4 The Ghosts in the Attic

by SUE FINEMAN

  Taylor bounced into the room, flour smudged on her shirt, and Charlie scooped her up in a big hug. When Charlie put her down, she said, “Grandma, Aunt Gina let me help in the kitchen.”

  “She’s a good little helper,” said Gina. “Come in, come in. Vinnie will be out in a minute, and I’ll have dinner on the table in ten.”

  “Do you need some help?” Hannah asked.

  “Vinnie’s cook is helping, but thanks.”

  They sat in a formal living room with Alex, and Vinnie rolled into the room in a wheelchair. For the first time, Donovan felt sorry for the man. He looked shrunken and pale, with blue lines around his lips. Donovan walked over and held out his hand. Vinnie took it, but the firm grip was gone. A shell of a man sat in the wheelchair, a mere shadow of his former self.

  Vinnie said, “I know this is awkward, but I’m glad you came. First, I want to apologize to Hannah for my mistake all those years ago.”

  “I forgave you a long time ago,” said Hannah.

  Donovan was proud of his wife for saying the words. She’d forgiven him, but Donovan hadn’t. Until now.

  Vinnie pulled an envelope from a pocket in the wheelchair. He offered it to Donovan. “This is another gift for the city. I want to add a gym to that property I gave you, a place for the kids to play year-round.” He motioned to Charlie. “The boy here likes kids, and I hear he’s a good coach. It’ll give him something to do with his free time.”

  Charlie opened his mouth, then closed it without saying anything.

  Donovan took the envelope. “You realize I can’t hire Charlie to run the place.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Because it’ll be part of the Parks Department, and I don’t run the Parks Department. He’ll have to apply for the job and be interviewed like any other applicant for the job.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Vinnie stared at Charlie. “I hope you and Alexandra will continue to support the poor kids, so they can play baseball after I’m gone.”

  Alex squeezed Charlie’s hand. “Of course we will, Papa.”

  Vinnie nodded. “Okay then. Build the gym.” He took a deep breath and let it out, then coughed.

  Donovan opened the envelope and found a check for five million dollars. The enclosed letter said the gym was to be named the Porcini-Kane Sports Center. Stunned that Vinnie would want the Kane name on anything, Donovan glanced at the old man in the wheelchair. “This says—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know what it says. You got a problem with it?”

  “No. I’m honored.”

  “I didn’t name it for you and me. I named it for the kids here.” He motioned to Alex and Charlie.

  Taylor walked into the room and announced, “Aunt Gina says dinner is ready.”

  Vinnie stared at Charlie for a minute, then said, “No strings. Got that? No strings.”

  “I got it,” said Charlie, the first words he’d said to Vinnie.

  “I owe you an apology, too, Charlie. You’re more man than I thought.”

  With those words, Vinnie led the way to the dining room, a massive room with a table big enough to seat a couple dozen people. Vinnie took his place at the head of the table, with the others sitting at that end. Servants slid plates of Gina’s food in front of everyone.

  Donovan exchanged a glance with Charlie, who looked confused. Donovan knew Vinnie was trying to put things right before he died. Giving the city the money to build a sports center and naming it after Alex and Charlie was his way of apologizing to Charlie. Was Vinnie also trying to make him feel obligated to marry Alex?

  The five-million-dollar check should cover the cost of a gym, but if it didn’t, the city would find a way to raise the rest of the money. The kids in River Valley needed a place to hang out after school, a place where they’d be supervised instead of running free to get into trouble.

  If anyone knew about kids and trouble, it was Charlie. He’d been more trouble than the rest of the Kane kids put together, but he’d turned into a fine man. Donovan was proud of all his kids, but this one was like the Prodigal Son. Charlie had struggled to find the right path in life, and the right woman. Now he’d found them both.

  Charlie would apply for the job as activities director for the new sports center, and he’d get it, because he was the best qualified. He understood troubled kids and redirected their energy into sports and away from gang activities. He might not make much money coaching, but he’d do a good job of it.

