Beautiful Regret

by MJ Nightingale

  "Yeah, sure," Gio murmured as he began pulling more groceries out of the bags setting them on the table. She noticed he'd purchased some things she enjoyed and smiled wistfully as she poured him a cup.

  "I got you some clothes, too. Not sure about them, but you have to see your attorney at one o’clock today, so I thought you might like to change. They are in there," he called over his shoulder as he began to put things away now that the bags were empty.

  "Thank-you. I'm sure they'll be fine, and the fruit and yogurt as well."

  "Um, yeah. Well, you're welcome," he stammered finishing, and then grabbing his cup of coffee, took a sip of the brew. He pulled out a bagel from a brown paper bag that he’d left on the table. "Want to split an onion?" he asked.

  "Sure. Butter?" she asked already turning back to the refrigerator

  "Yes," came his terse reply.

  Again, Lisa noticed how easily they slipped into their old routines as she pulled the butter out of the refrigerator.

  Gio was slicing the bagel in half and putting them on paper plates when she came back to the table.

  “I can take you to a store if the clothes don’t work, but I have a lot to do this morning before your appointment.”

  Lisa wondered what he had planned. But she didn’t want to ask directly. Not yet. “I’m sure they will be fine. I was going to have my sister bring me a few things, in fact, I have to text her. She is going to see Johnny tonight.”

  Gio’s interest was piqued. He couldn’t wait to meet Johnny. “Where is he?”

  “He’s at school. He was with me at the Jersey shore, and when I got arrested, thank God Mary was visiting with me. He had a summer music camp all set to go, and so he stayed with her until camp started. He still wanted to go, thank goodness. He’ll be done in another week.”

  “Music camp?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.

  Lisa laughed at the look on Gio’s face. “He plays the guitar. He is very good. I don’t know where he gets his musical talent from, because we sure didn’t have any.”

  “My mother,” Gio put in softly. His mother had been a music teacher once upon a time before she gave it up to raise the four boys.

  “Yes, yes of course,” Lisa added lamely, feeling stupid for that oversight.

  “Well, I’m just glad it’s not the flute or tuba.” He gave her a quirky look.

  Lisa nodded. “And I’m glad it wasn’t the drums.”

  They smiled across the table from each other.

  After a moment of silence, Lisa’s curiosity got the better of her and asked. “So what else is on the agenda?”

  “I’m going to start digging, but I want to see what your lawyer has done so far. I’m making some calls. I want to call Nikko and have him come up and work with me. Hope that’s okay?”

  Lisa felt immediate relief sweep through her. He was going to help. “Sure,” she looked away feeling suddenly emotional. This man never disappointed her. “That should be okay.” She used the back of her hand to wipe away the moisture that had come to her eyes.

  Gio gave her a moment to recover. He could see the relief on her face. Yes, he was going to help her, but she would have to cooperate. When she took a sip of her coffee and set it back down, Gio dropped his first request on her. “I want to meet my son, Lisa. Andreas sent me a text this morning, my name is on the birth certificate, like you said. According to the records my brother was able to access, Johnny has my blood type. He is mine.”

  Lisa didn’t feel angry that he had checked into it. She couldn’t blame him for not trusting her, so she simply nodded, then added. “My sister is going to see him tonight. You can go with her. Her husband is working, so she wants to drop the kids off here. In fact, I suggested it already when I texted her yesterday.”

  “When did you text her?”

  “Last night, when you were out. I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t sure you would be ready.” She watched Gio’s eyes. He looked startled. Meeting a nearly ten year old boy who was your son for the first time had to be a shock to the system. She wished she could be there for that first meeting, but didn’t even consider asking him to wait.

  Gio was truthful when he answered. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I am ready, but I want to go. Let her know that.” Gio popped the last bite of his bagel into his mouth and chewed slowly. He didn’t want to lose any time with his son even though he was terrified. Most fathers had nine months to get ready to meet their child. He’d had less than twelve hours.

  Lisa hadn’t even started her own bagel yet. She wasn’t much of a breakfast eater, but knew she needed to eat something. She picked up her bagel and took a small bite, and then tore off a piece. She handed the rest over to Gio who took it from her hand and brought it to his lips. She’d often done this exact thing when they shared breakfast a decade ago.

