Awaken My Heart

by Maria K. Alexander

  “I’m stating the facts. She never told me there was a problem, so how could I try and fix it?”

  Gina sat with her arms wrapped around her middle. “You could have done something.”

  “What’s done is done, and we have to move on.” Nick leaned forward. “My lawyer recommended counseling. For you kids and even for all of us together.”

  Her head snapped up, her eyes fierce with defiance. “No way. If you force me to go to a counselor, I’ll run away.”

  Just what Nick didn’t want to happen—or worse.

  “Where would you go? There are people out there who can hurt you. Running away isn’t the answer. If you won’t talk to me or a counselor, you need to talk to someone.”

  Looking at her with her jaw set in stubbornness reminded him of a similar-minded DiFrancesco—one who had her own set of problems and often clashed with not only Nick but his entire family.

  Time to pay his baby sister a visit.

  ****

  Nick pushed open the door of Decadent DeLites and felt a hundred times better when the smell of cinnamon, apples, and pumpkin embraced him. Vicky and her partner, Lucy, single-handedly owned the market on desserts this side of town. Most days, the line was out the door and around the corner of the building.

  No matter how bad things were, being surrounded by family brought comfort to Nick. A strong cup of coffee and a few biscotti couldn’t hurt, either.

  Nick waited his turn in line, even though he could easily have stepped behind the counter and served himself.

  “Why did we have to come here?” Gina groaned from behind him.

  “Because I wanted to see Aunt Vicky. You don’t have to get anything if coming here is offensive to you,” Nick said.

  “Hey, I didn’t say that.” Gina moved quickly to the display case to assess her choices.

  His daughter may be stubborn, but she wasn’t one to turn down anything sweet.

  When the woman in front of him finished paying, he moved up to the counter. “Hey, Maggie,” he said to the older woman who worked there.

  She greeted him with a smile. “Hey, yourself. What brings your handsome face here this morning?”

  He nodded at Gina. “A surly teenager and a desperate need for caffeine.”

  Maggie flicked a glance over to Gina. “Ah, I understand. I raised three girls. What’s your poison?”

  Nick ordered a large coffee and two biscotti and turned to Gina. “What do you want, G?”

  “A small coffee and a pumpkin muffin.”

  Nick raised an eyebrow. “Coffee? Since when?”

  “Mom lets me.”

  Nick had stopped counting at how many times that phrase had come out of one of his kid’s mouths. He felt his right eye twitch.

  “How about the muffin and a hot chocolate?” Her beverage of choice wasn’t up for negotiation.

  She rolled her eyes and stomped her way to a table along the wall.

  “I’ll take that as a yes?” Maggie asked.

  Nick nodded and waited while she got their order together.

  It was well past the morning rush, but the place was hopping. A group of women with strollers had pushed four tables together and were deep in conversation while their little ones napped. A couple of college-aged students huddled at a table working on their laptops, earphones in. Three people in business attire sat and looked like they were in a meeting.

  Nick was proud of how his sister had renovated the place. She’d taken a broken pizzeria and transformed it from dark and outdated to a bright and cheerful gathering spot. Gone were the black and white checkered floor and red walls—no loss there. In their place was a light wood floor and walls painted to resemble an Italian village, complete with stores and real flower boxes. In observance of fall, she’d decorated it with fall foliage and pumpkins. The effect was warm and welcoming.

  “Is Vick here?” he asked Maggie.

  “She’s in the back with Lucy. They’re deep in wedding discussions, so enter only if you dare.”

  “So noted. Thanks, Maggie.”

  He took his order and sat across from Gina.

  Picking up the toasted biscotti, he dunked it into his coffee and bit into the hard cookie, reveling at the zing of anise and sweetness of chocolate. And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of orange. His sister really was a genius with desserts.

  Although Gina had grumbled about the hot chocolate, she’d already finished half, and was working her way through the muffin while looking at a social media site on her phone. He guessed there wouldn’t be any more discussion today.

