Scoring Mr. Romeo

by A. m Madden

  She glared at me. “No shit it’s crazy. Your insane friend Kyle asked me to, that’s who.”

  “Lesson learned, never listen to Kyle.”

  “Whatever.” Her eyes studied my car. “What is that? You bought a new car?”

  “No, it’s a rental, Miss Crabby-pants. I took Sabrina and Mikey out yesterday, and my car wasn’t big enough.”

  Like magic, Cassie’s scowl turned into a genuine smile. “I knew you two would hit it off.”

  My phone chimed with an incoming text.

  Kyle: Did you get lost?

  I showed Cassie my phone. She let out a sigh. “That man has lost his mind. Vanessa better know what she’s getting into. By the way, he’s dusting before wrapping her stuff. He’s already unpacked and repacked some of her boxes. Maybe I should be thankful I was parking spot monitor.”

  We both laughed, and I slung my arm around her shoulder. “Come on, we better get up there before Jude throws him out the window.”

  Right when the elevator door slid open to Vanessa’s floor, we could hear the yelling from beyond the closed door. I opened it to find Jude yelling at Kyle, Brae’s hands on her husband’s chest, because she’d be able to stop him, and Kyle with his hands flailing in the air. Vanessa walked out of her bedroom carrying a small box.

  “Maybe moving wasn’t a good idea,” she stated as she dropped the box on the floor with a thud. “I’ll call my landlord and see if I can stay.”

  Jude’s head dropped forward, Brae’s hands fell limply, and Kyle acted like his world just stopped spinning.

  “Hi, everyone!” I tossed my hand in the air. Four sets of eyes stared at me. “It seems like I got here just in time.” Examining the room, I saw a few boxes by the door next to a small hand cart.

  “Hi, Luca.” Brae walked up to hug me. While in my arms she whispered, “Please separate them. Jude threatened to put Kyle in a moving box and ship him back to Canada.”

  I did my best trying not to laugh at the image. Vanessa’s glistening eyes roamed around the room. “I’m really sorry I mixed up the date for the movers.” She sighed. “The only thing I have left to box up are the items in my bathroom. Aside from that, all boxes are packed and labeled.”

  After taking a deep breath, Kyle walked up to Vanessa and took her into his arms. “Nessa, it’s okay. No one minds, really.” He kissed her, garnering the first smile I’d seen on anyone’s faces since I walked in. “I’ll start loading the truck with Jude and Luca. Why don’t you ladies finish packing what you need to and then we can head on over to my place.”

  Once we had everything loaded up, we all got in our respective vehicles, Cassie went with me, and we headed over to Kyle’s apartment. It didn’t take as long to unload as it did to put everything in the truck.

  Vanessa plopped herself down on the sofa followed by Brae and Cassie. “Thank you for helping me today. How about we leave the rest of the unpacking until another day, and we all head out for dinner and drinks… on Kyle.”

  My pal’s apartment morphed from a designer’s dream to a hoarder’s nightmare, and I swear it caused him to twitch. But, in true I’m pussy whipped fashion, Kyle agreed with Vanessa’s suggestion.

  I hadn’t heard from Sabrina since that text that still played over and over again in my brain. “Do you mind if I ask Sabrina to join us?”

  Brae’s face lit up. “That sounds like a great idea. By the way, when did you get a bigger car?”

  “Oh, I rented it for the weekend because I took Sabrina and her son out yesterday. He’s an awesome kid.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet, Luca.” Brae put her hand to her chest. “Isn’t it, honey?”

  Jude glared at me. “Adorable. Can we go now? I’m starving.”

  Brae swatted Jude on the shoulder. “Ignore my husband. He’s cranky when he’s hungry.”

  “Don’t I know it.” I smirked at Jude. “Let’s go, I’ll call her from the car. Cass, want to come with me?”

  Without any further discussion, we filed out of the apartment and headed out.

  I started the car, pulled out of my spot and called Sabrina on my Bluetooth. “Hi. How’s moving going?” Her sweet voice filtered through the speaker.

