She nodded.
“Let me drive you home.”
She bit her lip. “Okay, but then you have to talk to your brothers.”
“I will. Promise.”
***
A few hours later, after what was supposed to be a quick drop off turned into an epic sexcapade, Tony headed back to his place. Marco’s car and Enzo’s Jeep were no longer there, and since he promised Krissy he’d speak to the morons, he came to a stop and called Marco.
“Hey, where are you?” Tony asked when Marco answered.
“Down at the docks.”
“Enzo isn’t with you, is he?”
“No, but I’ll call him.”
“I’ll see you in a bit.” Tony hung up and pulled back on the road, heading toward the docks where Marco made his living as a lobsterman before becoming a sought-after furniture maker. Though his brother found a lucrative artistic outlet, he couldn’t leave behind the open seas. He still headed out on the boat every morning to check the traps. The saying was true. You could take the boy out of the seas, but you couldn’t take the sea out of the boy. It was a part of him. Hell, it was a part of all of them.
He parked the car and made his way down the docks toward Marco’s slip. Marco sat on the edge, legs dangling toward the water beside the boat.
“Hey!” Tony said as he approached, and Marco lifted an arm in greeting. He sat down beside Marco and looked out at the calm of the water. Not a single ripple went through the surface, making it look like a sheet of glass.
Marco pulled on a line and hauled it up, a six-pack tied to the bottom. He pulled a can off and handed it to Tony. It was a lager from a local brewery that they had visited several times over the years.
“Thanks,” Tony said and popped the top.
Marco took one for himself, and another for when Enzo arrived, before throwing the rest back into the water.
“Sorry about earlier.”
“It’s okay, but you’re still buying me a new door.”
“Consider it done.” Marco took a sip of his beer. “So… you and Krissy, huh?”
Not believing it himself, he smiled and nodded.
Marco nudged his shoulder. “How the hell did that happen?”
“Your wedding.”
Marco’s head snapped back, his dark hair the same color as his, but with no curls and only a natural wave, fell over his forehead. He shoved it into place. “No shit.”
“No one knows yet. Except for you and Enzo now.”
“You’re not going to do that sneaking around bullshit like Enzo and Cami and Ella and Lucas did, are you?”
“I sure as hell hope not, but it’s up to Krissy.” Tony took a sip of his beer. “She told me she loved me.”
Marco whistled low. “Dude, that’s huge.”
“I know.”
“What would your twelve-year-old self say now?”
“He would probably have shit himself.”
They both laughed and nodded in agreement.
“What did I miss?” Enzo asked as he walked up.
“Nothing,” Marco said and gave a sly wink to Tony. “What the hell took you so long?”
Enzo shook his head and sat down beside Tony. Marco handed him a beer and Enzo popped it open, taking a long sip before answering. “I had to wait for Grandpa.”
“Where was he?”
“Feeding the damn seagull.”
Tony choked on his beer, and Marco slammed a hand against his back. “I’m good,” he said, holding the hand without the can up.
“I don’t know what’s worse,” Enzo said. “When the damn bird was his archenemy or now that it’s his best friend.”
Diablo, the rightfully named seagull, that terrorized Grandpa for years, found her way on his good side when Grandpa discovered her nest and little chicks.
“I mean not much has changed,” Tony said. “Diablo still comes into the restaurant to steal buns and Grandpa still chases her off, cursing up a storm in Italian.”
“Except now after he chases her off, he goes and sits outside feeding her for twenty minutes,” Enzo said, thrusting a hand through his much shorter hair. “So Krissy, huh?”
Marco bumped his shoulder. “You already missed that conversation.”
“Care to fill me in?”
“It started at my wedding. No one knows yet, well except for us.” Marco flashed a big smile. “It’s up to Krissy if they go public and that about catches you up. Any questions?”
“No, I think you answered them all,” Enzo said.
“Oh, and she loves him. I forgot that part which is probably the most important,” Marco added.
“Wow. Love, huh?”
“Apparently,” Tony said, taking a sip of his beer.
“I’m happy for you,” Enzo said, meeting his gaze.
It was stupid, but at twenty-five, the approval of his big brother still mattered. “Thanks, Enz.”
“But I’m not telling Cami or Ella so that’s on you.” And I suggest you do it sooner rather than later since I don’t want to have to lie to Cami.”
“Noted.”
“Good. Now why don’t we talk about why we’re really here,” Enzo said and silence filled the air between them. A seagull squawked in the distance, and the sound of the water slapping against the dock helped fill the silence.
“I’m not testifying for him,” Tony finally said.
Marco patted his back. “Me either.”
“That makes three of us.”
Tony wasn’t sure why, but he was surprised that Enzo wouldn’t. Enzo had always been the levelheaded one of them. The one to take on all the responsibility, do for them what they couldn’t do for themselves. “Really?” Tony said. “You’re not going to?”
“He’s our father, but the fact of the matter is that he brought drugs, a gun, and people into the house that directly put you and Ella in harm’s way. I’ve tried for years to forgive him for that, but I can’t. Maybe if he was sorry, but as much as he says he is… I don’t believe him.”
