Chapter 9 #2
“Oh, no! I just needed a little space, so I found a quiet corner to people-watch for a while.” Rico nodded because he knew that was my thing. Luckily, he accepted that part of me and didn’t mind when I took some time to gather my thoughts. “What do you think about our new friends?”
“Does Bella know everyone in this town, or is she inviting strangers to drop in and pretend they’re part of this circus?”
“Asks the man who has countless people vying for his attention, hundreds of people on his payroll, and a hotel full of friends he takes care of like they’re family.”
“Those same people also want your attention. You’re part of my family, so it’s your payroll, too, and the friends that are like family are just as much yours as they are mine now.”
“You got me there,” I said before I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Have you ever thought about having more children?” Before he had a chance to remind me of the conversation we’d had right after we met, I hurried to say, “I know you can’t, and I knew I never wanted to, but if I had somehow started to yearn for one of my own, flying on a plane for six hours with those two girls and two baby boys would have changed my mind. ”
Rico burst out laughing and asked, “Excited for the flight home?”
“Zach’s mom saw how frazzled I was by the time we got here and offered me some edibles for the trip home.”
“Does she have enough for me?”
“Look around, sweetheart. We’re surrounded by locals of all types. We’ve got doctors, attorneys, bikers, business owners, and even a politician.”
“Which one’s the politician?”
“It’s one of Bella’s cousins. There are so many that it’s hard for me to keep them straight.”
“Does her family own this restaurant?” Rico asked.
“It’s owned by her friend’s family. Did you try any of the canapes?”
“Every one I could get my hands on,” Rico admitted with a laugh. “Did you eat any of the pastries?”
“Yes, and Bella introduced me to the woman that made them. She owns a bakery here.”
“When are you stopping by?” Rico asked, resigned because he knew I wouldn’t be able to resist.
I rested my head on his shoulder and answered, “I thought I’d let you sleep in and go one morning this week.”
“Will you bring me more of those raspberry cream cheese tarts?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I lifted my head and frowned at him before I asked, “Are you coveting another woman’s pastries, Mr. Romano?”
“Never! Your pastries are the only ones for me, Mrs. Romano.”
“The boys are fine here for a while, don’t you think?” I asked.
“Of course. They’re probably better protected here than they are at home,” Rico said as he looked around the room. “It still blows my mind that they can just walk around with guns on their hips.”
“It’s a different world, isn’t it?”
“Why did you ask if they’d be fine here alone?”
“Because I was wondering if we might be able to find a secluded place for some alone time.”
“I can always find a place for that.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Rico stood up with my hand in his and signaled for the guards to keep an eye on the boys, as if they weren’t already anyway.
I walked in his wake, smiling as we passed both the people we knew and the ones we didn’t, and saw Tabby and Brett roll their eyes.
Of course, they knew what we were doing because this seemed to be our thing.
Since our first official date and rendezvous in an elevator, we’d always found a way to sneak off for a tryst wherever we might be.
We’d christened The Castello, restaurants all over Manhattan and then Kansas City when we’d gone to visit Harry and Diana, and even a few places in Vegas when Rico flew me out with him for meetings.
“I found a coat closet earlier when I went looking for a restroom,” Rico said under his breath. “It’s right this way.”
We got to the mouth of a hallway and stopped when we saw another couple standing there whispering to each other.
“Those assholes know this is our spot!” I overheard him say. “I’m gonna kick his ass when he gets outta there.”
The woman, who looked to be about Harry and Diana’s age, locked eyes with me and smirked in the language women everywhere understood. In this instance, I translated it to mean, “He’s such a caveman, but I let him growl a little to make him think he’s in charge.”
The man realized we were waiting for something and wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist to pull her closer so we could pass. When Rico hesitated, the man chuckled and said, “You must be here for Bella’s party.”
“We are,” Rico said. “I didn’t see you in there.”
“Our daughter is in the wedding party. We’re actually just here to meet some friends for dinner.”
“I’ve probably met your daughter then,” Rico said conversationally, as if we weren’t just standing in a hallway obviously wishing the other couple would leave. “I’m in the wedding also.”
Just to make conversation, I asked, “Which friend of Bella’s is your daughter?”
“Janis,” the woman answered before she stuck her hand out to shake mine. “I’m Nichole, and this is Hank.”
“Bex Romano,” I said as I shook her hand. “This is my husband, Rico.”
“The New York crew,” Hank said as he shook Rico’s hand.
“I’m a business associate of Matteo’s, but we’re also very good friends.”
I could tell by his expression that the man knew exactly what kind of ‘business association’ Matteo and Rico had, but his eyes smiled genuinely as he said, “It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Rojo.”
“I professed my undying love to your daughter earlier, and she took pity and invited me to visit her bakery so we can swap recipes while I’m here.”
Nichole smiled before she said, “She guards those recipes like a dragon with gold!”
“They’re so delicious that I completely understand! I think I won her over when I complimented her crust layers and told her that mine had never been so flaky or delicious.”
“It’s the butter temperature,” Hank said earnestly. “The trick is to let your dough rest and hydrate in the refrigerator before you even consider rolling it out.”
“That’s what she said!”
“Janis started working in the kitchen with her father when she was still in a bouncy seat. He would sit her on the counter and talk to her while he cooked, telling her about all the steps he was taking to make whatever creation he was working on. By the time she got old enough to stand, there was always a chair in the kitchen so she could help him, especially with the baking. That’s always been her passion. ”
“I make sure my kids are comfortable in the kitchen with me,” Rico said.
“You cook?”
“I do,” Rico answered.
“Italian, I’m sure.”
“Of course.”
Hank frowned before he admitted, “The one Italian dish I’ve never been able to perfect is Timballo Genovese.”
Rico laughed before he said, “There’s a reason that’s usually only served on special occasions.”
“Well, it pisses me off that I can’t get it right.”
Nichole and I were watching the men’s conversation, thoroughly entertained.
“Use a pasta shell rather than the traditional lasagna noodle,” Rico said knowingly.
“And it would still be authentic?” Hank asked.
“That’s how we eat it in my family,” Rico told him with a shrug before he said, “You don’t get much more Italian than us.”
“Well, we clearly aren’t going to have our moment alone.
” Nichole’s eyes closed as she pressed her lips together and let her head drop, most likely fighting the urge to smack the shit out of her husband for giving away their reason for standing in the hall to a relative stranger, but Hank didn’t seem to realize her restraint.
If he did, he didn’t care because he added, “Some little shit took over our coat closet.”
When Nichole lost her battle and backhanded Hank in the stomach, I burst into giggles. Hank recovered before he asked, “Wanna ditch the party and come hang out at our table?”
Rico looked at me and saw the laughter in my eyes before he said, “Since that coat closet was also our destination, I guess we’re gonna miss out on having a minute to ourselves too. We’d love to join you.”
“I’ll introduce you to our friends Smokey and Martha. The woman is a goddess in the kitchen and has taught me plenty of tricks over the years. She’s also the one who showed me how to make the pie crust that I taught Janis,” he added as he winked at me.
“I’d love to meet her!” I exclaimed as I squeezed Rico’s hand.
“We’re sitting over . . .”
The coat closet door opened just a crack, and I burst out laughing when I saw that it was Bella inside, obviously having a tryst with Matteo. When it slammed shut, Hank slapped it and yelled, “You took my spot, fucker!”
The laughter from inside the closet joined ours out in the hallway. We were still chuckling as Hank led us across the restaurant to meet his friends. Rico and I had forever to christen new places, but with his position at home, it was hard to make new friends.
Luckily, it seemed we’d found some in Rojo.