A wide smile stretched across Ro's face. She slapped her hands over her chest, batting her eyes. "What? For me?"
The Queen of all Things Fabulous on her triumphant return.
"Yes, for you," Lucie said. "You've got a big mouth, but we missed you."
"Big mouth," Felix said.
Ro's mom and dad rushed forward, her mother throwing her arms up. "My baby!"
"Here we go again," Lucie's mom muttered.
Lucie stepped back, out of the line of fire, before Mrs. B. mowed her over.
Mr. B. followed, wrapping his arms around both of them. "My girls."
Lucie's chest locked up and she forced a breath. Of all the screwy situations she'd been involved in these past months, nothing compared to this one. To possibly losing Ro. The full brunt of it, the heavy weight of that loss, finally hit her.
"Don't fucking do it! 5511! Piss off!"
Felix's rant momentarily silenced the room, but then a cheer went out, everyone clapping for their unlikely hero. Ro peeled away from the crowd and walked to the cage, tapping her finger on it.
"Hey, little man," she said, "thank you."
The bird cocked his head, stared at Ro with his black little eyes and squawked. "Vaffanculo!"
Beside Lucie, Jimmy Two-Toes winced and she growled at him for what had to be the tenth time.
"Ohmygod," Ro said. "Did this little turd just tell me to go F myself? In Italian?"
Ohmygod was right. Lucie had let dad's crazy crew take Felix to Petey's for an hour while she got everything for the party set up, and look what happened.
Lucie whirled, flapping her arms. "Jimmy! Stop teaching him that stuff."
"Sorry, Luce. But, you know, it's handy sometimes."
Ro turned back to the crowd. "Who'd have thought this little guy would help get me out of the clink? Only the best for him now."
Mom held up her hands. "Everyone, in the kitchen. Food is ready."
Good old Mom. Always handling the big appetites. Lucie had wanted to cater this shin-dig, but Mom wouldn't hear of it. She loved Ro like her own. No store bought food would do for this occasion.
While Ro was processed out of the county lockup, Mom whipped up a feast for forty. An assignment not a lot of women could handle.
Ro went straight to Mom, squeezing her into a hug. "Thank you. This is the best homecoming ever."
"You know I'm happy to do it," Mom said. "This was special. I made your favorite mousse cake. It was a rush job, though, so I'm not promising it'll be any good."
Ro backed away from the hug. "It'll be perfect. Did I mention I think I lost a few pounds while in jail?"
And it begins...
While the crowd shuffled into the break room, Tim wandered up next to Lucie and dropped an arm over her shoulder. "How long do you think it’ll take her to weigh herself?"
"At least until she gets home. I ditched the scale she had hidden in the supply closet. I wouldn't be surprised if she stopped at the jail’s infirmary to check before she left."
"Women."
Lucie tipped her head up and grinned. "It's oddly comforting. I've missed her." She tugged on his suit jacket. "Thank you for helping. That battle with Lorraine may not have ended well for me if you hadn't busted in there."
"Luce, believe me, I've seen you in action. You're small, but mighty. You'd have taken her."
Oh, way to work a girl. She went up on tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "And can I tell you? That whole kicking in the door thing? H-O-T. If all goes well here, you'll get lucky tonight, detective."
Behind them, the doggie bells jangled and Frankie rushed in. A weird pulsing seized her stomach.
"Damn," he said, staring at the crowd huddled in the hallway. "She's here already? I missed it?"
Lucie straightened her shoulders, making sure not to pull too far from Tim. Months of conversation had clued her in to his vulnerabilities over Frankie, and he needed to know he was her guy.
"You're fine," Lucie said. "She got here a few minutes ago."
"Freaking traffic."
He strode toward them in his usual confident Frankie style and held his hand to Tim. The two men shook and that weird pulsing kicked in again.
This was...weird. Only word for it.
"Hi, Frankie," Tim said. "Good to see you."
Oh, boy.
"Lucie." Ro appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen area. "You need to eat."
She spotted Frankie, let out a scream that should have cracked the ceiling, and charged. Hips swinging, boobs bouncing, hair flying. Ro. In the flesh. All of it made Lucie smile.
