Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
G oing to Mass always made her feel better, though the sacrament had a lot to overcome today after she d been humiliated and heartbroken. Still, when the organist played a flawless run, Mary s heart fluttered weakly in her chest like a butterfly with an injured wing. She crossed herself and eased off the kneeler onto the seat.
Someone had taken the spot next to her on the pew. Michael looked pained in a collared shirt that strained across his broad chest and a pair of chinos with a knife-sharp crease over his shin. On his other side was Rafe. His shirt was new. Fashionable. The right size. Was this even her brother? She d have gotten some holy water to sprinkle on him, but then she noticed his cuffs were rolled up over his hairy forearms. That was her Rafe.
What are you two doing here? Mary whispered. It s not even Christmas.
Rafe leaned around Michael. Hey, I come when it s not Christmas. I came with you last month at Pentecost.
Mary tightened her lips and raised her eyebrows, waiting.
We wanted to check on you after last night. Michael ran his palms down his thighs where the fabric stretched tight across them. How long had it been since he d worn anything but jeans and his coveralls? Mary. Stop thinking about taking me shopping. Tell us what you need.
She blinked up at her brother. What I need? She kept her voice low. I need to focus on the shop. After yesterday s fiasco— fiascoes— no one else will hire me for wedding planning.
No. That s not what we re asking. What can we do to help you? We know you re hurting.
Rafe leaned around again, a wicked gleam in his eye. Need us to go rough up that dickhead?
Mary glanced around. The woman in the pew in front had turned to stare at them.
We re in church! Mary hissed.
Rafe shrugged. Jesus flipped tables in front of the temple. I think he d support a little violence when someone hurts our sister.
No, she whispered. Then, more loudly, No. Someone shushed her, but the nosy lady in front had to hear that her brothers weren t going to beat anyone up. Especially when it wasn t Alex s fault things had gone completely to shit yesterday. The wedding was her responsibility, and she d blown it.
Okay, then. Michael s big hand landed on her shoulder and awkwardly petted it. What can we do? Want us to put up a flyer on the bulletin board outside the Fellowship Hall? Or at the gym?
A flyer? For what? Around them, people surged to their feet as the priest and the lector walked up the aisle toward the altar. Mary and her brothers stood.
Michael leaned to whisper in her ear over the organist s crescendo. For your wedding planning business.
I m done— But the priest was talking. She muttered the response and crossed herself. As the congregation took their seats, Mary whispered to Michael, I m done with all that.
What s she saying? Rafe poked his head around Michael s bulk.
Shh, someone behind them said.
Michael whispered to his brother. Rafe scowled. But it was time to remember their sins, and all three Forzas bowed their heads in silence.
The priest didn t give her enough time to recite them all. From not having a fire blanket on standby to not insisting the seamstress put extra give in Rochelle s gown to allowing Twyla and Teagan to plan an outdoor wedding in July, all the way to sleeping with Alex. She should ve kept it friendly and professional and not let herself hope?—
Mary joined in the penitential rite. She hadn t spared a thought for the risk to the family business. When every minute of her time was precious, every moment she d spent on Alex was wasted. And all her hopes for the wedding business had been futile. Splitting her attention with her side hustle, what if she d forgotten to do something important, like pay their taxes? Was Rafe still interested in modeling? Should she have supported his dreams? What about Michael? She had no idea what was going on with him.
At last, it was time to sit quietly for the readings. The words, Give to your servant a teachable heart, struck her chest like an airbag. Unlike Solomon, she hadn t been given a teachable heart. She d learned nothing. She d let Alex break her heart a second time. How foolish was she to let him back in after he d confessed that he didn t trust her enough to tell her about his father s crimes? She d jumped in to help him, eyes closed, hoping that if she did, he d trust her. She swallowed. Love her.
She shouldn t have been surprised when he d pushed her away after she d made a mistake. Many mistakes. She d failed him. Forgiveness came with love, but none of the help she d given him, none of the things she d done for him, had made him love her.
