Chapter 2 #3
Rafe toyed with the stem of his wineglass. “He changed my life. And I don’t mean with the inheritance.”
Gio was surprised to hear Rafe admit that out loud.
He knew quite a bit of Rafe’s history…the issues with his mom and her revolving door of husbands. Gio had been around Rafe enough in high school to see the toll it took on his best friend. And the long-lasting impact it had on Rafe’s own ability to forge lasting relationships.
His surprise stemmed from the fact Rafe was sharing any part of it with Keeley. Rafe didn’t like to talk about himself, and the only reason Gio knew as much as he did was because he’d been around for it, the two of them spending a lot of time in each other’s houses in high school.
“What do you mean he changed your life?” Keeley asked.
Rafe looked at her for a moment, and Gio realized that his friend hadn’t meant to say anything out loud. Rafe didn’t reply immediately, and Gio expected him to backtrack. But he didn’t.
“College wasn’t something I’d ever considered for myself.
Like I said, Mom never saved a penny in her life.
Grandpa, when I was younger, wasn’t around much, always busy with his business, working long hours.
He chased the almighty dollar, while Mom spent most of her days looking for love in all the wrong places. ”
Gio started humming the old country song, and the three of them laughed at the familiar tune.
Rafe continued, “Like I said, whenever Mom dug herself into a deep hole, Grandpa would help her, but it was always issued with his standard ‘money lecture.’” Rafe finger-quoted the last two words.
“And while his lessons on fiscal responsibility didn’t work on Mom, they definitely worked on me.
I hated the way my mother always took the easy way out.
Getting Grandpa to write a check to make all her mistakes go away.
I refused to be like her. So I worked all through high school at a fast-food place, and for Moretti Brothers in the summer. ”
“Your grandpa didn’t give you money like he did her?” Keeley asked.
“He tried. But I was a prideful little fucker, and stubborn to boot. I refused to take his ‘charity.’ That was what I called it. So I worked to buy my own clothes and hockey equipment and shit like that.”
Keeley grinned. “That sounds like you.”
Rafe ruffled her hair, and she swatted his hand away. “I wasn’t planning to go to college. Instead, I was saving every penny to move out after graduation because I knew I’d go crazy if I spent one more minute living with my mom and stepdad number four, who was a complete douchebag.”
“How long did douchebag last?” Keeley asked.
Rafe grimaced. “Longer than most. Six years. He was a total slob, an out-of-work drunk who sat on the couch in his underwear all day, scratching his balls. Unfortunately, my mother loves taking care of people, so Douchebag fit the bill to a tee.”
“Sounds like a real prince.”
Gio held up his hand. “Don’t get him started on Douchebag or we’ll be here all night. I’ve heard enough of the horror stories surrounding that guy to last me a lifetime. Tell her how your grandpa changed your life,” Gio prompted. “That’s a better story.”
“Fine,” Rafe said. “Grandpa Albert came to graduation, and he pulled me aside after the ceremony. He handed me an envelope. I figured it was just a card, maybe a few bucks, you know.”
Keeley nodded.
“It was an acceptance letter to Temple University.”
“What?” Keeley’s eyes widened.
Gio had been there when Rafe’s grandfather handed him the letter.
“He told me he was proud of the man I’d become. Then he did that thing Grandpa Albert was good at.”
“What was that?” she asked.
“Guilt.”
Keeley snorted. “What?”
“He said he was an old man who’d spent too much of his life worrying about work and money.
Said he regretted missing so much of my childhood, only visiting occasionally.
According to him, he’d worked his whole life with precious little to show for it.
Except me and Mom. Said the greatest gift I could give him would be to take his money, go to college, choose a career I was passionate about, and continue to make him proud.
He had applied to the college for me, but said the decision to attend was mine. ”
“Whoa,” Keeley breathed. “I always liked Grandpa Albert, but now I love him.”
Rafe nodded, clearly pleased by her words. There was no denying Rafe thought his grandfather walked on water.
“But I’m confused,” Keeley said. “Your dream job was to become a financial manager? You couldn’t find anything more boring?”
Gio laughed loudly. “An excellent point.”
Rafe narrowed his eyes. “My dream career was one where I could make money. Please refer back to my earlier comment about my mother’s mountain of debt.
She might not have felt the stress of that, but I always did.
My first stop on campus was the library, where I researched which major offered the best chance at landing a good-paying job after graduation.
I’ve always loved math and numbers, so that path felt like a decent fit.
Of course, the best part of the college deal was Grandpa had given me an instant place to live…
away from Douchebag. I stayed on campus, living in the dorm.
I took a job as an RA during the school year and kept the summer job with Gio’s family, so I could buy my own food, pay for textbooks, stuff like that.
I still had a little pride, I guess. But Grandpa covered the rest.”
Keeley took a sip of her wine and gave Rafe a mischievous smile. “Now you have to let him and Marta stay in the mansion. You owe him.”
Rafe sighed. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
The three of them finished the bottle of wine, talking until the wee hours. The storm had ended well before they decided it was time to call it a night.
He and Rafe walked Keeley to her car.
“See you Monday morning?” Rafe asked.
She nodded. “Yep.” Then she accepted the hug Rafe offered.
Gio watched their embrace, Rafe’s hand gliding up and down her back slowly.
He reached for her the moment Rafe let go, adding his own hug to the farewells. “You going to be okay getting home?”
“Yeah,” she said, returning his hug. “Thanks for tonight. If I’d gotten home before that storm hit, I would have been riding it out with my head buried underneath my pillow, praying for it to end. Being with you guys really helped.”
Gio started to let her go, then changed his mind. Instead, he cupped her cheeks. “Keeley.”
“Yeah?”
“This doesn’t mean anything,” he said firmly.
“Wha—” she started to ask, but he cut her off with a kiss. He took his time and made sure to do it right. She remained frozen for a split second, but Keeley wasn’t shy, wasn’t timid, or easily spooked…unless it was a storm.
Her lips softened and she returned the kiss, her lips parting on a sigh, giving him the chance to swipe his tongue inside.
The kiss lingered as Gio turned his head slightly, seeking to deepen it.
She was soft, her breath sweet like the wine they’d shared.
Her hands remained at her sides…and all he could think about was how much he wanted them on him.
Through it all, he felt the weight of Rafe’s gaze, and it added to the intoxicating quality of their embrace.
When they parted, he was pleased to see the paleness of her face replaced with a healthy flush.
“There,” he said, painfully aware that he hadn’t been as unaffected by the kiss as he’d expected. “Now you’ve had a good good-night kiss.”
She gave him an adorable breathy laugh, and then, because she was Keeley, she asked, “How do you know it was good?”
Gio tugged her hair playfully. “Minx.”
“Next time you’re afraid, Keeley, call us. We’ll come over,” Rafe said, his invitation not only surprising Keeley but Gio too.
“I might take you up on that.” There wasn’t an ounce of flirtation in her voice. Just gratitude. She gave them both a sweet smile, then climbed into her car. He and Rafe watched her drive away before turning to walk to their own vehicles.
“Quite a kiss,” Rafe observed.
Gio gave his best friend a sideways glance, making sure he saw his cocky grin.
“You think that was smart?” he asked.
He considered the question, then shrugged. “I’ve done dumber things.”
Rafe laughed. “Yeah, you have. But just the same, you might not want to do that again.”
“Why? You think Keeley will get the wrong idea?”
Rafe shook his head. “Nope. I think you will.”