To be on the safe side, he drove to the charging station at the Pierce company parking lot and plugged the SUV in. Did the quick walk over to his warehouse. As he entered, the place hummed with activity like a hive of worker bees and the queen bee at the center of it all was Paolo. He stood back and watched with pride as his youngest brother directed the staff to organize their assorted linens, china, glassware, and cutlery which sometimes got in disarray when they’d been as busy as they had been the last few weeks. The slow week would let them get things ship shape and that would make things easier for their future gigs.
As Paolo took one last look at the clipboard in his hand and turned to walk to their offices, he finally noticed Carlo leaning on the door jamb.
Paolo ambled over, slapped the clipboard against Carlo’s chest, and with a teasing smile said, “It’s about time you got here. I hope you have a good excuse for not being here at the crack of dawn like you usually are.”
With a shrug, Carlo said, “Decided to stay in bed this morning.”
Paolo’s brown eyes, so much like his own, widened in surprise. “Don’t tell me you melted the Ice Queen that quickly?”
Carlo shook his head. “Actually, no. But even if I had, I’m a gentleman. I don’t kiss and tell.”
Paolo arched a dark brow. “Really? Did you get to first base? Second?” his brother pressed, but Carlo ignored him, went into his office, and sat at his desk to shuffle the papers on his desk. Paolo followed him in and plopped into the chair before Carlo’s desk.
“We all good on the deliveries for the next few days?” Carlo asked after he skimmed through the paperwork.
“Yeah and Tomás is personally checking with Jesse about the cheese she ordered for us,” Paolo said and rolled his eyes.
“Personally, huh? You think the two of them –”
Paolo raised both hands to direct him to stop. “I’m a gentleman too, mano. But there’s definitely something there if you ask me.”
Which both pleased and worried Carlo. He liked Jesse a lot which was why he helped her out by placing orders through her and letting her work for them. He also wanted his brother to be happy and maybe decide to stay in Sea Kiss instead of re-enlisting. But if his brother left, Jesse would have to deal with losing a man she cared about all over again.
“I think I’ll go check on that order myself,” he said and shot out of his chair.
Paolo waved a finger in his face. “Don’t get involved. Tomás hates it when you go all control freak.”
Carlo jerked as if struck and pointed a finger at his chest. “Me? Control freak?”
His brother elbowed him playfully. “Why do you think you and Emma get along so well? You’re made for each other.”
Carlo wished that was true which had him wondering about Paolo as he returned to his desk and sat. “I haven’t heard you mention anyone lately. Someone warn all the ladies in town about you?”
With a sheepish look and a shrug of broad powerful shoulders, his brother took the seat in front of the desk and said, “I’ve had my eye on someone only she’s older. Still married.”
Carlo had definitely not seen that coming. He steepled his hands before him and examined his brother closely. “Married? Do you think that makes sense, mano?”
“She’s separated and getting divorced from what I hear,” Paolo said and as he did so, a surprise thought came to Carlo.
“Caralho, not Tracy. Please tell me it’s not Drama Queen Tracy,” he said, recalling everything that had happened at her wedding just over a year earlier.
Spots of color dotted his brother’s cheeks before Paolo decided to busy himself by grabbing the papers on Carlo’s desk and rifling through them as if he was checking the orders.
“Come on, Paolo. Spill,” Carlo insisted and yanked the papers from his brother’s hands.
“She’s not that same person anymore. I guess she learned a painful lesson. It happens to a lot of people,” Paolo said and shot his head up to glare at Carlo with a laser sharp gaze.
“Water under the bridge and the only reason I’m worried is that Tracy’s just not our kind,” Carlo said.
“Just like mamãe wasn’t papai’s kind? A poor little girl trying to strike it rich. Isn’t that what avô used to say about her behind her back?” Paolo challenged.
And to her face, Carlo thought. “It’s not the same.”
