by Rich Amooi
“So now you protect and serve.”
“Exactly.”
Natalie had a funny feeling in her stomach. She’d never told anyone that story before and hadn’t even thought of that bicycle in years.
She gestured with her hand toward the door. “Lead the way.”
“Of course.”
They walked outside. Giovanni pointed to the garbage can.
“Go ahead, take a look. Completely dry.”
She set the fire extinguisher on the ground, lifted the lid off of the garbage can, and looked inside. She eyed the brown and gold purse on top. “Is that a real Louis Vuitton?”
Giovanni nodded.
“Huh.” She moved some things around and pulled out a pair of high heels with red soles. “Louboutins . . .” She looked back up at Giovanni. “The woman has expensive taste.”
“Yeah.”
Natalie felt the things inside of the garbage can and rubbed her fingers together. “Okay. All dry.” She looked back down into the garbage can, then back to Giovanni. “You know, you should probably just give these things back to her.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, it’s up to you. But if you don’t want to you could at least donate them to a charity. There are women who will never be able to afford something like this in their entire lifetime. You can give them an opportunity to have something luxurious at a discount.”
Giovanni scratched his head, then looked into the garbage and nodded. “I like it. You’re a genius.”
Federico suddenly appeared on the other side of the fence. “Yes! Giovanni, that genius is my little bambina!”
Natalie frowned. “Nonno, please.”
Giovanni did a double take at Federico. “This is the little bambina you’ve talked about?”
“Yes! My granddaughter Natalie.”
Giovanni analyzed her for a moment. “I thought she was . . . smaller.”
Natalie cleared her throat. “You calling me fat?”
“What? No! I didn’t mean to. I meant . . . younger. You’re his little bambina. I thought you were like ten years old.”
Federico laughed. “She will always be my little bambina.”
Giovanni squished his eyebrows together. “How is it I’ve never met you?”
Natalie shrugged. “The truth is I’ve only been here twice in the last couple of years. How long have you lived here?”
“Almost two years.”
“That explains that. I haven’t had a life since you’ve lived here. I had been working the graveyard shift and taking online classes in my free time. I just got promoted to the day shift a few weeks ago.”
“She’s staying with me until she gets married,” said Federico. “And it’s a pleasure to have her. Is she not the most beautiful girl in the world?”
“Nonno . . .”
Federico smiled at Giovanni proudly and gestured toward Natalie. “Well?”
Giovanni nodded. “I’m on the verge of passing out from the intenseness of her beauty. Or maybe I’m getting vertigo by staring at that diamond on her finger.”
Natalie placed her hand on her belt. “I can still arrest you.”
“She’s kidding, Giovanni! She has a heart the size of this town.”
“Is that right?” asked Giovanni.
Natalie shook her head. “Don’t believe him—I can be a total bitch. Don’t test me.”
Giovanni pointed to her face. “You’re trying to hold in a smile, aren’t you?”
“No way.”
Natalie kept her face serious as long as she could, then burst out laughing.
Giovanni smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For distracting me. It’s been a crazy day.”
“You’re welcome. Can I give you some advice?”
“Of course.”
“I learned this from my wonderful grandfather who is standing behind me. He taught me that whenever I’m having a bad day or when something isn’t going my way, to take the focus off of myself and do something nice for somebody else.”
“Like what?”
“It could be anything. As you go through your day look for opportunities. It could be just a smile. A few kind words. Or it could be more than that. It’s like a miracle drug, trust me.”
“I’ll give it a shot, thanks.”
“You see?” said Federico. “This is why I love my bambina so much. She is the kindest person I know, is she not?”
Giovanni winked at Natalie. “She’s a peach.”
Natalie didn’t say anything. She just wanted to wipe that grin off of Giovanni’s face. Not because she didn’t like it. No, not at all.
It was quite the opposite.
Chapter Four
Giovanni jumped out of bed with more energy than he’d expected. Odd, considering he just got dumped the day before. If things had gone according to plan he would be leaving for his honeymoon today.
Not even close.
Today he was going to try his hardest to be positive. To be a do-gooder. He would look for situations to help out others and take the focus off of his pathetic love life.
Just like Natalie had suggested.
He found it fascinating that she motivated him so easily.
He hit the brew button on the coffee machine, popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster and sat on the bar stool at the kitchen island, opening his laptop. He always enjoyed going through his emails as he ate. He felt productive that way.
He spread some blueberry jam on the toast, took a bite and washed it down with some coffee. He read an email from Music Prodigies of America—the latest edition was about a young genius who played the guitar.
Amazing.
Most music prodigies played the piano, violin, or cello. But one who played the guitar? That was almost unheard of and so cool. And he was a California kid, too, which made him even more special.
The kid—James was his name—was an eight-year-old living with foster parents. According to the email he was smart and well-behaved. All he wanted to do was play the guitar, which Giovanni found extraordinary.
