"Where's Izzie?" I ask Ma when I return to the kitchen.
"She's upstairs in the bathroom. Alice spilled some grape juice on her dress, and Izzie's trying to get it out. Where's Julian?" She asks as if I'm his keeper.
The front door opens, and I smile. "That's probably him now."
She sighs in relief.
"You sure you don't want to date him?" I ask in fun.
She swats the air. "That is disgusting. I do, however, think he and you will give me beautiful grandbabies."
I inwardly groan. Babies are the last thing on my mind. Julian and I haven't even gotten this dating thing down right. Time to change the subject. "So where's your son?"
She picks up her wooden spoon and points it at the clock. "I don't know, but if he's not here soon, he's in trouble."
I smirk and head into the living room. Pop is shaking Julian's hand while keeping his attention on the television. Paulie gets up, greets Julian, and then walks toward the kitchen arch, where I'm standing. Julian follows.
"How is your friend?" Paulie asks.
"I only saw her for a moment this morning. She was asleep, but they say she'll be fine."
He pushes a hand through his thick, brown hair. "That's good. I hate suicide attempts. They shake me up."
I grin. Paulie's a good guy. Yeah, he screwed up royally last month, but he's still a caring person with a big heart.
Izzie and Alice come downstairs. My sister looks uncomfortable in a navy dress that stretches across her chest and stomach. She doesn't have a belly yet, but her boobs have almost doubled in size already. My niece is in a black skirt and shoes and a pumpkin orange top that's so blinding it could only be from Halloween.
She walks over to Julian, who gives her a hug, and then Alice lingers by him with a cheesy smile on her face. Izzie says her daughter is smitten with my boyfriend. What is it with the females in my life getting all googly eyed around him?
"We should wait a few more minutes to eat," Ma says. Annoyance settles in the lines around her eyes.
We all step farther into the living room, and the front door opens. Ma sighs in relief and smiles. Enzo steps inside and doesn't shut the door behind him. He looks over his shoulder and suddenly Carly peeks her head around the door.
I glance to Izzie, who raises her brows, and then to Ma, whose face tightens. This should be fun.
Carly walks in all the way and shuts the door behind her. She smiles at everyone but doesn't look at Ma. I'm sure that's not an accident.
"Hey, everyone. You remember Carly, right?" Enzo says.
Pop gets up and gives her a hug. As Enzo introduces her to Paulie, Julian, and Alice, Ma grabs my wrist with her super-sharp talons and drags me into the kitchen.
She lets go of me, and I look down to my arm to see if I'm bleeding. Luckily the skin is still intact.
"Ow, Ma. That hurts. You should've become a wrestler or something."
She walks to the counter where she sliced a loaf of Italian bread, picks up the long serrated knife, and whirls around. "Did you know he was bringing her?"
I put up my hands as if I'm under arrest. "Whoa, Ma. No."
Carly never mentioned it last night, and I can't imagine why she'd keep it a secret, so they must've decided today. Did that mean they met up for coffee and bagels this morning, or did she go to his place after she dropped me off? Was Enzo getting jiggy with it? I won't share these thoughts with Ma. That's for sure.
She's not waving the knife around or even close to me, and I'm not scared, but I'm taken aback she's this upset. I need to sit down with Enzo and find out exactly what happened between him and Carly all those years ago. I wonder if it's as bad as Ma and Izzie remember, or if they're just being overprotective. If his heart was crushed into a million pieces, he wouldn't be hanging with her now. Right? And even if it was, he's a mature guy. Chances are he's forgiven her and moved on. So why can't Ma and Izzie too?
"But you knew they were spending time together again?"
"Well…"
"Gianna Rose Mancini, don't you lie to me."
"I will answer that question when you put down your weapon." I'm hoping my goofiness will take the edge out of her.
She glances at the knife, sighs, and sets it on the counter. "Spill."
"I saw her at Enzo's the other day. I don't know how close they are." I don't bother telling her that I first saw Carly when she was naked in Enzo's shower.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
I frown, feeling like I've done something wrong and am getting scolded. "I told Izzie. Besides, you were so pissed yesterday."