  Vinnie treated Charlie with respect, which left Donovan feeling downright proud. He raised his glass to Vinnie. “To Vinnie Porcini. Thank you for the generous gift to the city.”

  Charlie glanced at Taylor, who was trying so hard not to spill anything. She took her napkin and smeared the red sauce on her face. Charlie leaned down and helped her. He winked and she grinned. This wasn’t a good house for a kid to live in, but in another week or so, he’d move her to his house. She could play ball with Bobby there, and if she spilled her milk, no one would yell about it.

  He glanced across the table at Alex. Would she come with him, or would she stay in this opulent mansion with her father? In a few days, the dynamics would change, because Vinnie would be dead. It wouldn’t be much longer. He looked like he could barely get through dinner.

  Alex pushed her chair back and stood. “Papa, you need to rest.”

  She called for the nurse, and they took him back to his room. He hadn’t eaten two bites of his dinner, because his hands shook too hard to eat. He was clearly exhausted.

  They were about finished eating when Alex returned. “Is he all right?” Charlie asked.

  “No. The doctor was here today. He said two days at the most. This dinner was the last thing on his list of things to do before he died. The nurse put him to bed, but he refused to take his pills. He said he’s ready to go.”

  “Papa’s gonna die tonight,” said Taylor. “He’s gonna go to sleep and the angels are gonna take him to heaven.”

  A tear ran down Alex’s face and everyone else sat in stunned silence. Then Alex said, “Excuse me, please. I need to make some phone calls.”

  Mom stood and hugged Alex, then Alex and Gina fled the room. Charlie took Taylor in to kiss Papa goodbye. He hugged and kissed Alex, then asked his parents to take Taylor home with them. He didn’t want his daughter to hang around here waiting for Papa to die.

  Charlie stayed.

  He didn’t want Alex going through this alone.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The priest came to give Papa the last rights. Papa hadn’t been to church in so many years, Alex thought it strange, but she stepped outside the room to give them some privacy.

  After the priest left, Alex and Charlie went back into Papa’s bedroom. Papa looked at Alex, then at Charlie. “Take good care of her,” he whispered before he slipped into a coma.

  At four in the morning, he took his last breath.

  Alex felt numb. Knowing it was coming and watching it happen were two entirely different things. Her beloved Papa was gone from this world. As angry as she’d been with him at times, she’d always loved him. Now he was with the angels.

  She waited until seven in the morning before calling the family. Papa and his attorney, Bernie Stine, had worked out all the details of the funeral, so there was little to do but schedule the priest and the funeral home. Aunt Gina and Papa’s cook would take care of the food.

  Alex gathered the clothes Papa would wear and took them to the funeral home. Charlie came along and helped her pick out an appropriate casket. Papa would be buried beside his father in a custom-tailored suit and the best casket money could buy.

  Late that afternoon, when Alex was overcome with exhaustion from staying up all night and watching Papa die, Antonio came to the house. “Lisa wants to know how soon we can move in. We’re getting our place ready to put on the market.”

  “Papa hasn’t been dead for a whole day and you’re already scoping out the house? I don’t believe you.”

  “The house will be mine after t
he funeral, so what’s your problem?”

  “You could wait until he’s buried and Bernie reads the will. Maybe he didn’t leave you the house.”

  “Of course he did. I’m his oldest son. In this family, the oldest son always inherits the family home. When are you moving out?”

  Instead of answering, she glared at him. “Get out of here. Don’t talk to me again until after the funeral. I can’t deal with this now.”

  Charlie came out of the back of the house. “You heard her. Get out.”

  “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  “Helping Alex, something you and Mario couldn’t bother to do.”

  Antonio glared at Alex. “I’ll be back.”

  As soon as he was out the door, Alex slammed it. “Papa wanted us to get along. Did it look to you like he wanted to get along with me?”

  Charlie shook his head. “Nope!”