“Then what is it? Is she too fancy and too rich? Like Owen and Jon, your two new best buds? Are you saying the da Costa brothers aren’t good enough for the likes of people like them? Like Emma?” his brother retorted, his growing anger apparent.
Damn if his brother hadn’t just out argued him. With a wry smile, he handed the papers back to Paolo and said, “You should have been a lawyer, you know. I hardly ever win an argument with you.”
Paolo jabbed a finger at him. “Just remember that, cabrão. And I’ll promise not to mention your past love life again if you promise to keep an open mind about Tracy.”
A hard promise to keep, but he trusted Paolo’s judgment, as surprising as it was in this instance. “Deal,” he said and offered his hand to seal the bargain.
Paolo shook it and then with a solid tug, urged Carlo to his feet. “Now go check on Tomás and make sure he’s staying out of trouble.”
“Done,” he said and jerked his jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on for the short walk to where he’d parked the SUV. But as he arrived at his destination, the day had already warmed considerably, the sun was out, and a soft almost spring-like breeze blew off the ocean, calling him to skip the car and stroll the half a dozen or so blocks to the center of the business district where Jesse had her cheese shop.
Barely fifteen minutes later, he walked into the store and the bell above the door chimed to announce his entry. He always loved the feel of this shop with its wrought iron baker’s racks holding collections of crackers, nuts, jellies, jams, oils, vinegars, and assorted treats to pair with the cheeses Jesse sold. There was an Old World feel to the shop, as if you’d just stepped back to the 1800s when Sea Kiss had been formally founded. For the nearly two centuries before that, the town had just been a collection of buildings and tents used by Methodists for summer revival meetings.
As he walked toward the display counter, muffled voices came from a hidden spot behind and off to the right of the counter. A second later Tomás strolled out carrying a big wheel of cheese with Jesse trailing behind him hugging a medium-sized cardboard box. Their slightly mussed looks, pinkened cheeks, and shamefaced expressions said they’d been playing around with something other than the inventory in the storage area.
“Is this a bad time?” he asked to which Jesse and Tomás replied, “No” and “Yes” simultaneously.
Jesse jabbed Tomás in the ribs before opening the glass door of the refrigerator where she kept the larger wheels and inventory of cheeses within easy reach for customers. Tomás feigned injury, placed the wheel on a shelf, and took the box from her to empty the contents into the refrigerator.
Jesse wiped her hands on a towel tucked into her apron and said, “What can I help you with today, Carlo?”
“I wanted to surprise Emma with a picnic lunch. Do you think you could put one together with some cheeses, meats, and other goodies?”
Jesse smiled. “I’d love to. I know most of Emma’s favorites,” she said and bent to remove several items from the counter display. “Let me get the basket from the back and I’ll load it up for you with some crackers, lemonade, and other treats.”
She rushed toward the small storage area tucked into one corner of the narrow space. The rasp of things being moved about on shelves filled the silence as Tomás finished his chore and Carlo waited, but not just for the picnic basket. He wanted an explanation from his brother as well as a promise he’d be mindful of Jesse’s situation.
When Jesse returned, she worked to assemble the lunch items and Tomás ambled out from behind the counter to wait, arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. His hea
d was downturned as he was clearly in avoidance mode.
A few minutes later, Jesse passed the small picnic basket over the counter to Carlo. “I packed some plates, cutlery, and glasses in there as well.”
“That’s great. What’s the damage?” he asked, but Jesse held her hand up to wave him off.
“My treat. You and Emma do so much for me. And a big thank you for the orders for next week that Tomás brought over. I’ll have everything ready for you in the next few days,” she said and glanced at Tomás nervously.
“I’ll swing by to pick it up,” Tomás said and straightened from the wall. “I’ll see you later,” he added, but made no effort for a more personal goodbye with the shop owner.
Jesse didn’t seem to take offense, possibly understanding that Tomás was uneasy with any public displays of affection.
