by Rich Amooi
She reached down and rubbed the dog’s head again. “Who’s the original artist of the song?”
Giovanni smiled again. “Giovanni Roma.”
She blinked. “Really?”
“It still needs a little work.”
“I have to disagree with you.” She looked around the studio, not sure what she was looking for. Maybe just admiring things. Like the guitar with the reddish tones on the table.
She pointed to the guitar. “I love the color of that guitar. Is that just the finish or is it a special wood?”
“Both. The wood comes from the Appalachians. It’s cut from an Adirondack spruce. And I agree with you, it’s one of my favorites.”
She nodded. “You must have a lot of patience.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Didn’t you tell me it takes a month to make each one?”
“I guess you could say that. I only make ten guitars a year. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
He must have a day job or something. No way he could make a living off of selling ten guitars per year.
“Do you mind me asking what one of these guitars would cost?”
“Not at all—the information is public and on my website, so you could Google me and find out. The average price is eighteen thousand.”
Natalie was well aware her mouth hung open but she couldn’t control it. “Eighteen thousand?”
“Yes.”
“For a guitar?”
“Yes.”
“For one guitar.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.” She walked around the studio and inspected a few other pieces of wood on the table as she mentally calculated ten guitars multiplied by eighteen thousand dollars apiece.
I guess he doesn’t need a day job.
She turned to Giovanni and said, “Why did you put that flower in my hair on the hike?”
His eyes opened wide and he chuckled. “I think you need to work on your transitions a little. That change of subject was like a brick to the head.”
“I’m just curious.”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?”
He fidgeted with a bowl of guitar picks and then made eye contact with her. “I knew purple was your favorite color and . . . I saw a purple flower. I just felt like giving it to you, that’s all—just an impulse.”
“How did you know purple was my favorite color?”
He laughed. “It’s pretty obvious.” He wiggled one of his ear lobes.
Natalie felt her ears and then remembered she was wearing her favorite purple earrings again, the same ones she wore at the park. She forced a smile. All the time she’d spent with Jacks—her own fiancé—and he didn’t even know purple was her favorite color.
“Well,” said Giovanni. “Sorry if it upset you—it won’t happen again.”
“You don’t have to apologize for being sweet. It’s just—I don’t know. I guess it caught me off guard.”
“Oh. Okay.”
They locked eyes for a brief moment and both jumped when Federico entered and loudly announced, “What a beautiful day!”
Okay, maybe it only seemed like he screamed. She should be used to it by now. You’d think he was powered by non-stop espressos, but his energy was one hundred percent natural.
Giovanni smiled. “I agree, Federico. A very beautiful day.”
“I want to invite you for dinner this evening,” said Federico. “I am going to prepare my very special eggplant parmesan dish. You will come, no?”
Giovanni licked his lips. “How can I pass that up?”
“Good! See you at six!”
“I’ll be there.”
Giovanni spent the rest of the day working on the guitar for James. He was very proud of it and excited to know it would go to someone so young and talented. He took a break in the middle of the day to take Precious out for another walk, then stopped by the store to pick up a bottle of wine to bring to dinner. At the market a woman dropped her purse and all of the contents scattered about the floor. Giovanni helped her pick everything up and she thanked him.
Another good deed!
At exactly six on the dot he went through the side gate into Federico’s yard and slid open the sliding glass door. Federico was busy at the kitchen counter preparing a Caprese salad. Giovanni spotted the garlic bread and smiled. “Smells great, Federico.”
“Grazie.” Federico turned to hug Giovanni and then got back to the salad.
Giovanni gestured to the bottle of wine in his hand. “I brought this for you.”
Federico looked back and smiled. “Vino! You can find an opener in the first drawer. You remember where the glasses are, no?”
“Yes.”
“Natalie is in the shower. She will be out soon and we’ll eat.”
Giovanni felt slightly guilty because of where his thoughts were headed. They were in the shower. With Natalie.
He couldn’t be blamed, could he? Natalie was a beautiful, sexy woman and she was naked at that very moment. Any red-blooded man with a brain and a healthy libido would be thinking of her in that shower. Lathering up and rinsing off in slow motion. The steam hovering around her body. Absolutely normal thoughts, of course!
But Federico made no mention of the passionless fiancé. Was he on his way? It sure didn’t sound like it, but he needed to know if he was going to be there.
“Will Jacks be joining us?”
Please say no.
Federico peeked down the hallway and shot his gaze back to Giovanni. “No,” he whispered. “And between you and me, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
“Me, too,” whispered Giovanni.
“It’s mighty quiet over here,” said Natalie. “What are you two up to?”
Giovanni eyed her purple summer dress. “We were talking about our favorite colors. Mine is purple. So is Federico’s. That’s why he made the eggplant. Right, Federico?”
“Absolutely, my friend!”
Natalie smacked Giovanni on the arm. “Behave.”
Giovanni smiled. “I’ll try. Nice to see you.”