  “Papa told Aunt Gina she could stay in the house. I don’t know what he had in mind when he told her that, but if Antonio moves in, he’ll find a way to throw her out. Antonio’s wife doesn’t like Aunt Gina any more than my mother does.”

  “Why? She’s a little loud, but I think she’s great.”

  “So do I.”

  She’d have to wait until after the funeral, when Bernie read the will, to know what Papa had decided to do with his home.

  <>

  After Aunt Gina went to bed that evening, Alex stared at the bed in her apartment and knew she couldn’t sleep there alone tonight. She needed Charlie. After a long, hot shower, she pulled on her pajamas and robe and made her way through the dark house to Charlie’s room.

  He lay on his bed, hands propped under his head, staring at the ceiling. She called softly, “Charlie?”

  He sat up. “Can’t sleep?”

  “No. I need you.”

  He turned down the covers on the other side of his bed, inviting her without words. She dropped her robe and slid under the covers beside him. Seconds later, she lay snuggled in his arms. “Thank you for staying with me, Charlie. I don’t know how I would have gotten through last night without you.”

  “I know. As much as I disliked your father, I was sorry to see him go. I know how much you loved him, and I know he loved you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and spilled over. “Yes, I loved him. I love you, too.”

  He pulled the covers over her shoulder and slid his warm hand under the back of her pajama top. “Go to sleep now.”

  She wiped her eyes and snuggled in closer. Seconds later, she drifted off to sleep in Charlie’s arms.

  <>

  Charlie sat by Alex’s side at the funeral. Taylor sat on her other side. The kid had accepted Papa’s death and kept saying, “Don’t cry, Mommy. Papa’s happy now. He’s with the angels.”

  Vinnie may be happy now, but his death had torn Alex into little pieces. Her mother had come by once, but she didn’t offer Alex much comfort.

  The entire Porcini family had come to the funeral, including a kid dressed in motorcycle boots and a black T-shirt. His arms and neck were covered with tattoos, and he had metal studs in places where metal didn’t belong. Charlie wore an earring on occasion, although he’d never felt the need to pierce other parts of his body. The multi-pierced kid sat behind Alex and hummed through the entire service.

  Charlie handed Alex another handkerchief. She couldn’t stop crying today. She’d given the priest the eulogy she’d written, but she couldn’t pull herself together enough to read it herself. Mario and Antonio didn’t bother with a eulogy, but Dominic stood at the pulpit and gave a stirring account of Vinnie’s life and how much he’d helped his family after Dominic’s wife died. As Vinnie’s only living sibling, Gina said a few words, too. Then Charlie’s father took the pulpit. He told the congregation about the feud between their two families and how in the past few weeks they’d managed to forgive each other.

  “For years, I only knew one aspect of Vinnie Porcini’s life. I didn’t want to see the good side, the side that gave money to the hospital after his mother died, the man who supported baseball teams for disadvantaged kids. The man who gave a piece of land to the city for the kids to play ball on. The man who was Papa to my granddaughter.

  “The day before he died, Vinnie handed me another check, money to build the Porcini-Kane Sports Center, a gym where the kids could play during the cold winter months. A place to point kids in the right direction instead of letting them hang out on the street causing trouble. I’m sure there were other things he could have done with that money, but he gave it to the kids of River Valley. This is the side of Vinnie Porcini I wish I’d known years ago, the side I’ve come to respect.

  “Go in peace, Vinnie. Go in peace.”

  Alex blew her nose and wiped her eyes again.

  Charlie didn’t know his father was going to speak at the funeral. Vinnie had started healing the rift between their two families and Dad just finished the job. Taylor wouldn’t be torn between the Porcini family and the Kane family. She’d be surrounded by love by both families, together and separately.

  At the house after the service, the servants loaded the dining room table with goodies, and hundreds of people – family, friends, and former employees – roamed through the living areas of the house drinking wine and eating the food that weighed down the dining room table.

