more than two chairs.

  Making myself comfortable in an empty back row, I let my mind drift, almost forgetting at times to stand and sit with the rest of the crowd. Had mass always been that long? I listened to the sermon on the sanctity of marriage and wanted to snort. No one believed in that anymore.

  Though for a while I thought the Bishop men did. I would have bet my life that Ryder would always remain devoted to Barbara, the way his father had to his wife long after she passed. The woman had been dead for more than twenty years and Dylan could hardly mention her name without choking up.

  Hunter was the exception to the Bishop rule. Only a few weeks ago he mentioned settling down with Tiffany and then, two nights ago he was cheating on her. I shivered at the memory and concentrated on the voice of the priest.

  Not soon enough the service was over. Chomping at the bit, I watched Domenico Guarnieri stretch out of his pew and slowly make his way up the aisle. Just as he was coming next to me, I walked from my place in his direction.

  “Mr. Guarnieri,” I said as I stood in his way. The mountain of a man looked down at me and squinted. From up close he was a bit less impressive, somehow more human. His majesty was somehow diminished by the fact that it was clear that the jet black of his hair came from a bottle. He’d missed a few spot.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Gia. The daughter of Chiara Simone,” I answered.

  He frowned, scratched his head as if trying to remember something and then smiled. “Well, you do look like your mother did when she had your age, Signorina Traversini.”

  “You’re too kind,” I answered politely. My mother had been an incredible beauty and even though there was a family resemblance, I knew I was not in her league.

  Taking my arm as an affectionate grandfather would have, he said, “Let’s get out in the fresh air,” and started to walk in the direction of the door again making me realize we had blocked the aisle traffic.<
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  “What can I do for you, Giavana?” he asked as we finally reached the street.

  I hesitated and then decided to go for a direct approach. “I came to see you because I thought maybe you could help me get my father out of jail.”

  The man shook and for a second I thought he was having a heart attack. But then he burst out laughing as if this was the funniest thing anyone had ever said to him. His loud roar didn’t make me feel as uncomfortable as the stares of the people around us. The street was strangely silent as everyone turned to watch him explode. For what seemed to be an eternity, there wasn’t a sound aside from his laughter. When he finally managed to catch his breath, tears were running down his face.

  He took my arm again and walked with me a little further away from the crowd. “And why would I do that?” he asked all trace of mirth vanishing from his face.

  “Because he didn’t break your peace or whatever it is you call your agreement,” I explained looking up at him. Taking the raised eyebrows of the old capo as an invitation to continue, I added, “He thought I was still in California doing some internship. He had no clue I had taken a job in Ocean Crest.”

  The man shook his head. He didn’t believe me.

  “You don’t understand. I wanted to start something on my own. I wanted to see if I could find a job without the family’s help. Do something without anyone knowing who my father was.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I had no idea I wasn’t allowed to work in Ocean Crest.”

  He rolled his eyes at me.

  “Did Gino put you up to this?” he asked. “He should know better than to hope I would buy such a poor excuse. I’ve known your father forever and I have no doubt he’s as old school as they get. I don’t believe it for a second that he doesn’t know where each member of his family is.”