Love by the Slice

by Heather Young-Nichols

  “Listen, Hay Bale,” he started but stopped himself when he caught the look on her face. I could call her by the nickname, but no one else could. Certainly not Nick since he’s the one who’d helped her earn it.

  “Bailey, get us another round?” I asked pleading with her to let it go. Too much of my business had already been put there for Gio to consume with me having little in return and I didn’t want to see where their argument headed. It’s what they did, argued, but sometimes it could get pretty nasty. Then they’d laugh, hug and be on their way. Bailey caught what I was throwing then huffed off to the bar. I’d owe her for that.

  Gio stood there taking everything in, along with the occasional hit off his beer. Before anything could be said between us, Bailey returned with not only another bottle for each of us but also a shot of amber liquid. Seemed she had something she needed to drown because I wasn’t about to lose control. I looked at this as my payback. She knew I didn’t do shots often, even in college. I’d take one for our friendship team this time.

  “Only one, Hay Bale.” Tipping the glass toward my lips, Gio interrupted the trip.

  “How’d you get that nickname?”

  Bailey shifted uncomfortably and while I knew I’d pay in one way or another, I started to answer before I took the time to consider what it might mean.

  “She lost her virginity on a hay bale,” Nick said.

  Narrowing her eyes at him, Bailey clenched her jaw while I tried to keep from laughing. Gio didn’t look like he tried at all.

  “Ouch,” he said shaking his head.

  “There was a blanket.” Bailey rolled her eyes. “Better than the nickname you had in college,” she said smirking my way. Gio tipped the bottle back, filling his mouth with beer when she added. “Ready for that shot, Blow job, Bianca?”

  Gio choked. I’m sure her timing was intentional and he tried to get himself under control. A few drops of beer hit my cheek. I grabbed a few napkins and thrust them into his hand. Then grabbed one for myself and wiped down the side of my face.

  “You ok there, big guy?” I slapped his back trying to help. A few more drops seeped out of his mouth and down his chin. He grabbed another paper napkin from the nearest table to wipe them away. It took everything I had in me to not laugh right in his face at how shocked he was. Sure, it probably should have embarrassed me but it didn’t. It wasn’t really my nickname and I’d heard it so much that the words lost meaning.

  “That was your nickname?” He finally coughed out.

  I held up a finger in protest.

  “Given to me, not earned and she knows it.” His expression said he wanted the whole story. So, rolling my eyes, I told him I dated this asshat in college. He wanted sex, I didn’t. He’d been an idiot all night but said I owed him something. When I kneed him in the balls then shut the door in his face, he started the rumor of how I really thanked him. But it was a rumor. Nothing remotely close to what happened. Thankfully, it never fully caught on. I ended the story with, “and if you ever call me that, you’ll find out exactly how that asshat’s nuts felt. Right, Nick?”

  “She’s fucking serious about that, dude.” Pain crossed his face at the memory of the one and only time he tried using the nickname with me.

  Gio got along great with my friends and I noticed I didn’t spend a dime. I offered Bailey a round to pay her back for the one she bought, but Gio took care of it. He could’ve just been the generous type or he could’ve still felt bad about how we’d left things in my apartment and thought this would help soften me up.

  When it was time to go home, I could get there by myself. Bailey on the other hand, not so much. Nick insisted he’d make sure she got home ok and gave me a giant bear hug because he had to head out early the next morning. Once again I got hit with the sadness that came every time I had a reminder that Nick no longer lived in The Point. Realistically, Bailey would be gone in the near future as well. She’d go where ever she got a job and I’d always be here. I wanted to always be here in Harbor Point, but when they left, it made me sad to know everything kept always changing.

  As Gio walked with me, he threw an arm around my shoulders pulling me to him. Can’t say I hated it. His shirt smelled clean and distinctly of him, at least when he didn’t reek of pizza sauce. Although let me say, the pizza sauce smell on him turned me on big time. I let him guide me through town toward my apartment, never trying to pull away.