  Gina couldn’t stop crying. She was the only surviving child of Tony Porcini’s family.

  Without Charlie, Alex wouldn’t have gotten through the day. Every time she needed him, she felt his hand on her back or his arm around her shoulders. He didn’t ask if she needed him; he was just there, quietly showing his concern and support.

  Mother had come to the funeral service. She was still in the house somewhere. Hannah and Donovan were looking after Taylor. What had she ever done without them?

  Antonio appeared by her elbow. “I want you out of my house by the end of the day.”

  “After the reading of the will.”

  Mario glared from across room. Papa’s last request was that they get along, but her brothers weren’t making it easy.

  <>

  Hours later, after everyone had left the house and Gina had gone to bed, Alex and Charlie stood in Papa’s room staring at his empty bed. “He’d be glad you’re still here, Charlie.”

  “He expected me to stay.”

  She draped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. “He didn’t like you at first. I don’t know how you did it, but you won him over.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I passed his test. He didn’t like it that my name was Kane, and he didn’t want you with me, but—”

  “Once he saw you with Taylor, things changed. He knew he’d made a mistake keeping you two apart. I just wish he’d realized it sooner, so she could have known you from the beginning.”

  They wandered back through the house to Charlie’s room, where Alex stripped off the black suit she’d worn that day. Charlie had pulled off his tie earlier. He looked good today, more like a powerful executive than a farmer. But she didn’t care what he did for a living as long as he loved her.

  He did love her, didn’t he?

  Of course he loved her. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be here.

  She didn’t bother with pajamas that night, because she wanted to do more than snuggle. She wanted Charlie to make love to her, to take her to another level, where she could forget the past few days, forget the gaping hole in the ground waiting for Papa’s casket, and forget Antonio’s demands to vacate his house.

  Charlie’s warm hand ran down her side and up to her breast. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  “Make love to me, Charlie. I need to feel alive tonight.”

  His lips grazed her scars, then her lips, and then he grasped her tightly against his aroused body, rolled her on top of him, and kissed her with enough passion to send tingles through her hot body.

  Seconds later, she slid down over his erection.

  He froze. “Honey, I didn’t wear�
��”

  “I don’t care. I want to give you another baby, Charlie. I love you so much.”

  For an instant, Charlie thought about pulling out, but he couldn’t stop now. He didn’t want to stop now. He loved this woman with everything in him, and he’d love to have another child.

  Holding her bottom against him, he rolled them over and pushed in harder and harder, until she tightened around him and moaned. He knew he’d pleased her, but he wanted more. He waited until she relaxed a little before continuing, bringing them both to a glorious climax.

  They’d messed up the bed, but he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about at that moment was the woman in his arms. Taylor’s mother.

  The woman he loved.

  <>

  Two days later, Alex and Charlie sat in Bernie’s conference room with various members of her family and Papa’s attorney. Bernie’s assistant passed out copies of the will as he spoke. “Vinnie asked me to serve as Executor of his estate, which I’m happy to do. He made a video two weeks before his death, and I’ll play it after I read the will.”

  He opened his copy of the will and began reading. Alex nearly dozed off from all the legal language, but she knew it was written this way for a reason. Her head snapped up when she heard him say, “If anyone contests the terms of this last will and testament, that person shall forfeit any and all gifts bequeathed herein.”

  Bernie looked up and asked, “Do you all understand what that means?”

  “It means if we complain, we don’t get nothing,” said Vincent.

  “That is correct.” Bernie continued reading, listing first the gifts to Papa’s loyal household staff, then to cousins and nieces and nephews.

  Mario was making notes, probably trying to figure out how much Papa had left to leave him. Alex hoped Papa gave it all away before he got to Mario and Antonio, but she knew he wouldn’t disinherit his own sons. No matter how angry he’d been with them, they were still his sons, part of his family.

  Bernie continued, listing the gifts for Vinnie’s grandchildren.

  Vincent said, “I have to wait until I’m thirty? That’s a crock of shit.”