  Her eyes watched in fascination as Gio finished her meal. He looked up and met her eyes, and again it was like a feeling of déjà vu passed between them.

  Clearing his throat, Gio continued to tell her what his plans were for the rest of the day.

  “So anyway, I’m calling Nikko up first thing. Hope his fiancée does not get pissed. We just wrapped up a case in Tennessee and were away for a few days. But I need him. I want him to dig around at Albert’s garage. He shouldn’t recognize him. Albert was already in college and out of the neighborhood by the time Nikko even started high school.” Lisa nodded as Gio continued. “I also want to see if I can get one of my old buddies down at the station to look into Albert’s records, phone calls and such, and account statements. You never know what they might turn up.” Again, Lisa just nodded. She assumed her lawyer would be doing much of the same things, but felt good that Gio was going to look into these things as well. She was about to suggest he speak to her attorney when he spoke the words himself. “I think your attorney can put me on retainer, or I can work with whoever his PI is, so we can get some assistance with the legal stuff, court orders and such. No sense in us doing the same investigations and tripping over each other, getting in each other’s way.”

  “Good idea. I will let him know I trust you implicitly and that should smooth things over nicely. I, of course, want to pay for all the expenses. I was able to sock quite a bit away from Albert.”

  Gio looked up from his coffee in confusion. Her lawyer had alluded she had some money as well, but the last thing he wanted was Albert’s money.

  She saw the unasked question in Gio’s eyes and clarified. “I had an allowance, which I rarely spent, and I worked for the first few years of our marriage although it was part time. I hardly touched it. I figured if I was trapped in this marriage, which I thought was only going to be for a year, I would get the most out of it I could. And a part of me always feared getting out might be more difficult than it sounded, so I wanted to have something to help my parents if they needed to start over.”

  “Mhmm.” Gio took another sip. He didn’t want her money. For him this was personal. “Payment isn’t necessary, Lisa.”

  She nodded understanding him not wanting to take her money. “I understand, but I’m sure if we go through my lawyers, they can at least cover costs.” Seeing Gio’s eyes narrow, she quickly changed the subject. “Alex Rodriguez is great by the way. As soon as I was arrested I called him. He was a friend of Blaze’s actually, and I ran into him a time or two at various charity events.” Gio’s eyes acknowledged the statement as he refilled their cups. “He showed up at the police station, and I wrote him a check for his retainer, a hundred grand. Quite hefty, but he is worth it. I knew my accounts would be frozen eventually, so I agreed to pay him up front. I can get whatever funds I need from him. He gave me some of it back yesterday so I could get clothes and such.”

  Gio was staring at her. 100G was a lot of money, but he knew these high profile cases could cost millions. Hopefully it wouldn’t need to go to trial, and then it wouldn’t cost her that much. Lisa must have been reading his mind.

  “I didn’t empty the account. I have a bi
t more, and my attorney said it would look too suspicious. But, I hope it doesn’t come down to a trial. That will leave me penniless.”

  “I can help,” Gio offered.

  “No, I can’t ask you to do that.” Lisa was shaking her head.

  “With Johnny. I can.”

  “Oh.” That startled her. He wanted to help pay his son’s way. She understood that. “Of course.”

  “I do quite well myself, Lisa. But, I don’t really want him to stay in boarding school; I don’t like it.” He had never liked the idea of sending kids off to boarding schools.

  “Ok.” Lisa agreed. The only reason she sent Johnny was because it was another layer of protection for him while she made the break.

  “Public school was good enough for us,” Gio added as he set down his cup.

  He must not have understood her silence, so she explained. “Believe me it wasn’t my first choice. It was more a matter of keeping him away from Albert. I didn’t like it either.” Her guilt at having Johnny enrolled at Brownsville Academy washed over her; even though he enjoyed it, and had friends there, she would have much rather had him home with her every night.

