by Ines Saint
Marty’s sisters had been in town for the grand opening of Marty’s first business venture, a local hangout called Huffy’s Tavern, three months back, but he hadn’t spent any time with them. They’d been working hard at different tasks to help Marty get the place ready, and when opening night came, the place had been packed.
He tried again to conjure up what Melinda looked like, but could mostly remember Marissa, the middle one. He and Marissa had been very close for a while, united by an event that had changed their lives. They’d been in over their heads and their friendship had ended badly. He doubted Marissa would approve of him for her little sister. And if she told her family what had happened, would they? Not even Marty knew their secret . . .
Johnny tamped down the thought and the sharp pain it brought before it could derail his purpose.
He’d thought long and hard about the best, least suspicious way he could find out whether Melinda was home. “Oh,” he said, and set down his coffee as if a thought had just occurred to him. He glanced up at Rosa. “I think I saw someone who looked like Melinda yesterday, but it was dark. I might be wrong.” It was all technically true.
Rosa’s eyes lit up like the doting grandma she was. “Oh, it must’ve been her! She was going to some sort of costume ball up in Columbus.”
Johnny’s heart began beating wildly. What now? Luckily, Ruby took an interest, too. “That sounds like fun. What did she dress up as?”
“I’m not sure. She took the traditional Puerto Rican skirt and shirt I gave her a few years ago with her, and said she’d add some accessories and make a costume out of it. She sent her mom a picture later on and she looked like a shepherdess,” Rosa answered with a shrug.
Johnny tried to look as if the information had no effect on him, but inside, he was reeling. He’d seen the traditional costumes Rosa was referring to at the yearly Hispanic festival. It was exactly like the dress the girl in the elevator had been wearing.
“She was only here a few days to explore college campuses and I barely saw her this time,” Rosa added with a frown. “She left this morning.”
“Is she thinking about moving back?” Sherry asked, and Johnny sent up a silent request for blessings for both Sherry and Rosa. They were making things easy for him. Rosa was sharp. He couldn’t ask too many questions himself.
“Oh. Are things still not looking up for her in Los Angeles?” Ruby asked in sympathetic, grandmotherly tones. Johnny never thought he’d see the day he’d be grateful for their nosy ways.
Rosa sighed. “No. Competition is brutal over there. And the man she’s dating sounds like an imbécil. But she’s going to give her acting career another year before coming back to study journalism and start a community theater here. We’re hoping it will be a way for her to get her foot in the door in a related area and fill her résumé with acting jobs.”
“That’s a great idea!” Sherry exclaimed.
The excitement Johnny had been feeling spread. A dreamer with a practical streak. It was definitely her. Melinda Medina. Of all people. It almost seemed like fate. Did he believe in that? He didn’t know. Life was simple, beautiful, and organized, while also being complicated, ugly, and messy. Understanding people was a lot easier than understanding life.
But she’d still be far away for an entire year. A lot could happen in a year. And she hadn’t wanted to know who he was. Johnny decided to think on it later and move on to the next part of his plan, which was to change the subject before Rosa studied him too closely and noted his interest.
Ruby beat him to it. “So . . .” she began in a tone that told him she’d been watching him.
Johnny met her steady gaze.
“What kind of pie will you have?” she asked.
“Oh. Um . . .” He glanced up to the blackboard behind the counter where the daily desserts were listed in bright pink chalk. “Dark chocolate cream.”
Three pairs of eyes snapped over to him, and he suddenly felt like prey caught in the crosshairs of multiple rifles. He could almost hear the clicking of magazines being loaded.
Rosa fired first. “Dark chocolate cream pie? You never order chocolate or cream anything. You always order something in the citrus family.”
Sherry eyed him. “Something’s changed. Ruby, what is the purpose of dark chocolate cream pie?”
“Yes, tell us the meaning. It might explain why he’s here at two in the afternoon.” Rosa raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re never here at two.”