  “Oh, shit,” I said when we turned onto my street.

  “Problem?”

  “I will be into work tomorrow.”

  “But it’s your day off.”

  “I know.” My toe got caught on a crack in the sidewalk making me stumbled even further into him. “My parents are coming. They’re here now but they’re coming into the restaurant tomorrow. It’s dog and pony show day.”

  “So, I’ll meet your parents?”

  “Ah…” The idea of him meeting my parents made me pull away enough to get some air that didn’t smell of Gio. “I guess since you work early tomorrow. But it’s not in any…like…official capacity.”

  I couldn’t guess what was going through his mind. It kind of looked like I hurt his feelings. Gio continued to be the most confusing man I’d come across.

  Chapter Eight

  Rays of light flooded my room creating an unwelcome wake-up call. Rolling over, I pulled a pillow over my head to block it out. I wasn’t hung over because I hadn’t had much to drink but it also wasn’t a secret that I’m not a morning person. I laid there playing the night before over in my head. It looked like Gio wanted to kiss me before he left but he didn’t make a move. I don’t know if I would’ve stopped him or not if he’d tried. He said he liked me, but also put the brakes on when things were getting really good and I didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment again. A girl could only take so much rejection.

  Twenty minutes later I hopped out of bed and into the shower already late for work. I pulled my wet hair into a messy bun and hit the door. Since we opened at ten, Gramps, Mom, Dad and I were supposed to meet at nine. Of course, it was already nine fifteen when I left and nine-thirty when I burst through the front door of the restaurant. Gio and whoever else worked the kitchen were already clanking around the kitchen getting things ready. But my family sat at a large table near the door to the kitchen.

  “Eight and two, Bianca,” Dad said with a smile because he’d heard the saying more times than I had.

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s not my fault. I got home late.”

  Dad got to his feet wrapping his arms around me before I could get over to them. He grabbed me into a tight hug, lifting me so only my toes trailed along the floor as he shook me like a ragdoll. He seemed like a giant when I was a kid and nothing had changed. He looked like a bodybuilder with his large muscles that weren’t so overwhelming that he couldn’t scratch his own back. No one ever guessed he worked as an ER doctor. Even Mom stood taller than me but only by half a foot. I also got my blonde hair and blue eyes from her.

  “I’ve missed you,” Mom said wrapping her arms around me once Dad let go, leaving me laughing so hard I had trouble drawing a breath.

  “Missed you, too,” I mumbled into her shoulder.

  I spent the next ten minutes catching them up on my life since we last spoke. Then, after grabbing the laptop out of the office, we went over all the business stuff.

  None of it interested Mom whatsoever, but she pretended with the best of them. As they scrutinized, I stood behind Dad and caught a glimpse of Gio walking down the hall from the break room to the kitchen. His eyes found me and he smiled. Like a real I’m-so-glad-you’re-here-smile as he headed toward me. While looking at me like I was the only person in the room, he noticed the gathering too late causing him to skid to a stop. He tried to backtrack but Gramps heard him, looked up and waved him over.

  “Tony, Maria, this is Gio Diamati. He’s here for the summer.” They all shook hands. “He’s also dating Bianca.”

  I hadn’t had the opportunity to see Gio truly
uncomfortable but yeah … this was the moment. It didn’t look like he knew what to do with his hands but ultimately crossed his arms over his chest then shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was sort of adorable. There goes nothing official.

  “That remains to be seen,” I piped in. Everyone ignored me except Mom. She gave me a raised eyebrow which told me there’d be a discussion on this topic as soon as we were alone.

  “So we’re not dating?” Gio asked softly in my ear once the attention shifted off him. I shrugged.

  “Depends on what you say later.” I would’ve teased him a bit more but Mom’s eagle eyes were tracking our every movement. I let Dad and Gramps hash out some details until the question I knew would be asked got asked. The one I wanted them all to forget about.

  “Have you heard anything else from the Trinity Corporation?” Dad asked. Gio stiffened next to me. I hated this topic and I’d told him as much.

