His face said he understood, but his eyes?
His eyes said he realized why she tried to stay an arm’s length away. Why she pulled back repeatedly when what she longed to do was move forward, into his arms.
She’d lived the double loss of father and husband to the badge. She didn’t dare take that chance for her children’s sake. This wasn’t about statistics or fate, it was about a mother’s love and protection, and that was something she didn’t take lightly. “Good night, Seth.”
“Good night.”
She watched him walk away, wanting to chase after him. Talk with him, laugh with him, grow old with him. But in Gianna’s life only one of the three men she’d loved lived to grow old, and no way could she take that chance again. But seeing Seth’s tall, broad profile as he strode through the cold, damp night, oh, how she wished she could.
Chapter Thirteen
“Gram, I can pick up Mom and Aunt Rose on my own. Why don’t you stay here and—”
Carmen’s look put a lid on the suggestion as Gianna angled into the driver’s seat. She had to slide the seat back a notch to allow room for her growing belly, and Carmen’s face softened. “They’ll understand, cara mia.”
Gianna wished that was true. She sent her grandmother a look of doubt as she turned to back out of the driveway. “Today?”
Carmen’s short, tight laugh showed the impossibility of that. “Soon. When they see you all round and lovely. When your mother feels the push of her grandchild’s feet. She always comes around. Once she figures out a way to make it her idea. She gets that from your grandpa.”
“She must, because you’re only like that when you’re matchmaking.”
“I do not match. I leave that to God.” Carmen whisked a tissue from her purse and pulled down the passenger-side mirror to check her hair and makeup as they approached the interstate ramp. “But I’m not afraid to open a window of opportunity as needed.”
“In case God forgot how,” Gianna offered wryly. She made the turn onto I-86, and her grandmother’s laugh helped ease the knot in Gianna’s gut.
“God uses His earthly instruments as He sees fit,” Carmen replied. “Who am I but a channel of His peace?”
“Try that line with Mom,” Gianna advised, but Carmen’s snort said she was smarter than that. “At least they’re not going to be sleeping on our couch. That would get awkward. And crowded.”
“And loud,” Carmen muttered. She double-checked her lipstick and must have decided she looked all right because she snapped the little mirror cover closed with a flick of her wrist. “But they mean well, both of them, and it’s understandable that they’re hurt by our reticence.”
“But we gained six months.”
Carmen smiled. “Crucial to our overall goal and well-being. And now?” She turned and smiled across the front seat of the car. “We’ll keep them so busy helping with the grand opening they’ll barely have time to think, much less yell.”
“If the weather holds.”
Carmen shrugged. “We cannot change the weather. We’ve done what we can to make the store a success from the beginning, and if we need a little more time?” She raised her shoulders in a shrug. “Then I will dip into your grandfather’s legacy. I will consider it my contribution to the local economy.”
“Gram, I have money,” Gianna protested. As a cop, Michael had made sure she’d be financially protected if something happened to him. “We don’t need to—”
“You will need that nest egg for those babies. Your future. Their future.” Carmen made a face that said they’d do it her way, no questions asked. “My money would come to you and your brother anyway. Why not here and now while I have the fun of helping you spend it?”
“But what if—”
“What if I get sick? Or need long-term care?”
“Things happen,” Gianna reminded her. “It’s important for you to be financially secure.”
“I will see to all that, and I have insurance for such things. Right now...” She directed her attention to the sign for the Erie International Airport coming up on her right. “We must focus on the current drama.”
Gianna pulled in a deep breath as her mother and Aunt Rose pushed through the heavy glass doors by baggage claim a few minutes later. She opened the driver’s door, stepped out and moved to greet her mother.
Sofia’s gasp pulled her up short.
Aunt Rose followed suit, a hand to her mouth, her eyes trained on Gianna’s very pregnant belly.
