Chapter 8 #2
Jenny had never shaken a hand in her life, and Lara was engulfed in a bear hug. Watching them together filled me with an inexplicable contentment.
"Just wait until I tell Mom." Jenny bounced on her toes and raced inside with a squeal.
Lara stifled a burst of laughter, and the way her eyes danced with amusement made me unsteady. I reached out and plucked at her sleeve.
"You don't have to pretend. Jenny will die of disappointment, but she'll get over it."
Lara pressed up on her toes and brushed another kiss across my flushed cheeks. We shared a conspiratorial smile, as my stomach flipped.
"And miss out on this fascinating glimpse into Raimondo Donato? Not a chance, Ray-Ray."
"They don't know what that last name means. I'm Ray, or Ray-Ray to Jenny, and I'm just a rich boy that Tony couldn't shake off. They know my family has money, but not where it comes from. Understand?"
Lara nodded and dragged me toward the house.
Mr. Tabs, their ginger cat, meowed from the step and bumped aggressively against my legs as we walked inside.
My favorite thing about the Fisherman's house was the scent.
My shoulders dropped as I walked through the front door.
Every single wall was covered in pictures, artwork, and even an old photograph of me, from when I was sixteen and spent my first summer there.
I was in black shorts and a tank top stained with sauce.
Jenny had smeared it all over me, and I hadn't wanted to get changed.
This was what life was like for other people. The mess, the noise, the scent. It was a family.
My papa's mansion smelled like fresh flowers.
But there was no heart, not like here. Where memories crammed every nook.
If I'd grown up within these walls, what kind of person would I be?
I had to choose between neglect or the hard fist of my papa.
My coping mechanism was being permanently wasted. Bitterness and loneliness shaped me.
"Ray, come straight to the kitchen." Carol called out, and I put my hand on the small of Lara's back and guided her through the warren of rooms.
The TV blared in the den; the football was on, and Tony watched religiously. Even though he'd lost his hearing, he still turned it up loud. He'd hole up in his armchair with a beer, and he'd keep. Jenny grinned as we entered the kitchen, and I swooped in to give kiss Carol on either cheek.
"Too skinny. Don't they have chefs in the mansion you live in?"
A long, gray-streaked plait snaked down her back. She had the look of a woman who never moved slow, a harried air surrounded her, softened only by the twinkle in her blue gaze.
Dirty dishes teetered on the sink behind her. Bunches of dried herbs dangled over the kitchen island, and Lara took an appreciative sniff. Pride warmed my chest, of a house that wasn't even my own.
"Here, I baked these this morning." Carol plucked a chocolate brownie off a plate and pressed it into my hands. "Or I have carrot cake?"
"I helped cook," Jenny interjected, and her bright gaze bounced between Lara and me.
"You know, nothing tastes as good as your food." I took an appreciative bite.
Carol held out her arms to Lara, giving her the same appraisal.
"You're the first girl Ray's ever brought to see us. I worried he thought we weren't good enough."
"Never." My vehemence was sharper than I intended, but Lara covered for me with a tinkling laugh.
She gripped Carol in a hug like she'd met the woman a million times. It was an uncanny ability Lara had to walk into every room and know how to approach the situation.
"Ray has told me so much about you all, and I've been so excited to visit. I grew up on microwave meals, so this is the ultimate treat."
Lara's words came back to me, how she'd grown up poor. How poor did you have to be to never get a home-cooked meal? Carol flushed, pleased, and waved us off with mock sternness. Lara slipped her arm through mine and fluttered her lashes at me.
"Are you a rich girl like Ray?" Carol asked.
"Mom." Jenny covered her face. "You can't ask that."
"Oh no, I'm from the wrong side of the tracks. But Ray needs to get his hands dirty occasionally." Lara winked at me.
I'd get filthy with Lara if she let me.
Carol's face cracked open, and the ladies laughed at my expense. My ribs knitted together, and I fought not to grin like an idiot.
"Better see him before he wonders what all the racket is about." She looked pointedly at Jenny, jumping up and down with excitement.
I guided Lara past the boxes in the hall. They multiplied every time I visited, and it had been a while.
"Tony is deaf," I explained. "He doesn't enjoy wearing his hearing aid, so we mostly sign to speak. Don't worry about not being able to talk directly to him. He's not much of a chatter."
There was a tightness in my chest that I couldn't identify.
But Lara curled her fingers between mine and squeezed, and the knot melted.
As expected, Tony's gaze didn't budge from the TV until I moved directly into his line of sight.
