CHAPTER THIRTY
DOMINIC
We were flying directly over Phoenix now. When I took note of such area landmarks as Camelback Mountain and Arizona State University, I found myself grinning like a jackass. Even though I’d only been away for thirty-six hours, I was damn glad to be home. New York was nice, but it wasn’t home anymore, hadn’t been for ten years.
Before the plane took off this morning, I texted Melanie to let her know I’d be back this afternoon. Then I stared at my phone for half an hour and waited for her to respond. She didn’t.
It was just after noon by the time I exited the airport, and since I was closer to Espo 1, I decided to stop there first. Gio was there, dealing with the lunch crowd, just as I’d figured he would be. The restaurant was busy and pleasantly noisy with herds of college kids running in to grab a slice or two before dashing back to their next class.
Giovanni was actually working in the kitchen because we were a little shorthanded, and a few of the staff were being juggled between the two locations.
“Could you use some help?” I asked, already grabbing an apron from the hook by the kitchen entrance.
Gio looked up, smiled, and then went back to rolling dough. “You’re back.”
“Yup, I’m tough to get rid of.”
“In that case, do you mind grabbing the latest batch of pies out of the oven?”
We worked side by side for the next hour. Eventually the throngs of hungry students thinned out. I grabbed two plates and set two slices on each of them.
“Let’s go eat,” I said, jerking my head toward the dining room.
Gio told the other guys in the kitchen to holler if they needed anything. Then he followed me to the same table we’d occupied the other day before I left for New York. We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. One of the servers came by with a pair of sodas.
“Thanks, Aimee,” Gio said. He took a sip of his drink, and then his face turned serious. “Were you able to find him?”
“I found him.”
Gio leaned forward. “And he talked to you?”
“He talked to me.”
My brother scratched his head, seeming perplexed. “You’re smiling and you don’t have any visible bruises, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign.”
I took a drink, then set the glass down. “I’ll tell you all about it.”
Gio didn’t interrupt me with questions as I gave him a detailed account of my reunion with Steven. He looked a little sad and guilty when I explained that Steven hadn’t had anything to do with the collapse of the old place. It was all Uncle Frank. And then his mouth fell open a little when I told him about how Steven and I made dinner together and amused the girls with stories about growing up in the middle of a famous New York eatery.
“By the way, he asked about you,” I said. “He was happy to hear that life is treating you well.”
“Did you get his number?” he asked. “I’d like to talk to him myself.”
“I have it.” I paused. “Look, there’s something I want to run past you. I didn’t even mention it to him, and I have no way of knowing if he’d even accept, but I think it could turn out to be a good thing for all of us.”
My brother was already nodding in agreement before I finished outlining the idea that had occurred to me in Steven’s kitchen yesterday.
“I’m totally cool with that,” he said. “We could use another solid, full-time cook, and Steven knows his shit. Hell, he helped teach us. You really think he’d move his family all the way across the country, though?”
I’d already considered the question. “I think he might. Cost of living out there, even on Long Island, is through the roof. He could find a nice place here in the valley for much less than he’s paying for that rental house. Plus I got the impression he’s looking for something better for his kids, a way to start over.”
Gio was thoughtful. “Maybe you’re right. After all, we started over once, remember?” He looked around proudly at the restaurant, the first restaurant we’d opened together. “I think it’s turned out pretty well.”
“I think it did, too,” I said. Then I took my phone out of my pocket and quickly flipped through my contacts.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Just sent you Steven’s number. You wanted to call him anyway, so how do you feel about making the offer?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind doing that. Hey, are you leaving now?”
I was already out of my seat and collecting the plates. “Yeah, I’ll just drop these off at the sink, and then I’ve got to go.”
Gio took the plates from my hand. “I’ll take care of that. You going to Espo 2?”
I shot him a look. “I’m going to her,” I said.
He bowed his head with a smile. When he raised his eyes again, he was wearing a thoroughly amused expression. “This is it for you, isn’t it?”
“Yup. I just hope she feels the same way about me.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Speak from the heart, Dom. Don’t hold back.”
“I won’t. Not anymore.”
As I left Espo 1, I checked my phone again, but Melanie still hadn’t answered my text from this morning. It didn’t make a difference at this point. I was going to her whether she was ready or not.
By the time I was standing underneath Espo 2’s sign, I was nervous. I planned to take Gio’s advice without reservation. I wouldn’t hold back. There were no guarantees Melanie would even want to hear what I had to say. If she needed time, then I’d give her time. But what I hoped she needed was to fall into my arms and let me carry her off into the sunset.