Over the years, Ro and Frankie's relationship could best be described as...intense. They took pride in harassing each other and one-upping snide comments. But down deep? Love. Camaraderie.
"Charm boy!" Ro threw her arms around him, knocking him back a full step. "What are you doing here?"
"Please," he said, "you in lockup? I wasn't missing that. Hell, I may write a book and make millions off you."
"Vaffanculo," Felix wailed.
Frankie cracked up. "Who the hell taught him that?"
"Jimmy. Who do you think?"
"Unbelievable."
"I know," Ro said. "And he totally used it in context, because that's exactly what I was thinking."
But she was smiling and so was Frankie. It brought Lucie—and her emotions—back. Back to when she and Frankie were, well, Lucie and Frankie. The dream team the neighborhood thought would get married and pop out a bunch of babies.
Except perfect wasn't so perfect. Now here they were, Frankie living half a country away and Lucie cuddled up with Tim.
While Frankie and Ro had their reunion, Lucie glanced up at her handsome Irish detective. He watched her, his look flat-lipped and pensive.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Me? Fine. You?"
She bumped him with her shoulder. "I'm great."
Tim didn't look like he believed it.
"Luce," Ro said, "come on. Let's eat. I've been fed gruel for three days. I swear I'll never complain about your mother making me fat again."
Ha. That'd be the day. "As if I believe that?"
But Lucie let Ro thread her arm through hers and lead her toward the break room. She glanced over her shoulder at Frankie and Tim. "You boys coming?"
Tim hung back.
In the two times he'd seen Frankie since the drama of Buzzy's death began, he’d had been nothing but respectful. Still, palpable tension couldn't be denied.
Frankie stood in front of Felix's cage, lightly tapping on it. "This guy will fit right in around here. Hard to believe he gave Lucie the password to that tablet."
Ah, so Frankie knew about that. Had Lucie told him? Or Joey? Tim wanted to believe the information came from Joey. Really, he'd be happy if Lucie never talked to Frankie again.
Crappy? Yes. He didn't care. He wanted all of Lucie, and Frankie's presence distracted her. She'd never admitted it, but Tim sensed it. The way her mind drifted in Frankie's presence, the distance and confusion. Heavy baggage, that.
Frankie gave up on the bird and turned to Tim. "You know I love her, right?"
No doubt who the “her” in that statement was.
"There's a lot to love. You know I love her, right?"
Frankie sighed. "I do now." He propped himself on the edge of Ro's desk and crossed his arms. "I'd hoped it wasn't serious between you two. Easy to do from New York. I asked her to come with me and keep hoping she'll change her mind."
What Frankie expected Tim to say, he wasn't sure. He kept it simple and stayed silent.
"She wanted to stay here," Frankie said. "All that time she'd begged me to leave Franklin and she winds up staying. Go figure."
Following the other man's lead, Tim sat on the edge of Lucie's desk, resting his hands at his sides, the two of them literally faced off across the aisle. "She has a dream for this place. Knows what she wants. She couldn't leave the business or the employees."
"I know." A simple agreement.
No pissing match here. Just two guys in love with the same woman.
Tim jerked his thumb to the right. "She keeps the Fortune 500 logo taped to the inside of her desk drawer. Says it keeps her motivated."
Frankie laughed. "That's her."
For a minute, he stared down at his shoes, more than likely considering where he wanted to take this conversation. Tim? Considering he hadn't started this, he'd wait Frankie out.
Eventually, Frankie stood. "I'm not giving up on her. We've broken up and gotten back together more times than we can count. We always find our way back."
Never one to let a man assume the power position, Tim stood and met Frankie's eye. "In the past, yes. Now? Don't be too sure. I'm not going anywhere."
"I guess we're both clear on it then."
Tim stepped forward and extended his hand. Frankie accepted the gesture, the two of them shaking hands in that age-old competitive way that let the other know a bloody brawl would ensue.
Well, Frankie could bring it on. Tim was sure as hell not giving Lucie up without a fight.