"I have every right to be," she says in a low, even keel and walks past me into the dining room.
This should be interesting.
Ma is especially quiet during the meal. In fact, she doesn't speak at all. When she wants me to pass the salad, she nudges my arm and points. I'm sure everyone notices because Ma's usually the one asking a million questions and making us share our lives. Without this guidance, the conversation lulls several times and most of it is spent talking about sports. Boring.
Afterwards, Pop, Paulie, Enzo, and Carly go into the living room to watch a game while Ma, Izzie, and I clean up, make coffee, and get the dessert ready. I find this wholly sexist, and I'm about to tell Enzo and Paulie to get their butts in here to help, but that would probably bring Carly in, and the kitchen is where the knives live.
I turn to get the empty breadbasket and see Julian bringing it to me. Warmth spreads inside me, and I smile. It's nice to know that not all of the men think it's our job to clean up.
He then goes to the kitchen table and sits beside Alice, who's reading a fashion magazine.
Ma sets the last utensil into the dishwasher, adds soap, shuts the door, and turns it on.
"You okay, Ma?" I ask. I'm starting to get worried since she's so quiet.
"Yes. I have a headache. I'm going to go lay down for a minute. Can you handle this?"
"Yeah, of course."
"I'll come get you when it's ready," Izzie says.
Ma nods and goes upstairs.
I turn to my sister. "Is this all because of Carly?"
Izzie quirks her brow. "I told you that woman is poison."
Those weren't her exact words, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm the one who's wrong. Maybe Carly will hurt Enzo again. Maybe she's the devil incarnate. But maybe this is none of our business just like Julian and I are none of theirs.
I pour coffee grounds into the permanent filter and glance at the table. Alice holds open the magazine and asks Julian, "Which outfit do you like better?"
He points. "This one."
She giggles at his choice. "But those shoes are so yellow."
"That why. It makes her look like Big Bird. I loved Big Bird as a kid."
Alice laughs harder.
I smirk. It's cute watching him with my niece, especially since he's so much taller than her.
"What about this one?" She flips to another page.
He widens his eyes and points. "Oh, definitely this one. The green and red make this other girl look like a giant Christmas tree."
Alice cackles. "That's what I told my best friend."
They laugh, and Izzie smiles at me. "You definitely should snatch him up. He's good with kids."
I want to roll my eyes at the mention of our relationship, but she's right.
"Don't wait too long. Someone else may beat you to it," she whispers then runs up to the bathroom.
I watch the way he not only answers Alice's questions but also seems genuinely interested in her opinion, and my heart fills. I see the wonderful things about him. I'm not blind. He loves me, and I love him. This should be easy. A no-brainer. Am I really going to let his job stand between us? Yeah, how he left Izzie hanging was awful, but he had no intention of letting it get to court.
Can I live with knowing that he may not be as generous to a stranger though? Whenever I think this way, I wonder about the choices I've made. No one is perfect. I haven't al
lowed anyone to be framed for murder, but I tell my share of lies to help ghosts move on. I'm not exactly applying for sainthood anytime soon.
Julian glances up and catches my eye. He gives me that slow, smoldering grin that sets my groin on fire. Suddenly Thomas appears in my line of sight, and the feeling melts away. "What are you doing?" he shouts.
I flinch and point to Mr. Coffee. "Brewing."
That's when I notice Julian's frown, through Thomas.
"You can't drink coffee. You need to help me," Thomas says, his voice still higher than usual.
I cock my head to the side then turn my back on Julian and Alice. Thomas follows around. "I am helping. With Serena in the hospital, there's not much for me to do, but I went by Sparks yesterday."
"And?"
"And I auditioned as their singer."
"This isn't time for a new job."
I roll my eyes. "You think I mortified myself just for a little extra cash? If I wanted that, I'd go strip."
His gaze roams my body. He raises his brows and nods.
"Hey." If he was corporeal, I'd slug him in the arm. "I auditioned to get closer to the people who work there. To find out if she has any enemies."
