Chapter 32
Carmello
Now
Two thousand eight hundred dollars. That’s how much I had to pay the plumbers from my mom’s restaurant funds.
I should be stressed about the holes they left in the ceiling getting to the pipes and the fact that they didn’t clean up the debris in the basement, which means keeping the restaurant closed another day to clean up myself.
But the gas leak is fixed; it’s safe for Paula to be down there and to open when I’m done.
And my mind takes that as permission to fixate on Olivia’s face.
Specifically when I’d looked up from sucking her breasts and seen her mouth shaped for the sweet sounds of her moans.
Hours later, I have to keep those images from getting me hard while with company.
My cousin came to my house to bring us dinner from Carolina’s in Providence. Teddy’s in the bathroom brushing his teeth now with One Piece on the floor at his feet.
Zeke grabs tostones from the plate on the counter. I forgot to put the picadera away earlier, and he’s been picking at it since he got here. “Surprised you made this when you knew ahead of time I was bringing Teddy pastelitos and white rice, and you hardly eat fried foods.”
I turn on the sink. “What are you getting at, Ezekiel?”
“Government name and everything. Yup. I knew you were strung tight for a reason.” Zeke opens the fridge to pour himself a third glass of water, guzzling it in one go.
The guy’s thirst is excessive. I’ve been telling him to go get a blood test in case he has diabetes.
After hearing of Olivia’s endo, now I’m going to have to press him on it.
“You made this for Olive, didn’t you? It was her favorite kind of grease to help her get sober after we left the club. ”
My cousin knows me too well. Even though I wanted to pitch her the fusion-style menu idea, I made picadera specifically for her.
Little did I know, fried foods were on her restrictions list. I’m happy the cards were an easy excuse for us to open up to each other again, but now I feel anxious to learn as much about her as I can.
Including what she enjoys in bed these days.
I just don’t know if that’s smart with her leaving for Japan soon.
I start washing dishes with my back turned to Zeke so he can’t see my face when I admit: “Olivia was here earlier, and it was more than tap kisses at the door, but it didn’t get too far.”
Zeke puts his glass in the sink, expecting me to wash it, then hops on the counter beside me.
“What do you consider far? Because Vero and I made a bet on when you’d crack for sex.
Tell me you held out. I’ve got another week left.
You know my sister doesn’t play. She’ll be at my door tonight with her palm up, expecting cash.
” A flash of me spreading Olivia’s legs in this kitchen crosses my mind.
Zeke must see the look on my face because he grimaces and hops right back off the counter.
“You sexed her where I was sitting?” I raise both brows at sexed as a word choice, and he says, “I’m trying to be less vulgar around Teddy.
Not because you think I should. I just realized he’s getting older and needs good influences. ”
“Right,” I say. “And don’t worry, I think your money is safe and will continue to be.”
He laughs. “I should be relieved, but man, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Before I can answer, Teddy comes back in the kitchen with his shadow dog trailing behind him. He tells us he’s ready to watch the movie and Zeke says, “Mufasa again? No wonder you’re starting to look like a baboon, you’re watching it too much.”
“Rafiki is a mandrill,” Teddy says, then stomps on my cousin’s foot with his huge sneaker-slippers.
Zeke fakes hurt and One Piece starts to bark.
Now the three of them are wrestling on my floor.
When Teddy gives up, I tell him we’ll be right in to watch the movie and One Piece lays a slobbery lick on Zeke’s face, then follows my son back to the living room.
“You can barely walk in those things with your bony ankles,” Zeke calls after him.
“And your ankles are disturbingly hairy,” my son calls back.
“Kid’s got a lot to say today,” Zeke says, standing up.
“Too bad he gotta wait.” At his expectant look, I tell him to drop it.
I hate for Teddy to think we don’t care about him.
“Stop being paranoid, he’s probably buried in that damn iPad screen, playing Scrabble.
Take a few seconds for yourself away from parenting to make it make sense for me, I’m begging you. ”
I blow out a breath, remembering how good it felt to grind against Olivia, the rush when she called out my name. “I had to leave to pick Teddy up from school when we were in the middle of…stuff.”
“Oh,” Zeke says. “Well, was Olivia an asshole about it or something?”
“Complete opposite. Which makes the whole thing, me and her, feel even more messy.”
“Because you’re going to fall in love with her again? Or because you already have?”
“I’m just feeling…a lot of things.” I sigh. “It’s like the more time I get with her, the more I want. I remember feeling like this before. But today, I had this crazy thought of telling her to come with me to pick Teddy up from school. Just so that I didn’t have to be without her.”
“Sheesh. That is messy.” Zeke grabs popcorn from my cabinet and throws a bag in the microwave.
“But all right, let’s be realistic. You’re scared if you have sex with her again it’ll make it harder when she leaves, but I think the scarier part is that if you don’t, you’ll be feening, and she’ll be good.
On the next flight to San Francisco or wherever the hell she’s going… ”
“Tokyo,” I supply.
“Tokyo?” He straight-up cackles like I hadn’t already mentioned it two weeks ago.
“Shit. She’ll definitely forget whatever she’s feeling for you right now.
Women? Once they’re done, they’re done.” He sounds like he’s speaking from personal experience, but I don’t know which woman from his past has him stuck.
“And we both know Olivia has a strong detachment game.”
“So, basically what you’re saying is you think I need closure? You do realize your advice is in direct opposition to you betting that I could hold out on sex, right?”
“I’m not dumb,” says Zeke, leaning his elbows against the counter. “But unless she’s leaving tomorrow, you’re going to hurt yourself resisting for no reason and the money isn’t worth me dealing with you crying over blue-balls regret that at least you should’ve dicked her down before she left.”
“Wow, so caring of you, cousin.” I wipe the fridge handle down once, then again, and Zeke kisses his teeth when he notices. “What? I have no idea when you last washed your hands.”
“Stop deflecting with your germophobia shit,” Zeke says. “Listen, have confidence that you can handle your heart when it comes to Olivia now. If she wants your body, I see no harm in giving her the business. And who knows…the sex might even be bad after all these years.”
“After what we did today, I seriously doubt that, and what if I don’t want to stop?” I say.
“When Olivia leaves, you won’t have a choice,” Zeke replies. “But at least you’ll have gotten the not knowing what it would’ve been like part of it out of your system. That’s enough to drive any man crazy.”
“I hate when you have a point,” I say.
He smiles, and I realize I should probably say that more to him. He’s insightful, even when his language is vulgar. “But how about you keep this from Vero for at least a few days after you prove me right?” he says.