by Rich Amooi
“Yeah? How long?”
She sat back down on the bench next to Giovanni. “Fifteen years. Ever since my dog died, well, you know . . .”
“Yeah. That can be tough. Some people love their dogs more than some of their family members.”
“That’s just it, he was family. I loved him very much.”
“That’s sweet. What kind of dog?”
“Golden retriever. Just like that one over there. His name was Hairy.” Giovanni laughed and Natalie smacked him on the arm. “Hey! Don’t laugh!”
“What do you expect?” He pointed to Precious. “You made fun of her when you found out her name? Ha! Hairy . . .”
“No. I made fun of you.”
“Okay, maybe you did.”
“Anyway, Hairy was my best friend. He slept in my room every night—his bed was right next to mine. When he died I thought I’d never want a dog again. Why go through that agony again when he dies, right?”
Giovanni nodded.
“I got over it. Enough so that I was ready to get another dog, but Jacks hates dogs.”
“How could a person hate dogs?”
She shrugged.
“I can understand if you have a preference for cats or another animal maybe, but dogs are beautiful creatures.”
“I agree.”
The cute little pug waltzed over and licked Natalie’s leg. She reached down and stroked it.
Giovanni pointed to the dog. “This dog likes you a lot.”
“Yeah. Well, I like him, too.”
“He could actually be reincarnated Hairy.”
Natalie laughed. “He came back as a pug?”
“Why not?” The pug sat and leaned against Natalie’s leg. “It could happen. Look at him—he has fifty dogs to play with and he would rather be with you.”
She rubbed him under his chin. “He sure is cute.” Natalie almost looked a little sad, as though she were longing to have a dog again.
“So, no dog for you then?”
She shrugged. “I can just dream about them.”
“If it’ll make you feel better you can babysit Precious for a few days.”
“Nice try!”
Giovanni laughed. “It was worth a shot.”
“You can pretend you’re not that into her, but I can see it. You like her.”
“Maybe.”
He did like Precious. She was cute and smart and loyal. And he knew there was no way she would leave him at the altar. Wait. Where the hell had that come from?
Precious came running back and jumped on Giovanni’s lap.
He scratched her on the head. “Hey, girl. You having fun?”
She wagged her tail and licked him on his hand.
“I think she wants another treat,” said Natalie.
“Oh.” Giovanni set Precious on the ground and reached for a couple more treats. He stood up, towering over Precious. “Sit.”
Precious sat and stared at him with her beautiful doggie eyes.
“Let’s experiment a little bit here.” Giovanni held out his hand. “Shake.”
Precious gave him her left paw.
“Wow! And the other paw?”
Precious switched and gave him the right paw. Natalie smiled and applauded.
“Very good!” said Giovanni. He gave her a treat. “You’re such a smart girl, aren’t you?”
Giovanni reached down and picked up Precious, resting her against his chest. She thanked him for the lift by licking him on his chin. “We should probably get back to the barbecue.”
Natalie stood up and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure Jacks is wondering where the heck I am.”
A few minutes later they arrived back at Strawberry Park and Natalie handed the sausage to Federico.
“Grazie!”
“You’re welcome, Nonno.”
Federico opened the bag and placed a few of the sausages on the barbecue. Natalie looked over to Jacks who finally had closed the hood of his car. He walked over, pulled out his cell phone, and sat on top of the picnic table.
“Sorry it took so long,” said Natalie. “We had an unexpected delay with the dog.”
Jacks scrolled a little more on his phone and looked up. “What are you talking about?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just we didn’t plan on being gone so long.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You left?”
“Yeah. Never mind.”
“Okay.”
He dropped his head to concentrate on whatever he was doing on his phone again.
Giovanni saw the frustrated look on Natalie’s face. If Jacks was her fiancé he sure wasn’t acting like it. There was no connection, no spark, no passion. Nothing.
Natalie forced a smile at Giovanni and reached down to pet Precious. Giovanni didn’t know Natalie very well, but he did know this: she was sweet and kind and considerate. She let him off the hook with that ticket, so she was compassionate, too.
He studied her from head to toe. And she was hot as hell.
Uh-oh.
What just happened there? He shouldn’t be checking out a woman who was getting married.
Stop looking at her!
Giovanni needed to clear his head. He looked around the park. “Where are the restrooms?”
Natalie popped up. “I’ll show you.”
Giovanni's imagination must have been playing tricks on him—he was almost certain that she really wanted to escape again. She was way too excited about the restrooms.
Yeah, something is definitely wrong with their relationship. And they’re getting married soon. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of them didn’t show up.
They walked to the restrooms and Giovanni couldn’t help but say something. “How did you meet Jacks?”
“I testified in a case he was prosecuting.”
Hopefully, Giovanni wouldn’t piss her off, but he wanted to know more. “How long have you known each other?”
Natalie tucked some hair behind one of her ears. “Six months.”
“Oh . . .”
They both watched as Precious squatted and did her business.