“How about you give me a lift back to my car?” Carlo said, tucked the basket under one arm, and wrapped the other around his brother’s shoulders.
“Sure thing, mano. I have to get back and help Paolo anyway,” Tomás replied and walked with him to the door, where they broke apart since there was no way two men as big as them were going to exit side-by-side.
On the sidewalk, Tomás peered back into the store for a second before motioning his brother in the direction of the da Costa delivery van parked at the end of the block. As they walked toward the vehicle, Carlo noted the slight hitch in his brother’s stride.
“Knee giving you trouble today?” he asked, concerned for his brother in a number of ways.
With a chagrined smirk, Tomás shook his head. “Nope. Banged the good one on a shelf when you made your very inopportune entry.”
“It could have been a customer, mano,” Carlo chided.
Tomás looked around and held his hands out as if to say, “Where?”
Carlo tracked his brother’s gaze and realized he was right. It was late morning, but in the off season the locals and what few visitors were in Sea Kiss midweek didn’t seem to venture out until after twelve.
“She’s not the kind of woman you play around with,” Carlo warned, not that Tomás was normally the kind to mess around with a woman.
With a reluctant shrug, Tomás nodded. “Eu sei. Believe me. And I tell myself it doesn’t make any sense to get more involved with her when I’m not sure what I’m doing.”
Carlo understood, but that didn’t change the hurt that could happen. “She’s already lost one man in her life, mano.”
“Don’t you think I worry about that? About hurting her?” Tomás said and ran his fingers through the longish strands of his hair in frustration. It had grown out from his buzz cut in the weeks he’d been home.
Carlo wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulder again. “I trust you to do the right thing. Never doubt that.”
Tomás nodded and peered at Carlo from the corner of his eye. “And what about you? Are you going to do right by Emma?”
Carlo jiggled the basket under his arm. “I’m trying. It’s just hard to get past all the walls she’s put up.”
Tomás considered him thoughtfully for a long second. “Keep trying. And when the walls come tumbling down –”
“I’ll be the happiest man alive,” Carlo said with a smile.
Chapter 18
With a day free of appointments, Emma decided to straighten up the gowns in their stockroom, putting them back in order by color, style, and in some cases, designers for those brides who were dead set on having a gown by a “big name.”
She had just finished moving all the gowns by one of the designers into their own area along a far wall when a pale peach dress in the adjacent row caught her eye. She recalled ordering the sample on a whim since the color limited not only the season when it might be worn, but who might wear it. Dragging the gown off the rack, she removed the protective cover and walked with the dress to the full-length mirror at the far end of the stockroom. She held the gown against her body and pictured herself wearing it. Did a fanciful little swing of the skirts that sent them swaying back and forth.
The pale peach was perfect with her fair skin and strawberry blonde hair. It also deepened the color of her eyes, making them look as rich as a precious gem. The style was simple, but elegant with a strapless sweetheart neckline and a bodice that nipped in at the waist before flaring in waves of silk with an overlay of delicate tulle. A thick belt with intricate beadwork smoothed the transition from bodice to skirt.
So beautiful, she thought with a sigh and didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until a very male voice repeated the sentiment.
“Very beautiful,” Carlo said as he walked into the room, his gaze loving and intense.
She whipped the gown behind her to hide it from his gaze. If she should ever be a bride in that gown, she didn’t want bad luck. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
He held out a picnic basket. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well you did,” she said more curtly than she intended. “I’m sorry. You just caught me by surprise.” And in a moment that might reveal way too much that she wasn’t ready to admit to yet.
“Is it a bad time? I could go,” he said and gestured to the door with his head.
Wanting to make up for her earlier abruptness, she stepped close to him, rose on tiptoes and kissed him. “I’m happy to see you,” she said as she moved away, the gown still hidden behind her back.
“Wait for me in the showroom while I put this away and we can have lunch in my office. I don’t have any appointments this afternoon.”