By 11:00 p.m., the party animals, having had an abundance of good food and entertainment ala Felix, all left the shop in search of their beds. Lucie couldn't blame them. She loved her friends and family, but as a whole they were high-maintenance.
At least Jimmy had given up teaching Felix Italian swear words, opting instead for Vic Damone songs.
A day in the life of Lucie Rizzo.
She glanced over at the conference table where Tim sat in one of the cushy leather chairs, head back and eyes closed. Poor guy was beat.
Ro emerged from the break room with Joey on her heels, his eyes glued to her rear. "Listen," he said, "don't take too long. I gotta talk to Frankie for a few minutes and then we're leaving. It was a bitch of a week and I'm tired."
Ro flapped her hand at him. "Blah, blah. I've been locked up for days. We'll go when I'm ready."
Ah, yes. Normalcy. A beautiful thing.
Ro paused at her desk as Joey marched out the shop door. She let out a laugh. "He thinks he's had a rough week?"
Lucie smiled. "Now that you're back, he's re-establishing his boundaries."
"Ha! I'll give him boundaries." Ro’s lips quirked as she stared through the glass where Joey and Frankie stood on the sidewalk. Joey and Ro. A match made in heaven.
"Hey," Lucie said, "when you're done mooning over my brother, I need to discuss something with you."
"Should I leave?" Tim asked. "I can wait outside."
"No. You can hear this."
Ro straightened the pencil cup on her desk, then fiddled with the stapler and tape dispenser before sitting down. "It feels so good to be home and talking to you. You have no idea."
"It's great to have you back."
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"The stolen designs."
"Ugh. Way to ruin my mood."
Good old Ro. "No. It's okay. Before Lorraine went psycho on me today, we chatted about your designs."
"The ones those thieving bitches stole?"
From his spot at the conference table, Tim sighed. Who could blame him?
"Yes. Those. Lorraine offered us a fifty-fifty revenue split on sales. Plus, Coco Barknell would get full design credit. I'm assuming, even with everything that's gone on, she'll keep her word because we can still ruin their reputation."
Ro sat back and pursed her lips. The skeptical face. "Really."
"Yes. Really."
"But they're not admitting they're thieving bitches?"
"Uh, no. Sorry."
When it came to Buzzy and receiving justice, Ro might never be satisfied. In Lucie's mind? Growing their business with the help of Buzzy's—God rest her soul—marketing power might be the best form of justice around.
Ro twisted her lips one way, then the other. "Well, what do you think?"
"Remember, I'm the numbers person. Are you sure you want my opinion?"
Snoring noises ensued. How was it possible Lucie had missed all this?
"You think we should do it."
"It stinks that they stole our—your—designs. I don't know that either of us will ever feel good about that. We need to find the upside, though, and I think the volume of sales we'd get by partnering with Buzzy's company will be exorbitantly more than we'd get on our own. At this juncture anyway. Add the name recognition, and—aside from them being thieving beyotches—I can't find a lot wrong with it."
Ro opened her mouth and Lucie held her hand up. "I'm not done. I may not mind this deal, but they're your designs. They stole them from you. If you want, we'll walk away and either sue them, or demand the designs back."
"You'd do that?"
Without question. Lucie had spent the whole of her adult life letting her father's lifestyle eat away at her. Little by little, like acid in her belly, tearing her apart while she plastered on a pleasant face and disregarded the devastating rumors and whispers. As much as she wanted to believe she'd been able to ignore it all, it came with a price. An angry price. One she didn't want Ro to pay. "Roseanne, I love you. I want you to be happy. Absolutely, without a doubt, I’ll support whatever decision you make."
Ro blinked a few times then swiveled her chair sideways. "O'Hottie, what do you think?"
Later, Lucie would give Ro a giant smooch and maybe even kiss her Gucci-clad feet for including him. As much as he refused to admit it, Frankie's appearance this week had rattled him. Outside of reassuring Tim that she loved him, she wasn't sure how to make the Frankie issue disappear.
Frankie would always have a place in her heart. Didn't mean she'd throw Tim over for him.
Tim tilted his head one way then the other. "If it were me, based on the plans you two have for growing the business, the marketing aspects of a partnership with Buzzy's company alone could take you to the next level. I'd take the fifty percent and get ready to cash the checks."