"What audition?" asks a voice behind me. It's Julian.
I turn and find him standing directly behind me.
"Ooh, I didn't hear you sneak up."
"I didn't sneak. You didn't hear me because you were busy talking to your invisible friend."
I glance to Alice, who isn't paying attention to us. Thank goodness. She's the only immediate member of our family who doesn't know about my abilities. Well, her and Paulie. Izzie doesn't want Alice knowing until she's much older. I don't know if my sister ever wants her husband to know.
"Asking people questions isn't enough," Thomas says. "You need to be with Serena. To sit with her and tell her she's not alone. That kind of thing."
I roll my eyes. "I told you. I'm not babysitting. I'll help figure out who killed you, so you both can have peace, and you can move on. But the hand-holding needs to be done by the professionals."
"I'm not crazy about the idea of you looking for a bomb expert, but I'll help," Julian says.
Thomas disappears with a huff, and I give my full attention to Julian. "Why do you want to help him and Serena?"
"I want to help you," he says. "I want to prove to you that our worlds can work together and that I'm not a bad guy."
"I never thought you were a bad person."
He steps closer and closer until we're just touching. "Good, because I never want you to think that."
"Okay, so how will you help?" I ask, suddenly anticipating his knowledge and expertise.
"Well, let's go over it. What do you have so far?"
"A bomb, a dead man, and a suicidal woman."
"That's not much."
That's nothing. "Last night I ran into Serena's friend, Zoe. They work at Sparks together."
"When you were out dancing with an old female friend. Was that Carly?"
"Yes." I smirk. This would be a great time to bring up Kevin, but I no longer want to get into it. At least not here, not now. I don't think Julian will handle it well. He'll want to go beat Kevin's ass, and while I would love to sell tickets and pop popcorn, Kevin's a cop, and I don't want Julian in legal trouble.
"Then maybe you should speak with Zoe. And I'll dig around and see what I can find out."
"Great. I guess I can go to Sparks and have dinner."
"You can bring a date," he says with a wink. "How about tomorrow night?"
That sounds like a plan. And I love a good plan and a free meal.
After we have cheesecake from Ma's favorite bakery and coffee, everyone starts to leave. I don't want to be the last person left because I know Ma will suck me into an hour-long rant. As much as I love the woman, I can't do it again. Besides, Izzie's the one who also hates how Carly treated Enzo a zillion years ago. She should be the one to endure. So as soon as Enzo and Carly leave, I grab my coat, kiss everyone bye, and fly out. If Julian thinks it's weird, he doesn't say anything.
Instead of going home, I drive to the hospital. Thomas has me feeling guilty, so a visit is in order. I walk through the automatic double doors and hope for another smile from that cute security guard, even though the chances of him working days and nights is slim.
I'm not nearly as lucky. The guard is a woman. Attractive. Blonde. Big blue eyes with hard lines feathering the corners. But still a woman. Not my type. I head to the elevators and jump on one just as the doors are shutting.
Before they close all the way though, I think I spot Freezer Dude.
CHAPTER TEN
I lean forward, ready to hit the button for the doors to open, when the man beside me frowns. "We're already moving," he says.
I pull back, not wanting to screw up the elevator mechanisms. The big boxes scare me enough as is. I'm not sure why, but I've never been a fan of elevators. Then again, I'm also not fond of escalators. It's getting on them that makes me nervous.
I step back and tell myself to not worry about Freezer Dude. Maybe it wasn't him. A lot of men have shocking white hair, right? And I may have thought the guy was gliding, but it was hard to tell as the doors were shutting. Besides, he has nothing to do with me, and if I just leave him alone… Oh, who am I kidding? I have no intention of doing nothing. But it will have to wait. I'm here to see Serena, and that takes precedent.
I exit on the seventh floor and go to Serena's room. This time the overhead lights are on, the TV is louder, and there's a woman in the first bed. She's sipping from a pink, plastic cup, and listening to the woman in the chair beside her talking about the latest episode of General Hospital.