Johnny raised both his eyebrows right back at her. “I thought you didn’t believe in the meaning or purpose Ruby assigns to desserts. You’re forever going on about how it’s a marketing ploy to promote the gypsy theme,” he said as a slice of the now-ominous pie was shoved in front of him.
“You know how I feel about listening to what our bodies crave. That is biology, not magic,” Rosa said with a haughty look.
Ruby leaned over the counter with a conspiratorial air and the three women’s heads came together a little too close to his. Johnny picked up his mug and eyed them warily from above the rim.
“The Aztecs were the first to discover the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate, and the darker the chocolate a person requested, the more they desired another person. However . . .” Ruby paused and three pairs of eyes locked on him. “Dark chocolate cream pie is also high in sugar and heavy cream. These things combined mean that Johnny not only desires a woman, but he’s sweet on her, too, which means it has the potential to be serious!”
Johnny sputtered. Despite all his knowledge and training, he had a wild moment when he thought Ruby really might have powers. It didn’t last. “Settle down, merry witches. You know how I hate to disappoint you, but I only chose the pie because I thought it would go well with my coffee.”
Rosa shook her head. “Dark chocolate is bitter and doesn’t pair well with espresso.”
“And the very fact that you’re willing to disappoint us instead of playing along means you’re trying to divert our attention. But it won’t work. If it isn’t your palate craving dark chocolate cream pie, it must be your soul longing for true love,” Sherry said with fake solemnity and very real mischief. Johnny threw her a look.
Rosa drew away from him, her expression serious, her eyes not leaving his. She began tapping her long, red, rhinestone-tipped fingernails on the counter. Simple math told him the woman had to be in her mid-seventies, but with her form-fitting, dark red pantsuit; high zebra-striped heels; and long, thick dark brown hair, she exuded both the strength and vitality of a person twenty years younger. The tapping became incessant.
“You saw my granddaughter yesterday.” Rosa’s formerly pleasing accent now sounded clipped and abrupt. “If she is the one who has you craving this pie, or anything else, I will gut your insides with these nails and have Marty bake them in that new wood-fired pizza oven he can’t stop talking about. Metaphorically, of course. You understand?”
Johnny resisted the urge to fold his hands over his stomach. He could almost feel the sharp little rhinestones slicing it up. It took all he had to offer her his most irresistible smile. “I hear you.” Also technically true.
“Don’t be so overly dramatic, Rosa.” Sherry came to his defense. “He said he only caught a glimpse of her, and he was out on a hot date.”
He’d said nothing about his date being hot, but he wasn’t about to deny it.
“And you can’t threaten to cut out his insides, you love him like a grandson,” Ruby pointed out.
Johnny cast a hurt look Rosa’s way.
Rosa turned to look at Sherry and Ruby. “Think about this grinning, angel-eyed, notorious heartbreaker here with any of your grandkids and let me know how it makes you feel. When I think about all the times he’s asked me for advice on letting some girl down easily . . .”
“Oh! And the stalker-repellant perfume he’s always begging Holly to create,” Ruby added, mentioning her own granddaughter, who owned a micro-perfumery down the street.
“And all the ‘it’s-not-you-
it’s-me’ desserts he’s asked us to whip up.” Sherry studied him through narrowed eyes. Johnny stuffed a forkful of pie into his mouth and kept his gaze steady and wide. Experience had taught him to look innocent and say nothing when the three women ganged up on him. “But maybe we’re being too hard on him.” Sherry reached out to pat his free hand. Finally, someone on his side. “We know it’s never your intention, but something about you wreaks havoc where women are concerned. We all love you like you were our own grandson and we don’t ever want to see you hurt, but we don’t want to see you wreak that havoc on anyone else we love, either.”
Johnny felt torn. In the short time he’d spoken to Melinda, he’d felt a stronger and more intimate connection to her than he’d ever felt with any other woman, and he wanted to explore that before life and the imbécil got in the way. But it had only been a short while, her life right now was in California, and he didn’t even know if she’d felt anything deeper than an attraction. She’d run away, after all.