Giovanni reached down to scoop up the nuggets into a poop bag. “Second poop in an hour! Is that normal?”
Natalie smiled. “No. You must inspire her.”
Giovanni laughed. “I’m not sure how to take that.” He tossed the poop bag in the trash and scratched Precious on her lower back near her tail. “Feel better, Precious? Of course you do. And a pound lighter I would imagine.”
Natalie laughed. “It wasn’t that big. Don’t give her a complex.”
“Sorry, Precious. How insensitive of me.”
They continued toward the restrooms and Giovanni handed Natalie the leash while he went inside. When he was done he took the leash back from her. “Your turn.”
“Oh . . . I don’t really have to go.”
Giovanni nodded and joked. “Couldn’t pass up an opportunity to spend more time with me, huh?”
Natalie opened her mouth and then closed it.
“What?” asked Giovanni.
“Nothing.”
“Something. Say it.”
They strolled back toward the picnic area, occasionally stopping when Precious wanted to sniff something.
Natalie chuckled. “Okay. I was just going to ask you . . . you said there were signs that you knew maybe you weren’t in a good relationship. What signs?”
He knew it. It sounded like someone was having some doubts.
Giovanni thought about it. “I don’t know. Things like not paying attention to the little details. Or just not paying attention to me much. I don’t mind people being on their smart phones now and then, but it seemed like she was always glued to that thing. Even when we were out for what I thought was a romantic dinner or at a family gathering.”
He saw Natalie glance back to the picnic area. Jacks was still on his phone.
He felt guilty. He didn’t want to make her feel bad and he didn’t know the entire story with her and Jacks. One thing
he knew for sure, he was enjoying her company.
He felt another pang of guilt.
Was he hoping she didn’t get married? Yeah, maybe he was. But that wasn’t fair that he would wish that upon her just because he had gone through it. Not fair at all.
“Sorry,” he said. “Probably not a good topic. You’re getting married soon.”
“Yeah . . .”
“How soon?”
“Two weeks.”
“Oh, wow.”
“I have my bachelorette party tomorrow.”
“Strippers and booze and all that?”
“No way. My best friend Rebecca wanted strippers and I nixed that. We’re just going out for dinner and drinks. Nice and simple.”
“We ended up playing poker in the clubhouse at the apartment complex of a friend. Just like you, nice and simple. My friend Stevie wanted to go to Vegas for a week.”
“Boys will be boys. Jacks . . .”
Giovanni leaned in to take a closer look at Natalie’s face. “Yes? Jacks?”
“Well . . . Jacks is, uh, going to Vegas.”
“Oh . . .”
They walked back to the picnic area where Jacks was still on his phone.
Giovanni whispered. “Sounds like you and I have a lot in common.”
She didn’t have a response to that.
It was a much better afternoon than Giovanni had anticipated. He enjoyed Natalie’s company. A little too much. He was already wondering when he would get to see her again.
And he was sure thoughts like those would spell trouble on the horizon.
Chapter Six
Natalie stood up from the kitchen table and cleared a few plates. “Thanks, Nonno. The pancakes were amazing. Where did you learn to make those? From Grandma?”
“Ancient Chinese secret.”
She laughed. “Right.” She placed the plates in the dishwasher and glanced out the window toward Giovanni's house. He was a really nice guy.
Kind. Handsome.
Sure, she couldn’t help but notice. Just because she was engaged didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the opposite sex. As long as she didn’t stare or touch.
Giovanni came out the side door of his house and saw Natalie.
Speak of the devil.
Their eyes locked for a few seconds.
Bam!
She felt something in her heart and pressed her hand to her chest. What was that? Okay, maybe she was attracted to him. A little.
She waved to him.
He smiled and waved back.
Bam!
She felt something again. This time in the pit of her stomach.
Giovanni walked toward the back of his yard and disappeared inside of what appeared to be a cottage.
Natalie turned back to her grandfather. “What’s that small building in the back of Giovanni's yard? Like a guest house or something?”
Federico walked to the window and looked out. “No, no, no. Did I not mention it to you? That man is a musical genius. And that is the studio where he works.”
Natalie tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean? Like, he’s a musician?”
“Well, yes and no. Yes, he is a musician. He plays the guitar and very well, I might add. But what I am speaking of is far more creative than that.”
“Okay, you’ve built up the suspense enough, so please tell me.”
“He builds the most beautiful guitars in the world.”
“In the world? Could you be exaggerating just a little?”
He shook his head. “And he makes them with his hands.”
“Really?” She stared back at the little studio in his yard. “Wow. That’s a very unique profession.”
She stared at Federico for a moment and then turned her attention back to the studio. She realized that during the few moments she and Giovanni had spent together he never once mentioned what he did or bragged about his accomplishments. If he truly were a genius, he was a down-to-earth one and Natalie liked that. Jacks was always talking about his job and it really got old after a while.
Natalie cleared her throat. “Um . . . if you know him so well and like him so much, how come you weren’t invited to his wedding?”