  Gio nodded. Seeing the scars on the underside of her arms when he saw her reach for the paper plates to toss them in the trash, made it clearer. “Good. I know I don’t have a right to jump in being a dad and all, but after the camp is over, I really want to get to know him. I know you can’t be with him due to the restraining order, but maybe he can stay with your sister or parents and I can go over there each night or something,” he suggested.

  “Yeah, I think I can arrange that.” Lisa felt her throat thickening. Gio was jumping in with both feet. It touched her more than he would ever know.

  Carrying his cup to the sink, Gio had another thought. “Once Albert knows I’m in town, is he going to fight it? I think I need an attorney too. That’s something I should take care of right away, and I need the birth certificate to prove it.”

  Lisa mulled that over for a second as Gio turned to face her. He was leaning against the counter. “Yeah, Albert might want to cause trouble there just to get to me. But then again his father is so ill, I don’t think it will be an issue. Albert’s parents, weren’t much for grand parenting either. It was more about me than anything, to keep the rumors at bay about Albert’s other lifestyle. But Albert might try to use Johnny as a weapon. Thank God I did not put his name on the birth certificate. I have a lot of old friends with Child and Protective services. I know they’ll want Johnny with family, and Mary has already offered to take him. Albert won’t want to raise him, plus the birth certificate and social security card proves he never was the father. But getting an attorney to sort out any other legal issues is a good idea. Mary will help to make the transition; she has been a godsend through all of this so far. I already mentioned this to Alex. That he would work on getting temporary custody of Johnny turned over to Mary. So, Johnny will end up there. His camp is over this Friday. I also told him one of the first things I wanted was this restraining order lifted. I need to hold my boy.”

  Gio heard the loss in Lisa’s voice, and the tears she held back were glimmering in her eyes. She swiped at her eyes once more and rested her hands on the table in front of her and they were slightly shaking. Gio reached over to clasp her hand, his big strong one covering both of hers. She flipped it around and clasped his hand, squeezing. “I’m so sorry. So sorry, Gio. I never . . .”

  This moment of weakness had gutted him. Hearing her plea and feeling her hands on his own stirred something inside him. He panicked and pulled out of her grasp. He didn’t know what she was going to say next, but his heart was hammering in his chest. He interrupted her before she could finish her thought. “We’ll get that restraining order dropped. First thing. Why don’t you get a shower and get dressed, and I’ll clean up here.”

  Gio’s dismissal of her was sudden and caught her off guard. But again, Lisa understood. It was all so much to take in such a short period of time. His back was already to her and she saw the tension there in his shoulders and his stance, and even though she wanted nothing more than to soothe him, she silently walked out of the room picking up the one unopened bag he had left on the chair. The clothes he had picked out for her.

  The meeting at Lisa’s attorney’s office went well. The lawyer she hired greeted Gio amicably. His name was Alex Rodriguez and he carried himself very professionally. From the look of his offices, he was doing very well. Gio was still wary of him. The way he looked at Lisa bothered him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he sensed there was something there beyond professional. It didn’t help that he was around their age as well. But his manners were impeccable. Gio appreciated that he got right down to business. One of the first things he did was give Gio the name of a family attorney who worked in the firm who would ensure Gio’s rights were protected. He was already working on having the restraining order lifted for Lisa to see Johnny, and just needed the birth certificate as well as any other paperwork Lisa had that listed Gio as the father.

  Alex called his assistant in to make arrangements to have Gio take a paternity test the next day. He wanted to start the process for the family attorney to prove his paternity beyond a shadow of a doubt. He must have picked up on Gio’s mood because he warned Gio not to do anything rash and to be cautious when visiting with Johnny that night.

  “You don’t want to risk alerting your hand to Albert until we have all our ducks in a row. My colleague, Jamison Burbank, should be able to get a hearing next week some time to arrange for you to get access, if not partial custody of Johnny, sooner. Just tread lightly,” he warned when he saw Gio’s dour expression.

  Lisa watched the exchange between the two men. Her lawyer, Alex Rodriguez was sharp, and she trusted him implicitly. Years ago when she met him, she always kept his card, and somehow had known she would be in need of his services someday. Not for attempted murder, but for a divorce. She was grateful when she reached out to him that he handled criminal law as well.