  “I’m going to talk to Aunt Vicky. Don’t go anywhere,” he said.

  A grunt came from behind the phone, which was probably the best he was going to get. He figured as long as the phone didn’t sprout legs and walk off, she’d stay put.

  Picking up his coffee, he walked through the store to the kitchen. He pushed open the door and shook his head at the sight of Vicky and Lucy wrapping mini bottles of champagne in a mesh fabric.

  “Is this a bakery or a craft store?” Nick said.

  They looked up and rolled their eyes.

  Vicky stretched her shoulders. “Wedding favors.”

  “I thought you both were having small ceremonies,” Nick said.

  “It turns out there’s the same amount of work for seventy-five people as there is for two hundred,” Lucy replied.

  “I’m sure you capable ladies have things under control. Can we talk, Vick?” He flicked a glance at Lucy. “Alone.”

  After staring at her brother for a beat, Vicky widened her eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’ll go out on the floor,” Lucy said.

  “Appreciate it,” Nick said. “Gina is out there, if you have any desire to talk to a moody teen.”

  Lucy laughed on her way out the door. “I have a niece, so I’m familiar with moody teens.”

  A loud banging sound came from above.

  Nick raised an eyebrow. “Problem upstairs?”

  “Jamie’s started working on renovating our apartment. He wants to convert the unfinished portion of the attic to livable space.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “You said Gina was with you. What’s up?” Vicky asked.

  “I picked her up from school. Franny and I have been having issues with her.”

  “You mentioned the creative art work.”

  “There’s that, but today she decked Sean.”

  “What? Why? Because they’re related?”

  “Yes, and because she didn’t like him before she knew they were related.”

  “It’s not like it’s his fault.”

  “Logic doesn’t apply here, Sis.”

  “Now what?”

  “She’s suspended for three days.”

  “Well, that stinks.”

  “Any suggestions on how to deal with her? Things were bad before I learned about Sean, and now…I’m afraid this is going to put her over the edge. She’s so angry and unreasonable.”

  Vicky put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side. “Oh, I get it. Two feelings I can relate to, right?”

  Nick winced. “Don’t be offended, squirt, but yeah. You had issues—some of which were brought on by me and the whole Jamie situation in high school—but there was other stuff, too. You kept a lot to yourself, and I thought maybe you knew a way to draw her out. Take her into your confidence.”

  Vicky pursed her lips. “It’s hard to explain what I went through. I was angry at the world and didn’t know why. This won’t make sense, but I wanted to be included in things yet when I was asked, I got mad.”

  “You’re right, you were crazy.”

  “It’s not logical, I know. I couldn’t express what I wanted to do—maybe I didn’t completely know—but I knew what I didn’t want to do.”

  “Which was basically anything anyone suggested,” Nick added.

  “Except baking. When Ma asked me to help her, I loved it. That’s the only thing that got my juices flowing
.”

  “You think Gina could be of the same mind-set?”

  “It’s possible. Why don’t I talk with her and see if she wants to help me out here a couple days after school and on the weekends. Not a lot of hours.”

  Nick leaned a hip on the table and considered. “I’d have to clear it by Franny.”

  Vicky rolled her eyes. “Of course you’d have to run it by the Queen Biotch. Why don’t you leave my darling niece here? She can help during the lunch rush and maybe we can experiment with recipes in the afternoon. I can drop her off at home later and give you a chance to talk to Franny,” Vicky said.

  “You’re the best.”

  “I’m going to tell Kate you said that,” Vicky teased.

  Nick headed out while Vicky went to reason with an unreasonable teen. He hoped if anything, Gina could find an outlet for her energy and put it to better use than vandalism. If not, he may have to take more drastic measures.

  That would mean calling his mother.

  Chapter Eleven

  On Saturday afternoon, Ashley held onto her diet soda and pretzel and carefully followed Sean up the bleachers. Even in sneakers, it would be miraculous if she didn’t end up tripping and dumping her soda on someone. Focusing, she took her time and released her breath only when she reached him…all the way at the top.