But then her mother did a most surprising thing. She moved forward, eyes round, but her mouth smiling, and she laid her hands on either side of her daughter’s rounded tummy. “Hello, my little darlings, my precious babies. This is your grandma speaking, your real one, my sweetests, the one who raised your mama. And I do believe I managed that quite well.”
She shot a look at Carmen that said old women should know their place, and Carmen laughed out loud as she hugged Rose. “Your daughter’s grace, strength and fortitude do you proud, Sofia. It is clear you and Sal did a very good job.”
“Your compliments will get you nowhere with me, Mother.” Sofia directed a scathing gaze toward her mother but then sighed and smiled as she reached out to touch the babies one more time. “And you, Gianna? You feel all right? You feel good? No aches? No pains? No agita?”
“I feel wonderful.”
“Ach. Youth!” Aunt Rose clasped a hand to her lower back and made a face. “When I carried your cousins I had such pain, such pain! I was not sure if I could do it, but I held on, dear girl, with the help of your uncle, of course, and I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without him. Although—” she paused and waggled her head as if indecisive “—I’m not sure he was ever a bit of help once they were born, so whatever! Look at you! You look wonderful. And I said to your mother, ‘Sofia,’ I said, ‘do you think she’ll gain a lot of weight like you did? With twins besides?’ But I can see now that my worries were for nothing because you are just a lovely weight, don’t you think so, Sofia?”
“She looks fine, of course,” Sofia shot back. “She looks wonderful, and thank you for sharing with the entire neighborhood around Erie, Pennsylvania’s airport that I got fat when I had my babies. Like this entire corner of the world needs to know my business, Rose?”
Rose waved her off as she climbed into the backseat of the car. “Four people, maybe five, heard me, and none of them will ever see you again. But, Gianna! Look at you! So lovely, so beautiful, bellisima! I cannot wait to hear all about what you’ve been doing—”
“What we’ve been doing,” Gianna reminded them as Sofia stowed the bags in the trunk. “I couldn’t have done any of this—the babies, the new business, the sewing and costuming—without Grandma.”
“Indispensable, I’m sure. And taking over the world as we know it in typical fashion.” Sofia slanted a cool look at her mother, but Carmen pretended not to notice, and that was the difference between mother and daughter.
Sofia needed to have her say and be declared the victor. She was a have-the-last-word kind of woman.
Grandma quietly forged her path in life, rarely straying, a perfect example of what Gianna wanted to be. But right now? With two disgruntled Italian mothers stewing in her backseat? She’d focus on driving and getting them all back to Kirkwood alive. And that meant sunglasses for the midday glare...
And a hope that Grandma could carry the conversation with her usual grace for the long drive home.
A long drive? How about a long day? Week? Month? Season?
Gianna shoved the thoughts aside. She’d reached a point where she needed to deal with things factually. Honestly. Seth was right; she needed to come clean, so she did.
The fact that both women were staying at the bed-and-breakfast in the village meant the proprietor and anyone within shouting distance would m
ost likely become privy to the entire family’s business. Gianna had grown up as a Rinaldi. Part of her was accustomed to the roller-coaster flow.
But was the sleepy town of Kirkwood prepared?
She worried the inside of her cheek as she steered the car back onto I-86, pretty sure Kirkwood Lake hadn’t seen the likes of Sofia and Rose before. As she changed lanes, her Bluetooth signaled an incoming call. She smiled at the dashboard readout and hit the button. “Hey, Seth.”
“Gianna, I’ve got both signs in place, but you’re most likely going to make me change the one facing east because it looks ridiculous.”
“Then change it.”
“No argument? No convincing? No explanation of why it looks bad? You trust the judgment of a mere male for your grand opening?”
The total silence in Gianna’s backseat meant her mother and aunt were tuned in to the speakerphone conversation, a family reality. Gianna blocked them out and focused on Seth and the road. “I couldn’t reach high enough to see how it looked, Seth, so you decide. We’ll be back there in about forty-five minutes.”
