Chapter 4
“Thanks for the extra sausage bites! And there better be at least half of those cookies left for Francis. Don’t think I won’t ask her when I see her next,” I say, eyeing Ralph, the owner of my favorite local breakfast café.
“You have my word. I’ll only eat a dozen before I get home tonight.”
We both laugh as I make my way outside onto the busy sidewalk.
It’s such a beautiful day, and I smile when a glance at my watch confirms I have plenty of time to walk to my next destination.
Every Tuesday, I visit the retirement home and always bring at least a basketful of baked goods for all my friends.
With the raffle today, there was no way I could carry it all.
Luckily, Mama promised to swing by with some of our men and drop everything off earlier this morning, so I didn’t have to miss my weekly brunch with Ralph at Be Our Zest.
As always, my ten-minute stroll turns into twenty from all the time I spend window-shopping and people-watching.
I’m typically only in this part of town once a week, so I take in all the new happenings from the locals and shops.
After a while, you start seeing the same people, and I’ve watched relationships blossom and die.
I’ve watched babies grow into toddlers and puppies grow into gray senior dogs.
As a Santori, I had no choice but to perfect my observational skills.
I was trained from an early age to be fully aware of everything happening around me.
Of course, if Papa had his way, I would never leave the house.
Luckily, Mama stood her ground and insisted that I be allowed to live as normal a life as possible.
The compromise was years spent learning martial arts and survival tactics, as well as having multiple bodyguards with me at all times.
Nonna’s only stipulation to the guards was that they answer to her and not Papa.
“There are things that a father just doesn’t need to know about his daughter.
If she’s ever in real danger, I’ll let you know,” she said.
As much as Papa likes to think he runs the Santori family, we all know Nonna gets the final say.
And with Nonna and Mama on my side, there was really nothing he or my brothers could do.
“Good morning, Ellie! Oh, let me help you with that.” The receptionist at the retirement home opens the door for me and takes my basket of sweets.
“Good morning, Tracy! I brought your sprinkle cookies! They’re in a box with your name on it.”
“You’re the best.” Tracy smiles and hands me a name tag before leading me into the community room.
I help set everything out for the residents and listen as she gossips about all the wild encounters that have transpired since my last visit.
It’s hard to imagine, but retirement homes can get just as rowdy as college dorms, if not worse.
It’s one of the things I love so much about coming here.
I get the initial rundown from Tracy, then make my rounds to my regulars and get to hear their side of the story.
“Oh, and you really missed out. Rainbow night was insane. I knew when we gave in and let Horace throw his party that we would be in for a wild night, but girl…we had no idea.”
“I really was planning to attend that, but I lost my flyer with the date on it! I swear I put it on our family’s event board, but the next morning, it was gone! So give me the tea!”
Tracy opens her mouth to speak, then promptly shuts it, giggling instead as the residents begin filing into the room. “You know what? I’m going to let Horace tell you this one first. And speak of the devil!”
“Elliebelly! How are you doing, darling?”
I smirk at Tracy as she gives me a wink on her way out, then turn to face my friend with a smile. “Horace! I heard you threw quite the party this week!”
“I sure did, and don’t think I’m going to let you get away with missing it just because you flash me that pretty smile of yours.”
I grab the box of pastries I baked just for Horace and hand them over. “How about this as an apology? I pulled out my prettiest pizzelle iron just for my special guy.”
Horace snatches my peace offering and grins, then motions for me to follow him to our favorite sofa in front of a fireplace near the corner of the room.
It’s still decorated for Christmas here even though we are well into January, but the residents love it so much that the staff always gives them an extra month of magic.
I help Horace into his seat, then gently sit beside him. “Alright, mister, I want to hear every detail from your big night! Tracy wouldn’t tell me anything. I haven’t even seen pictures!”
Horace waggles his eyes at me, grinning. “Are you sure you want every detail? Like the way Mildred handled a strap o—”
“Wait! Stop! Okay, not every detail. Keep it PG-13, please. I’m not ready for all that yet.”
As if we summoned her, Mildred walks up and kisses my cheek before sitting in the chair. “Hello, dear. Is Horace giving you a hard time? Do you need me to put him in his place?”
“According to him, you apparently did a few nights ago.”
Mildred slaps a laughing Horace on the knee. “Do you want to traumatize that poor girl?” she scolds before turning her attention to me. “But yes, I handled Horace just like I handle all the hotties here. I got Horace, Frank, and Paul that night. They just love it.”
“Wow…” My face flushes as the pair laughs in tandem.
“Well, we were all worked up over our new visitor!” Horace says, fanning himself. “Whew, I’m getting hot over here just thinking about him. Mildred, are you ready for round two tonight?”
She rolls her eyes back, a visual I could have lived my whole life without seeing. “Oh God, yes. The things I would let that man do to me. And baby, you’d better believe when I was your age, I would’ve had him in my bed before the night was over.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt you!” And after learning what this woman is doing with a strap on in her nineties, I’m confident young Mildred could pull anyone she wanted. Not to mention, I’ve seen pictures of her when she was younger, and she really was a total knockout.