  Now, as she settled to watch the softball game Nick coached at St. Vincent’s Orphanage, Ashley thought about what lie ahead tomorrow.

  Meeting Nick’s family.

  The mere idea of it caused the pretzel to get stuck in her throat. She choked and took a swig of soda.

  “Mom, can I get a bag of chips? I’m still hungry,” Sean said.

  The way he scarfed down the pretzel you would have thought he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. But he was a growing boy.

  She handed him a dollar. “Go ahead.”

  On the field, Nick and several other men Ashley didn’t recognize gathered boys and girls a variety of ages. Nick’s team circled him and waited for instructions. The other team had the field first and the kids were attempting to throw the ball to each other. Less than half actually caught it.

  “Do you mind if I sit here?” a pretty woman who looked to be in her late twenties asked.

  “Sure, help yourself,” Ashley said.

  The woman pointed to the field. “You get a real good view of the coaches from up here.”

  “Do you know them?” Ashley asked.

  The girl smiled, and her eyes went soft. “The sexy one on the pitcher’s mound is my fiancé, Jamie, and the lug next to the batter at home plate is my brother.” She held out her hand. “I’m Vicky DiFrancesco.”

  Nick’s sister.

  Ashley stared at her hand a beat before shaking it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ashley O’Neil, but I figure you guessed that.”

  “Mother of my nephew,” Vicky said.

  Seeing this as an opportunity to get to know one of Nick’s siblings, Ashley met Vicky’s gaze. “I am.”

  Vicky craned her neck to look through the crowd of kids huddled in front of the mini concession stand the orphanage staff had erected. It became clear when she spotted Sean because her smile widened. “The likeness to Nick is incredible.”

  “It is.”

  Ashley knew she was going to face Nick’s family, but she wasn’t expecting to do so today and hadn’t prepared what she was going to say. How did one apologize for keeping Sean a secret?

  Sean jogged up the bleachers until he reached them and held up a bag. “I got BBQ.”

  Ashley gestured to Vicky. “Sean, this is your Aunt Vicky.”

  Sean’s eyes widened and panned over to Vicky. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” He wiped his right hand on his jeans before holding it out.

  Vicky shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sean. You may look like my brother, but you’re much more polite.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you play baseball?” Vicky asked.

  He shrugged. “I never have.”

  When Sean was younger, Ashley had tried to get him interested in soccer, but he didn’t like the confrontational nature of the sport. After a few other failed attempts at various sports, he decided to stick to music and take art classes.

  “Your dad played in high school and in college. He and my fiancé play on a men’s league Sunday mornings. You should watch them sometime. They’re really good and ridiculously competitive—especially with each other,” Vicky said. “Your half-brother, Joey, is playing. He’s wearing a number five T-shirt.”

  Ashley followed Vicky’s finger and saw a small boy with dark brown shaggy hair putting on a helmet.

  “Hey, he looks a little like me,” Sean said.

  “He does favor the DiFrancesco side of the family. I’ll introduce you to him after the game,” Vicky said.

  “Maybe that’s not a good idea,” Sean said.

  “Why not?” Ashley asked.

  He jerked his head toward the far side of the bleachers where Gina sat on the bottom bleacher with a couple older girls who all huddled over their smart phones. “What if he hates me as much as Gina does?”

  Vicky touched the boy’s knee. “I love my niece, but she’s going through a difficult time. Add in a surprise brother, one who goes to her school, and that makes her a little nastier.”

  Sean nodded.

  “You shouldn’t allow Gina’s attitude stop you from getting to know Joey,” Ashley added.

  Before she could offer any additional encouragement, Nick called up from the bottom of the bleachers for Sean to come down. Joey was with him, and Ashley watched as the brothers were introduced. She couldn’t hear their conversation but saw Sean’s gaze shift past his father and onto the field before giving a careless shrug. Nick placed his hands on Sean’s shoulders and said a few more words before he nodded and made his way back up the bleachers.