“Then I wish I didn’t have to leave in thirty,” he remarked, and Gianna didn’t have to glance in the rearview mirror to see the ladies’ reactions. The heightened electricity in the air was clue enough.
“We’ll see you tonight when you pick up Tori.”
“I’m working late, so Mom’s picking her up and keeping her overnight.”
The thought that she wouldn’t see Seth today made her realize how much she counted on seeing him. “Tomorrow, then.”
“Yes. Gotta go. I want this done before I leave.”
“Thanks, Seth.”
A moment’s hesitation said he was considering what to say, a moment long enough for Gianna to hold her breath—along with the two middle-aged women in the backseat—and then he made the car full of women smile by simply saying, “You’re welcome, honey.”
“Well.” Sofia arched a brow and directed a smile toward Rose as she elongated the single-syllable word.
Rose returned the look with matched satisfaction.
Carmen swallowed a sigh and maintained her silence while Gianna mentally recognized that nothing in her life would be private again. Not for a very long time. Maybe ever. A firm kick from Twin A or B confirmed her suspicion.
But seeing those two little smiles in the backseat, she realized that might not be such a bad thing after all.
* * *
A wise man knows to bring food.
Seth might not be all that wise, but Jenny Campbell didn’t raise any dummies either, so he made sure to stop by Seb Walker’s bakery in Jamison before his early shift was complete the next day. Seb might not have fancy Italian crème cookies or stuffed cannoli, but his cream puffs were a sight to behold, and his carrot cake? A Campbell family favorite. If he was going to help ease Gianna’s mother into her new reality of grandmother, cake couldn’t hurt.
The inner door of Gianna’s apartment swung open as he walked up the driveway. An older woman stood there, smiling, waving him in as if she knew him, but she didn’t, so how—
“Dad! Look who’s here! It’s Gianna’s mother and her aunt!” Tori darted to the door from across the kitchen, and the woman next to her broadened her smile.
“Come in, come in!” She pushed the outer door toward him and stepped back. “You must be Seth. We’ve heard so much about you! And your daughter, this one!” She grabbed Tori’s cheeks between her hands and gave her a smacking kiss. “She is so smart, so funny! And I think she looks like you, no?”
Tori’s laughter eased what could have been an awkward moment. “I look like my mother, actually, when she was younger, but I would be okay with looking like Dad. Only not as hairy.”
Seth smiled down at her, gave her a half hug and handed the boxes to the older woman. Aunt? Mother?
He had no idea, and when the second one entered the kitchen from the shop area, he was even more confused. “You’re twins?”
“No, she is eleven months older.” The one from the shop pointed a finger at the other. “And I’m thinner. But people do say we look alike.”
“Again with the weight, Rose?”
Rose. Ah. The aunt. Seth nodded to her as she crossed the room, then turned toward the original woman. “Then you must be Gianna’s mother.”
“Sofia Bianchi Rinaldi.” She extended her hand and took a moment to look him over. “Gianna and Joe, they are my family, my bambinos, my darlings.”
“I met Joe when Gianna moved in.” Seth took off his overcoat and hung it on the back of a chair. In almost perfect unison the Italian women snatched his coat from the back of the chair and made sure it was hung properly in the closet.
He worked to level his expression by the time they turned back and didn’t dare look at Tori’s grin. That would be unwise, because if she started laughing, he’d follow along, and somehow he didn’t think the middle-aged sisters would see the humor in simultaneous jacket hanging.
“Seth.” Gianna came through the connecting curtain, and the look of relief she sent him made him feel good. Real good. He motioned to the shop.
“Are we ready for tomorrow?”
Her face said one thing, her words another. “As ready as we’ll ever be.”
“You have seen the shop, how nice it is?”
One of the women refocused her attention on him, and he groped for a name, then gave up. “It’s beautiful.”
