by Adams, S. C.
As I reached the penthouse floor, the elevator opened into the hall. A bell boy was coming back the other direction. I stopped him for a moment.
“Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know where Vincent’s is?”
He looked at me for a second and then laughed, slapping me on the shoulder. “You’re already fitting in. Of course, I do. Silly question.”
I stood there flummoxed as he walked off. I was starting to think that I was being punked. Letting it go, I hurried into the penthouse and took a quick shower, letting the steam fill up the marble space.
Jumping out of the shower I threw on a pair of jeans and a blue button down. Using the hairdryer in the bathroom I tousled my hair back and forth and then spritzed on some cologne. Standing in front of the mirror I smiled at myself. Hopefully Abby would find me as hot in real life as she did at the doctor’s office. I had been in situations before where a girl was all about me in scrubs but as a normal guy, I wasn’t nearly as impressive.
I blamed the television dramas for that one. Making every doctor a handsome god who worked miracles every day was just crazy. In reality, it’s a whole lot of messy body fluids, embarrassed girls, and birth control talk. Even when I did work at a hospital, there weren’t many lifesaving moments, or at least not dramatic ones where I had to perform surgery in an old warehouse during a hurricane with a chisel and handheld saw.
Leaving the penthouse, I headed down to the front desk.
“Sir, you’re just in time,” a hotel employee said. “I think management told you we were pre-booked going forward? It means we’ll have to move you into one of our extended stay residences. I think you’ll like it.”
I raised my eyebrows at the young man.
“But will I like it more than the penthouse?”
The man looked down at his hands but then smiled.
“Some people like it more, actually. Our extended stay residences are free-standing buildings with a much homier touch.”
I laughed.
“Just kidding. Yeah, it’s fine. Are you guys going to move my stuff for me?”
The young man nodded.
“Yes, we’ll come up for your luggage, and get everything done for you in a jiffy. You won’t even notice. Here’s the key to your new place.”
I looked at the golden key in my hand. It was fine. I’m used to moving around and hadn’t even unpacked my bags.
“Thanks. Can you point me to the concierge, by the way?”
“Sure,” the hotel employee smiled. “Right over there.”
I thanked him again and made my way over to a middle-aged man standing behind a wooden podium.
“Hi, I have a question.”
The concierge smiled, putting his hands behind his back. “Yes, Dr. Rivington?”
“Do you know where Vincent’s Pizzeria is?” I asked, holding my breath.
The concierge did not look amused.
“Do I have to say it sir?”
I blinked several times.
“You aren’t going to tell me?”
He sighed and put on a fake smile.
“Of course, I do. Silly question.”
I rubbed my face groaning.
“I don’t know what it is with people in this town. But I literally have plans to meet someone in ten minutes at Vincent’s Pizzeria. I am not from here. I don’t know where to go.”
The concierge’s face dropped.
“Come with me to the desk.”
I followed him over hoping to God he had Vincent’s hiding under the counter because my irritation level was rising. He pulled a brochure from behind the counter and slid it across to me. There was a guy on the front smiling next to a little girl shrugging dramatically. Both of them were laughing. The concierge waited until I looked up.
“I see where the confusion has set in, sir. Vincent’s has been here since 1967. They were the first family owned business to have a commercial on our local broadcasting channels. The commercial was simple. Several video seconds of delicious-looking pizzas and then Mr. Vincent and his daughter Annabelle. He would say, ‘Do you know where Vincent’s is?’ And his daughter would giggle and in the most frightful voice squeal out, ‘Of course I do. Silly question.’”
I let my shoulders relax a moment. “And the dialogue became famous and now the town all knows it.”
The concierge nodded. “Precisely, sir. But you have a meeting so let’s get you there. I’ll have a car come around. It’s only six blocks but it will be quicker to drive.”
“Thank you,” I replied, pushing the brochure back at him.
That had to be the dumbest line I’d ever heard. But then again, whole towns are literally built off the backs of someone or some show that was famous. That was how they made their income. Tourists.
The car was already out front when I walked outside. I hopped in and the driver took off. The concierge took the liberty of telling him my destination so I didn’t have to deal with the Vincent’s debacle anymore.
When we got there, Vincent’s looked like a shiny diner. There was a lot of chrome on the outside with neon signs and a huge sculpture of an Italian man tossing a pizza out front. There were kids running around and families laughing, enjoying their pizza.
Any other time in my life I would have bolted in the other direction, but when a horde of kids parted, there she was. Abby stood, her hands in front of her, that thick dark hair in waves down around her shoulders. She was wearing a Baltimore Orioles t-shirt, a pair of jeans rolled up at the cuffs, and a pair of black sandals. Her toes were painted a dainty color pink that until that moment I hadn’t realized matched her fingernails.
Abby turned toward me, her cheeks rosy red, her eyes shimmering, and her lips plump and glossy. Her eyes connected with mine and I felt something jolt in my chest. As soon as she saw me her face lit up, a welcome I wasn’t used to getting. Sure, I get a lot of attention, but not for the right reasons. Mostly because I was a rich doctor with a nice car and good genes. Not because women were genuinely happy to see me.
