“Franco, if it’s too much trouble, I can—”
More guilt. It suffocated me. I cracked my window to get some air. “No, Ma, it’s no trouble. It’s just that I’m giving someone a ride, and…”
Ariana poked my arm. “I don’t mind, Bones. I’d love to meet your mom.”
I shushed Ariana, but it was already too late. I could tell by the way Ma sucked in a chestful of air, she’d heard her. Any doubts I had shattered when she launched into a barrage of questions and demands.
“A girl? You’re on a date and you didn’t bring her by to meet me? Franco, you know I helped your brother Tony pick out his wife, and they were made for each other. You know this. You bring her over and let me talk to her and I’ll tell you if she’s a good fit for you. I’ll whip us up something to snack on while I make dinner.”
Ariana snickered. “She sounds like quite the matchmaker.”
Yeah, she could laugh. Right up until Ma had our china picked out. I liked Ariana and all, but I wasn’t trying to get hitched. I needed to set Ma straight before she dragged me to a jeweler.
“It’s not a date. I’m taking a friend home from work. Angel’s already making dinner and needs me to pick up Nonna on the way.” Probably best not to mention that Ariana would also be eating with us. Of course, if Ma found out Ariana was living with us and sleeping in my bed, she’d have us both saying Hail Marys for Father Barone while she picked out our china.
“But it could turn into a date. You’re unsupervised in a car with her, and she sounds pretty. I bet she’s a lovely girl.”
Ariana batted her eyelashes at me and mouthed, “She thinks I’m lovely.”
I really needed to turn down the volume on my phone.
“Franco?” Mom asked.
“No dinner. No long stay, I’m just coming to change the light bulb.”
“Yes, of course. I’d never ask more of your time than that. Thank you. You’re such a good son.”
Right. “I’ll be there in about ten.” I disconnected the call.
I didn’t have to look at Ariana to know she was amused, because I could hear her quiet snickering. We drove the rest of the way in silence while I tried to find a way out of this whole awkward situation. It would have been a good time for the new Tech to call me with the details for Renzo’s fence. I could have gone for messing someone up. It’d be a much better way to spend my evening, than hoping Ma didn’t get some marriage-material vibe off my boss’s girlfriend’s little sister.
Still unwilling to accept the meeting as inevitable, I parked in front of Ma’s small house and turned to face Ariana. “I don’t suppose you’d like to wait in the car?” I asked.
She giggled. “Not a chance.”
Damn. “Okay, but not a single word about you and Markie staying with us.”
She gasped, looking wounded. “Do I seem like the type of girl who’d rat you out to your mommy?”
I sighed, knowing full well Ariana would do whatever floated her boat. We climbed out of the Hummer and met Ma where she stood waiting on the front porch with a smile spread from ear to ear. Before I could make introductions, she hugged me and then turned to embrace Ariana.
“Ma, this is my friend Ariana. Ari, this is my mom, Marcella Leone.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Leone,” Ariana said.
Ma’s smile only widened. “Please, call me Marcella. It is so great to meet you. You’re right, Franco, she is gorgeous. He’s told me so much about you.”
No, I most certainly had not. But since calling out my own mother for lying to make me sound good seemed to be some sort of social faux pas, I shook my head and followed them into the house.
“You need some meat on your bones,” Ma said, taking in Ariana’s thin body. “I have a lasagna in the oven. That’ll do the trick.”
I ran a hand down my face. “No dinner, Ma. We don’t have time.”
“Of course, honey. It was just a suggestion. I’d never expect you to stay.”
“I bet you have a hundred baby pictures of Bones, er Franco,” Ariana said, grinning wickedly over her shoulder.
Not good. Not good at all. “Yes she does, but we’ll have to look at those later. Here to change the light bulb, and then it’s back on the road for us. Tight schedule, remember?”
“Nonsense.” Ma slipped into the kitchen. “I just pulled some pizzelles off the iron. How do you take your cappuccino, Ariana?”
