She hung up with a light heart. One thing was certain, she knew who was going to be the subject of the first authentic cookbook on her list.
* * *
Two days later, she met with Dana, and they discussed the five cuisines to focus on. Italian, Indian, Korean, Greek, Cuban. Frankie would be starting her new role in February, so there was a lot of work to be done. She would miss her staff but was promised that her assistant, Matt, could move with her if he wanted to. She’d give him a new title. No extra pay. Corporate America. For the rest of the week, she busied herself with research for the new line of books, googling restaurants and taking notes. The plan was for her to travel in the tristate area to sample many foods at various restaurants and ascertain if there was cookbook potential. Not necessarily an entire cookbook but something worth contributing to the volume on that particular cuisine. The restaurant would get paid by the recipe and also be mentioned in all marketing promotions. It was a win-win for everyone.
* * *
As Saturday drew near, Frankie was getting nervous about what to expect. Was it a date? Friends? What? She wished she knew. She shrugged. She’d find out soon enough. The typical question of what to wear lingered. One thing she did know. Whatever she wore had to be cobalt blue.
Frankie was up at the crack of dawn on Saturday. She hoped she wouldn’t run out of steam by dinnertime. She decided on decaf that morning. No need to add to her jitters. By five, she was pacing her small living-room area. Bandit watched from the sofa and followed her steps. Back and forth. Back and forth.
After wasting a half hour, she decided to take a shower and begin the process of dolling up. Hair. Blown-out straight. Done. Makeup, a little more than daytime, but not over the top. Next was the decision of accessories. She decided on a pair of diamond earrings and her diamond tennis bracelet. Just enough bling.
She checked herself in the mirror one more time and turned to Bandit. “So, Mr. Kitty Puss, what do you think?” He gave her a big stretch of approval. “Thanks, pal.” She gave him a kiss on the top of his head. “Wish me luck.” Frankie tucked the cigars and perfume in a black glossy shopping bag and headed for her next adventure. Or so she hoped.
She didn’t want to seem too anxious, so she circled the block once, checking her watch every five minutes. It was 7:55. Good enough. As she neared the entrance, she could see inside the windows. Her regular table in the corner was waiting. But she didn’t spot Giovanni. Marco greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. “Bella! Nice to see you.”
“Nice to be here.”
“Giovanni will be here shortly. Come. Sit.” He pulled out a chair for her and sat down at the table. “You know, we like-a you very much. We happy you have dinner with Giovanni.” He winked and patted her arm.
A few minutes later, Giovanni appeared, wearing a white shirt, slacks, and a beautifully tailored Italian-made blazer. He looked incredibly handsome. She tried to look fetching, but she couldn’t figure out how to pull that off. Little did she realize that it didn’t take much. Giovanni moved toward the table. She put her hand out, and he kissed the back of it. Frankie hoped the goose bumps didn’t show through the sleeves of her dress.
“Frankie. I am so happy you said yes to dinner. I think of you as a friend and part of the family. So I invited you to say thank you.”
She looked puzzled. “Thank me for what?”
“Trusting your little Bandito and your home to me. That means a lot. Trust is a very important thing.”
“It is you I should thank for taking such good care of Bandit and my apartment. The flowers were lovely, too.” She stopped herself from saying, “You shouldn’t have.” Acknowledge the gift. Period.
Giovanni asked if he could order for both of them. She had absolutely no objection. Their conversation was lively, with both of them sharing stories of their travels. Giovanni never mentioned his broken engagement, which in Frankie’s estimation, hadn’t broken him up too much. They chatted and laughed for a few hours until the staff jokingly told them it was time to leave. Frankie almost forgot the gifts she had brought back. Giovanni was stunned by the gesture. He never expected a gift. Nor did he want to get paid for kitty-sitting. He insisted “We are like family.” Frankie decided to let it go. The cigars were enough of a gesture of appreciation in his eyes.
Giovanni helped Frankie with her coat. She still didn’t know if this was leading anywhere, but when he walked her home and kissed her good night, she knew it was going somewhere.
Epilogue
One Year Later
New Year’s Eve
As promised, Amy returned to Ridgewood for the holidays. With her boyfriend, Peter.
Richard had arrived a week earlier to spend Christmas with Nina and her folks before her folks left for Florida. Nina’s sitcom had been picked up for two seasons, so she had a job for at least another year. Her parents were spending most of their time in Boca Raton, so Nina decided to stay in their house until . . . whenever.
Rachael had been working with the foundation, setting up dance-party fundraisers. Henry was enamored of her, and she had gotten over the age difference. She opened her purse and pulled out a shriveled scrap of mistletoe. “A memento.” Everyone burst out laughing.
Frankie had signed up several contributors and had been able to complete the five books she had planned. The list had been met with positive reviews. Now all she had to do was do it again. She and Giovanni had dinner at Marco’s, then headed to Ridgewood, where everyone would meet in time for the ball to drop.
The country club was decorated in the standard New Year’s Eve glitz and glitter. Both of Amy’s parents were there with their significant others, William with Marilyn and Dorothy with her new husband, Lloyd.
Around eleven, ten people stood up and re-created the “Uptown Funk” flash-mob dance. Rachael had secretly recruited people from her dance school. In all the years of the country club’s history, nothing like it had ever rocked the walls before. The partygoers hooted and cheered.
Just before the stroke of midnight, everyone filled their glasses. A voice from their crowd said, “May the New Year bring as many blessings as this one has!”
“Cent’ anni!”
“Cheers!”
“Salute!”
“Happy New Year!”
The End of One Year!
Cheers to the Next!
Santa Cruise Page 27