  “Is it okay if I sit in the dugout? Dad said I could play if I wanted to,” Sean said when he reached the top.

  Ashley was afraid he’d get hurt or do something to embarrass himself, but she knew from her own childhood experience that hiding from what could happen didn’t help you in the long run. Sometimes failing at something was good. And who knew? Maybe things would be different now.

  “It’s fine. Pay attention to what they tell you to do,” Ashley replied.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Sean raced down the benches and followed Nick to the rest of the team.

  “He’ll be okay,” Vicky said. “Nick will show him the ropes.”

  Ashley remembered how good an athlete Nick was in high school. It wasn’t his teaching ability that worried her…it was the student.

  “Sean has never liked competitive sports,” Ashley said.

  “Baseball is a little different. While it’s a team sport, there’s an individual component some kids don’t find as intimidating as soccer or lacrosse.”

  Ashley hoped Vicky was right.

  Nick tossed Sean a shirt. He slipped it on over his sweatshirt and huddled with the rest of the kids while Nick gave instructions. They put their hands in the center and called out a cheer before scattering off to their various positions.

  Ashley had never been a fan of sports but was drawn to the activities—or maybe she was drawn to the form-fitting baseball pants that hugged Nick’s thighs and cupped between his legs. Not to mention what it did to his very perfect ass. It would have been obscene except the other three men were dressed similarly. She sipped her soda, welcoming the coolness that would hopefully lower her rising body temperature.

  Ashley understood enough about the game to know Nick’s underhand pitch was meant to improve the chances the kids would hit the ball. Sean jumped up and cheered when the first batter got to third base.

  It wasn’t until the bottom of the second inning when Sean got to bat.

  Based were loaded with two outs.

  Jamie adjusted Sean’s position and stepped away so Nick could wind up for the pitch. Sean swung too soon, and the ball sailed over the
base, and Sean stumbled forward. The sound of cackling laughter came from the bottom bleacher where Gina held court. Ashley had to restrain herself from speaking up on her son’s behalf.

  “Ignore them,” Vicky said. “It was his first swing. Give him a chance.”

  Ashley appreciated her confidence and nodded.

  In the batter’s box, Sean repositioned himself and prepared for the next pitch. This one was better, and he fouled it off the tip.

  Vicky called out. “You got a piece of it, Sean. Get the next one.”

  The third pitch was another foul. Ashley could sense Sean’s frustration. He was used to being able to do anything. Of course, academics were easy. Sports were another thing.

  Nick jogged over and spoke to Sean before making a few adjustments in his position. This time when the pitch was thrown, Sean waited and as he started to swing, Ashley jumped up, grateful no one was behind her. The ball made contact with a resounding crack and sailed into the air and past the second baseman’s head.

  Sean didn’t seem to realize he hit the ball and stood paralyzed.

  “Run,” his teammates called.

  Dropping the bat, Sean took off toward first base and at an impressive speed for even Ashley’s inexperienced eyes.

  Safe.

  Their entire side of the stand cheered as the runner on third made it home and scored the tie-breaking run.

  “I can’t believe he hit it,” Ashley said while clapping.

  Vicky held up her hand for a high-five. “Hell, he crushed it. The way Nick used to.”

  Ashley didn’t go to the high school baseball games but had heard of all the shut out games Nick had pitched, and home runs he scored earning him MVP three out of four years.

  The spectators settled down for the next batter.

  “What Nick and your fiancé are doing here for these kids is great. They all seem to be having fun,” Ashley said.

  “Jamie and Nick keep it light, but there’s a competitive streak between them. The unofficial rule is the loser buys pizza after the game.”

  “I recognize Nick’s partner, but who is the other man on the field?” Ashley asked.

  “Tristan Connelly. He’s Jamie’s partner in a home improvement business and engaged to my BFF, Lucy Delvecchio. They’re getting married in two weeks.