by Zoey Kane
The truck inched forward with the traffic until they came upon a crosswalk. Gia watched a thread of people hurry to pass through. Each of them was carrying a to-go lunch box from the bistro as well. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Gia asked in awe.
“Yes. Julian might have done a surprisingly good job of bringing in customers while we were away!”
There was a moment where the traffic had a gap, and the two could see what was going on. Outside the storefront were two ponies with bushy manes. One was black and the other was gray and black. Helpers were leading the ponies so little kids could have a ride. It was apparently a hit because there was a long line waiting for their turn.
“Oh my gosh,” Gia said, wondering if there was anything going on inside the store as well. Sure enough, when they entered there, they saw several colorful stuffed ponies for sale around a stationary horse carousel. The only thing missing was hay on the floor.
Tony kidded, “If there had been hay on the floor, we’d have to start selling mugs of beer.” He approached Julian at a register. “Are you selling the same food as when we left or has that changed too?”
“Heya, boss. Do you like my new pets? Their names are Midnight Fire and Velvet Cream Sprinkles. I just love them!”
“It might take a little getting used to… but it looks like business is booming.”
“Oh don’t worry. They’ll mostly be living at a stable that I’m working at part-time to pay them off. But don’t you think it would be ah-mazing to have the ponies visit every so often? I think they like it here!”
“What they like are my New York hotdogs,” Greta piped in from the back.
“So they can stay?” Julian said with a begging tone.
“Today, yes.” Tony chuckled. “We’ll talk about other times.”
Julian breathed an audible sigh of relief and then said, “Okay, then get out of here. We’re busy!”
Tony ordered, “Not before we get mozzarella cheese sticks and garlic bread.”
Tony took Gia to a table and excused himself, wanting to inspect the kitchen and check on his order. He returned within minutes. “Why did I worry?” he told Gia, sliding in next to her. “I should have expected Julian would have it all in control.”
Garlic bread and water came immediately. And it didn't take too long before the mozzarella arrived personally delivered by Julian. "Cheers!" he said with a grin as he set two platters down.
“Is Julian getting goofier or what?” Gia remarked, taking a sip of water.
Tony smiled. He took a moment to thoughtfully look into Gia’s eyes and it made her heart skip. “We had fun on that cruise in spite of the drama,” he said. “Don’t you think?”
Tony handed her garlic bread before she could answer or pick up a fork. "Actually, and strangely, yes. It all unraveled in such a way as almost unbelievable.”
“Do you love me?” Tony asked, taking a bite of his mozzarella cheese stick. Gia knew he liked asking that question, but this time it hung in the air more seriously than ever.
“You know I do, you funny man.” She smiled at him lovingly.
“Good, eat your cheese sticks.”
Reaching for her fork, Gia looked down at her plate. Something odd made her look again and zero in on one particular spot on her platter. Her heart skipped double-time now. It was a beautiful engagement ring worn by one thinner mozzarella stick.
“Tony!” Her mouth dropped open. “Explain this?”
He spoke softly, and took Gia's hand. "I have a love for you, like my dad had for my mom. Never-ending. Always growing. I’ll forever be true to you… if you’ll have me. Will you marry me, G? I love you."
“Oh my gosh, Tony. Of course I will.”
With a huge grin, Tony pulled the ring off the stick, wiped it off with a linen napkin, and then slid it onto Gia’s finger. “I see us being great spies together, G.” He pulled her up out of her chair and took her into his arms with a soulful kiss.
Congratulations and cheering went up from Julian and the rest of the staff, who had been lingering nearby, ready to burst.
“Does my mamma know about this?” Gia said once Tony set her back down.
“Not at all,” he said.
“Maybe we should run away while our hearing is still good.”
They both laughed, knowing Sherry Rizzo.
<<<>>>
Outside the bistro, with Tony by her side, Gia called her mother on speaker. “I have some news for you, Mamma. Is Dad there? Are you two sitting down?
“HONEY, GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE! GIA HAS A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!”
“Hello?” the male voice said a couple seconds later. “My baby. How are you?”
Gia laughed in excitement. “I’m great. I’m here with Tony…”
“Hello!” Tony said.
“Hi!” came the exuberant reply.
Sherry said, “We’re sitting down on the sofa. Now please hurry and tell us what you have to say.”
“Mom, Dad. I’m engaged! Tony just asked me to marry him!”
“Oh, Praise God! You did it! You got him to settle down. YOU TWO WILL BE EXCELLENT PARENTS! When are you planning a little Italian bun in the oven?”
Gia looked at Tony with a shake of the head. “Not quite yet, Mom. Down the road. But soon enough. We promise.”
“Well, you should start sooner than later. What’s the hold up? I don’t want to pressure you too much, but Liza’s daughter is onto her third child and she’s only twenty-four. Do you hear me?”
“We hear you loud and clear, Mom,” Gia said with a big smile.
The End.
A Note from the Authors
Hi, thank you so much for reading Murder Dressed and Tossed! We hope you enjoyed it. If you did, we would be delighted to see your review on Amazon. Reviews help us gain advertising, which keeps us in business writing more fun mysteries!
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Love,
Zoey and Claire Kane
Also by Zoey & Claire Kane
The Riddles of Hillgate
A Yen for Murder
To Catch a Fox
And many more!