What could he do? Tell Rosa and Marty that he’d talked to Melinda for less than an hour, but had a strong feeling there was something there, and then fly off to California to see if she felt the same, fight off her potential knight, and then risk having her place a restraining order against him for being a creepy stalker? And even if she did feel the same, would lifelong friendships be at stake if they tried something and it didn’t work out? Long distance relationships were notoriously difficult, and they barely knew each other as it was. Both scenarios would make him look like an intentional havoc-wreaker.
At least now, he had the unintentional part of the label going for him.
One thing was clear. If Johnny was ever going to get the chance to know Melinda better without hurting or upsetting two of his best friends, he’d have to wait, and he’d have to stop dating in the meantime. Waiting would be difficult, but not dating wouldn’t be a problem. It no longer filled the empty spaces or stopped the spread of loneliness. It only worsened both.
Probably it was the result of feeling as if his life was on hold until he finished his studies and began doing what he longed to do. For now, Johnny had little options but to wait for his professional life to start, and for Melinda to come home.
If Melinda fell in love with Don Quixote or some other imbécil during that year, then so be it. It would mean this feeling he had about the two of them was one-sided. How many times had someone told him they had a feeling about something or someone and then they turned out to be wrong? Too many to count. And look at what happened with Snow White yesterday.
“So,” Ruby said. “Who are you craving?”
“The girl from yesterday?” Sherry waggled both eyebrows at him.
Johnny blinked at her and half-nodded. “Yes. Her. But she doesn’t know it. Things are complicated right now. I can’t rush it.” In that split second, it seemed like the best answer. It was honest, and if he ever got the chance to date Melinda and together they explained how they’d met, Rosa would see he’d been thoughtful and serious about his granddaughter for a while.
Three jaws dropped. The three women stared at him, at first disbelieving, then stunned, and finally elated. Johnny shrank back. What had he gotten himself into? He got up and dug out his wallet. “Anyway, thanks for the coffee, the pie, and the inquest, but I’ve gotta get moving. Sam and I are meeting Dan at a Reds game in Cincy.”
That got their attention, as he knew it would. But he felt instantly guilty. He’d just trained their missiles on Dan. Rosa squinted her eyes and bunched up her fists. She tossed her head and raised her voice, suddenly looking and sounding like an older version of an angry Sofía Vergara. “You mean to say Dan will drive all the way up to Cincinnati to watch a mere baseball game, but he won’t drive one tiny extra hour to see us? We haven’t seen him in over four years!”
“It’s impromptu. Sam hinted he has some things to discuss with both of us.”
Sherry, who’d clenched her jaw and gone rigid upon learning that Dan would be so close, visibly loosened up. “Dan doesn’t know Sam and Heather have decided to separate?” she asked, looking for all intents like an angel again. But Johnny knew she was merely fishing for information.
Johnny was now itching to leave. It was all too easy to stick your foot in it with these three.
That night, Marty started teasing him about the mystery girl. Word had already gotten around. Behind him, the new wood-fired pizza oven sparked like a hellish pit. After Rosa’s threats, he’d never look at it the same way again. And he was there often enough.
It was going to be a long year.
Chapter 3
One year later
“Mom’s throwing a welcome home party for Melinda tonight. Wanna come?”
Johnny glanced up at Marty, who was wiping down the bar. The time had finally come. His insides began buzzing. He’d examined his feelings over and over during the past year, and no matter how many times he’d tried to convince himself that the anticipation over someone he’d barely spent an hour with was stupid, something inside him wouldn’t concede. Something inside him just knew. But why did Marty have to bring up the moment of truth . . . in front of the wood-fired pizza oven?
“Marty, do you have an extra sack of all-purpose flour you can give us? We’re almost out and we want to make extra goodies for Melinda’s party.” Rosa’s voice came up behind him. Johnny turned to say hello and was greeted by Rosa’s gesturing hands, along with their bloodred nails, too close to his face. She reminded him of Wolverine, but with a manicure. At least the rhinestones were gone.
A little over a year had passed since the fateful masquerade party. Melinda had been home for three days. He remembered thinking a lot could happen in a year. Well, that had been the understatement of his life.