A loud knock sounded against the glass. Joey. Ape man ready to leave.
"Now he's rushing me?" Ro shot out of her chair and poked a finger at him. "Quit banging and go slap yourself."
Her brother laughed. Laughed.
Idiot.
These two. Perfect for each other.
"Think about it," Lucie said. "We have time. Lorraine certainly isn't going anywhere."
Ro grabbed her coat from the fancy coat rack she'd put in the corner near her desk. "No. Make the deal. Let’s just get this done with. After the hell of this week, I want a fresh start. Besides, I have plenty more designs we can capitalize on."
Whoot! Lucie envisioned a small mountain of money. All that happy green stuff piling up. Hot-diggity-dog. If this deal went the way she hoped, Ro would get more than a raise. She'd get a partnership. A stake in Coco Barknell. True partners. Something that meant more than a silly raise. A partnership represented love and trust and...faith. In Ro.
All things Lucie had in spades.
"I'll make the deal," she said.
Joey shoved the door open, sending the doggie bells jingling. “Sometime today?”
"Oh, I'm coming. Keep your shorts on."
He held his hand out. A sweet and un-Joey like gesture that indicated there might be hope for him. Her brother. The mush.
Tim blew out a hard breath. "Gotta say, as weird as they are, it works."
"I know. If I think too long about it, my head will explode."
Tim laughed. "Are you ready to go? Want to clean up the back before we leave?"
They'd sent all the food home with various people and had washed whatever dishes needed tending, but the break room required straightening. Folding table broken down, paper products stored, a good sweep. She just didn't have it in her to do it tonight. "Nah. I'll do it tomorrow. I think I promised my man he might get lucky."
"Wow. You're going to leave that mess? For me?"
Always. "When it comes to you, O'Hottie, you'd better believe it."
"Luce?"
"Yes?"
"I talked to Frankie."
"About?"
"You." He put his hands up. "He started it. You know me. I don't talk about us to anyone without your okay. He wanted me to know he still loves you."
Oh, Frankie. How many different ways could he break her heart?
In the four years they'd been a couple, heartbreak on both sides had been continuous. They'd run the gamut of emotions. Ups and downs aplenty.
With Tim? None of that. Just fun. And laughter. And great sex with a guy who gave her tingles every time she got within ten feet.
"I see," she said. "What did you say?"
"I let him know that I loved you too." He leaned down and kissed her, a slow brush of his lips that curled her toes. He backed away and smiled. "I also told him I wasn't going anywhere. That is, of course, unless you send me packing."
She gripped his jacket, yanked him down for another kiss. "No way, O'Hottie. I'm not setting you loose. Who else could put up with the nonsense my life entails?"
"You are slowly killing me."
"I know. I'm sorry."
He draped an arm over her shoulder and started for the door. "Don't be. Before you, my life was boring. I kinda like this newfound adventure that comes with loving Lucie Rizzo."
They reached the door and Lucie slapped the light switch on the inside wall, drenching the shop in darkness.
Her place. Her man.
Life as Lucie Rizzo, mob princess, was looking up.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Josie and Fannie Palmer (a.k.a. The Ninja Bitches) for providing me with years of great material for my stories. Sadly, during the course of writing this book, both Josie and Fannie moved on to doggie heaven. Josie and Fannie were littermates and lived to be sixteen years old. Sixteen! My dear friends Kevin and Cindy lost their precious girls within three monthsof each other and, as all pet owners will understand, the loss was heartbreaking. Still, “the girls” provided a ton of love and laughter and I will always be grateful Cindy and Kevin allowed me to share them with my readers.
Thanks also to Tony Iacullo who continually provides me with legal angles I can use in my books. A big thank you to Scott Silverii who jokingly floated a title idea of Dog Collar Coitus and inadvertently gave me an idea for a dog who wound up saving a scene. Thanks also to Liliana Hart for the support and for sharing her knowledge. You guys are the best! To my editor, Gina Bernal, thank you for helping me transform my ideas into something I can be proud of.
Dog Collar Chaos Page 19