“Milk and sugar, please.” She looked at me and added, “Pizzelles?”
“Cookies.”
Her brow scrunched up. “Cooked on an iron?”
“Like a waffle iron.”
The cappuccino machine whirred to life. “Franco bought me this beast for Christmas last year. Noisy, but it makes a great cup,” Ma shouted over the machine.
I scanned the kitchen ceiling, searching for the burnt-out light. “Which bulb, Ma? They all look fine to me.”
She gave me a sheepish smile and handed me a cup. “It’s been thirty-two days since I last saw your precious face, and I needed to make sure you weren’t dead or wounded. Last time you pulled a disappearing act on me, you came home with all those cuts on your chest, and—”
Ariana’s eyes grew round.
Needing to derail Ma’s train of thought, I jumped in. “I’m fine, Ma. My job’s been crazy lately.” Since there was no way she’d let me leave without finishing my drink first, I accepted my cappuccino and headed for the table.
Ma asked questions about my job, which I evaded, before switching tactics and pumping Ariana for information. Ariana handled it like a boss, sipping cappuccino and munching on pizzelles while she talked about her job and her dream of singing in a show. But when Ma started questioning Ariana about her family, she excused herself to use the restroom.
I leveled a stare at my mother, knowing she’d never give up. “Her parents are dead, her uncle’s an ass, and she lives with her sister.”
“Watch your mouth in my house, Franco.” Ma glanced at the bathroom door. “And she wants to sing. That’s a difficult road. It’s a good thing she has you to—”
“To what? We’re just friends.”
“Now, but I see the way that girl looks at you. She’s looking for a lot more than friendship.”
I stared at my coffee cup, refusing to meet Ma’s gaze. “Well she’s gonna have to keep lookin’. Friendship’s all I can offer right now.”
Ma clicked her tongue and started to say more, but I cut her off.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why am I really here?”
She stood and started clearing away plates. “Isn’t missing my son enough? Why does there have to be a reason?” Now she wasn’t meeting my gaze. I loved my mother. I took care of her and David financially and there wasn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for them. But we weren’t exactly a close family, and hadn’t been in several years.
“Ma—”
“I’m dating someone. I’d like you and Ariana to come to dinner with us so you can meet him.”
“No.”
Ariana picked that very moment to come out of the bathroom. The tension between me and Ma was so thick Ariana didn’t even make it to the table before asking what was wrong.
Ma gave her another of those ear-to-ear smiles. “Nothing, dear. I was just inviting you and Franco out to dinner with me and my boyfriend. I think Franco’s a little intimidated and—”
“Ma!” I swear the woman was relentless.
Ma winced, and Ariana startled at the harshness of my tone before turning to Ma and asking when the dinner was.
“Well, Tito asked me out this Saturday. Are you free?”
Tito? Great. Mom’s boyfriend sounded like a seventies pimp. I put my head in my hands, dreading the inevitable.
Ariana checked her phone. “I’m free. Bones?”
She had me by the balls. Who knew what lies Ma would tell Ariana if I didn’t go with her? All I could do was nod.
“Great!” Ma said. “I’ll text Franco the location. Tito’s gonna be so excited!
Can I get you another pizzelle?”
Ariana nodded. “Please. These are amazing.”
As soon as Ma headed for the kitchen, Ariana retook her seat beside me. “You okay?” she whispered.
Hell no, I wasn’t okay. “Great. Outstanding. Never better.” My Saturday night would be spent playing family with Ma and her new boyfriend. I was over-the-moon with anticipation.
Her brow creased. “What’s wrong?”
Ma returned, carrying more pizzelles.
“Later,” I whispered.
“So, Saturday’s a go, but what about the following Thursday?” Ma asked.
Thursday was Christmas. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shared a holiday meal with my mother. “You know I gotta work, Ma.”
She looked to Ariana and I about lost my shit. Thankfully she declined before I could blurt out my thoughts on the matter.
“Thanks for the invite, but I gotta work too,” Ariana said.