Patsy was at the hostess desk. When I walked through the door, she started to say something that would herald my arrival, but I put a finger to my lips. She was bewildered, but she didn’t utter a word.
Melanie hadn’t seen me yet. The dining room was about two-thirds full, and she was circulating, chatting with customers and offering recommendations. She wasn’t dressed up today. No power suit or cute skirt, just an Esposito’s T-shirt and a pair of jeans. I watched her, drinking in every bend in her movements, every curve of her body. As much as I appreciated the sophisticated look when she was dressed to the nines, I loved her even more like this; casual and smiling and perfectly at ease.
She laughed at something said at a table of young professional women she’d stopped to talk to. Then as she tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, she happened to glance in my direction. Her eyes widened when she saw me standing ten feet away and staring right at her. All day I had been telling myself that as soon as I looked into her eyes, I’d know whether I had a chance to keep her. As I studied her face, I knew I’d been right.
It was one of those motion-picture moments where sound and people fell away. Esposito’s and everyone in it were suddenly irrelevant. There were no tables or chairs or pizzas being carried around on aluminum trays. There was no one and nothing but Melanie.
I took a step in her direction, and she did the same. She was tense, I could tell. She glanced at the floor and briefly pressed her lips together as we came face-to-face. I wanted to give her the opportunity to speak first, so I waited.
“How was your trip?” she asked.
“Short,” I said. “I did what I needed to do, though.”
I’d tell her the rest later. The past wasn’t part of this conversation. This was just about us.
Melanie cleared her throat, glanced around, and then leaned in, speaking in a low voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize my phone had died. I had to borrow a charger to plug it in, and I only saw your text a few minutes ago.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, relieved that she hadn’t been ignoring me. “I’m here now.”
She nodded absently. “I see that.” She backed up and started talking in a crisp tone. “Well, the first thing you should know is that the freezer’s acting up again, so you might want to go back there and—”
“I don’t give a damn,” I said, cutting her off brusquely.
Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean you don’t give a damn?”
“Right now I don’t give a damn about the freezer or the restaurant or all the rules of etiquette that I’m about to break.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Are you going to share with me what you do give a damn about, Dominic?”
I reached for her and cupped her sweet face in my hands. More than anything I wanted to wake up to her face every morning and then spend my day trying to give her reasons to smile.
“You,” I said. “Melanie, sometimes I’m a clueless, overbearing jackass.”
She was confused, but she didn’t pull away. “Do you want me to argue with you?”
“No, I don’t want you to argue with me, at least not right now.” I paused and swallowed. “But I swear I’ll worship you every single day if you let me.”
A blush colored her cheeks, and she glanced round to see who was watching. Everyone was. We were standing in the middle of the dining room with customers and staff scattered around. They were all far more interested in the live entertainment than in the food.
“We should go in the office,” she murmured.
“We should not,” I argued. I brushed my thumbs across her lips and felt her tremble.
“Dom,” she whispered, and I kissed her. I started out gently, tenderly. Then I teased her lips open with my tongue, slid my hands around her body, and pressed her close. She responded with equal passion, and I could see her smiling between kisses. When I lifted her into my arms, she let out a tiny squeal, but her arms immediately curled around my neck. A round of applause broke out. That’s when I decided to make the scene even more cinematic.
Melanie and I were both laughing as I carried her through the front door of Esposito’s and out to the street while everyone in the restaurant continued to cheer. A few passersby stared, but I didn’t care who was looking or talking or judging.
“Where are we going?” she asked as I marched toward the silver buildings of downtown Phoenix.”
I stopped walking. “Actually, I’m not sure.”
She jerked her head in the direction of the restaurant. “You realize we’ll need to go back in there at some point, right? I mean, we work there and all.”
“We don’t need to go back yet,” I insisted. “Being the boss comes with certain privileges.”
Melanie giggled against my cheek. “And here I asked your brother yesterday if I was about to get fired.”
I was startled. “Fired? Were you serious?”
“No.” She laughed again. “He told me you had left me something, and I asked if it was a pink slip.”
“It wasn’t.”
“I know. Thank you for the cookbook, Dom.”
“Thank you for staying, Mel.” I paused only for a second and then took a chance. “And thank you for being mine.”
She let out a happy sigh and nuzzled my neck. “Am I yours?”
A fierce kind of possessiveness gripped me, and I held her more tightly. She was so light I could have carried her around all day. But I set her on her feet so that I could look her in the eye more easily and tell her something important.
“That’s up to you,” I said, and moved a loose strand of dark hair from her forehead. “You have my heart no matter what.”