Giovanni almost choked on his coffee when he saw the picture of James’ guitar. It was way too big for him and in horrible condition. Part of the bridge was even coming off. Not to mention that it was a cheap guitar—worth forty bucks at most.
And, just like that, Giovanni made the decision. He was going to give James a new guitar—one that fit him better. One that would probably sound a thousand times better than the one in the photo.
Giovanni already had a kid’s guitar that was eighty percent finished. A client had paid the deposit and then canceled the order after his son lost interest in playing. This was the perfect opportunity. He figured he could finish it in a few days. He smiled at the thought of donating the guitar to the kid.
His cell phone rang and he stared at it on the kitchen counter.
Not going to answer it.
It was probably his mother anyway, ready to give him another beat-down and he just wasn’t in the mood to be called pansy again.
The phone said he had two voicemail messages, but he had only heard the one call come in. When had he gotten the other call? He pressed the play button on the phone and turned on the speaker.
“Hi, it’s me . . .”
Giovanni froze as he was putting his plate in the sink.
It was Patricia.
“Sorry I didn’t show up to the church. I . . . uh . . . we’re just . . . different, you know? Anyway, I’ll stop by sometime to pick up the things I have at your place.”
Click.
Not good. He had just donated all of her things to charity yesterday. Every single thing. Maybe he should have listened to Natalie and just given the stuff back to her. But could somebody really blame Giovanni for what he had done? He was pissed after she embarrassed him at the church. She had left him without saying a word! That was a thousand times worse than donating her clothes. Plenty of people would have done the same thin
g! Still, he was feeling a little guilty for rushing to donate her clothes barely three hours after he walked out of the cathedral.
He wasn’t looking forward to having to explain it to her. Not at all.
He deleted the message and played the next one.
“Hi, Giovanni dear, it’s me, Beatrice. You saved my little Precious yesterday, remember?”
How could he forget? The mouth kisser.
“I have an emergency and really need your help. Please come to my home immediately.”
Beatrice left her address and hung up.
He called her back and it went straight to voicemail. She probably was just craving another mouth kiss. Or maybe it was more than that. She sounded quite disturbed and Giovanni didn’t want to take a chance. He quickly got dressed and ran out the door. Fortunately she only lived a few blocks away so he could be there in a couple of minutes.
But why hadn’t she just called 911? It didn’t make any sense.
He pulled into Beatrice’s driveway, jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. Before he could even knock, the door flew open and Beatrice was standing there next to a huge brown suitcase. She took two steps forward and kissed Giovanni on the lips. “You are a lifesaver. A super hero! I think you need to have a big S right here.” She gently tapped his chest and made a sizzling sound.
Giovanni wiped his mouth. “As I mentioned previously, the kisses are not necessary.”
“They are for me! Anyway, here’s the scoop: I have a flight that leaves in exactly one hour and forty minutes and the person who was supposed to watch Precious just called and canceled at the last minute. I was ready to text you to let you know I left a key under the doormat in the back yard.”
Precious came to the door and wagged her tail when she saw Giovanni. She moved closer and leaned on one of Giovanni’s legs, rubbing her head against him like a cat.
He reached down and scratched her on the head. “Hi, Precious. How are you?” He almost thought he heard the dog purring.
Giovanni didn’t like where this was going. There was no way he was going to play babysitter to a dog. Sure, Precious was cute and Giovanni loved dogs, but that was beside the point.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t do this.”
“Please don’t ma’am me! Show him how much you love him, Precious.”
Precious jumped up on her hind legs, obviously asking Giovanni to pick her up.
Nice trick.
Giovanni picked her up and was promptly greeted with a lick on the chin.
Beatrice pointed to Precious. “She loves you! You can’t deny that!”
Precious continued to try to move closer to Giovanni's face to lick him more. Giovanni moved his head back and forth from left to right to avoid her tongue.
The dog seemed to have picked up that kissing habit from her owner.
Precious was funny to him and very cute, but still . . .
Not going to happen.
“I’m not saying that she doesn’t like me,” said Giovanni. “And yes, I like her, too. But I’m in no position to look after a dog.”
“You don’t have a house?”
“Yes, of course, but—”
“You have cats?”
“No, but—”
“Obviously you don’t have allergies . . .”
He set Precious down. “No, but . . .”
“So, what’s the dealio?”
The woman would not let him finish his sentences. And did she just use the word dealio?
“You must know that dogs are chick magnets. You looking to meet a woman?”
“I’m going through a breakup.”
“Can I be your rebound?”
Did she really just ask that?
“I—”
Beatrice pinched Giovanni on the arm. “I’m joking! Look, I’ve had way too much coffee this morning so I’m a little hyper.”
No kidding.
“I’m going on an Alaskan cruise with my Bunco group. They’re probably already at the airport waiting for me. Ten women, feistier than me.”
Feistier than Beatrice? Giovanni didn’t think that was possible. He turned and looked behind him as he heard the taxi pull up. He didn’t like the feeling building in his gut.
“Do you get joy out of helping others?”