“Well how about tonight? The lasagna is almost ready and—”
It was time to get the hell out of there. I stood, interrupting Ma, and dragged Ariana along with me. “Thanks for the cookies. It’s been great, but we gotta jet.”
Before Ma could object, we were out the door.
CHAPTER SIX
Bones
BY THE TIME Ariana and I left my mother’s house, my shoulders were so tense I thought my head would snap off and go rolling down her front porch steps. Observant as ever, Ariana reached out and gave me a quick massage.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked.
I didn’t want to lie, but what could I say to make her understand what Ma was really like? Maybe it was best to let her believe Ma was a sweet old lady who served coffee and cookies. “Yeah.”
“Don’t lie to me, Bones. What’s going on?” Ariana dug her fingers in deeper, working out the knots in my neck. “Something’s going on. I’ve never seen you like this before. What is it? Do you not want me to go to dinner with you and your mom?”
Since I wouldn’t put it past Ma to be listening in on the other side of the door, I headed for the Hummer with Ariana in tow. I opened the passenger door and she climbed inside, watching me. The wounded look in her eyes told me she wouldn’t accept my silence as an answer. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her into my family drama, but it was too late to avoid that now. I put my arm against the door jamb and leaned into it, looking down.
“This has nothing to do with you, Ari.”
She grabbed my hand. “So, what? You have family issues? Tell me about it.” When I hesitated, she added, “I would do anything to have my mom back. Please help me understand why you’re trying to keep yours away from you.”
I looked back at the house I’d bought for Ma. It was no mansion, but it was far better than the tiny apartment we’d squeezed into after Pops disappeared. The car parked in the driveway was the Christmas present I’d bought her two years ago: a hunter green Honda Civic. She had a good life here—one I’d basically paid for, but had never really fit into.
“Talk to me,” Ariana pleaded, squeezing my hand.
How could I explain my relationship with Ma? “She’s a good woman. Strong. After Pops left, Ma had to get two jobs just to keep us fed.”
“Taking care of three boys on her own had to be difficult,” Ariana replied.
“Yep. She did what she had to do. We all did.” My throat felt dry. I’d never told anyone what I was about to say. Angel knew, but we never talked about it. Talking about it seemed pointless. Words sure as hell wouldn’t change the past.
“You all did?” she asked.
I nodded. Silently sifting through the details of my life, trying to separate what I could say and what I couldn’t. I didn’t have to tell her anything, but for some reason it mattered to me that she didn’t think I was a crappy son. So, I took a deep breath and began. “I was ten when I started guarding Angel.”
Her eyes widened. Ariana wasn’t a Vegas native, but she’d heard enough whispers to know Angel’s family was rich and powerful, and she asked enough of the right questions to tell me she knew more about what I did than she should. “Ten?” she asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t even know what to do with the money. We’d been living on ramen noodles and mac-and-cheese for months, so the first thing I did was order me and my brothers a pizza for dinner.” And that pizza tasted like the best thing I’d ever eaten. “With Ma working all the time and none of us knowing how to cook, I blew a lot of money on delivery those first couple of months. Then we started getting calls from bill collectors. They turned off the phone, then the cable, and when they cut the power, I knew I had to do more than buy food, so I took the bus down to the power and phone companies and paid cash to get our power and phone turned back on.”
“Wow. And you were ten? Your mom must have been so proud of you.”
That was the reaction I’d expected too. I’d waited up for her that night, but when she came in from her second job and flicked the light on, she didn’t say a word about it. She just sent me to bed like nothing had happened. “She never mentioned it.”
“But didn’t she wonder where the money came from?”
I shrugged.
“Did you talk to her about it? There has to be some sort of explanation.” Ariana glanced at the house. “Maybe she thought a family member paid it or something.”
I shook my head. “Ma knew what I was doing.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve been training since I was ten, Ari. I can’t tell you how many times I limped home bleeding and bruised. Ma would take one look at me and pull out the first-aid kit. No questions asked. She never grounded me or demanded to know why I came home with stitches.”