  “Hi, there. We’re done and heading out for dinner. How about I come and pick you and Mikey up and you can join us?”

  “It’s late, Luca.”

  I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. “It’s only six fifteen.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cassie cringe, but I had no idea why. “Isn’t Mikey off tomorrow?” I pulled up to a red light and now Cassie had her head in her hands. “By the way, say hi to Cassie. She’s in the car with me.”

  Cassie mumbled. “Hi, Sabrina.”

  “Hi, Cassie.” An audible sigh rang through the speaker. “Luca, Mikey is five years old. We’ve already had dinner, he needs to take a bath and be in bed by eight.” The sweet voice that started off this conversation was replaced with a deflated one.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I just thought…”

  “No, I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude.” The light changed and I pulled ahead remaining silent. “I really wish I could, but I can’t. It’s been a long day and the morning comes quick. Spring Break to a kid means nothing. He’ll still be up with the sun.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you go. Good night, Sabrina.”

  “Good night. Have fun with your friends. Bye, Cassie.”

  Cassie gave me a tight grin before replying, “Bye, Sabrina.”

  When the phone clicked off, I let out a breath. The steering wheel felt like steel as I gripped it tighter. “Shit.”

  “Luca, don’t be upset, it’s hard with a five-year-old.”

  “Yes, I know. I didn’t mean to insinuate it wasn’t. I just called to invite her to dinner, and now I feel bad.”

  We pulled up to the restaurant, and even though I lost my appetite, we headed inside.

  Chapter 14

  Sabrina

  It didn’t take long after I hung up the phone with Luca for regret to set in. There were times I’d wonder who I was. So often I’d try to be the “put together single mom” and most times it worked. Except for today when I failed miserably and snipped on the only decent man who had paid attention to me since Dillon’s death.

  When Dillon died, my first instinct was to feel sorry for him. Every time I’d look at our son, and the world of possibilities just waiting to be discovered, I’d cry thinking his father was going to miss it all. Then I felt sorry for Mikey for not having that man in his life. Lastly, I felt sorry for myself.

  There were days I’d pull up to the kiss and drop line at school trying to keep it all under control. Unlike some of the other moms who would show up with their hair done, makeup on, and in clothes that matched. I’d picture them at the breakfast table with their husbands and children, having quality family time after a good night’s rest.

  My mornings weren’t like that. Most of the time I’d hit my snooze button at least twice before rolling out of bed to pull on a ball cap and drive Mikey to school in my pajama bottoms and a hoodie. The thing was, as hectic, scary, and sad as it was to raise him on my own, I was happy—just tired.

  As soon as Mikey was tucked in and fast asleep, I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. My conversation with Luca haunted me. He didn’t deserve the attitude I gave him. Knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, I called him.

  It didn’t take more than two rings for him to answer. “Hi.”

  “Hi, are you still at dinner?”

  “No, I’m home.” His voice sounded more solemn that the other times I had spoken to him.

  “Luca, I’m really sorry I couldn’t join you tonight, God knows I would have loved to. It’s been a long day and unfortunately, your call came right after I finished cleaning paint off my floor.”

  “Did your little Picasso have another debacle with paint?” His tone lightened a bit.

  I smiled remembering the day Mikey ran into Luca leaving colorful handprints on his pan
ts and my embarrassing attempt at cleaning them. “Nothing like what he did to you. This time, it was my fault. It all started after I stepped on a Lego, which by the way is equivalent to stepping on a shard of glass. That was right after Mikey decided to see if putting a candy in a two-liter bottle of soda would make a volcano. Which, in case you’re wondering, it does.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes.” I rattled off the long chain of events that ended my night. “So, I had dark syrupy soda all over the floor. I sent Mikey to his room for fear something else was going to happen. After I soaked up all of the liquid, and washed the stickiness off my floor, cabinets, table, chairs, and any other surface within a six foot radius, was when I decided to clean up his toys because I was spent. I wanted to call it a day. That’s when I stepped on the Lego, grabbed my foot in pain, lost my balance, hit the table, spilled the paint, then cleaned the paint, and answered your call.”

