Chapter Sixteen
Casey watched out her window as they passed people, cars, and buildings. She kept her grip on Simon’s hand because it was the only time she felt safe.
“How about pizza?” Simon said.
“Yum. Yes.”
He grinned and pulled into a pizzeria that served excellent Italian food. You wouldn’t know by looking at the outside of the place because the owner kept it looking plain and slightly aged. Someone had told Simon once that the owner didn’t like out-of-towers and preferred to stick with the people he knew.
Simon unbuckled her and pulled her from the car. He kept his arm around her waist as they walked in the front door. Immediately, her mouth started to water at the various scents.
“Ahh, Gio,” Simon said and chuckled when the owner, Gio, yelled at Simon as he walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a white towel.
“Simon,” the man said and shook his hand. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, my friend.”
Simon snorted. “I was in here last week.”
Gio laughed and slapped Simon on the back before turning to her. “And who might this beautiful girl be?” he asked.
Simon squeezed her hand. “This is my girl, Casey.” He looked down at her. “Casey, I want you to meet a good friend and the best Italian chef I know, Gio. He also owns the place.”
Gio threw his arms in the air and bellowed, “Finally.”
Simon snorted.
She tugged on his hand. “What does that mean?”
“He has told me for years that I needed to settle down, but I always told him I hadn’t found the one and I wouldn’t settle for less. And then I met you.” He tightened his grip on her.
She smiled brightly. “I’m glad you found me, too.”
The two stared at each other until Gio clapped his hands and laughed loud enough to get their attention. The whole restaurant turned to see what it was about. It made her take another step closer to Simon.
“I love to see this. You have made my day. I will have to tell my Bianca. She will be so pleased. She’s prayed for you every day.”
She glanced up at Simon and grinned at the embarrassment on his face.
“I don’t know why you two were so worried,” Simon said.
Gio smiled. “We are old people and have lived a good life, but along the way, we’ve picked up the wisdom only time can give you. When we saw you were still single, and you’d come in by yourself and sit in the corner brooding and thinking too much, we knew this little woman was what you needed. I can tell the difference already.”
Simon didn’t say anything. “Well, thank Bianca for me and tell her the prayers worked.”
“Oh, I will definitely tell her even though she’ll be smug for a while and rub it in my face.”
Simon laughed.
“Let me get you seated.” Gio took them to a private table in the back.
Casey grinned when the older man winked at Simon.
“Now, how about we don’t mess this up? She’s good for you. All right?” Gio said and then walked away laughing. He barked out a few orders before going back into the kitchen.
Casey giggled at the look on Simon’s face.
Simon chuckled and shook his head. “I think they adopted me without telling me.”
Casey pressed her hands to her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.
He reached for her hands and played with her fingers. “How do you feel, Baby?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Good. I think better than I did before the accident.”
“Because you probably didn’t take care of yourself.”
She nodded.
The waiter came and set two glasses of ice water and the breadbasket in front of them. “Would you like anything to drink?” the young man asked.
“A beer for me,” Simon said and then looked at her.
“Just the water. Thank you.”
“I’ll be right back with your drink.” The man bowed, turned, and walked away.
“Are you tired, Baby?”
She nodded. “A bit, but not enough to want to go to sleep.”
He grinned at her, and she could feel the blush covering her face.
“Tell me about your aunt?” Simon asked.
The waiter came back. “Here you go, sir. Gio wonders if you’ll let him order for you tonight?”
Simon looked at her. “Is that okay, Baby? It probably won’t be pizza.”
“I’ll eat anything they make. It smells delicious. I think it would be fun to let Gio decide.”
Simon squeezed her hand but looked at the man. “Tell him we look forward to anything he makes.”
The waiter smiled and bowed again. “He loves hearing that. It should be ready shortly.”
Before they started to talk, he came back with two plates and a sizzling dish. “He had it ready for you. He wants to see if you enjoy this. He wants to put it on the menu. I’m not supposed to tell you what it is.”
Simon spooned some onto her plate and then his.
The first bite she took made her mouth tingle with joy. She closed her eyes. “Mmmm.” She chewed and then went for another bite. “This is the best Italian I’ve ever eaten.”
“It is damn good. He always comes up with something wonderful,” Simon said.
They both concentrated on the appetizer until the waiter was back with a tray.
“Gio wants to know what you think?”
“Oh, my God, I could eat this every day,” she said.
The waiter smiled as he took the used plates off the table and set another plate before each one. The plate itself was huge and filled to the brim with different kinds of food.
“Tell Gio it is perfection, and people will love it,” Simon said.
The waiter bowed. “I will tell him. He’ll be very pleased.”
She stared down at her plate. “First off, there is so much food here, and secondly, I don’t know what anything is.”
Simon chuckled and pointed at one thing on her plate. “That’s his signature lasagna, and this one is his chicken marsala. The other one is new.”
Every bite she took was flavorful. It was so good that she ate more than she usually does.
“Oh, God. You’ll have to roll me out of here,” she said and groaned.
He laughed. “I always have that problem, too. You can take it home if you like.”
“Oh, heck yes, I’m not wasting this. I’ll even share it with you tomorrow because you ate most of yours.”
“How is everything?” the waiter asked.
“Beyond great. I can’t think of a word big enough,” she said.
The waiter grinned. “He will love that, but it will give him a big head until Bianca gets here.”
They all laughed.
“Can I get this to go?” she asked.
“Of course, Miss, I’ll get it ready for you. How about dessert?”
Casey groaned. “As much as I’d like to say yes, there is no way I could eat another bite.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She stared at Simon. “You are very handsome.”
He looked surprised. “I’m glad you think so. I find you irresistible.”
Casey could have sat there all night just staring at him, but she also wanted to be with him and be able to touch every part of him.
“When can we go?” she asked.
He smiled. “Soon. Be patient, Baby.”
That was one word she disliked and was never good at, but it didn’t look like she had a choice. Besides, it would be worth the wait. She just knew it.