“Seth actually owns the building, Mom. I rent it from him.” Gianna’s nose twitched. She spotted the boxes, looked up at him and her eyes went bright as if he’d just hung the moon. “Carrot cake?”
“Yes.”
“I will be forever in your debt.”
“Part of the goal,” he quipped back, and pretended not to notice the women’s combined approval of their repartee.
“So this building is yours?” The nearest woman directed the question to him.
He nodded. “It was part of my grandmother’s legacy. I bought it when prices were down. Fixed it up. It seemed like it belonged in the family.”
Appreciation for family and real estate brightened her dark eyes. Seth found himself searching for an identifier to tell the women apart. Mom—Sofia—was wearing a striped shirt in shades of purple. Rose’s shirt was floral, but in the same shades of purple and green. He wondered if they did that on purpose, or did they both like purple?
“The building is charming,” Sofia said. “So you must be the man who has done the work on this lovely place? You have a fine eye, Seth. The woodwork, the railings, the nautical tones reflect someone who cares deeply.”
“Or that was the color my father had on the mismatch table of the local hardware store.” Seth shrugged lightly. “But I’ll take the credit, Mrs. Rinaldi.”
“Sofia. Please. And this is my sister, Rose.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.” Seth stuck out his hand to Rose, and she dimpled like a schoolgirl. “Gianna, do you need any help tonight?”
She shook her head and hooked a thumb behind her. “Between Tori and Gram we’ve got all the last-minute stuff done. The coffee service and tea area are set up. The cookies and little cakes are ordered and should arrive by 8:00 a.m. The computerized registers are working, and we have change in the cash drawer. We’re good.”
“I’ll be here first thing, okay?” Tori slipped into her hoodie, grabbed her new backpack and started for the door. Seth cleared his throat and she stopped short and turned. “I’m so happy that our superintendent’s conference day is the same as your grand opening, Gianna! Nice to meet you, ladies!”
“And you, too, Tori.”
“So nice, honey. Yes!”
“And you’re sure there’s nothing you need me to do tonight, Gianna?” Seth asked again. “No last-minute errand? I’m glad to be your gofer.”
<
br /> Gianna considered his offer, then shook her head. “Thank you, but no. We’re good. I’m excited and a little nervous that we’re finally at this point. Ready to open.” She clasped her hands around her rounded tummy, and the look she gave him made him think of old-time movies and vintage TV. Sweet. Lovely. Guileless. “But I’ll make sure I keep Tori busy all day tomorrow.”
Seth turned to say goodbye to the older women, but they’d disappeared. He swung back, caught Gianna’s look of chagrin and choked back a laugh. “They’re giving us a moment together.”
“One they’re no doubt watching and waiting to talk about at length,” Gianna said softly.
“It’s never good to disappoint mothers.” Seth whispered the words with a smile as he swept a kiss to her mouth, then her brow. “Get some rest. Tomorrow you’ll be running on adrenaline, but by Sunday you’ll crash. Might as well stock up a little tonight.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
He grinned, touched a finger to her cheek, then turned to go. “Good night, ladies.” He called the words toward the living room, and Rose stuck her head out, feigning surprise.
“Oh, you’re going? Yes, good night, so nice to meet you.”
“Yes, lovely, Seth!”
The second voice sounded from deeper in the room, but Seth was a good cop with strong instincts, and his intuition was telling him that these two women were firmly in his corner, even from a distance. And he was okay with that.
* * *
Seth figured out two things by Friday afternoon. First, that Gianna’s mother and aunt talked at a decibel level that made the Campbells sound like an ancient tribe of nomadic whisperers.
Second?
They carried hearts of gold alongside their well-used lungs.
Once the doors were opened and people streamed in from the surrounding towns, he backed off to his cold yard across the street. He opened his driveway to parking. He kept small children amused while their mothers shopped. And the steady stream of plain brown vintage bags coming out of the store said their Friday opening was a hit.
Loving the Lawman Page 15