“You, too.” She reached up, hugged him, and smiled. He tried not to hold on too long, which wasn’t easy considering how great she felt. And her smell?
Amazing, as usual.
Giovanni opened the bottle of wine and pulled out three glasses from the cupboard. The thought of an evening with just Natalie and Federico sounded perfect to him. And with Federico in the room he would be able to control himself and quit staring so much at Natalie. Because damn, she looked so beautiful this evening. Was she getting more beautiful every day?
Giovanni poured the wine and sat.
Federico brought the food to the table, raised his wine glass, and smiled. “To two of my favorite people. Salute!”
“Salute!” said Giovanni and Natalie at the same time.
As Federico passed the food around the table, Giovanni felt a sinking feeling coming on. More like embarrassment. Here Federico was saying he was one of his favorite people and Giovanni hadn’t invited him to his wedding. He felt like a world-class jerk. He’d been meaning to say something over the last week but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He took a sip of wine and tried to clear his thoughts. Hopefully nobody noticed his mood change.
Federico spooned some Caprese on his plate and looked up at Giovanni. “Is everything okay?”
So much for nobody noticing. He needed to tell him the truth. Federico was a good guy and he deserved to know what happened.
Giovanni forced a smile. “No. Not really.”
Federico frowned. “What is on your mind?”
“I owe you an explanation, Federico. I didn’t invite you to my wedding and you need to know why.”
“I knew you had a good reason and I can respect that.”
The response didn’t surprise Giovanni. Federico was just a kind, warm-hearted human being.
“Still,” said Giovanni. “I need to tell you. Patricia told me she didn’t want stra
ngers at her wedding and since she had officially never met you, you qualified as a stranger. That wasn’t the real reason, though. She reduced the size of the guest list, then immediately increased the budget. She wanted a more lavish wedding and spent two hundred dollars a plate on the food and over fifteen thousand on flowers. I didn’t like the idea and told her, but the tension was unbearable and I gave in. We scratched forty-five people from the list. Almost all from my side.”
“But there wasn’t a wedding so it doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. My actions were wrong. I’m sorry. I was a jackass.”
Natalie waved off what Giovanni said. “That’s nothing. Jacks changed our honeymoon from a month in Europe to ten days in Death Valley. He said it would be healthy for us to go camping and connect with nature and eat granola bars. Then he canceled his bachelor party in Vegas. All because he wanted to buy a Harley.” She took a sip of her wine and rolled it around in her mouth before swallowing it. “I found the brochure under some books on his desk. Oh, and to top it off he eliminated a hundred people from our guest list.”
“After hearing your story I don’t feel so bad,” said Giovanni, laughing.
And with that he received another smack on the arm. This woman liked to hit! He enjoyed this playful side of Natalie.
Man, oh man.
His thoughts went from hits to spankings in a flash. He really had to stop doing that. She was going to catch him and then how would he respond? He felt comfortable around Natalie. She was just like Federico, a good person you could trust.
Natalie pointed to Giovanni's face. “Where did your mind just go?”
Son of a bison! The woman was as sharp as a Ginsu knife.
He scratched his cheek and lied. “I don’t remember.”
She continued to stare at him.
He shrugged. “Spankings.”
She blushed and took a sip of her wine.
Federico burst out with laughter. “Pass the garlic bread, please.”
They enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Federico. Giovanni could really see what a fun person Natalie was.
Giovanni stared at Natalie as she scratched her hand.
She had poison oak, too. He opened his mouth and then closed it. Probably would be best if he didn’t mention it.
“What?” asked Natalie, obviously noticing him about to speak.
“Nothing.”
Quick. Think of something to distract!
“How long you been a cop?” he asked.
She looked at him suspiciously. “Ten years.”
“It must be very rewarding.”
“Definitely. I have the opportunity to help people and guide them to make better choices. I believe people can change if treated with respect and kindness.”
Giovanni nodded. “I like that.”
“I’m very proud of my bambina,” said Federico.
It was great to see how close Federico and Natalie were. Giovanni had never felt close to his mom. He’d been very successful and totally fulfilled with his guitar business, but it never seemed like it was good enough for his mother. He was much closer to his dad. Alfonso always loved and respected what Giovanni did for a living, but never expressed it out loud for fear of the wrath of his Eleonora. Giovanni always felt bad for his dad because he just followed his mom around like a puppy dog. He didn’t seem happy and that was no way to live. He longed to ask his father how he survived being married to his mother all these years. He needed to understand why he stayed.
“Have you ever had to use your gun?” asked Giovanni
He hoped that wasn’t a stupid question, but he found it fascinating and scary that she carried a weapon that could take away someone’s life in a split second.
“No. Never had to use it.”
“That’s good. Taser?”
She shook her head.
“Ever kicked a guy in the balls?”
“No, but if it makes you feel better I can make that happen for the first time tonight.”
“Tempting, but I’ll pass.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that.” She studied Giovanni for a moment. “What about you? How did you get into building guitars?”