“I don’t either,” Marco said. “I finally went to see him and put all that shit to rest, but in the back of my mind there was something telling me he hadn’t changed. It was enough for me to accept the closure I needed, but to not forget. I can’t forget.”
“None of us can,” Tony said. “But what about Ella?” She still visited their father once a month and had dreams of them being a family again.
“I spoke with her,” Enzo said. “She’s realized her fantasy of us all being one big happy family is nothing more than fantasy. She doesn’t trust him either, and she’s afraid of what he’ll do to us if he gets out.”
Tony had felt a little guilt for not thinking twice about his refusal, but knowing Ella agreed with him, the champion of their father when no one else cared, it gave him peace of mind.
“Then that settles it,” Tony said. “None of us speak for him.”
It had been well over a decade since the man who helped create them single-handedly almost destroyed their family. But thanks to his grandparents and the men sitting beside him that never happened. If anything, it made them stronger.
They didn’t need their father. They had each other, and it had always been enough.
Chapter 17
Walking into Mind, Body, and Soul was an experience all on its own. The scents of fresh herbs, spices, and candles surrounded Krissy, and she inhaled the glorious aroma. She loved bringing in more product and loved even more stopping by just to check on inventory. She always gave herself extra time to check out all the new stock and to have a cup of tea with Martha.
The bell above the door rang as she stepped inside, and Martha called out from the back that she’d be right there.
“It’s just me, Martha. No rush.” Krissy walked over to her display and took out a notebook from her bag. She flipped to her inventory checklist and started counting the bars and lip balms that were left. She’d have to bring more lavender soap next time and strawberry melon lip balm. Both seemed to be
huge sellers. Also, the beer line of soap was doing overwhelmingly well. She’d have to restock on her next trip. Maybe she’d add beer lip balm to the mix and see how that went.
She scribbled a note to herself in the margins and flipped her notebook shut. Martha breezed out of the back room, her long green and blue chiffon blouse unbuttoned over a white cami flowed behind her.
“Hi there,” she said as she ran her fingers through her salt and pepper curls.
“Hey, I was just doing inventory.”
Joe nonchalantly strolled out of the back area Martha just vacated, hands shoved in his khaki pants, his Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned at the top.
“Hi Joe, fancy seeing you here again,” Krissy joked.
“Martha makes this tea that has worked wonders for my knees.”
Krissy was sure that wasn’t all that was working wonders for Joe. She held in her giggle of amusement and nodded. “She always knows the right concoction to fix any ailment.”
“Only took him thirty years to finally accept that,” Martha said.
“Don’t start with me,” Joe said. “Lovely seeing you again, Krissy. I need to head to the restaurant now.”
“Joe,” Krissy said, looking at his shirt and realizing his top button wasn’t open, but he’d buttoned his shirt wrong. “You might want to fix your buttons.”
His dark blue eyes darted down, and a blush spread across his cheeks. “Well, would you look at that? Wonder how that happened.”
“Yeah, I wonder,” Martha said, biting back a smile.
Martha sighed and sauntered over to Joe, swatting his hands away as she fixed his misaligned buttons. She patted his chest. “There you go. Good as new.”
“Thank you, darling.” He gave her a wink then headed out.
“So, when are you two getting married?” Krissy asked.
“Married? Ha!” Martha exclaimed. “Not likely.”
“We’ll see.”
“Oh we’ll see, shall we? What about you and a certain Moretti?”
“How the hell do you know about that?”
Martha moved her bangles around her wrists. “I have my ways.”
“If you know then that means anybody could know.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, but there are some people I would have liked to have told myself.”
“You still have time. I’m sure word hasn’t spread that quickly.”
Just as Martha finished her sentence, Krissy’s cell phone rang. She slipped it out of her bag and closed her eyes as Ella’s name flashed across the screen.
“Looks like it has. I need to take this.”
“Go for it. I’ll be here.”
“Hey, El,” Krissy said. As she walked out of Mind, Body, and Soul and onto the boardwalk. “What’s going on?”
“Wondering why I had to find out from Enzo and Marco that you and Tony apparently are together.”
Krissy hung her head and sighed into the phone. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
“Yet here we are.”
“Are you mad?”
The line went silent, and Krissy’s heart kicked up speed.
“Am I mad that you didn’t think you could talk to me? Absolutely. Am I mad that you’re seeing my brother? Definitely… not.”
“Really?”
“Krissy, come on. If I wasn’t mad at Cami for sneaking around with Enzo, I’m not going to be mad at you for doing the same with Tony.”
“I know, but it’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“Enzo is your older brother while Tony is…”
“My super talented, sweet, intelligent brother who has loved you since he was eleven?”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
“Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better pairing than the two of you.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. You’re both creative, march to your own beats, and give your all to your family and friends. You’re perfect for each other. But more than anything, I’m so happy you’re finally opening yourself up to a relationship, and I know I’m jumping ahead of myself, but also opening up to the possibility of love. You deserve it.”