  Jesus, Sabrina… ramble much? But, damn, that felt good getting it all out.

  “Ah, it all makes sense now,” he said with a small chuckle. “I’m sorry you had a bad day. You know, you could’ve called me. I would’ve come over to help occupy him. I love spending time with Mikey.”

  “Thank you, but all of that happened within an hour at the end of the day. Plus, you were with your friends.”

  “You’re also my friends.” I smiled at his declaration. “If I was there right now do you know what I’d do?” The soft foam of my pillow cushioned my cheek as I sank deeper into it.

  “What?” So many sexy scenarios flew into my brain. My heart rate increased waiting to hear what he was going to say.

  “Are you in bed?”

  “Yes,” squeaked out sounding like I had laryngitis.

  “I’d hold you.” Not exactly what I imagined him saying, but truth be told, it sounded absolutely wonderful.

  Part of me wanted to tell him to come over, but that wouldn’t be possible. “I’d love that.”

  “Me, too. Are you working Wednesday?”

  “Yes, Becky and I are alternating days this week.”

  “How about I take you and Mikey out to dinner. You can pick the place and time. This way you don’t need to cook after work.”

  “That sounds great, thank you.”

  “Wednesday it is.” I let out a silent yawn, but it must not have been as silent as I thought. Luca chuckled, and the deep timbre of his voice stirred me awake. “I’m going to let you go to sleep now. Sweet dreams, Sabrina. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Sweet dreams, and again, I’m sorry for earlier.”

  “It’s forgotten. Good night.”

  “Good night, Luca.” When the line went silent, I closed my eyes, imagining the strong, kind, Italian man who found a way into my heart was with me. A comforting warmth ran through my body. Despite his comment, remorse lingered over losing my patience with him. The man was almost too good to be true. I needed to relax and enjoy his company.

  Remembering how he made me feel so wanted and desired helped lessen the guilt a bit. With thoughts of Luca, I drifted off to sleep in a peaceful, content way.

  A small hand shook my arm and an impatient voice repeated. “Mom…Mom…”

  I opened one eye to see my son hovering a few inches above my face. “What is the first number on the cable box?”

  My one eye slid shut until he said, “Nine.”

  Like a bat out of hell I flew up and out of bed, wide awake in an instant. Nine! Crap, my first client was in an hour. “You just woke up?” I asked, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to change into.

  “Yeah. What are we doing today?” The kid’s appetite for activity was insatiable. We’d been going non-stop since our day at the water park on Saturday. Monday was spent with Becky and Jared at the Museum of Natural History. Yesterday I had both boys with me in Central Park where we tackled the zoo in the morning and the playground in the afternoon. Even knowing my day was jammed with clients, I looked forward to interacting with adults.

  Showering before work wouldn’t be happening, so I bolted into the bathroom to tame my bedhead. “You’re staying with Aunt Becky. I have to work,” I said while yanking a brush through the tangles in my hair.

  “Aww man. I wanted to play with Scottie today. Jared is a butthead.”

  “Please don’t use that word.”

  “But he is.” He sat on the toilet seat, rambling off all the reasons why his best friend was a butthead. As I brushed my teeth, I felt bad for Becky. She’d have to deal with their nonsense today while I got to be an adult.

  Breakfast, dressing, and rushing around took up the next forty-five minutes of our morning. It was a miracle I only walked into the salon ten minutes late after dropping Mikey off at Becky’s.

  With back-to-back appointments all day long, I barely had time to breathe. Luca had texted me earlier suggesting he pick me up after my last client. We’d then get Mikey before heading out to dinner.

  As it turned out, my last client was Cassie. I completely forgot she had made the appointment until Tami, our receptionist, handed me the schedule at the beginning of my day.

  Her trim took no time at all, since Cassie liked to keep her hair long and straight. The natural highlights were the type some of my clients paid hundreds of dollars for. Standing behind her elevated chair, I examined her hairline once it was cut to be sure it was straight.