Melanie smiled up at me. “When we first met, I never would have guessed you were so romantic.” Her smile grew soft and wistful. “I’m yours, Dom.” She bit her lip and looked bashful. “If I tell you I’m falling in love with you, will you run away?”
I gently tipped her chin up. “No,” I said firmly. “I wouldn’t run away from you. I’m crazy in love with you, Mel, and I don’t care if cynics complain that it’s too soon or that we didn’t do this right or whatever bullshit reasons people argue about. There are as many ways to fall in love as there are stars in the sky.”
She closed her eyes for a second. “Love conquers all,” she said in a whisper.
“What’s that, a saying?”
“It’s more than that. It’s a fact.” She rose up on her tiptoes. “Come closer,” she urged.
We kissed, and I wrapped her in my arms right there on the streets of Phoenix. I probably would have stayed just like that for hours, but she pulled back and gazed up at me.
“So what happened in New York?” she asked with curiosity.
I thought about how to answer that. “What happened was what had to happen,” I said. “How about I take you to dinner tonight and tell you all about it?”
She poked me in the chest. “We have to work tonight, mister. You’ve got a freezer to fix.”
I shrugged. “A man can’t work every hour of the day. There are bigger priorities at stake. And I heard about this really great pizzeria I want to take you to.”
“I’d like that,” she said quietly. Then she glanced around at the landscape of downtown Phoenix. “So where do we go from here? All the love stories on the big screen never cover what comes after the hero carries his girl off into the sunset.”
I glanced up at the blue sky. “It’s only early afternoon. Sunset won’t happen for hours, so I guess we’ll need to wait around awhile to find out. Maybe we should find a bench.”
Melanie kissed my cheek. “Always the wise guy.”
I took her hand. “You really want me to tell you what happens next?”
She batted her pretty eyelashes. “Please do.”
I raised her hand to my lips and kissed it gallantly. “You already know. What happens next is us.”
Soon enough we did head back to Esposito’s. I held the door open for Melanie, and she tilted her head back for another kiss. I was glad to give it to her.
As evening approached I told the kitchen staff I was taking a few hours off. Then I formally knocked on the door to the office. When Melanie appeared, I held my hand out.
“You ready?” I asked.
She laced her fingers through mine, and I led her out the front door of Espo 2. We stopped on the sidewalk, then turned around, and walked right back inside like we were any other couple who’d just arrived for a dinner date.
“We’d like the finest table in the house, please,” I informed Patsy, who was standing by at the hostess desk.
Patsy winked and grabbed a couple of menus. “Right this way,” she said, and led us to a cozy table in the back.
Melanie blushed as I held her chair for her. Then we both settled in and looked over the menus we already knew by heart.
“I believe I’ll have the cheese pizza,” Melanie said after she scanned the menu. “I’ve heard it’s quite tasty. What about you, Dominic?”
“I think I’ll try the same thing.” I set the menu down, and looked up to find Jessica, one of the servers, staring down at us.
“Um, I’m sorry to bother you guys,” she stammered, “but Tim said to let you know that the kitchen is nearly out of mushrooms and basil. They need more right away.”
I shrugged. “That’s just going to have to wait.” I took Melanie’s small hand and pressed my lips to her soft skin. “I’m busy.”
“Okay,” Jessica said with some uncertainty. She glanced back toward the kitchen, then looked our way with a smile. “So, are you ready to order?”
“We’ll have a large cheese pizza,” Melanie said. Her eyes were dancing, and she looked positively radiant. I loved knowing that I was the one who made her happy. At the same time I kind of felt like a dirty bastard because I was already making plans for what was going to happen when I got her alone.
“Send over your best bottle of wine, too,” I told Jessica. “It’s a special occasion.”
Melanie giggled and squeezed my hand.
“Dom, do you think you’ll ever get tired of pizza?” she asked in a teasing voice.
“Never,” I said without hesitation. “And you?”
She shook her head and gave me a serious look. “Never.”
We stayed at that table for two hours. We went through a full pizza pie and three-quarters of a bottle of wine. I told her everything. About Beth, about Steven, about yesterday’s events in New York. She told me about running into her ex and about how much she missed her sister, Lucy. She also admitted that she still had trouble processing the grief from her parents’ deaths and how Donna’s funeral dredged up all those emotions again. When she shyly asked if we could try to make her father’s legendary tamales soon, I promised it would be a top priority.
As my girl tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear while a sweet smile played on her lips, I thought about how I’d been so wrong about something important.
Once, I had earnestly wished that I’d met Melanie Cruz in another time, in another place.
Now I realized that it always had to be this time. It always had to be this place.