“I’m glad he’s excited about it,” Nick said.
The waitress returned with their food, and once everyone was served, Ashley sliced through the chicken parmesan. The knife eased through the crusty outside into the juicy meat. The sauce held the scent of garlic and tangy tomatoes that promised a punch. Raising the fork to her lips, Ashley bit and closed her eyes to savor the explosion of flavor.
“Mmm,” she moaned.
“I take it you like?” Nick asked.
Ashley chewed and swallowed before opening her eyes. “It’s the best I’ve ever had. How does he manage to keep it crispy while loaded down with sauce and cheese?”
“That’s a well-guarded DiFrancesco family secret,” Nick said with a smile. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“Or marry you,” Vicky interjected.
Ashley’s heart skipped a couple beats when her gaze locked on Nick’s and held.
“I guess I’m safe from either since any knowledge would be wasted on me, with my horrible cooking skills,” Ashley said.
“Speaking of weddings, Jamie and I are having our bachelor and bachelorette parties this Saturday night,” Vicky said to Ashley. “Why don’t you come?”
“Won’t that be a little…odd?” Ashley asked.
“Think of it as a girl’s night out,” Vicky said. “Bring a girlfriend.”
She’d gone to precisely two bachelorette parties in her life and didn’t know if she was up to it. But the openness of Vicky’s face made Ashley want to go.
“I’ll have to make sure my dad will be home to watch Sean,” Ashley said.
“Why don’t you bring him over to Ma and Dad’s house? I’m sure Ma would love to watch him. And there’s plenty of room for him to stay over. Lucas will be there, too,” Vicky said.
Jamie must have kicked Vicky because she jumped. “What? Ma’s made a few references about wanting to spend more time with Sean. I thought since Ashley will be coming on Sunday it would make things easier. Plus she’d earn points with Ma.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Vick can be as conniving as our mother,” Nick said. “There’s no pressure to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Ash.”
Vicky’s point wasn’t lost on Ashley. Logically, it made sense, but it was hard to trust someone else with Sean—even someone who had raised four of her own kids and a couple of grandchildren.
“Let me talk with Sean and see what he thinks,” Ashley said.
“Fair enough.” Nick swung his gaze to his sister. “How’s Gina working out at the café?”
“Okay. I have to keep on her a little, especially now that she has a boyfriend,” Vicky said.
Nick’s fork clattered to his plate. “What boyfriend?”
“Some pretty boy from her school. Caught her making out with him in the alley when she was supposed to be taking out the trash,” Vicky said. “And from the shocked look on your face, you didn’t know?”
“Nope. What’s his name?”
“Why? Are you going to run a background check on him?” Vicky asked.
“Maybe.”
“David Nelson. He seems like a nice enough kid,” Jamie added.
“That’s debatable if he’s sucking face with my daughter,” Nick replied.
“Or worse,” Jamie murmured.
“Not helping,” Vicky said when Nick cringed.
“Dating at her age is natural but can be tricky for the parents. If you haven’t met him, I’d suggest finding an opportunity to do so,” Ashley said.
“I’ll have to find out if Franny knows about this kid,” Nick said.
“If you want, I can text you the next time I see him. Gina’s on the schedule tomorrow after school,” Vicky said.
Nick nodded but didn’t look happy at the idea of confronting Gina about her boyfriend, and Ashley couldn’t blame him. His relationship with Gina was fragile. If Nick pressed too hard about the wrong things, it could push her further away. Finding that balance was going to be difficult.
Ashley wanted to offer more advice but didn’t want to overstep. It was one thing to offer advice about Sean, but another to butt into Nick’s other family. Regardless, it was going to be another hurdle for Nick to get over.
****
Friday night, Ashley circled the block twice before finding a spot around the corner from Nick’s apartment. How had she allowed herself be convinced to have Sean sleep over at both Nick’s house tonight and Carmen’s tomorrow night? The DiFrancescos sure could be persuasive when they wanted something—especially when Nick kissed her goodnight the other night. And two other nights since they’d had dinner together. Each kiss lowered her defenses a little more, and left her needy and longing—two feelings she wasn’t accustomed to.
