When Smiles Fade

by Paige Dearth

  “Hey, Miss Bossy!” Emma called out. “Maybe if you say ‘please’ they’ll listen to you.”

  “But Aunt Em,” Izzy complained, “they said I didn’t know how to cook, that I’m too little! Tell them that I can cook. They’re really making me mad!”

  Salvatore looked at his two childhood friends. “You two better be careful before Izzy really gives it to you!” he quipped. “If I were you, I’d be scared silly. Besides, Izzy knows how to cook. So why don’t we go in the living room while the ladies prepare breakfast for us.”

  “Fine,” Tony said in a teasing manner, “but only if I get a lot of bacon, crispy bacon.”

  Vincent joined in on the fun. “And I want potatoes, well done. Make sure they’re nice and brown, will ya?”

  With the men out of the kitchen, the girls started to cook breakfast. For the first time, Emma felt as if she and Izzy were in a place where they belonged.

  After breakfast, Tony pulled Emma aside. “Hey, Em, I need your help.”

  “Sure, what’s up?” she responded, wondering what he could possibly need from her but happy she could return all the kindness he had showered on Izzy and her.

  Tony didn’t mince words when he spoke. “My sister Macie, well, she needs a little help. Ya see how ugly she makes herself look. I’m scared if she don’t do somethin’ ’bout that appearance of hers, she’ll end up an old spinster. Listen, between you and me, she’s thirty-one years old and I don’t think she’s ever been laid. I was thinkin’ you could take her out and pick some nice outfits for her. Maybe get her hair done up real nice and teach her how to use some makeup so she don’t look dead all the time. Hey, you could take her to get paint on her nails. Ya know, spruce her up so maybe a man will come along and want to marry her or somethin’. I need ya to make her womanly. Could you do that for me?”

  Emma was amused at his description of all the fixing up he believed his sister needed and touched that he loved her enough to ask someone to help her. “Of course I’ll do that for you, Tony. We can make it a special day together, just her and me. How about tomorrow? Can you be here with Izzy?”

  “Yeah, sure, tomorrow. That’s real good. I like that. I don’t know how much I like babysitting, but hey, how bad can it be, right?” he asked, looking for Emma to tell him it wasn’t a big deal to watch Izzy. But instead she laughed at him and left the room to call Macie.

  Emma told Macie that she was tired of being stuck in the apartment and needed some “girl time,” which made Macie chuckle out loud. “So I was thinking we could go shopping, get our hair done, and, you know, just hang out and do things that girls like to do.”

  Flattered and excited at the thought of spending time with Emma, she agreed quickly.

  Salvatore called an acquaintance of his at Nordstrom to let them know that Emma and Macie were coming in. “Make sure they get treated real good. I want them to be taken care of and get all the attention they need. It’s your job to send them home happy. Understand?” he told the man who managed the store, who assured him that everything would be perfect.

  When the two girls arrived at the store they were immediately escorted into a private area. Emma quietly told the salesladies to focus on Macie. Once out of the old lady garb that Macie normally wore, Emma noted that she had a nice figure. She hosted a healthy round ass, hourglass curves, and perky breasts. Macie was elated as she watched her own transformation. After they had bought nearly a dozen outfits for Macie they were taken to another room where they were greeted by a hair and makeup stylist. By the time they were finished, the girls were high on excitement. It had been a fun day, and while Macie didn’t say too much the whole time, the perpetual smile on her lips told Emma she had done a good thing.

  As they walked through the apartment door they were greeted by Isabella. “Macie! You look beautiful. What did you do?” she blurted.

  “Your Aunt Emma took me out to buy some clothes and get my hair done. Do you like it?” she asked, feeling a little self-conscious about how different she looked.

  “I love it!” Izzy told her.

  Just then Tony and Vincent entered the foyer. “Well now, look at you,” Tony said to his sister. “You clean up real good,” he went on in an attempt to flatter her.

  “Thanks,” his sister replied bashfully.

  Vincent was watching Macie from a distance. When he was back in the kitchen with Tony cooking linguini and clams, he looked at his friend hard. “What the fuck are you lookin’ at, Vin?”