Giovanni smiled. “My parents took me to Spain when I was six. Kind of crazy when you think of it because kids that age can’t really appreciate the beauty and history of a place like that, you know?”
Natalie nodded. “But you were able to appreciate it?”
“Yes and no. My dad was obsessed with flamenco and wanted to share it with me. The dancing, the singing, the guitar playing, the hand clapping—everything. For me, I couldn’t have cared less about most of it at that age, except for the guitar. There was something special about the instrument and I was hooked. So we were walking on some tiny cobblestoned street in the south of Spain, in Málaga to be exact, and we stumbled upon a man making a flamenco guitar by hand in a shop window. We ended up watching the guy work on a guitar most of the day and my dad got his business card. Six months later on my birthday my dad gave me a guitar. One that the old man made.”
“Amazing. But how did you go from guitar playing to guitar making?”
“Fast forward twelve years to the summer after I graduated from high school. I had planned on spending a couple of months traveling around Europe—a graduation present from my parents. Italy, France, and back to Spain, before starting college. Just for kicks I went to go see if that guy was still making guitars. He was and he actually remembered me!”
“How in the world did he remember you?”
“No idea. But it’s what happened afterward that was even crazier. I decided to stay in Spain a year as the man’s apprentice. I learned everything I could from him and didn’t get paid a single penny. He offered me food and a room and I took it. And I loved it! After that I came back and worked part-time at the local music shop until I could get the business up and running. And the rest is history.”
“What a story.”
Federico pointed to Giovanni. “And this kind man donates a guitar every single year to a special program for children. What is the name of it?”
“Music Prodigies of America. It’s a nonprofit that supplies musical instruments to underprivileged youths who possess extraordinary music skills.”
Natalie stared at Giovanni for a moment. “That’s wonderful. Do you ever get to meet the kids?”
“Usually not. But tomorrow will be the first time I actually meet one of them in person because he lives in the state. In Sacramento.”
“Really? You must be excited.”
“I am. But to be honest with you I’m a little nervous, too.”
“How come?”
“It’s a special case. He’s an orphan.”
“Oh . . .”
Natalie looked like she wanted to say something else but didn’t.
Federico patted her on top of the hand.
Natalie stood up. “I’ll get the dessert.”
Federico stood up as well and tapped Giovanni on the shoulder. “While she gets that ready I’d like to show you something, my friend.”
He followed Federico to the wall of pictures—almost all of them were of Federico and Olive. There wasn’t a day that went by where he wasn’t saying something sweet about Olive. He’d seen the pictures before, but there were some new ones added.
Federico pointed to the picture of the two of them on top of a glacier kissing. “This was our cruise to Alaska. We took a helicopter ride and landed on top of this glacier. Then of course Olive kissed me there. She was always kissing me.”
“I like that,” said Giovanni. He turned his head in the direction of Natalie so she could hear him loud and clear. “Kissing is good!”
“Yes!” agreed Federico.
“In fact, a woman kissed me just the other night.”
Federico lost the smile on his face. “What do you mean?”
Natalie cleared her throat and walked to the kitchen table with a cheesecake. “Okay, time for dessert.”
; The men joined Natalie at the table and she cut them each a slice.
Federico took the first bite and moaned. “Very, very good.” He still had a serious look on his face and turned to Giovanni. “Who was that woman who kissed you?”
Giovanni glanced at Natalie who shook her head as a warning.
“Some drunk. She couldn’t keep her hands off of me.”
Giovanni should have known better than to play with Natalie. She was a cop and didn’t take shit! The kick he received under the table was swift and right on the money.
She was good. Really good.
It felt like someone jabbed him with an ice pick. He couldn’t contain the scream. He clutched his shin and rubbed it up and down in a quick motion. The rubbing was supposed to make it feel better, but the pain was increasing with every second that passed.
Federico jumped in his seat and looked under the table. “What is it? Are you okay?”
“I think so,” he said, continuing to rub his leg. “It was just a cramp.”
He looked over to Natalie who was avoiding eye contact and eating. Not sure how she could fit that fork of cheesecake in her mouth. That giant smirk had to be getting in the way.
She thinks this is funny?
He had to admit he probably would be laughing, if it weren’t for the pain.
“Are you going to be okay?” asked Federico.
“Yeah, I think so. The pain is starting to go away.”
“Good. This is very fascinating.”
“My pain is fascinating?”
Federico chuckled. “No, no. I want to know more about the woman who kissed you. You had me worried for a moment, but it sounds like the kiss was nothing.”
Worried? Why would he be worried? Was Federico trying to set me up with Natalie?
“But please tell me how it happened,” said Federico.
Natalie paused her fork of cheesecake in midair, waiting for Giovanni's response. She pursed her lips together and mouthed the word no to him. He was pretty sure he saw her nostrils flare. It was his move. How should he play it?
He knew he should’ve just stopped right there but he couldn’t help himself.
Giovanni tucked his legs as far as possible under his chair. “I’m not sure how it happened, but it tickled.”