"Sonny learned the truth today," the woman says.
They both look to me as I enter the room.
I smile and walk past the bed to the drawn curtain. I step around it and smile at Serena, who's awake, and the babysitter-slash-nurse person. It's the same woman as last time. I try to not show surprise that Thomas is lying on the mattress, right beside Serena.
Serena's cheeks have color in them, and there's a slight smile on her face due to something they're watching on TV.
"Hi. I hope this isn't a bad time."
"Hi," Serena says and pats down the side of her hair.
The nurse starts to stand, but I hold up my hand.
"I can't stay long. How are you feeling?"
Serena shuts her eyes and leans her head back. "Like an idiot."
"Oh?"
She covers her forehead with her hand. "I was so upset, so alone. I wasn't thinking clearly."
"You lost the love of your life. That is devastating." I understand exactly what she's feeling. The first love of my life was Craig. He was killed by a drunk driver. That pain had been so raw and lasted for some time. That was the reason I left South Shore Beach and moved to Connecticut to live with my cousin. And how I met Julian. I'm glad things worked out the way they did, but I wish Craig hadn't died.
"I didn't, and don't, want to die." Serena lifts her head and stares at me. "The police tell me that you called the paramedics. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad you're okay." And want to stay that way. "I'm sure Thomas would be glad that you're okay as well."
Thomas nods. He's staring at her with a worried expression on his face.
Chatter on the other side of the room is at a lull. I'm sure Serena's grief is more interesting than Sonny and whatever he just learned.
"When will you be going home?" I ask.
"They said probably soon. I need to speak with the shrink again. He's been a lot of help already. I know last night was just a momentary lapse in judgment. They recommend therapy. I agree."
"I want her to be happy, healthy, and whole. And eventually, I'll want her to move on and find love again," Thomas whispers.
My throat tightens. Darn. I hate when ghosts make me want to cry.
I dislodge the lump in my throat by clearing it. "When you're feeling stronger,
we'll need to talk."
Her overly plucked eyebrows draw together. "About what?"
I glance at her babysitter, not sure how much I should say in front of her. She's watching us as if we're actors on the TV. "Figuring out who did this."
Serena sits up, and her frown deepens. "Who are you?"
The nurse stares at me, and I hear one of the women behind the curtain whisper, "Oooh."
Maybe I should have approached this subject differently or waited until Serena is released and out of here. "I'm Gianna Man…"
"No, I know your name, but you said you're Thomas's assistant. Why would you get involved in this? Isn't that the cops' job?"
Thomas has stopped staring at her and is now nodding at me with his lips pursed, as if to say, "I told you so." What's up with these two?
"Well yes, but they can be slow about things at times." I scramble to think of a logical explanation. I can't very well say it's because I promised the ghost of her dead fiancé. Luckily Enzo isn't around to hear me disparage his comrades.
"Even so, you no longer work for Thomas. Don't you have another job to look for?" She seems annoyed that I want to help. And I can't help wondering why.
"Actually, I just went out looking yesterday." I smile bright, hoping to keep her off guard.
"Okay then." She breathes a small sigh of relief.
What exactly is she hiding?
"But this is what Thomas would want, so I'm going to look into it. Do you have a problem with that?" I glance to Thomas and bug out my eyes a bit. Why is he so damn quiet? He needs to speak up, to tell me what's going on. I'm here because he begged me to help her. Now that he doesn't like the way I'm assisting, he doesn't get to check out.
She shakes her head. "I don't want to know."
I can't believe this. "You don't want to know who killed your fiancé but was aiming for you?"
"No."
The nurse widens her eyes and glances at me. She looks confused and dumbfounded. I know how she feels. From Thomas's sullen expression to Serena's tense jaw, I know something is going on here, and I'm more than determined to figure out exactly what that is.
After saying an abrupt good-bye, but I'll be in touch soon, I take the elevator to the lobby. And as luck would have it, when the doors open, I spot Freezer Dude. That was him earlier.
Two Ghosts & a Love Song (Dead by the Numbers Mysteries Book 2) Page 10