  “They sent another offer. But I’m not selling, Tony.” Gramps had no indecision in his voice. I thought Dad would back down, but no, not my Dad. He even started to look over the offer as if he’d find something he could use to convince Gramps. Dad meant well, we all knew it, but I wished he’d never bring the topic up again.

  “It could be a good opportunity for you to retire and enjoy life a little.”

  “Dad!” My father knew how much Romano’s meant to Gramps and to me. “They don’t only want the place, Dad. They want the sauce. Probably to keep the locals happy. It’s Great-Grandma’s recipe. It can’t be sold.”

  “I understand, Honey, but this is business.”

  “No,” Gramps folded his arms across his chest, “this is family.”

  A tense silence fell over us allowing me to notice Gio backing away. I wished I could go with him as he began backing away. He also had an odd look on his face which made me feel bad for making him witness my family’s crap. I knew he wasn’t close to his family, this strained interaction probably pushed him over the edge of too much to take. Poor guy.

  “What do you think, Gio?” I asked before he got too far.

  His surprised eyes bore into mine, holding me in place. I started to think I’d asked the wrong question. “You want my opinion?”

  I nodded which brought him back closer to me. “Is that so strange?”

  “A little. I don’t think anyone’s ever cared about my opinion.”

  No idea what he meant. Unless of course, that was another indication of just how much his relationship with his family sucked. Poor guy.

  “You said you grew up in a place like this. You have to have an opinion on some big ass corporation wanting to take it over and turn it into some mass-produced low-quality chain.”

  Gio flinched and shifted his weight again while everyone’s eyes fell on him waiting for an answer.

  “I guess…if it was me and I had a place like this… I’d tell the Trinity Corporation to go fuck themselves.”

  Gramps let out a loud belly laugh.

  “Sorry for the language,” Gio said looking at my mother. Then he disappeared into the kitchen right as Carly unlocked the doors and flipped the sign to open for the day.

  Wanting to get away from all the talk about selling my favorite place, I went into the kitchen to help out. I turned the corner and slammed right into something solid. As I fell I caught a glimpse of Gemma trying to retain her balance. Then my head slammed into the edge of the counter with sharp, searing pain ripping across my forehead. Son of a bitch that hurt. It was sharp and dropped me to the ground a little dazed, causing stars like in the cartoons.

  “Bianca, are you ok?” Gio appeared right at my side, his hands around my arms. “Get the fuck out of the way.” He snapped at Gemma.

  She started not long after him and for some reason whenever they were in the same room tension rolled off the both of them. More than once I’d wondered if they had hooked up which made it awkward working together but I didn’t know if I wanted an answer. Whatever the reason, she’d been around for a couple weeks, I liked her and she’d hung out with Bailey and me once already.

  I was still alive even though I could also feel the warm trickle of blood down the side of my head. What a freaking klutz I turned into all of a sudden.

  “Is Gemma ok?” I asked.

  “I’m good, Bianca.” I felt her hovering nearby but only saw legs.

  “Could you tell my dad I need him in the break room?” Gemma shuffled out, stepping around me carefully. I allowed Gio to help me off the floor after he grabbed a clean towel to hold pressure on the wound. He didn’t let go until I sat safely in a chair in the break room. A moment later, Dad followed by Mom came in with creased brows and tight lips. Dad had that wrinkle right between his eyes whenever he was concerned about a patient Gio took a small step back to make room for my dad then folded his arms across his chest a took a deep breath.

  “What did you do?” Dad asked pulling a chair in front of me to get a better look.

  “Fell. Is it bad?”

  Dad leaned in for a better look, his breath tickling my hairline as he moved the skin around the injured area to assess the wound. Then he pushed a towel back against it and sent Mom to the car for his bag. When she returned, he pulled out a bottle of saline and some gauze pads. This wasn’t my first encounter with Dr. Dad. Probably not the last either.

  When dad removed the towel from my head, warm liquid trickled down my temple.