  Gio finally nodded in Mr. Rodriguez’s direction. “So what’s next with proving Lisa’s innocence? Where do we go from here?”

  Alex’s eye quirked up at the word we. He had a feeling yesterday that Gio would want to be involved in pursuing the truth. Alex was all for him helping too. But he would have to work with him on the case. “Well, we got a lot of digging to do, so we start there. I have private investigators on it already. We are combing through Albert’s accounts, his purchases, and phone records.”

  “You tailing him too?” Gio asked.

  “No why?” Alex had thought about this angle, but having round the clock surveillance could be expensive. His plan had been to dig into the leads they already had and discredit the evidence the prosecution had. They just needed reasonable doubt.

  “I am a bail bondsman, but my brothers and I do PI work down in Tampa.”

  “So, that’s what Blaze has been up to since he left the city. Was wondering about that.”

  Gio continued. “Yeah, well, I plan on doing a little digging myself, maybe help speed things along. I’ve got Nikko, my youngest brother coming up in two days. I want to have him tail Albert. See what he is up to.”

  The lawyer shook his head. “We don’t want him to be spooked.”

  “Don’t worry. Nikko’s good. But, I was thinking we can share Intel. I have some connections here as well with PD, and I can help.”

  Alex glanced at Lisa to see what she thought. “You okay with this Lisa?”

  “Yes, of course. I trust you. And I trust Gio.” Lisa sat forward uncrossing her legs. The slacks Gio purchased fit her perfectly, and showed off her shapely legs to perfection. Gio noticed Alex looking a bit too long, and felt the old jealousy rising. Lisa put her arm out to Gio. Again a move she had done many times before by instinct. “I don’t want this to drag out. The sooner we clear my name, the sooner I can be with my son, and start our lives over without Albert looming over us like a black cloud.”

  Alex Rodrigu
ez lowered his lashes and gave Lisa one more perusal before shifting his gaze over to the massive man who sat beside her. He recognized the possessive look, and the warning. He nodded at Gio to show him he understood, then went on, “Okay, we can share all information. You keep me in the loop, and I’ll do the same. No sense in all of us acting independently. It’s always good to conserve our resources.”

  “About that?” Lisa interjected.

  “The retainer you gave me is good, and should last awhile. Your accounts are frozen for all expenses other than mine, but if you need anything just let me know.”

  Lisa nodded and leaned back into her chair.

  “Okay, how about we meet again in two days and share what we have so far. I’ll have my team get all the necessary paperwork together. You’ll both sign some things. That way if you are on our payroll we are able to use the information. If you need court orders, let me know. I have some connections downtown and can get what we need. Sound good?”

  Lisa nodded, smiled and stood, and reached across the desk to shake Alex’s hand. He grasped it and came around before releasing it, holding it a little longer than Gio would have liked. Only then did he hold out his hand to Gio. “Give my regards to Blaze.”

  Gio nodded and turned without saying another word. The man said all the right things, but the way he had looked at Lisa bothered him much more than he cared to admit. What man wouldn’t look at her that way though? The blouse he had chosen was far too revealing. What possessed him to purchase the dusty rose silk blouse that fit her to perfection, other than the fact he had wanted to see her in it. It also showed way too much cleavage. He’d let her pick out her own clothes from now on. He wouldn’t have even purchased the stupid clothes, if he hadn’t had to wait at the car rental place for them to finish the paperwork, and was told he had twenty minutes to kill. He noticed the boutique across the street and had run inside to pick Lisa up a change of clothes since she had mentioned it twice. Her sister hadn’t been able to drive to Rosedale until the evening and she needed something for that day. He grabbed two pair of palazzos, one white, and the other black, knowing she liked that style, and they fit her well. Then he purchased the pink blouse, and another in baby blue. Lisa had chosen the pink and white combo for their meeting. He even purchased underwear and a couple of bras knowing her size from memory and seeing for himself that she had not changed in all these years. Why he noticed that also bothered him. He had so many other things to think about, but her body had been on his mind ever since he saw her come down the stairs in the outfit he purchased for her, shocked that he’d wanted to see what lie underneath again.