  “So, Luca?” she asked when I was satisfied with my precision. Our eyes met in the mirror, and a wide smile spread over her pink tinted lips.

  “What?”

  “I like you two together.” Together? Were we together? I guess we were dating, although it was really never discussed. “Why the look?” she asked, watching my face.

  “No look. He’s so great, but I’m sure you already know that. I just…”

  “Worry,” she finished my thought. “That’s understandable.”

  I held her gaze and nodded. “It is, right? I keep battling with myself in my head. The way I snapped at him when he called the other night bothers me. I want to apologize to you, as well, it was a difficult day.”

  “No need to apologize, it’s all forgotten. You and Mikey have been through a lot, but I will say, Luca is a great guy… and genuine.”

  “I can see that about him,” I said, reaching for the blow dryer.

  “Before you turn that thing on, let me say something else.” She waited for me to meet her gaze in the mirror. “Sabrina, you’ve done an amazing job with Mikey. I told you this on several occasions. He is well adjusted, bright, funny, and a normal happy-go-lucky kid. You deserve to be happy as well. Just trust your heart, and let things happen as they should.”

  I nodded with a small smile. “Thank you for telling me all of that.”

  “It’s true.” She waved her hand and added, “Okay, proceed.” As I dried her hair, I wondered what Luca shared with Cassie regarding our relationship. I would never ask her, nor do I think she would tell me what he had. But I was pretty sure they must have discussed it.

  After a few minutes, I switched off the dryer and finished brushing Cassie’s silky locks. The salon was winding down making ringing phones and chatter less prominent than it had been an hour prior.

  Twisting her head from right to left, she admired the cut and smiled. “Just the way I like it… exactly the same. Thank you for keeping it that way.”

  “Well, you have great hair, so it doesn’t take much effort on my part.” I removed the black nylon cape around Cassie’s neck. “You’re all done, my friend.”

  Based on the amount of hair I cut whenever Cassie came in, and the fact she became a great friend to me, I hadn’t charged her the last couple of times. It always resulted in an argument, right before she thrusted an insanely large tip at me.

  “You know this defeats the purpose,” I quipped, holding up the fifty dollar bill.

  “Where can I get a haircut in the city for fifty bucks? Especially one that won’t have me crying because some over-ambitious stylist thinks it’s her b
eautifying duty to rock my world with the newest trendy cut that cost me a fortune to boot.” She referred to the last person who left her with choppy layers and no trust in beauticians. That incident was what had Cassie begging me to take her on as a client. With her bag in her hand, she patted my cheek affectionately. “Have fun with Luca tonight. He told me you had plans.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?” I teased. “What else did Mr. Benedetto tell you?”

  “Not much. He barely answers my direct questions.”

  “He should be here any minute if you want to hang around.”

  “I think I will.” She plopped back into the chair as I cleaned up my station. While gathering my custom scissors and cash tips, she then said, “Speak of the devil.”

  Luca

  “Hi, ladies.” I stopped beside Sabrina and bent to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she repeated with a smile.

  Focusing my attention to Cassie, who sat beaming in the chair, I narrowed my eyes. “I thought you were getting your hair cut?”

  She flipped her long locks over her shoulder. “I did.”

  “It hasn’t changed.”

  “I know.”

  “Um… okay.” Cassie and Sabrina both smiled. “Well then, it looks great.”

  “Thank you.” She stood and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I should get going. You’re not the only one with a hot date. Have fun tonight, you two.”

  “What?” I snatched the crook of her elbow stopping Cassie in her tracks.

  Sabrina beamed and clapped her hands. “You were sitting in my chair for an hour and this is the first I’m hearing about a date? You do know you’re supposed to tell your hairstylist all the gossip, right? Is it anyone I know?”

  For the first time since I’ve known her, I saw Cassie’s cheeks turn pink. “As a matter of fact, you might. It’s Mr. Carson.”

  “No way!” Sabrina squealed and I was suddenly the odd man out. “Oh my, God! Now I’m really mad you didn’t tell me. When did this start?”