by Emily March
Annoyance flashed in Maggie’s eyes. “For heaven’s sake, Anthony. Don’t you think I have any sense?”
“You haven’t dated in thirty years, Mom. There are a lot of losers out there.”
“But I’m too stupid to identify them?” She laughed without amusement. “Believe me, son. I have more experience than you know. Look, I’m dating Richard. I’m not engaged to marry him. Right now I care about him, and he makes me happy. Just like I had to grin and bear it when you brought home girls I wasn’t certain about, you get to do the same for me. Now, any other comments?”
She folded her arms and looked around the room. “Gabriella, you look as if you have something you want to say.”
“Are you practicing safe sex?”
All four Romano brothers groaned and grimaced and looked anywhere but at their mother, who arched a brow and said, “Gabriella, I learned the consequences of having unprotected sex when I was fifteen years old. It is not a lesson one forgets. And since you brought the topic up, I will add that I trust you all are acting in a sexually responsible manner.”
“Can we change the subject please?” Zach asked.
Lucca couldn’t have agreed more. Especially since the memory of the recent incident when he hadn’t acted sexually responsible suddenly flashed through his brain.
He sat back in his chair. He hadn’t thought about it, that first night when Hope had come to him. He hadn’t used a condom. He never made that slip, but that night, he hadn’t been thinking.
Maybe he should bring it up. Just check and make sure that she’s okay and not worried about … consequences.
“Do you have any comments or questions, Zach?” his mother asked.
“My situation is different from the others. I didn’t know Marcello Romano. I just … well … you have my phone number. Feel free to call me anytime. And I mean anytime.”
His mother smiled at him, then looked at Lucca. “You?”
He winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t have anything against Steele. I do want you to be happy, Mom. It’s just going to take some time to get accustomed to you … uh …” He couldn’t come up with a word.
“Living again?” she suggested.
He smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
Maggie Romano turned to her next eldest. “Tony?”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
The mulish look on his twin’s face told Lucca that Tony wasn’t going to surrender his anger easily. His mother recognized it, too, but rather than try to coax any more from him, she continued calling roll. “Max?”
Max stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. He glanced from Tony to Gabi, then said, “More than anyone I’ve ever known, you deserve to be happy, Mom. If Richard Steele makes you happy, then I say have fun. Be careful, but be happy.”
Maggie offered up a tremulous smile. “Gabi?”
“I … I …” Tears swelled in her eyes and overflowed. “Excuse me.” She shoved herself from her seat and fled the room.
Lucca pulled his gaze away from his sister and back to his mother to see that now, she’d started crying, too. Oh, hell.
Maggie grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and dabbed at her eyes. She cleared her throat, then said, “I expect you all here for Thanksgiving dinner. My kitchen will be complete by then, and it will be my first meal in Aspenglow Place. As is our family custom, you are all welcome to invite friends. I intend to invite Richard. Celeste plans to join us. I ask you to give me a final count on Tuesday before.”
Her gaze shifted once more toward the powder room where Gabi had disappeared, then she drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and asked, “Anything else?”
The boys shared a look, and their gazes all fell upon Tony. “I’ll be bringing two of my players. They don’t have family to go home to.”
“That’s nice.” Maggie crossed the room toward the entry hall and the coat rack. “I trust one of you will convey my request to your sister?”
They all answered at once. “Sure.” “Will do.” “Of course.” “Got it covered.”
Maggie nodded, then pulled on her coat, her hat, her scarf, and her gloves. “Good night.”
The door shut firmly behind her, and one by one, her sons let out a sigh. “That went well,” Zach said.
“Oh, yeah,” Tony replied, his tone saying the opposite. “Just effing peachy.”
Max rose and lifted a fireplace tool from the rack to poke the fire. “It could have been worse.”
“Yeah,” Lucca said. “She could have brought the steel dick with her.”
Max groaned. Tony buried his face in his hands. Zach rose and said, “I’m outta here. I’m working a double shift tomorrow and it starts at five in the morning. I’m going to hit the sack early.” Addressing Tony and Max, he said, “So, I guess I’ll see you guys at Thanksgiving.”
“Yep. Nothing like a family holiday to look forward to,” Max said, shaking his brother’s hand.
After a short discussion, Tony and Max both decided to leave Eternity Springs and drive partway home to Boulder and Denver, respectively. When they knocked on the bathroom door to tell Gabi they were leaving, she finally exited the room. Soon, just she and Lucca were left. Lucca told her what their mother had said prior to her departure. Gabi rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and said, “I’m a mess. This whole thing has stirred up my grief. It’s like we lost Dad last week, not going on two years ago. I’m so sad and so angry, and I know it’s wrong of me to be angry. I just can’t seem to help it.”