  “Listen, Tony. Macie was lookin’ real nice when she came home. I was wunderin’…I was just thinkin’ maybe I’d ask her out on a date. Who knew she looked like that under all that grandma shit she’s always wearin’? How ’bout it? You think that’d be okay?” Vincent finished.

  “Oh yeah? So now ya wanna take my sister on a date, huh? Yeah, well, I guess that’ll be all right. But you need to ask her yourself. And I want ya to be real nice about it too. She ain’t never been out on a date before so don’t go acting like an asshole,” he ordered.

  “Who me? When did ya ever know me to be an asshole, Tone?” Vincent mocked, pretending to punch his friend in the stomach.

  “You’re always an asshole, Vin. Just don’t be one to my sister or I’ll lace your fuckin’ pasta with laxatives so you can’t leave the bathroom for a week,” he joked.

  Later that day, after Macie had gone home, Tony found Emma sitting on one of the large sofas reading. “Em, thanks for what ya did for Macie today. She was real happy. Vincent thought she looked good too. He’s gonna ask her out on a date.”

  Emma got off the sofa and stood on tiptoe to give Tony a kiss on his cheek. “No problem, Tony. It was a lot of fun actually.”

  “Well, if ya ever need a favor, just let me know.” he offered.

  “Hmmm, now that you mention it, I do want you to show me how to make that lasagna you cooked the other night,” she told him.

  “Consider it done. I’ll show ya how to make it tomorrow. That sound good?” he asked.

  “Sure, Tony. Tomorrow is good,” Emma responded, excited at the prospect of learning a new recipe that Salvatore would enjoy.

  As he left her standing in the room by herself it became clear to her that every day with Salvatore was good. She was good. Izzy was good. Salvatore was good. Everything just seemed too good to be true.

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  Four months later, the three were still enjoying a blissful existence. Emma talked every week with Katie. After everything had happened that night with Ethan and Pete, Katie had put all of their belongings in a storage unit that Salvatore had rented for her. Emma had also been in touch with Brianna, who had met a guy from the US Air Force. She was planning to move in two weeks to Germany, where he was stationed.

  “Bri, you’re out of your fucking mind!” Emma had exclaimed. “Why are you moving across the fucking globe? You haven’t even known him that long!”

  Brianna had felt deeply insulted. “You know what, Em?” she had shot back. “You’re also living with some guy you barely know. Fuck, he didn’t even ask you to move in! You just went there and never left. Stop being such a bitch! I need you to be happy for me. Now do you want us to get together before I head out or what?”

  Emma had felt guilty about upsetting the friend who had once sacrificed everything for Gracie and her. “Of course we’re going to get together!” she had assured Brianna. “Hey, I’ll see if Salvatore can hook us up with something special to do in the city. You can come for the weekend and we’ll make it a two-day party! How’s that sound?”

  “That sounds like the Em I know and love!” Brianna had said, mollified. “Let’s plan on next weekend. I can’t wait to see Izzy either!” she added excitedly before hanging up the phone.

  As it turned out, Salvatore was preoccupied with work the following weekend. He worked every other weekend, which meant Emma and Izzy were alone in the apartment, except for the presence of Tony and Vincent, who came in to cook or check on them. Emma missed Salvatore when
he was gone all weekend, but he had insisted that he needed to do his part for the family business. She understood and didn’t ride him about it, but missed him nonetheless. Brianna’s decision to spend the weekend with her was therefore a cause for celebration. Salvatore made the necessary arrangements at the restaurant and impossible-to-get-into nightclubs. He also arranged for Macie to stay with Izzy.

  When Brianna arrived at the apartment, she couldn’t believe the style in which Emma lived.

  “Fuck, man!” she said, wide-eyed. “If I met a guy who could let me live like this, I’d never leave either. Girl, you hit the fucking jackpot with this one!” In the very next moment, she grew serious. “Does he hit you, Em?” she asked in a whisper. “Is he mean to you?”