But Abby’s smile was infectious and I immediately grinned back. As I walked forward, I almost took out three kids who darted in front of me. Across the way, Abby giggled, watching me stride toward her, maneuvering through the outdoor tables with large striped umbrellas.
Our body language was magnetic. Both of us reached for the other, feeling that solid connection between us. I pulled her in for a hug and breathed in her scent. She smelled absolutely amazing, delicious and sweet with her own female fragrance.
“You’re late,” she pouted playfully.
“Yes, well, no one would tell me where Vincent’s was,” I grumped.
She furrowed her brow. “What? Why not?”
I let out a deep dramatic sigh. “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say, ‘Do you know where Vincent’s is?’”
She stared at me for a moment and then clapped her hand over her mouth laughing. Her eyes clenched shut and her nose wrinkled as she laughed silently at first, before bursting into fits. I stuck my bottom lip out and crossed my arms.
Abby patted the air, trying to breathe through the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Oh man. I have to be honest, that was not on purpose. But now that it’s happened, it’s probably the best unintended consequence of inviting you to my world. I can still hear that little girl’s voice in my head.”
I let up on my fake frown and grinned.
“I haven’t seen it at all and I too hear that little girl’s voice in my head.”
Abby glanced over at the restaurant.
“Well, brace yourself. You’re about to learn all of that in a crash course. They replay that ad inside over and over.”
I reached out and opened the glass doors on the building, bowing in jest.
“I can’t wait. I’ve always wanted to be surrounded by creepy little girls while eating my pizza.”
She patted me on the chest as she walked through.
“Loosen up a bit. It’s beautiful out, and you’re with me. Vincent’s has amazing pizza. Did I mention, you’re with me?”
I walked in behind her, keeping my pseudo-sarcastic tone. “Nope. Don’t think you did.”
Abby giggled as we walked up to the hostess. I held up two fingers. “Two please.”
The hostess couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old. She looked me up and down like a steak and then tittered as she gathered the menus and walked us to our seats. She sat one menu down at my seat and handed Abby’s to her.
“Chrissy will be over in a minute to take your order.”
I smiled at my gorgeous date. We both opened our menus but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was absolutely beautiful, with her flushed cheeks and curly hair. Suddenly, I knew this was more than a fling; this was something real.
9
Abby
The whole Vincent’s thing couldn’t have worked out better. I seriously had no idea that it would happen. I figured enough people knew Ryder was new in town that they would realize he wasn’t just walking around repeating the commercial over and over again. I had to admit though, the scenario was hilarious to me. I was still trying to control myself enough to not laugh at him.
I cleared my throat and put the menu down. “I want to ask you a question.”
He smirked. “Okay. Shoot.”
I furled my brow, trying to look as serious as I could. “I have a very important question for you. Now, this question is usually reserved for later on. The kind of question a girl asks herself before she accepts a ring. Are you sure you’re ready for it?”
He shrugged a little, trying to look casual, but then pushed his shoulders forward. “Right. Got it. But you think it’s important to know now.”
I tilted my head back and forth. “It’s more essential to the happiness of our dinner than anything else. So here it is. Are you ready?”
He nodded faster, chuckling a little. I breathed deeply in and closed my eyes as I let the air back out of my lungs. “What are your feelings about pineapple on top of a pizza?”
I could see him visibly let out a deep breath. He thought about it for a second and then shrugged.
“I’ll just throw caution to the wind here and tell the truth. I believe that pineapple on pizza is the best invention ever created. And while I do like ham, I prefer either bacon, or having the savory part be something like mushrooms and green peppers.”
My face was perfectly still for several intense seconds and I finally gave in. With a huge smile I nodded my head. “You just might be okay after all. Is there anything you don’t eat?”
He pursed his lips, his eyes shifting around the restaurant. “Pepperoni. I don’t eat pepperoni.”
With a giggle I nodded. “Alright, no pepperoni on our pizza then. I mean it is the most widely chosen pizza topping. But for you I will make an exception,” I said with a queenly air.
He chuckled. “Thank you.”
When the waitress came back, I ordered my favorite pizza, a large deep dish with extra cheese, pineapple, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and Canadian bacon. The waitress, a girl I knew from grade school, eyed Ryder and then winked at me before walking away. Luckily when I looked over at him, he didn’t seem to have noticed it at all.
He tapped the table like drum and then pointed at me. “Okay Abby. Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?”
I smiled, putting my elbows on the table and pressing my palms together. “Well, I grew up here in Farmington. I currently rent the apartment that is located above my mother’s garage. That’s right, I pay rent to her.”
There was no judgment in his eyes. “That’s cool. You get your own place but you help pay bills for your mom. I don’t blame you for that. Are you still in college?”
Ugh, the college question. I sucked it up and held my pride.