Giovanni knew this was a trick question. “Of course.”
“Then it’s settled! Thank you!” She leaned forward to kiss Giovanni on the lips again.
He turned at the last second, feeling the impact of her mouth hitting his cheek this time.
She pulled away and looked disappointed. She obviously wanted more lip action. She handed Giovanni a paper with some directions about the dog’s daily routines and care and hauled her suitcase toward the taxi.
Beatrice stopped and looked back. “I’ll be back in two weeks. The house key is on the kitchen counter and check to make sure all of the windows are closed. Don’t forget her food and bowls. Thank you! You get fifty dollars a day.”
“I don’t need your money, Beatrice.”
“Non-negotiable. And please eat everything that’s left in the fridge.”
And just like that the taxi disappeared down the street, along with Beatrice.
What the hell just happened?
Giovanni stared at Precious who was wagging her cute little tail.
He picked her up again and smiled. “Looks like I have a temporary dog.” She licked the side of his face. “How did that happen?”
The truth was . . . Giovanni didn’t feel so bad.
This was what Natalie had talked about—doing something kind for someone else. Sure, he should’ve been married now and on his way to Barbados for his honeymoon, but for some reason he felt a sudden rush of peace. Was it coming from Precious?
Precious looked into Giovanni’s eyes as if she adored him.
Giovanni smiled.
Maybe taking care of Precious wouldn’t be such a bad thing. And it would be a welcome distraction.
Giovanni arrived back home and introduced Precious to her new playground. She ran around exploring every room in the house and sniffing every piece of furniture she encountered. Satisfied, she jumped on the recliner in the living room to rest.
“That’s off limits, Precious.” She obviously had a hearing problem—she didn’t budge. “You hear me? You can have your run of the house and enjoy it, but I have two places that are off limits to you in this house. My bed and that recliner. Got it?”
Precious batted her eyelashes and let out a soft bark.
“And your cuteness will get you nowhere.”
Giovanni couldn’t believe he was trying to have a conversation with a dog for the second time in two days.
Precious barked again and dropped her chin down on her paws, not moving from the recliner.
He picked her up and placed her on the floor. A few seconds later she jumped back up on the recliner and laid her head down again, closing her eyes.
Giovanni smiled. How could he have a problem with something so cute? He was pretty sure he had just lost his chair for good.
He walked to the side door of the house and inhaled through his nose. He smelled smoke and wondered if his garbage can had caught on fire. He would be in real trouble. None of the lighter fluid had dripped out of the can, so that wouldn’t make sense if it had. He opened the door and walked outside.
Precious had relinquished the throne and decided to join him.
Giovanni glanced over the fence. Natalie was raking leaves on to a flaming pile.
Giovanni moved closer to the fence and rested his arms along the top of it, watching her work.
Natalie looked much different out of her cop uniform. She wore purple shorts and a purple tank top that hugged her body. Her wavy brown hair was now down, a little below her shoulders, and swayed back and forth as she raked.
Very attractive.
As if she knew she was being watched, she turned around, catching Giovanni staring at her legs.
Son of a biscuit!<
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Giovanni felt his face burn as he tried to think of something to say to play off his leg-gawking. “Did I miss the invitation for the pyromaniacs meeting?”
She smiled and walked toward him.
Giovanni did his best to maintain eye contact with her. It wasn’t easy considering the tanned and toned legs walking in his direction.
She leaned the rake against the fence. “You can kid all you want, but my fire is actually legal on county land. Yours yesterday? Not so much.”
Giovanni nodded. “Well, technically I didn’t have a fire yesterday thanks to someone who was kind enough to point out that I was an idiot.”
“Let’s just say you had a lapse in good judgment. But it’s not a surprise considering what you went through.”
Her smile paralyzed him. He had to take a breath before he could speak. “Thanks for understanding.”
They had a brief moment there without words. He was sure of it. It almost felt like a connection or something, but that was crazy. The woman was getting married and Giovanni should be in mourning right now. The odd thing was . . . he wasn’t. It was as if he had expected the breakup to happen and had been in denial. There had been signs, red flags, and warnings all over the place with Patricia, but he had chosen to ignore every last one.
I’m an idiot.
Natalie pointed to the dog. “What a cutie pie. What’s her name?”
“Precious.”
Natalie laughed. “Please tell me you didn’t name her that.”
“A little too girly?”
“Just a bit. But it actually fits her.”
“I would like to take the credit but Precious is not mine. I’m just watching her.”
Precious sensed they were talking about her and decided to play cute, licking Giovanni on the chin.
“Stop that, Precious.”
“She sure seems to like you.”
“Yeah.” Giovanni looked toward the house. “Where’s Federico?”
“He went to go pick up some Italian sausage. We’re having a little barbecue later.”
Giovanni nodded again.
Natalie opened her mouth and then closed it.
What was she going to say?
She took the rake and smiled at Giovanni. “You’re welcome to come, you know. One o’clock at Strawberry Field. The bocce’s always fun.”