She had barely put the car into park when Sean opened the door.
“Hold up a minute,” she began. “I want to go through some rules with you.”
“Come on, Mom. I’m fourteen,” Sean whined.
“You’ve never been away from home overnight, and I want to make sure you’re set with food and all your medicine.”
“You checked my bag before we left the house.”
She had. Twice.
“Promise you’ll call me before you go to bed and again in the morning.”
“I promise.” He looked into the street. “Can we go now?”
Enough stalling, already.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Ashley practically had to run to keep up with Sean. He had already pressed the button to be buzzed up when she reached the top of the landing. She understood his excitement at spending time with his father, but a tiny part of her agonized over feeling as if he was slipping away from her.
Silly, she supposed. It was natural for a boy to gravitate toward a male role model at his age, and Nick working in law enforcement added to the hero fantasy most boys had at some point in their young lives.
Shaking away her selfish thoughts, she followed Sean up the stairs. The door was ajar, and the tangy scent of tomatoes and garlic lingered in the air.
“Hi, Dad. What’s that awesome smell?” Sean asked.
Ashley noticed the ease at which father and son embraced in greeting, almost as though they hadn’t been kept apart all these years.
“Homemade pizza. Thought I’d make a tomato pie plus experiment with a dairy-free cheese,” Nick said.
Ashley’s breath caught at the sight of Nick in a black apron. She would have thought he’d look ridiculous, but in combination with his dark hair and dimpled chin, he looked utterly delectable.
“Wow, my very own pizza. Can I help?” Sean said.
“Sure can. I made the dough and wanted to show you how I stretch it.”
Sean’s face lit up. “Cool.”
“Why don’t you put your bag in the bedroom?” Nick said.
Sean hefted the backpack off the floor where he’d set it and wandered to the bedroom.
Ashley scanned the large room that functioned as both a living and dining room. A small rectangular table—set for three—was in the area just outside the kitchen. The far end of the room held a sofa, a recliner chair, and a coffee table. A flat-screen TV was attached to the wall and looked to be the most expensive item in the place. Some sort of game console was on a table along with a bunch of games and DVDs.
“It’s not much, but it’s fine for just me.” Nick wiped his hands on a towel and approached her. “Thanks for letting Sean stay the night. It means a lot.”
“It’s no trouble. He’s been packed since yesterday,” Ashley said. “He mentioned you asked what food to buy, but I brought a bag of snacks in case you need it.” She held up a small brown paper bag.
Nick reached out and grabbed it, his large work-roughened hands covering hers. “Thanks.”
His skin was warm, and she was more than aware of how close they stood. Flour smudged the sleeve of his T-shirt, and Ashley could smell the faint hint of cologne mixed with yeast from the pizza dough. The combination made her he
art skip a few beats.
She pulled her hands away and stepped back. “I should go.”
Nick took a step toward her. “Why don’t you stay?”
As much as she wanted to, she didn’t want to intrude. “I thought tonight was about you and Sean.”
“It is, but you need to eat, right? Besides…” He clasped a hand and pulled her into him. “I want you to stay.”
He dipped his head and gave her a slow kiss that ended far too quickly.
Still clasping her hand, he led her to the kitchen, where three round balls of pizza dough lay on a cookie sheet. A variety of toppings from pepperoni, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese—both shredded and fresh mozzarella—broccoli, and even pasta had been cut up and arranged in small bowls. Nick dropped her hand and moved to the stove where he stirred the contents of a small pot before switching off the gas.
“It smells delicious. Gravy?” she asked.
“Gravy’s for pasta. This is sauce for the pizza.”
Why did Italian terminology have to be so confusing? “I thought you called everything gravy?”