Dan had come back home to help Sam with the family business, confronted his demons, and gotten thoroughly whipped into husband material in the process. His wedding was in three weeks. Sam had finalized his divorce, bought thirty-four houses, almost bankrupted his business, and fallen for his first love all over again. Most recently, Johnny’s band had broken up because two members had moved away.
And somehow, during the last year, Johnny had managed to have everyone rooting for him and the mystery girl. Except the whole thing had taken on a life of its own and had gotten completely out of control. Everyone’s expectations about Johnny and the mystery girl were now way too high. Everyone knew he hadn’t been on a date in a year. He’d been working hard at rehabilitating houses, completing his coursework and practice hours, and trying to pay off his debts and save for a house.
But Rosa and Marty were both there, Marty had brought up Melinda, and he’d be seeing her again tonight. If ever the proverbial stars had aligned themselves in his favor, it was now.
Johnny took in a deep breath and let it out. “You know the mystery girl I’ve been talking about for the past year?”
Rosa and Marty both froze, but while Marty looked eager to hear more, Rosa’s eyes had narrowed ever so slightly. “The girl you were out on that date with in Columbus? The one you said you were craving, but the timing was off? The one you’ve been leading us on and on and on about?” she asked, both her words and memory a little too detailed for Johnny’s taste.
Out with it. “I never said she was my date. I said it was the girl from the day before in Columbus.”
Rosa pursed her lips. Marty stopped wiping, still eager. Johnny plunged ahead. He’d worded everything carefully in his head and practiced it a few times, making sure he didn’t betray Melinda’s “little Vegas.”
“I was on a date that night but it didn’t work out. The girl left with someone else, and I was fine with it. But before I left, I met the girl I told you guys about. We were at a masquerade party.” He locked eyes with Rosa then. Her nails began to drum. It looked like she was holding her breath. But she didn’t say a word, only looked steadily back at him. “We were both wearing masks and we talked for a long while about important things. I felt a real connection with her,
more so than with anyone else I’ve ever met. We were interrupted before I could find out her name, but I found an invitation on the floor next to her.” All true, but nothing about the elevator or the mind-blowing kiss, and still giving her a chance to back out and say it wasn’t her.
“It’s Melinda,” Rosa blurted to Marty.
Johnny closed his eyes, as if bracing for something, except he didn’t know what. The incessant tippity-tap of Rosa’s nails stopped and Johnny opened his eyes. She didn’t seem angry, only somewhat agitated.
“Melinda?” The confusion in Marty’s contorted face and his suddenly high-pitched voice would seem comical in any other situation.
“Yes,” Rosa said, her eyes still not leaving Johnny’s. It was disconcerting. “He came into the café the next day, talking about how he’d ‘caught a glimpse of her,’ but I think he was only trying to find out if it was the girl he met. And I confirmed what she was wearing, didn’t I? I’ve had my suspicions. Why else wouldn’t you tell anyone the girl’s name? I’ve been watching you.”
Man, the woman was sly. “And you’ve been impressed with how well I’ve behaved,” Johnny said with a grin.
“Ay ay ay. And there’s the grin that worries us all.” Rosa blew out a breath.
“Melinda?” Marty repeated, still stuck.
“Go on,” Rosa said to Johnny. Her voice was now measured, as if she were weighing things in her head and willing to hear him out. “Explain yourself. What do you want from us?”
Marty was now studying him with an expression Johnny had never seen on him before. For the first time in memory, he couldn’t read his best friend. Johnny resisted the urge to gulp. That would show fear, and he would not cower. He was doing everything right.
Except for the damn grin. Johnny got rid of it and continued. “This whole mystery girl thing has gotten out of control. Everyone’s rooting for us, but the truth is, anything could happen there. I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I think we can sense the potential for it. And I don’t even know if Melinda would say yes to a date, or if she felt the connection, too. But if Melinda agrees to a date, I can promise you that that’ll I’ll treat her right and that I’ll be as serious and thoughtful with her as I’ve been about this from the get-go.”