Lucca was angry, too, only he was angry with their father, which was wasted energy, considering that Marcello Romano lay in his grave. For a moment, he considered sharing the bombshell that Max had dropped, but he decided against it. While his siblings had all looked up to their father, Gabi’s status as the only daughter had always made her relationship with their father a bit different. She had truly been Marcello Romano’s princess.
“Mom loves you. You love her. Remember what Nana always used to say? This, too, shall pass.”
“But she’s having sex with him. He took her to a sleazy motel. I didn’t expect her to throw herself onto the funeral pyre, but they were married thirty years. How can she move on in less than thirty months? And why is it that you guys can all smile and be nice about it?”
He chose his words carefully. “We can’t know what went on inside their marriage. We have to trust Mom to know her own heart.”
Gabi sniffed, then stalked over to the fireplace and held her hands out toward the flames for warmth. “Maybe I should follow your lead and run away to South America.”
“Because your mother has a new boyfriend?”
Her rapid blinking began again, and Lucca wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “Because I am in such a bad place right now. I’m adrift. I’m not a cop anymore. I don’t have a job. My only constant was my family, and now there’s a biker in Mom’s bed and a kindergarten teacher in yours. I don’t have anyone special, and dammit, I’m lonely.”
Oh. That’s what this is about. Now it makes sense. “Oh, honey. Come here.” He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Listen, I’m an expert on bad places. One thing I’ve come to believe is that it is possible to find your way out of them. You just have to put one foot in front of the other, Gabs, and eventually, the road will lead you to somewhere better.”
Gabi drew back and looked up into his eyes. “And your better place? It’s with Hope?”
Slowly, he nodded.
“Are you going to hang around that better place for a while?”
“I’m not looking to leave.”
“So are we talking something permanent? Say, buying a house in this better place? Putting down stakes? Maybe, with a ring?”
Lucca’s heart did a little hitch. Marriage? How had they gone from talking about their mother’s sex life to a ring on Hope’s finger?
A ring on Hope’s finger. Funny, he kind of liked the sound of that.
“Well?”
> Lucca was glad to see the spark of interest in his sister’s eyes. Anything was better than those great big sad puppy dog eyes. “Can I trust you to keep a secret?”
Interest brightened to sheer delight. “Absolutely!”
“Okay, then. It’s too soon to tell, but this is the first time in my life that the m-word hasn’t made me shiver in my shoes.” He tapped his index finger against her nose. “Now, I know the kitchen here isn’t officially open, but since I work here I keep a stash. The coals of this fire are just about perfect for roasting marshmallows. Want to make s’mores?”
“S’mores!” Gabi clutched her hands dramatically against her chest. “Lucca Romano, I love you.”
FIFTEEN
For the next two weeks, Gabi managed to avoid working with her mother by returning to the sheriff’s department to fill in for one of Zach’s deputies who requested family leave to stay home with his newborn baby. Lucca divided his time between Aspenglow and the school’s gymnasium, where he worked with the basketball team and with Wade in particular. In the first awkward exchange between Lucca and Richard, the contractor made an “I won’t hurt your mother” assertion and Lucca replied with a “Good, because I’ll be watching” caution. After that they managed to revert to their prior working relationship.
Hope, meanwhile, continued her dawn-to-dusk schedule, though she found it more difficult to get through the day without running out of steam. Her fatigue bothered her with an unacknowledged concern fluttering at the back of her thoughts like butterfly wings. Three times during the week while grading papers on the sofa in the teacher’s lounge during her conference period, she’d ended up taking a nap. With an extra-early start scheduled for the next day—a special preseason tournament had been organized in Serenity Valley to raise funds for a local student in need of a kidney transplant—she regretfully decided that she’d better skip that night’s date with Lucca in order to go to bed early.
When he arrived before practice, she took him aside and said, “I’m sorry, Lucca, but I need to cancel our date tonight.”
“Okay.” Concern creased his brow. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really. It’s been a long week and frankly, I’m just exhausted. We need to leave before daylight in the morning, so I’m better off going to sleep early.”
He studied her with a frown. “That’s the third time I’ve heard you mention being tired recently. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
Those butterfly wings of worry fluttered again, but she quickly swatted them away. “I’m fine, really. I’m still catching up from the sleep I missed when Daniel was here.”
His tone droll, he said, “If I weren’t a confident man, I might find statements like that worrisome.”
“Hey, Coach!” one of the players called as a group of students entered the gym. “Would you settle an argument? My dad says Michael Jordan had a better jumper than Derek Fisher. What do you say?”
Since the question itself proved that the student wasn’t talking to her, Hope turned her attention to her practice notes. She was amazed at the progress the team had made since the beginning of the season. Lucca saw the difference in the players, she knew. What she wondered was whether or not he saw the difference in himself.