  “No, Bri, he doesn’t. I know that’s hard to believe, considering that every other man in my life abused the shit out of me. But no, he never has. He’s gentle and loving with me. He never raises his voice and we get along so well. We started out with this great friendship and now it has turned into this thing that’s so fuckin’ awesome. We eat at great restaurants and he buys me stuff all the time,” Emma explained.

  “Does he talk about getting married and having kids?” Brianna asked, her tone envious.

  “Nah, we don’t talk about that shit,” Emma said nonchalantly. “I don’t really care. I never really saw myself getting married. So I don’t think about it. As far as kids go, I don’t want to have any. I have Izzy and that’s enough.”

  “Well, whatever works for you guys,” Brianna said.

  At the end of the weekend, when it was time for her to leave for the airport, the two stood in the foyer and embraced for a long time. Emma was sad to see her friend moving so far away and silently wondered if this would be the last time they’d ever see each other. The idea of never seeing Bri again dampened her spirit, even though she knew that both of them had found a better life for themselves, and this gave her some comfort.

  “I’ll see ya when I see ya!” Brianna yelled from the elevator.

  “Yeah, take care of yourself and call me!” Emma shouted back.

  As Emma shut the door, tears began to run down her cheeks. Even though the two girls hadn’t seen each other in a long time, they still shared a special bond, reinforced by their shared memories of Gracie. Emma knew she would miss her friend and wondered if she could convince Salvatore to visit Brianna and her boyfriend in Germany someday. He’d never denied her anything, and she would ask him when the time was right.

  For now, she thought, it was time to consider what she should do next with her own life. Sure, living this life was wonderful, but she needed something that was all her own. Something she could do to earn a living. She missed having her own money. Salvatore always made sure she had plenty of cash in her wallet, but she had no right to it. Emma liked the feeling of holding cash she herself had earned.

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Just two weeks after Brianna left for Germany, Emma was in the kitchen making pork sauce from a recipe she had picked up from the boys. Salvatore stood by, watching her.

  “You need to add more salt to the sauce. You have to be generous with the salt. It makes the flavor pop,” he told her, creeping up behind her and putting an arm gently around her waist.

  She poured more salt into the palm of her hand as he nuzzled her.

  “I have a surprise for you,” he said, plunging his face into her thick, soft hair and taking a long breath, as if he were taking a drink of her. “You smell delicious,” he murmured, licking her earlobe gently.

  “Thanks, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m cooking,” Emma teased.

  Salvatore turned down the flame on the stove and led her into their bedroom. She kissed him passionately once the door was closed and locked so that Izzy couldn’t burst in on them. Slowly Emma removed his clothes. When he stood before her, fully naked, she couldn’t control her urge to have him. He tore at her clothing, and soon they were entangled between the sheets on the bed. The sex between them was indescribably intense and dripped with passion.

  Emma would tease him with her mouth. Kissing him on the neck and working her way down his body. She would glide her tongue slowly over his erect penis, waiting to give him exactly what he wanted, until she knew that his desire for her was piqued. Salvatore would feel as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff with a parachute, waiting, anticipating with excitement the explosive pleasure she gave him. Only then would she give him the satisfaction he so desired and fully take him into her mouth until he came.

  In turn, Salvatore’s gentle hands and mouth made Emma’s body ache for more of him. She was like a drug addict who needed her next hit of cocaine, she found him so addicting. He would kiss her everywhere; there wasn’t an inch of her body that his tongue didn’t know. She felt blissful when he was inside of her, moving in a slow, steady rhythm, stopping at perfectly timed intervals to run his tongue between her legs until her excitement swelled beyond her ability to control it and she exploded with the pleasurable sensation that only an orgasm can bring.

  When they had finished, they lay in the bed, holding each other.

  Finally Salvatore spoke. “Now, about that surprise…”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot,” she said, rolling onto her side to look at him.

  “We’re taking a little trip,” he said mysteriously.

  “A trip, huh? And where are we going?” Her voice was full of anticipation.