“I’m telling you, Ellie, when I say I would have climbed him like a tree—”
“Speaking of trees, he was a redwood. Wouldn’t you say, Mildred?”
“Oh, at least,” Mildred scoffs.
“Okay, you have me intrigued now. Who is this new visitor?”
Mildred frowns. “Well…I don’t think I ever got his name. Do you remember it, Horace?”
“Hell, I was just calling him sexy all night…” Horace sits for a minute, tapping his knee before turning to the rest of the room. “Tracy!” he yells, successfully gaining her attention.
Tracy hurries over to our group. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you remember the name of that tall hunk of a man who came to see me at my party earlier this week?”
“Unfortunately, I do not.” Sighing, Tracy flops down in the chair beside Mildred. “Oh, you would have died. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more attractive man.”
“I have,” Mildred and Horace say in sync.
“Oh, he was up there, don’t get me wrong, but you didn’t live through the ’40s…Now, those were some sexy men. I was just a teen of course, but boy, did I want to—”
“Mildred!” Tracy gasps.
“No, she’s right, Tracy!” Horace says. “The forties was an amazing decade for sex. And unlike Mildred, I was just old enough to play around.”
“Guys, can we get back to the super-hot man you’re trying to tell me about who lives in this decade, please?” I ask.
Tracy opens her mouth, but Mildred beats her to it. “He was so big and so pretty. He had wavy chestnut-brown hair that I just wanted to run my fingers through. He was at least a foot taller than me, which I love by the way…no offense, dear.”
“None taken, love.” Horace takes Mildred’s hand and kisses it. “I like a tall man just as much as you do. You know that!”
Mildred smiles at Horace and bats her eyelashes.
“Yes, my dear, I know you do.” She turns back to me.
“Anywho, he was broad and so muscular. He must be an athlete of some sort because men who just go to the gym don’t look like that.
He had deep blue eyes that I memorized only because his stare was so intentional.
And his smile could just about melt a lady.
I’m pretty sure he had a dimple on his left cheek. ”
“Oh, he had a dimple,” Tracy chokes out. “And did you see toward the end of the night when he was calling bingo? He pulled out those thick-framed glasses to read with. Phew!”
“Tracy? Aren’t you married?” I ask, and I can’t help but laugh when she doesn’t answer. I look between my three friends, all lost in some sort of daze at the memory of this man. “Are you guys telling me that the most attractive man of this decade walked through these doors and nobody got his name?”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying. Trust me, I asked everyone who came to the party, and the only response I got that was even close to a name was ‘Roosevelt.’ And I’m pretty sure the twenty-sixth president of the United States didn’t waltz in here disguised as this year’s sexiest man.”
“Fine,” I sigh. “But if he ever comes back, please, for the love, get his name. Ooo and his phone number.”
“You want his address too, sugar? You can sneak in when he’s asleep and—”
“Nope! Just name and number will do for now!”
“So, what do you have going on for the rest of the week? Same schedule as usual?” Tracy asks.
I think for a moment about whether anything out of the ordinary is happening this week.
“Yes, just the normal stuff. I have the shelter tomorrow. I’m holding babies at the hospital on Thursday.
This weekend, I have Leo’s games since Nikki and Gabri are playing away.
I haven’t volunteered at the soup kitchen in a while, so I’m hoping I can fit that in as well.
And of course, if our mystery man comes back in, I’ll be running here as fast as possible to catch a glimpse. ”
Horace takes my hand and squeezes. “You are some woman, you know that, Elliebelly? You give back so much to the world. I know we all look forward to your visits and cherish every minute you spend here. If anyone has ever deserved someone as sexy as our mystery man, it’s you. You’ve been single way too long.”
Tracy pipes up next. “You know, he’s right. You’ve been single as long as I’ve known you! How is that even possible?”
“Horace is right!” Mildred agrees. “Your beauty should catch the attention of him or any other man, but with your heart, well, darling, there isn’t anything in this world you don’t deserve. Including and especially love.”
Tears well in my eyes as my friends who have known so much life build me up. I respect everyone here, and their words and opinions mean everything to me. “Thanks, guys. I cherish every minute with you as well. You’re some of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
“Oh, you make me feel young again. But you don’t mean that, sweetheart. Surely, you have a gaggle of young girlfriends,” Mildred says.
“Actually, no. I gave up on trying to make friends years ago. They would all just get close to me to, um, sleep with my brothers.”
“That’s why you should get some fabulous gay besties.”
“They would probably want to hook up with my brothers too.” I giggle.
“Touché. Well, speaking of the glories of the male figure…”
Horace wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in for a side hug while Mildred continues telling me about his pride night party, but all I can think about is the mystery man.
Well, not him specifically, just the idea of someone kind and handsome to spend my time with.
What I would give for a companion to fill the hole in my heart that only seems to get larger with each passing day.