“I’m glad you think so because I… I do love him, El.”
Ella squealed on the other end, and Krissy imagined her bouncing in her chair and clapping. “I just have one rule. Same rule I have with Cami.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t talk about our sex life.” Krissy didn’t want to talk about it, anyway. It was between her and Tony, and what they shared was special.
“Thank God.”
Krissy laughed and tension she hadn’t realized was there released from her shoulder blades.
“Fair warning. Cami will be calling you next.”
“I’m on the boardwalk now, checking on my inventory, I’ll stop by the Bean and let her twenty question me in person.”
“Oh, she’s going to love that. I’m sad I can’t be there for it.”
“Having you as a buffer is always nice when Cami gets inappropriate.”
“You can always FaceTime me.”
“That’s definitely a possibility.”
“Keep your phone close.”
“I will! But I am meeting with a potential new client, so if I don’t answer, I’m there for you in spirit.”
“Gee thanks.”
“Love you, Kris.”
“Love you too, El. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Krissy ended the call and shoved her phone back in her bag. She turned toward The Local Bean, then changed her mind and headed back into Mind, Body, and Soul. She’d have a blend of Martha’s calming lavender tea first before she walked into the line of fire.
***
Tony grabbed a Pop-Tart from the kitchen and sat at the table. He had submitted his paintings to an exhibit that would take place at a gallery in Boston where he had shown before and did quite well. Now he needed to get away from the computer. He’d rechecked his email a dozen times as if they’d send him an acceptance immediately. He knew better than that. He had time before he heard anything.
He took a bite of the Pop-Tart when he heard the familiar shuffle of Grandpa on the move.
“Anthony,” Grandpa said with his arms in the air as he entered the kitchen. “I’m glad to see you are alive. I was worried.”
“I know. I’m sorry I missed Jeopardy.”
He swatted his hand. “There was an overexcited clicker who won three in a row. I thought she was going to break the device. Don’t they know they just have to click it once?”
Tony laughed even though the topic wasn’t a first for them. They had it at least once every few months. “Maybe you should try out and teach them how it’s done.”
“Me?” Grandpa patted his chest. “Have you ever seen an old geezer on that show? They like them young and spry probably because us elderly folk would wipe the floor with those youngsters.”
“Maybe you should break the mold and represent the old geezers.”
“Hey!” Grandpa said and threw a backhand lightly at Tony’s shoulders. “Watch who you calling an old geezer.”
“I’m just repeating what you said.”
Grandpa swatted the air. “Enough about that. I hear through the grapevines that your little crush is something more now, huh?”
“How the heck do you know about…” Tony stopped himself. “Enzo.”
“He’s like an old maid. Loves to spread the gossip.”
“He learned it from you, old man.”
Grandpa smiled wide with pride then shrugged with an, “eh.”
“So is that why you were locked up in the backyard? Has your studio turned into a sex cave?”
Tony choked on his Pop-Tart, spiraling into a coughing fit. Grandpa smacked him hard on the back and jolted him forward, whacking the kitchen table and moving it a good inch.
“Thank you,” Tony said with sarcasm. “And no, it is not my sex cave. Jesus Christ.”
“Hey, watch yo
ur mouth.”
“Sorry, but give a guy a warning before you blurt something like that.”
“It was just a question.”
“Sure, just a question.” Tony cleared his throat and coughed once more to get rid of the lingering tickle from nearly choking to death.
“You happy?” Grandpa asked.
He met his brown eyes so full of concern. “I am.”
“Good. That’s all that matters. Now tell me about what you were working on.”
Tony jumped on the opportunity. “It all started when Reid told me about Dad.”
Grandpa sat down and patted his hand. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. His comforting touch was enough. Tony continued, explaining how his anger morphed into passion, and how that passion brought him back to Krissy. He told him about how he mixed a classic and contemporary style, and though Grandpa never understood his kind of art, he listened with genuine interest.
“I submitted a few pieces to an exhibit in Boston. Now I wait to see if they want me.”
“Of course they’ll want you. If not, they’re idiots!”
Tony laughed. “Thanks, but the competition is stiff out there.”
“Competition is good for the soul, keeps you on your toes, and makes you better. Never look at them as competition but as motivation to do better.”
Grandpa always knew the right thing to say, even when times seemed bleak and life impossible, he brought his words of wisdom, learned from a lifetime of experience.
The conversation drifted back to the overexcited clicker, and Tony promised he wouldn’t miss Jeopardy again, since they only had a few more weeks before Grandpa would be spending more time at the restaurant.
He’d miss that time together. It was only thirty minutes five days a week, but those thirty minutes were special, and he would always be grateful for them.
“The boys are coming over for poker tonight, you in?” Grandpa asked as if he didn’t already know the answer.
“Last time I played with you, Dominick, cheated me out of fifty bucks.”
Grandpa turned his hands out and shrugged. “Eh.”
“I think I’ll skip it.”
“Plans with the lady?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping for a movie night. I’ve been getting her to watch the classics.”
Childhood Dream Page 16