A pang in my stomach surprised me. His hair had thinned on top, leaving a bald spot shining from his graying dark hair.
His brown eyes twinkled as he put aside his mug of coffee. The soft warmth in them anchored me.
Hey kid, who's this? he signed.
My name is Lara. I'm Ray-Ray's girlfriend. Lara's fingers flew before I could respond, and I swallowed a gasp, staring bug-eyed at her.
Can you sign? Tony chuffed, and she nodded, gaining his full attention.
I narrowed my gaze at Lara as we settled onto the couch.
She draped herself so close I was worried she would feel my heart pounding.
Another layer to my little fox. I lost track of the conversation, eyes trailing between the game and Lara and Tony's quick fingers.
The smell of roast permeated the air, and Carol brought down a glass of red while dinner cooked.
Jenny squeezed in next to me and tugged at my collar.
"She's really nice, and so pretty." Her hair tickled my nose. "Don't mess this up."
"I won't."
There was nothing to mess up. We weren't dating at all.
But in the too-small den, with all of us squeezed in together, Carol and Jenny tossing volleys of teasing comments about me, Lara and Tony interjecting with rapid signs, it was something I always wanted, but never knew was possible.
One of Lara's hands slid to the back of my head, and she twirled her fingers in my hair until I swallowed a groan.
By the time Carol served lunch, I was dangerously close to doing something impulsive.
Like asking Lara to elope with me so every Sunday could be like this.
I wanted to stay in our little bubble forever.
"We didn't organize a gift for Lara." Carol whispered with a frown.
"Don't worry," I said out of the side of my mouth. "I brought something for her, and yes, it's extravagant because I can."
I ducked out to the car to grab the presents I'd stashed there. Twice a year, the family exchanged gifts, usually small trinkets, but I had Lara in mind when I bought mine. Lara was helping clear the table when I entered, despite Carol warning her to sit down and leave it.
"Okay, present time." I waved Lara over, and instead of sitting beside me, she slid into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. The warmth of her seeped into my bones, and I tightened my hold.
"Is this what a girlfriend would do?" Her breath tickled my ear.
She rocked her hips as if trying to get comfortable. I swallowed a needy grunt.
"Don't move too much. My body doesn't know how to lie." I laid my presents out on the table, as everyone else did the same.
"Tony told me about this little tradition already, and I'm sorry I'm empty-handed. If I'd known ahead of time." Lara flicked my ear and arched a brow at me.
I wanted to devour her.
Jenny snatched up the gift I held out.
"Don't be silly, we wouldn't expect anything," Carol scolded.
I nodded to a long, rectangular package tied with a black ribbon.
"That one is for you." I told Lara, and she stiffened against me.
I'd gotten Tony a model car and Carol a new pair of sunglasses because hers were taped together. For Jenny, I'd got a travel card with a caveat.
"I've checked with your parents, and they said it would be okay if you caught the bus to see me sometime. We could go shopping, get lunch, and spend time together."
Jenny turned the card over in her hand for a moment, and I wondered if she was disappointed. She'd been struggling at school, and I gave her what I would have wanted as a kid, feeling alone. A friend. A sibling. Jenny sucked in a wet breath and threw her arms around my neck, jostling Lara and me.
"Thank you so much, Ray-Ray. Can I come next week?"
Her thin arms choked my lungs until they burned, but I endured it until she slid back into her chair. Carol wiped away a stray tear and pretended to carry something to the kitchen.
Thank you, kid. She's missed you, Tony signed.
I nodded, my throat choked suddenly.
"I'm busy next weekend, and I'd love to see you again too?" Lara saved me from saying no. "We can shop on Ray's credit card."
Jenny's eyes widened as she nodded vigorously.
"Just don't stay away long. Remember when you broke your jaw? We didn't see you for months."
Ice froze my veins, and I ignored the burn of Lara's gaze.
"Well, you would have had to puree the roast to get it inside me. I couldn't chew properly."
"When did this happen?" Lara's nails dug into the back of my neck.
"Oh, you were nineteen or eighteen, is that right?" Carol answered Lara when I didn't.
Lara made a soft noise, and I tensed, hoping she hadn't put together what could have happened when I broke my jaw at nineteen. Jenny pushed a present in my direction, and I was saved from answering.
"Open yours, Ray-Ray. I picked it out," Jenny urged, and I slid my fingers along the edges, until everyone but Lara groaned in unison.
"Does he do this with you, Lara? So precious about the paper? Just rip it, Ray." Carol scolded me again, but I took no notice.