Chapter Twenty-Five

“Jay-Jay, let me see, let me see!” My sister danced around me, tugging on my arm as I carried in another flower bouquet, not needing to look at the card. Luca had sent three so far since the night he fought with Hunter, and it was only Monday. Leaning down, I let me sister take in the deep aroma of the red roses. Plucking one out of the bunch, I handed it to her. Roses weren’t my favorite flower. I wasn’t really a flower girl at all. I would have been more touched if he got me an art book or a chemistry set. Reece seemed to like them far more than I did.

My dad frowned but didn’t say anything as Mom took them from me, finding another vase. Dad had requested a “family only” dinner night after I mentioned something about New York. Plus, I think he preferred being Luca-free for an evening. It was funny that since Luca had shown up Dad no longer snarled the few times Hunter’s name came up.

“He’s being very sweet.” Mom gave my dad a pointed look. “Stop, Noah. He’s a very nice young man.”

“Not that young,” he huffed and grabbed a bottle of white wine from the fridge, pouring some for my mom, while he grabbed himself a beer.

“Reece, can you set the table, please?” Mom shouted out to my sister. “And tell your grandmother dinner’s ready.”

“GRANDMA! DINNER’S READY!” Reece screamed from where she stood. Mom shook her head in annoyance, handing me a salad bowl. I set it down, not very hungry. I didn’t feel like fighting with my parents tonight. Working and entertaining Luca, while he kept trying to get me to come back to his hotel room, wore me down. Despite that I missed having regular sex, every time he hinted at it, I realized it was not him I craved.

Dad helped Mom set the dishes, and the five of us settled at the table, passing around the food.

“Can we get to it?” I dumped some rice on my plate. “If we’re gonna fight, I just want to get it out.”

Mom and Dad looked at each other, Dad stabbing at the salmon on his plate.

“No fighting.” He shook his head.

“Really? You’re okay with the idea of me going to New York?”

“Okay?” Dad wrinkled his nose. “Not my exact words. But your mother and I talked about it, and looked into the school, and we think this might be best.”

My gaze darted around, connecting with my grandma’s eyes before snapping back to Dad.

“Okay, what’s going on? Aliens? Invasion of the bodysnatchers?”

Mom rolled her eyes. “We’re being serious. We let you go to Italy. New York is a lot closer than that.”

“And it’s not Italy,” Dad muttered under his breath.

“Ah. You want me away from Luca.”

“Honestly, I think you getting away from this town is best.”

And Hunter.

“I’m still not happy about Virginia Tech, but I can’t force you to go to there just because we did and loved it.” Dad’s shoulders drooped. “Does it scare the crap out of me you’ll be in New York City with Stevie? Holy shit, yeah. I know she’s a bit of a wild girl, but I have to trust you.”

I blinked at my parents.

“You are strong, smart, hardworking, and have always had a head on your shoulders.” He twirled his fork around, his eyes filling with liquid. “Your mother and grandmother have been on me for the last couple days saying that if I hold you too close, I’ll only push you away.” He wouldn’t look at me, his lids blinking. “You’re my baby girl.” His voice broke. “I would love to keep you protected forever. But you’re nineteen. I have to let you go… to make your own decisions.”

“Dad…” Seeing emotion swirl in his eyes brought mine to the surface.

“I hate you’re not my little girl anymore. I can’t protect you from all the bad in the world. What you’ve already gone through—” He rubbed his chin, shifting in his seat, hiding the single tear watering the corner of his eye. “I hope you know how much I love you. Happiness is all I really want for you and your sister.”

I bounded out of my chair, rushing to Dad and wrapping my arms around him. He enveloped me in a big bear hug and squeezed me tight. We held each other for a few seconds before he grumbled something, and I went to Mom, embracing her.

“Thank you,” I whispered, feeling she had more to do with his change of heart than anything.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow about scholarships. It’s not cheap. At all. But I think you will be happy there.” Mom leaned back, wiping the salty streaks from my cheeks.

“Okay.” I nodded, spinning around to see Grandma Penny beaming from ear to ear. She gave me a wink, like she’d known the outcome the whole time.