Carlo nodded and sauntered out, leaving Emma to take one last glimpse at the dress before she hung it with the other gowns in vaguely similar hues, but even tucked in amongst them, it stood out beautifully. She hurried out to the showroom where Carlo stood patiently in the hall, the picnic basket tucked under one muscled arm.
She slipped her hand into his free one and playfully tugged it. “This was so nice of you. I needed a break from the stockroom.”
He bent, kissed her temple, and said, “And I needed to see you.”
“We were at the wedding on Saturday and went out last night,” she reminded, discreetly skipping over the Sunday morning after the wedding. But she was secretly pleased by his words.
“And that’s way not enough time together,” he said.
Warmth flooded her, but the fear that seemed to always be with her rose up as well. “You’re going to get bored of me,” she said, turned and walked toward her office. Just like her father had grown tired of them, she thought.
As they entered her office and she closed the door, he trapped her against the wall, cradled her cheek and said, “Never. I will never get bored of you.” And to prove it, he dipped his head down to take her lips in a searing kiss that soon had her holding on to him as her head whirled from its potency.
As he broke the kiss, he met her gaze, his dark and intense. “I know you think there’s something inside you here that’s broken,” he said and tenderly tapped a spot over her heart. “That makes you feel as if you’re not good enough for anyone, but that’s not true. It’s just not true,” he repeated for emphasis.
A hint of pain, his not hers, colored his words. “Why does it sound like you’re not talking just about me?” she said, slipped past him, and to the chairs in front of her desk.
Carlo followed and placed the picnic basket on her desktop. He urged her to sit and took hold of her hands. “Since our dating is all about learning about each other, I guess it’s about time I told you a little more about me. I was engaged once before. Her name was Alexandra, but we called her Sasha.”
“We?” she questioned with an arch of her brow.
“All of the family. She was one of the girls in the neighborhood and everyone always thought we’d end up together. We did, only Sasha had her own ideas about what our life should be like.”
“I guess you had different plans?” Emma asked, but couldn’t sit still to listen to his story. Nervous energy pumped through her at the thought there
had been someone else. Someone with whom he’d been involved seriously enough to ask her to marry him. She rose and busied herself by opening the picnic basket and removing the contents as Carlo continued his story.
“I told you before that Ricardo and Javier are my half-brothers. Their mother’s family were the owners of the bakery and my avô –” He paused at her questioning look. “My grandfather, actually my half-brothers’ grandfather. Avô never let the three of us forget that or that my mamãe wasn’t the right woman for his son-in-law. He was the exact opposite of my mamãe’s father who loved us to death.”
Emma set the bottle of lemonade from the basket onto her desk and leaned against the edge, bracing her hands on it to keep from reaching for him. “Is that why you started your own business?”
He nodded and his broad shoulders rose up and down in a nonchalant manner. “It was one of the reasons. Sasha thought I should join my half-brothers at the bakery and she never let up about it. I worked two jobs to help me raise the money to buy my first food truck and get it going, but that wasn’t good enough. Nothing I did was good enough because I could never be one of the owners of the bakery. That family was like Portuguese royalty on our stretch of Ferry Street. The epitome of the American Dream.”
She remembered him telling her that his family’s business was virtually an institution in the Ironbound and more than once she’d seen it picked as one of the top bakeries in New Jersey. Making the decision to leave that legacy . . .
She sat in the chair opposite him and this time she reached for his hands and held them, reassuring him with her touch and her words. “It takes a brave man to walk away from an easy life. You’ve built a wonderful business for yourself and your younger brothers. You should be so proud. I’m so proud.”
A half smile quirked up one side of his lips and awakened that tempting dimple. “It means a lot to me that you think that. Sasha didn’t hang around long once I stuck to my guns. As far as she was concerned, I wasn’t good enough. Her rejection stuck with me for a while, but in the end, I realized it was her loss that she couldn’t see the kind of person I really am.”
Never a Bride Page 15