“Ahh,” said Federico, scratching his chin. “This is a very good question. I don’t have an answer.”
She stared over the fence into Giovanni’s yard.
Federico pointed to Giovanni's studio. “Go visit him.”
“What? No! Why would I do that?”
“Because you are curious, I can see it. I sometimes go and watch him work, for hours even. He doesn’t mind at all. Come with me.”
“Over there? No!”
“Yes.”
He reached for her hand and they walked to the backyard.
Natalie tried to pull her hand free. “He’s probably very busy. We shouldn’t disturb him.”
“Nonsense. He has an open door policy to the world. That’s who he is.”
They walked to the back of Federico’s yard behind the lemon tree where Federico opened a gate.
“I never noticed this gate before. Did you install this recently?”
Federico laughed. “Of course not.” He stepped through the gate and waved Natalie through. “The original owner of my property also owned Giovanni’s property. His sister lived in the other house. He wanted them to connect so the kids would pass back and forth between the properties with ease!”
Federico knocked on the studio door and pushed it open. “Giovanni!”
Some type of Spanish flamenco guitar music was playing on a sound system.
“Good morning, Federico. Come on in.”
Giovanni's back was to them so he obviously didn’t know that Natalie was with him.
Should she say something?
“Hi, Natalie,” Giovanni said. He set down a piece of sandpaper and turned around. “How are you?”
How did he do that? Did he have eyes in the back of his head?
“Hello . . . uh . . .” She twirled some hair around her index finger for a moment. “How did you know I was here? Your back was turned.”
He shrugged. “Jasmine.”
Right. He knew the scent of her perfume.
“I love it,” continued Giovanni.
“Thank you.”
He smiled and winked. “Not at all.”
Bam!
Damn that heart. She was going to make an appointment with a cardiologist first thing Monday morning.
Federico placed his hand on Giovanni's shoulder. “I was telling Natalie that you make the most beautiful guitars in the world.”
“You’re too kind, Federico. I don’t know about that, but thank you. I appreciate it.”
“He’s just being humble. He has a two-year waiting list for his guitars!”
“Really?” Natalie moved in closer to inspect one of the guitars hanging from a stand. “That’s amazing. I heard you play, too.”
“Yes, it’s another one of my passions.”
She loved men who were passionate about their careers. Jacks was obsessed.
Big difference.
Stop!
Why was she comparing Giovanni to Jacks again?
Don’t go there.
Natalie turned around and Federico was gone. She scratched the side of her head.
“What?” said Giovanni.
“Oh. Nothing.”
What was Nonno up to?
It was as if he set her up. She knew he didn’t really approve of Jacks, but . . .
Natalie tried to regain her composure and explored the studio, stopping at a beautiful guitar that was sitting on a floor stand. “This looks smaller than the normal guitars.”
He picked it up and strummed a few chords. “Very perceptive of you. I’m making it for an eight-year-old boy.”
“Really?”
Giovanni nodded and handed it to her.
She inspected it and smelled it. “It’s beautiful. Smells nice, too.”
Giovanni laughed. “Yeah, I love smelling the
guitars.”
She pointed to the stool. “May I?”
“Of course.” He leaned over and brushed some dust off the top of the stool with his hand. “Please.”
“It’s so peaceful in here.”
“That’s by design. This is my trade, but it’s almost a form of meditation when I am working. The worst possible thing could be happening in my life, but when I’m in here I disconnect. It’s just me and the guitars.”
“I like that. Maybe I should come here when I have a stressful day.”
Giovanni pointed to the door. “The door’s always open when I’m here.”
“Yeah, that’s what my grandfather told me. How long does it take you to make each guitar?”
“It’s about a month of labor, but that’s not continuous time. Each guitar is in various stages and I typically work on three at the same time. If you actually count the time from start to finish, my clients get their new guitars about six months after I start working on them.”
“A whole month of labor.” She looked around the studio. “For just one.”
“There are so many little things that go into making a guitar. It’s not like a big factory with giant machines that do most of the work. Every step takes time and patience. There’s only one of me and each and every guitar is a piece of me.”
“And you make a living off of this?”
He nodded. “I do okay.”
They locked eyes and she started twirling hair again.
“Are you working on your curls?”
Fudge!
Natalie was a little nervous but she wasn’t going to admit it to Giovanni. What a disaster.
And what a wimp.
She was a cop who has chased bad guys through rat-infested hell-holes. She’d tackled and handcuffed criminals bigger than linemen for the Forty-Niners. But in this tiny studio with this good-looking, guitar making Greek god—or maybe he was Italian—she was mush.
Complete, one hundred percent mush.
It was time for her to make a swift exit before she said or did something she regretted. “Gotta run. Thanks for showing me your studio.”
“Anytime. My pleasure.”
Pleasure. That sounds enticing. I need more of that. A couple of orders of that would be wonderful.
When was the last time she had sex, anyway? Her mind wandered to Giovanni in his underwear, trying to set his garbage can on fire. Had she noticed his broad shoulders, muscular legs and flat abs?