Mary stood for the reading from the Gospel, but her mind was too busy to comprehend it. She d always taken care of her family. Her mother s death had made her a caretaker. She loved taking care of others. Every time she helped someone, her heart glowed in her chest. She remembered all the little things she d done to make Teagan and Twyla s wedding perfect, or as perfect as it could be, considering the bees and the asthma-inducing citronella. She remembered how Rochelle s eyelids fluttered closed in delight when she d taken that first bite of cake at the tasting.
But love shouldn t come from what someone did for someone else. She loved her brothers because they were her brothers. Because they supported her no matter what. Because they were willing to beat someone up who d broken her heart. As much as she appreciated their appearance at Mass this morning, she didn t love them because of anything they d done.
Didn t she deserve the same?
Why had she thought anything she could do would make Alex love her?
Fuck him if he didn t love her, failures and all.
She crossed herself and silently recited an extra Act of Contrition for thinking a swear in church and tried her best to listen and pray during the rest of the service.
When Mass ended, her brothers hustled her outside into the bright sunshine, hardly allowing her time to wave goodbye to some old friends of her parents and the women s club. Michael had parked his pickup in the shade of a crooked tipu tree, but when they clambered inside, the black truck felt like an oven. Sandwiched between her brothers in the front seat, Mary fanned herself with her copy of the church bulletin while they waited for the air conditioning to turn cold.
So, what s this all about? she asked.
You can t give up on your wedding planning business, Rafe said. It makes you happy.
The family business makes me happy. I love working with you two. And the wedding planning was a flop.
It wasn t, he insisted. Twyla and Teagan loved their wedding. And so did their guests. That aunt of theirs?—
Aunt Beth? Mary asked.
The one who s allergic to bee stings. She cornered me and gushed about the garden and the food. She asked me if you did birthday parties, too.
What did you say? Her business was so new, she didn t know if she did birthday parties.
I told her she d better call you on Monday to get on your schedule because it s filling up.
Rafael Paschal Forza. You did not lie to that woman.
You know I hate my middle name, he growled. And I didn t lie. You ve got Cierra s wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. And your schedule will fill up. You re an amazing planner.
Besides, Michael said, you re fired.
I quit, actually. Mary looked down into her lap. He was about to fire me, though. In front of everyone.
No. You re fired from Forza Elite Motors. Evie said she ll take over your responsibilities at the shop.
What? She stared at her brother. You hate Evie.
She does good work. I ll just keep to the shop.
Panic clawed up her throat. But you can t fire me. I m a Forza!
You ll still own a third of the shop. But you can t work there anymore. Michael crossed his arms.
You can come visit if you want, Rafe said, patting her arm. But you ll have to clear out your office. Otherwise, you ll be distracted from wedding planning when you come in.
But Evie doesn t know how to run the shop. She hardly knows the difference between a Mustang and a Corvette.
Michael gave a disgusted snort.
She ll learn, Rafe said. You know you ll be happier helping people celebrate their love than shuttling people to the airport or making sure no one pukes in Nick Cage.
The thought of never having to hold back another bachelorette guest s hair filled her with relief. And envisioning happy couples like Twyla and Teagan in their wedding finery filled her with the peace she normally felt after Mass.
Michael exchanged a glance with Rafe. Besides, Rafe has some news, too.
News? She raised her eyebrows.
Yeah. I…um…I m going to do more modeling. My agent has me booked on some gigs in LA next month.
Your…agent?
Yeah. His cheeks went red. But my buddy Axe is going to start working at the shop.
She spun to face Michael. And you re okay with this?
He shrugged. Guess I have to be. You two have gotten too big for the car biz. Rafe s earning more for this LA gig than we make in a month.
Mary spun back to face Rafe. Holy shit. I guess you ll be okay without me.
Of course we will, Michael said. We ll all be okay. Financially. The question is, are you okay after what that asshole Alex did?
He s not an asshole. He just…his business is important to him. I fooled myself into thinking he cared about me, too. She d thought her picture on his desk meant more than it did. His cleaner probably moved it next to his mother s photo.
Rafe put his hand over hers. You do so much for everyone. It s about time someone took care of you. Let us do that for you. Until you find someone who s not a selfish pig like Alessandro Villa.
Mary hummed like she agreed with him. But after Alex had shredded her heart so thoroughly, she wasn t sure she could patch it up again for anyone else.