“No. I’ve been working for a call center in town for almost two years now, ever since I graduated high school. Part of the money I make goes into an account to pay for things because we don’t have much. My mom is a single mom and she works as a secretary for a construction firm two towns over. With me and my little sister, my mom can’t afford to put me through more school.”
Again, there was no judgment in his look at all. At that moment, the waitress came and dropped off a pizza stand and our drinks. When she was gone, I awkwardly took a sip of my diet soda and continued. If I was serious about getting to know Ryder, I had to open up to him as well, so I took a deep breath.
“Then there’s my poor sad daddy story. He was around for three years of my life, and two days after my sister Melody was born, he disappeared. Bon voyage. Never to be seen again. From an early age I knew my mom was going to rely on me for stuff, but I swear I don’t have daddy issues.”
Ryder snorted and then looked at me mortified.
“I’m sorry, my snort wasn’t directed at you. Sorry. That was more directed at me because maybe I have parental issues. Me and my sis, Pam, we’re pretty much orphans. My mother was a surgeon, and my father was a tinkering scientist. He worked for a big university during the day and at night in his lab at home. One day they went to run some errands with me and Pam at home, and never came back. A car accident took their lives. We were teenagers so we went and stayed with friends and family until going off to college.”
Instantly my heart went out to him. There was a big difference in someone not being there because they left versus, they died. I know that everyone has baggage, but I really didn’t predict this coming from Ryder. I expected him to have some rich parents in a big mansion in some hills somewhere. Not two dead parents.
“Where is your sister?” I asked.
“Florida,” he said, his tone showing he was glad to change the subject. “Yeah, my sis lives out there with her husband and their two kids. My niece and nephew. They have the best marriage and are always happy. It feels good knowing that she’s taken care of.”
“I’m sure,” I said in a slight shock. “I’m sorry you lost your parents. I can’t even imagine what that must be like. I should never have said anything about mine.”
Ryder shook his head, reaching over and cupping his hand over mine. “Everyone weathers their own storms. So we both have sad stories. It’s not a competition, and it shouldn’t be.”
His words made sense, but it still didn’t take away that ball of anxiousness from my chest. Luckily, before any kind of awkward silence could set in, the waitress was back with the pizza. I could see Ryder’s eyes go wide. The thing was huge. I served him a piece and waited for him to try it. His expression was ecstatic.
Laughing I took a bite of mine. “I told you, I am genius. When it comes to food, at least.”
“Genius, beautiful, funny. You got it going on,” he replied.
My cheeks felt hot and I giggled as I looked down. I changed the subject quickly, never having really been paid compliments except by my bestie and my mother. When it came to men, I was more than a little underqualified to hold it together.
Still, I didn’t want there to be awkward silence. “My mom, when I was about twelve, and my sister was nine, would bring us here once a month to eat pizza. My sister was always oblivious to how hard my mom worked, but my mom wanted to make it nice for my sister. I made sure everyone was smiling the whole time because I wanted things to be special.”
He smiled at me. “Your mom sounds like she loves her daughters. My mom was a really sweet woman too. She was one of those people that was always smiling, even when it was hard. She hugged everyone. My dad was tough but so was his father, and his father. It was all he knew.”
“Do you miss them?” I asked, instantly realizing it was a stupid question.
He shrugged, wiping his mouth. “I do sometimes, when everything is fine and dandy. But most of the time, that part of my life really just seems like a dream sequence. Like some movie I watched when I was younger or something. I think I blocked out the pain as a teenager and then I became numb to it
. My sister is a little older than me, and it still takes a toll on her.”
While my father wasn’t dead, and my mother was still with me, I could sort of relate. I grew up with a desire to have a father figure around because my own abandoned me. And since Mom was so busy with work, I never saw her. That wasn’t the right thing to say though. I could feel it. So, instead, we sat there comfortably for a bit, eating, listening to the music playing, and laughing at the kids running wild around the place.
After a couple of slices, he sat back in his chair. “So, where to next?”
“Well,” I said with a grin. “If you give this place just fifteen more minutes, it turns into a nightclub. The bar goes up, pizza goes down, and people start to dance, laugh, and get crazy. Two birds with one stone.”
He looked around the room, amazed. I could understand how it was hard to imagine. Vincent’s was bright and loud with wild children hopped up on soda and carbs. They looked like little beasts. But I’ve been here after hours many times since I turned eighteen, and it definitely became a different place. It became fun. At least I hoped it would be. I didn’t want to bomb out on our first date.
Ryder popped a piece of pizza crust in his mouth and nodded. “I can see it. We’re going to get wild at Vincent’s.”
I burst out laughing. “That sounds like some silly television sitcom. I will not be diminished to a sitcom star.”
“Would you rather it be a soap opera?” he asked.
I giggled harder and harder as he began to talk in an uppity high-pitched voice, slinging a fake shawl over his shoulder.
“These are moments of our lives,” he said dramatically. “Vincent’s Pizza Parlor was more than a place to chow, it held Victoria’s heart and her darkest secret. The baby she had with the dishwasher, Juan Alvarez.”
Putting my hand to my chest I gasped. “How could she?”