  “I’m taking you to Saint Thomas for a long weekend,” Salvatore told her, feeling like a knight in shining armor. “My family owns a condo on the beach. It’s a wonderful place and I know you’ll love it. I’ve arranged for us to go next weekend.”

  Emma was thrilled. She had never been anywhere exotic. Hell, she thought to herself, the farthest she’d ever been was that shit-hole Kensington!

  “What about Izzy?” she asked. “We’re taking her with us, right?” she asked, a little nervous to leave her behind.

  “Yes, of course Izzy is coming. Macie will come with us too. She can keep an eye on her so that we can have some time alone.”

  Emma hugged him and jumped out of bed, her naked body so beautiful and perfect that Salvatore wanted to pull her back and make love to her again.

  She noticed how he was looking at her and said in a bantering tone, “Hey, knock it off! We have to go tell Izzy. She’s going to be so excited.”

  They found Isabella sitting at the small desk in her room, drawing. She looked up at them as they entered.

  “Look what I did! I drew a princess, and see?” she said, pointing to the tiny picture. “My princess has wings and a halo!”

  “Oh, so you drew an angel princess! Is that supposed to be you?” Emma asked.

  “Of course it’s me! It looks exactly like me, doesn’t it, Salvatore?” She looked to him for confirmation.

  “Yes, Iz, it looks just like you. Our little angel!” he said affectionately.

  As Izzy leapt from her chair and hugged Salvatore, Emma experienced a moment of terror. He had referred to her niece as “our little angel.” That scared her. She didn’t want Izzy building up false hopes of any kind. Things had been perfect between the three of them so far, but Emma was concerned that the child would become too comfortable with what might turn out to be a temporary phase of their lives. Emma was fine with the way things were, but hearing him murmur words to her niece that offered a promise of a future together gave her reason to pause.

  Ever on the alert, Salvatore had noticed instantly that something he’d said had disturbed Emma. He took her hand in his own. “Do you want to tell Izzy about the surprise or do you want me to tell her?” he asked, hoping to bring back that happy moment they had just shared while discussing the trip.

  “Oh yeah,” Emma said. “I’ll tell her. I have great news, Iz,” she now announced, turning to her niece. “Salvatore’s bought us a surprise. He’s going to take us to Saint Thomas for a vacation.”

  “What’s Saint Thomas?” Izzy asked, clearly unenthusiastic.


  Salvatore bent down on one knee so that his face was level with Izzy’s. “We’re going to the beach, sweetheart.”

  “YAY!” she screamed and ran to her bookshelf. She pulled out a book and flung it at Salvatore. “Like the beach in this book?” she asked, beside herself with excitement. “Curious George Goes To The Beach, right?”

  “Yes, that’s right. Just like Curious George,” he said enthusiastically, trying to feed her excitement.

  Izzy turned her attention to her aunt. “I don’t have a bathing suit,” she complained suddenly.

  “I don’t either,” Emma told her with a shrug. “I guess we’ll both have to go to the store and buy one before we go.”

  Izzy started bubbling over with excited chatter about all the things they were going to do at the beach. She told Salvatore that he would have to help her build a castle in the sand and informed him that she didn’t know how to swim. So he would have to hold onto her when she was in the water. Her mind raced with thoughts of how much fun they would all have together. She was an imaginative child and a receptive one, and the fact that Macie had spent a great deal of time reading to her over the months had stimulated her creativity further.

  That night, as Emma and Salvatore lay in bed, she thanked him for everything he was doing for them. She told herself this man owed them nothing. He was kind and generous with both of them. The trip was just one more way to make her love this lifestyle. His comment to Izzy earlier had given her something to think about. As she drifted off to sleep that night, she wondered for the first time if she would, someday, marry him.

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  A week later, their plane landed at the airport in Saint Thomas. He had flown them first class, of course, and Izzy hadn’t wanted to leave the plane because of all the attention she’d received from the flight crew. After Salvatore picked up his rental car, he drove them down to Redhook on the east end of the island. As they pulled into a gated community called Cowpet Bay West, Emma took in the beauty of the place and caught glimpses of the ocean between the buildings as Salvatore drove down to his condo.