“But you said she was working two jobs. I bet she was exhausted and unable to deal with you. As a single mom it’s not like she could quit and follow you around to keep you out of trouble.”
I shook my head, glancing back at the house. “After the second month I paid the bills, she dropped one of her jobs.”
“And that proves she knew you were paying them?” Ariana asked.
“No, but it did free up her time.”
Ariana’s forehead wrinkled. As she watched me, I could almost see her working out what I couldn’t say in her head. “And she just let you… do whatever you were doing?”
“Yep.” I’d always wondered what Carlo had meant about owing Ma. Had there been some sort of agreement between them? Or was my working for the family something Pops had put into place before he disappeared? “After I got the job, she stopped making me check in with her. She used to be so protective it drove me nuts, but suddenly I could stay at Angel’s house whenever I wanted, even though she’d never met his parents. It was like she just stopped caring where I was and who I was with. I almost asked her about it a hundred times, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the truth.”
Ariana studied my face and I wondered what she saw. “What about your brothers? Are they… bodyguards too?”
I chuckled. “No. Tony was thirteen when Pops split. He saw it as an opportunity to start his teenage rebellion early. David was only seven, and he spent most of his time between school and daycare.”
Her eyes were watery when she shifted her gaze back to me. “You were all on your own. Kind of like me and Markie, but you were even younger. I’m sorry, Bones. I had no idea. She seemed so great… so involved. She even set your brother up with his wife.”
“That was a lie. The only time Trinity came to our house, Tony was sneaking her into his room. Knocked her up in the middle of their senior year. They got married and moved in with her dad in Cali.”
“Why would your mom lie about that? She couldn’t have known I was listening in on your phone conversation.”
“Near as I can figure she didn’t like the way it all went down, so she rebuilt the past in her mind… making it sound better.” I pulled my hand away from hers and pushed back from the Hummer, shutting her door so I could get behind t
he wheel. It was almost time to pick up Nonna.
“Guilt does weird things to people,” Ariana said, taking one last look at Ma’s house. “We’ve all done crap we’re not proud of. At least she’s trying Bones.”
I turned over the engine, wondering if we were still talking about Ma. “I know. And it’s not like Ma pushed me into working or anything. It was my decision. I just wish she would have been a little more… I don’t know.” Pulling away from the curb, I made a U-turn and headed toward the rich old-folks home.
“Motherly?” Ariana asked.
“Yeah. We didn’t talk much after Pops left, first because Ma was always working, then because I was. Now our relationship feels forced… like she’s trying too hard to make up for the past, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it Bones, but take it from someone whose mom is gone… you gotta work that crap out while she’s still here.”
I knew Ariana was right, but I wasn’t ready to make any promises. There was one thing I could tell her, though. “I’m glad you’re coming to dinner with us. Thanks.”
She beamed me a smile. “Don’t even worry about it. I got your back.”
Nonna lived in an apartment in an upscale retirement home off West Charleston Boulevard. She had more money than anyone could ever spend, but still insisted on personally packing her belongings rather than paying a moving company to do it for her. Ariana and I had to step over boxes to get to the kitchen to help Nonna cart out the dishes she’d prepared.
“I thought you said Angel and Markie were making dinner?” Ariana asked when Nonna pointed us to the containers littering her countertop.
“Oh, they’re making the main dish. These are just a few sides,” Nonna replied.
Ariana’s eyes bulged at the four large containers. She opened her mouth, but I nudged her before she could say something that would offend Nonna. Not like Ariana would insult Nonna on purpose, but she didn’t know anything about Italian grandmothers and their need to take care of their kids and grandkids. Based on the spread Nonna had prepared, tonight she planned to do so by stuffing us until we couldn’t breathe.
“Smells delicious,” I said, handing Ariana a container and stacking the other three in my arms.
Breaking Bones (Mariani Crime Family #2) Page 4