“Rookie mistake.” He moved forward, the largeness of his broad shoulders and wide chest taking up all the space in the small kitchen.
She jumped when her butt bumped the counter.
“This is a pizza sauce. The difference is in the seasonings and how you prepare it. Gravy is made with meat drippings, which is what makes it a gravy and not a sauce.” He gestured to the pot on the stove. “This doesn’t have any meat in it.”
She’d never get it right. “I’ll leave it to you to correct me every time I screw it up.”
He gave her a wide smile and reached for something behind her. Damn his small kitchen. Ashley bit her lower lip to refrain from groaning at how delicious being pressed against his perfectly muscled body made her feel. Not to mention the pulsing between her legs had gotten more intense the closer he got to her.
“I found a dairy-free mozzarella cheese in the vegan section of the grocery store.” Nick held up a package of shredded cheese.
She blinked. Twice. “I’m sorry, what?”
He laughed like he knew what being pressed up against him was doing to her, which he probably did. The jerk.
“Have you ever tried this?” he asked.
Ashley shook her head. “We’ve tried others, but they didn’t melt, and the taste was something less than desirable.”
“This is new, and it’s supposed to melt. I thought we’d give it a try.”
“Thanks, Nick.” She blinked away tears.
“It’s no trouble.” He cupped her cheek and ran a large thumb under her eye. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s all this.” She gestured to the counter. “You put a lot of effort into this. It will mean a lot to Sean.”
“What does it mean to you?”
He stepped closer, placing both hands on either side of her, boxing her in. She could feel every delicious inch of him pressed firmly against her—and there were a lot of inches to feel.
Her breath caught and her lips parted. “It means a lot to me, too.”
“I’m glad.”
For a second time, he lowered his head, and she met him halfway, tilting hers up to meet his mouth. This time the kiss was more urgent, his tongue coaxing a moan out of her that had her wishing they were alone.
The heavy thump of footsteps behind her caused her eyes to fly open and them to pull apart.
“Wow, look at all this stuff,” Sean said, appearing on one of the bar stools outside the kitchen.
Nick rose to his full height and shifted to the side. “You can pick your toppings. But first we need to spread the dough.” Nick opened a cabinet drawer and withdrew two cloths. He tossed one to Sean. “Suit up.”
Nick opened the second black apron and held it up to her. “Let’s protect your pretty shirt with this.”
She cleared her throat. “Good idea.”
He slipped it over her head and reached behind her to secure it against her lower back, lingering a moment longer than necessary and causing her heart to lurch again. Then he cupped her chin and winked.
How was she going to make it through the meal without spontaneously combusting?
“What do we do?” Sean asked.
Nick pivoted to the stove and set the temperature. She bet he never accidently turned off the oven.
“Have you ever tossed pizza dough?”
Sean’s eyes widened. “No.”
“With a little practice, it’s not hard.” Picking up one of the circles of dough, Nick placed it in the center of a stainless steel bowl with flour. “First I cover the dough with flour and set it on the counter so I can spread it out a little. Just enough to get it a little bit flat.” Nick’s large hands spun the dough in a circle while his fingers fanned out, causing the dough to form into a larger circle.
“How come you don’t use a rolling pin?” Sean asked.
“I like working with my hands.”
Ashley remembered how good Nick was at using his hands and let out a tiny groan.
“Anything to add?” Nick asked.
She cleared her throat. “I’m wondering how you’re going to toss the dough in this tiny kitchen. The ceiling isn’t high.”
“Watch and learn, sweetheart.” Nick picked up the dough and shuffled it between his hands. “The trick with tossing dough is correct hand position and getting the right rotation. You put your right hand flat and your left hand in a fist. Then you pivot left and release the dough while rotating right.”
Sean positioned his hands like Nick had done. “Show me.”
Nick demonstrated and successfully tossed the dough high in the air, catching it on his fists.
“You want to catch it on the outer portion and on your fists so you don’t weaken the middle.” He repeated it a couple times, the dough getting larger and larger with each toss.