  “I’m thinking a few stitches are in order.” His lips held in a thin line like he was bracing for a fight. Oh, he knew me well.

  “Glue?” I asked hopefully. I hated stitches.

  “Stitches,” he said with a firm nod of his head.

  “Glue?” I knew I wouldn’t be winning but couldn’t help trying. He always won.

  “Bianca, it’ll leave an ugly scar with glue. Just let me stitch it up and you’ll be good as new.”

  Sighing, I nodded giving my permission to poke me with a need several times. “You could be more grateful. I’m trying to keep my baby girl beautiful.” He tried to keep the grin off his face but failed epically.

  “Pfff…you just like to show off how much you excel at needlework.”

  “Yes, I’ll try to cross stitch a pretty picture in it for you.” Mom and I both laughed. This was our normal. I’d never say it out loud with any sincerity, but I missed them.

  When my gaze locked with Gio’s it stayed there while the doctor got to work. As Dad cleaned me up and talked me through his usual doctor spiel, Gio watched over his shoulder, concern evident on his on his face. “Watch for concussion, which he didn’t see any signs of, blah, blah, blah. Luckily the cut was close to my hairline, it would be almost unnoticeable. And Dad said he’d take the stitches out before they left at the end of the week. On the upside, I didn’t have to go to the ER. Convenient.

  Once he finished, Mom wanted to take me shopping and grab lunch, just her and me. After we were out of the building and headed away from Romano’s, Gio called out my name. I turned around to find him just outside the front door with his apron still on.

  “Does seven work for you tonight?” he asked looking from me to where my mom stood ‘overhearing’ our conversation. “I mean, someone should help watch for a concussion.”

  Smiling up at him I said, “Seven’s great.” A quick kiss on my forehead and he left me standing there with a small grin on my face.

  A couple of hours later Mom and I sat on a bench with newly acquired coffee, hers hot, mine cold, when she brought Gio up.

  “So…Gio,” Mom said trying to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up. “What’s the story there?”

  “No story,” I said shaking my head then taking a drink of my coffee to give myself some time. She wouldn’t buy that answer.

  She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “I like him.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. We went out. Almost had sex but he turned me down.”

  Mom snorted.
>
  “He doesn’t look like he’d turn you down for anything.”

  “Yeah, well he did,” I snapped. I didn’t mean to be short with her and while my relationship with my parents was ridiculously open, I didn’t always want to talk about things. Gio would be one of those things.

  “Then what happens at seven tonight?”

  “I told him he could come over and explain and if I like what he says he can stay.”

  She snorted again.

  “Ugh,” I responded. “I told him I’m not having sex with him either way. He needs to earn it.”

  “Poor guy,” she said with a smile shaking her head.

  “Mom, you’d do the same thing. He says he likes me but then doesn’t want to have sex? Come on that deserves an explanation.”

  “Oh, I agree but do me a favor…go easy on the guy. He seems to care about you.” A long swig of coffee interrupted her momentarily. “You should have seen how concerned he was when you got hurt earlier.”

  “We’ll see,” I said both about him caring and me going easy on him. I wasn’t sure how easy I wanted to go on him. Mom laughed before pulling me back to my feet.

  Seven o’clock on the dot Gio stood outside the door I’d just opened, one hand grasped the top of the door jamb, the other wrapped around a leather bag. He looked me over as a sly full smile spread across his face. Stepping out of the way to let him in, he passed by dropping the bag just inside the door.

  “Confident are we?” I asked closing the door.

  “Always.”

  Grabbing us each a drink, a diet for me and a water for him, I settled in next to him on the couch. Turning to face him, I folded one leg under myself and Gio did the same. It seemed like forever before he said anything but his eyes gave me the once-over. I felt them on every inch of my body. No one else ever had such an effect on me.

  “So,” he sighed.

  “You wanted to talk, right?” He nodded.

  “Then talk.”

  “Not sure how to start.”

  “Just start.”

  “Ok.” He sighed again. “Like I said at work. I like you and I’m not used to that.”