Knowing her, she probably did.

 

 

Luca sat at his usual corner table at the cafe, facing the garage, his eyes flicking up at any movement across the street. He tried to hide it, but frustration sat heavily on his shoulders, dragging them down as though in defeat. My chest ached because I was the cause. Earlier, I had told him about New York and moving in with Stevie. His temples flinched when he realized none of my plans included him. He had stayed solemn and quiet the rest of the morning, working on projects Caterina sent him.

I knew some people would think Luca was being pushy or stalkerish. But I’d come to see a difference between American and Italian men. The Italian men I knew were passionate and unafraid to express love or to go after what they wanted. They didn’t consider it a weakness to show their hearts. Luca was almost naive in his ideals. He really believed his grand romantic gesture would win me in the end. Who knows, maybe if Hunter and I never happened, he would have.

Luca had such a big heart and was sexy as hell. It pissed me off I couldn’t love him the way he deserved. But the twist in my stomach every time I peered up and saw Hunter outside the garage, talking on his phone, told me all I needed to know.

Savannah seemed confused that her little stunt hadn’t deterred Luca from me, so she took her flirtation game up a notch. Luca was kind and pacified Savannah’s blatant advances, but he wasn’t the kind to use her to get me jealous. Deep down he probably knew it wouldn’t work.

Staying far from her so I wouldn’t “accidently” punch her in the face, I scrubbed the coffee machine between customers, making a list for New York, but finding my brain wandering back to Hunter.

“Hey, pretty girl.” A voice from behind pulled my attention to the register. Doug stood there with a goofy grin, hat backward, his clothes covered in grease.

“Hey, Doug.” I ambled to the counter. “Haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

“Good.” He nodded.

“What can I get you?”

“A sweet tea would be great.” He wiped at the sweat along his brow. “But I really came in here for another reason.”

“Oh?” A tiny thread of anxiety began to flap inside my chest. I reached back, pouring a tea for him.

He licked his lips, glancing over his shoulder like he wasn’t supposed to be here.

“You know what Thursday is right?” he said.

“Thursday?” I blinked, setting the tea on the counter. At first nothing came to me. I tried to remember what day it was today.

“The 28th.”

As if I were flung from a plane with no parachute, I recoiled with recognition. My stomach and legs almost dropped out beneath me. Last year I was far away and could almost ignore the importance of the day, but here it was, like running straight into a wall.

I lowered my head with a nod, recalling the party I threw one year, my mind crammed with memories.

“Hunter and Colton’s birthday,” I whispered. One would be turning twenty and one would remain forever eighteen.

“Yeah.” Doug looked behind him. “Hunter would not recognize it last year and forbade us from even mentioning it. He drank himself into oblivion to get through it.”

My heart squeezed with sympathetic pain, imagining what he had gone through. At the same time, I had locked myself deeper in my bubble, partying with Sammie in a sea of alcohol and one-night stands and trying to forget my dead boyfriend and my ex-lover.

“It was really bad… And I can’t watch him do that to himself again. If he keeps going to that place, I’m afraid he won’t come back out.”

“You’re a good friend, Dougie.”

“That’s because that guy is the best person I know. He’s always been there for me. You know he was the one to buy the shop for me?”

“Yeah, Chris told me.”

“Well, I planned to have a few people over on Thursday. I know it’s not anything different from most weekends, but I really want you to be there.”

“Me?” My head shook. “I’m probably the last person who should be there.”

“Why?”

“Why?” A crazed laugh came from me. “Because I remind him of all the bad, the loss, the heartache. I’m like a walking trigger for him.”

“You’re also all the good.” Doug placed his palms on the table. “The happiest I’ve ever seen him was with you.”

“That was a while ago.”

“Then you aren’t looking hard enough.” Doug reached out, touching my hand, his eyes pleading with mine. “Please, just think about it. I think it will help him to have you there. If anything, you are the one person who really gets it. Understands.”

I stared at Doug with awe. For someone who everyone claimed to be dumb, he seemed extremely intuitive when it came to Hunter.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, but after you think, come by.” He swiped his sweet tea off the counter, leaving a generous tip, and walked out.