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Sean said.
“You make it look easy,” Ashley said.
“It is when you’ve tossed from age five.”
“How do I toss it as a lefty?” Sean asked.
“You reverse everything.” Nick demonstrated.
The man could even toss using his non-dominant hand. Figures.
Nick laid the dough in the round pan. “You want to give it a try?”
Sean nodded and pushed past Ashley to stand next to Nick. With the kitchen too crowded for three people, Ashley took Sean’s place on the bar stool.
After washing his hands, Sean picked up the dough and dipped it in flour. Side by side they stood while Nick demonstrated with his hands and Sean mirrored his movements. Ashley grabbed her smart phone and set it to record. With no pictures of Sean and Nick together, it was important to capture special moments when she could.
“Are you ready to give it a try?” Nick asked.
Sean nodded and got into position, dough poised on his hands.
“I think I have it,” Sean said.
Nick stepped aside.
Sean shifted from side to side and gave it a little twirl. The dough rose a little but not high enough.
“Don’t be afraid to really toss it,” Nick said.
“What if I drop it?”
“Then we try it with the other one.”
Sean bit his lower lip in concentration and practiced moving his hands. On the third pass, he let go, and the dough soared into the air. It landed on Sean’s fists, and they cheered.
“I did it,” Sean exclaimed.
“Nice job.”
Another three times and Sean started to get into the hang of it. When Nick carried over the other pan, Sean stretched it the same way Nick had done.
Ashley snapped video and stills, thrilled at what Sean accomplished.
“Your turn.”
Ashley looked up and realized Nick was talking to her.
****
Nick was filled with pride at how easy Sean picked up tossing pizza dough. He could remember his father teaching him as though i
t were yesterday. It was during winter break, and Nick had gone to the pizzeria with his dad. He’d been allowed to put the sauce, cheese, and even the toppings on the pizza, but on that particular day, his dad brought over a stool and showed Nick the proper technique. It hadn’t been as easy for him as it had been for Sean, but what could he expect from a five-year-old?
When Sean was older, Nick would see if he was interested in working the summer at the trattoria. It was hard work but fun to be around family—most days. Although Nick had never intended to go into the food business, he appreciated the experience. Besides, learning to cook had been a big bonus with girls.
Now for Nick’s biggest challenge…to see if Ashley could be taught to toss. From the look of the horror on her face, she wasn’t going to be a willing apprentice.
“Me?” She shook her head. “There’s no way I can do that.”
“You don’t know unless you try.”
“Come on, Mom. Try it. It’s fun.”
She licked her lips, a nervous habit that never failed to go straight to his groin.
“Have you forgotten the meatloaf debacle? Can you imagine the damage I could do with a ball of dough?”
Nick came around to where she sat atop a bar stool. Her long legs were encased in form-fitting skinny jeans tucked into knee-high black boots. She’d paired it with a green sweater the color of her eyes. As usual, her blonde locks were tied back in a ponytail. To Nick, she looked more delectable than the pizza.
“Cut the excuses.” He held out a hand to help her off the stool. “Or are you afraid you can’t toss as well as Sean?”
He issued the challenge and pierced her with the look he usually gave criminals in interrogation. She returned his gaze with one of stubbornness and pride. Another surge of attraction caused his cock to twitch.
Ashley shifted her gaze from Nick to Sean, wavering when Sean gave her puppy dog eyes. “Okay, fine. Don’t be upset when I take something or someone out.”
Nick laughed and watched her scoot off the stool and saunter into the kitchen.
“Good luck, Mom.” Sean resumed his perch on the stool.
Nick stood beside her. “Do you want me to run through it again?”
“No, I think I remember.” Ashley picked up the dough, covered it with flour, and set it on the counter, where she stared at it a few seconds, as though she was trying to brace herself for some awful task. Or willing it to obey.
Awaken My Heart Page 20