He enjoyed coaching. She found it endearing that he obviously derived just as much pleasure from the efforts of their benchwarmers as he did from the starters. She wondered if it had always been that way for him, or if the pressure of high-stakes competition had stolen that joy. Well, whatever the answer, she hoped that when he returned to collegiate coaching, he would take the lessons learned in the Grizzlies’ gym along with him. I want you to be happy, Lucca. Wherever you go. Whoever you are with.
She gave her head a shake, then focused on the business at hand. The boys were full of energy that afternoon and excited about the first away trip of the season. At the end of practice, she called them together to pass out travel information for the players to give their families. “I still need signed permission slips from Billy and Brandon.” She made eye contact with the two in question. “I won’t let you on the bus without them. Meet in the parking lot at five a.m. We’re leaving at ten minutes after. If you’re late, you’ll have to find your own way to Serenity Valley. Coach Romano, any final words of advice for our team prior to the tournament?”
A shadow crossed his face. “I’ll save my pregame remarks for tomorrow.”
She looked at him for a beat. “All right, then. In that case, we’re done here. See you all in the morning—and go to bed at a decent time tonight!”
As the boys holding basketballs lined up to place them in the rack, Lucca signaled for one to be tossed his way. He held on to the ball, spinning it in his hands, until the last of the students exited the gym. Lucca turned toward Hope. “Where is Serenity Valley?”
“It’s southwest of here. About a hundred miles away. Well, actually the short route is a hundred miles, but this time of year we use the longer route to avoid a couple of passes.”
“But not Sinner’s Prayer Pass.”
The direction of his thoughts suddenly clicked for Hope. Oh, Lucca. Of course it would be difficult for him. “No, going south it’s unavoidable.”
Grimly, he asked, “You said you take a bus?”
“Yes, we take my school bus. I drive.”
He winced, and his expression grew downright haggard. She placed her hand on his arm. “Lucca, you surely knew the team traveled to away games.”
“Yes, of course.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I knew it, but I never thought about it. The actual transportation part. Easier not to think about it, I guess. Why do you do the driving?”
“Well, because we have only three licensed bus drivers. It’s my bus, my team. I get paid extra for driving and, frankly, it’s income I need. Daniel doesn’t charge me for his time anymore, but I do pay the expenses he incurs in connection with looking for Holly. The driving job helps.”
“Basketball season happens in the winter,” Lucca said, frustration sharpening his tone. “This is winter in the mountains. Snow happens. Sleet happens.”
“And I am very careful. The schools are very careful. This isn’t our first winter, Lucca. We pay close attention to road conditions and we reschedule games if the forecast looks dicey.”
Lucca bounced the basketball, then took it toward the hoop. Hope stood watching, debating what to say to him. Was there anything she could say that would ease his mind? “Lucca, I’ve never had an incident with the bus. I’ve never had a car accident. I’ve never even been cited for a moving violation of any sort.”
He took half a dozen shots. She stood waiting, since it was obvious he was working something out. When he finally turned to her, he asked, “Will it break any rules if I ride along with the team?”
“Lucca, this isn’t something you need to put yourself through. Why don’t you—”
“Will it break any rules?” he interrupted.
“No.”
“Then I’ll ride with you. I’ll meet you at the bus in the morning. Now, why don’t you head on home? I’m going to stay and shoot for a little while longer. Sleep well, Hope.”
The man obviously wanted to be alone. Understanding the need to sometimes wrestle with one’s demons in private, Hope nodded and left him to it.
She slept well that night and awoke at four-fifteen to the sound of her alarm, feeling better than she had in days. She showered, dressed, and checked the latest weather report while eating a quick breakfast. The slight chance of snow they’d called for the day before had disappeared from the forecast.
“Good,” she murmured, closing her laptop. This trip needed to be as smooth and as uneventful as possible for everyone’s sake.
She’d made arrangements with a teenager to watch Roxy, so she made sure to leave the front door lock disengaged as she departed. As she glanced next door, her stomach sank in disappointment. It was a quarter to five, and Lucca’s house remained dark. Under other circumstances she might have called o
r knocked to see if he’d overslept, but not today. Recovery came in fits and starts. This particular hill would be a high one for Lucca to climb.
With such thoughts on her mind, Hope was surprised to arrive at the school parking lot to discover Lucca already waiting. “You’re here.”
“I said I would be,” he said, his voice tight with anxiety. “How do you feel this morning? Did you sleep well?”
“I did. I feel great, and I’m so glad to see you.”
He tugged her around to the back of the bus away from the glow of the street lamp and gave her a thorough and slightly desperate kiss. “I’m so afraid that I’m going to embarrass myself. Promise me that if I start to wig out, you’ll kick me out on the side of the road. Call Zach and he’ll come get me.”
He sounded so uncertain. Was he ready for this? “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“Actually, I do.” He lowered his mouth to hers once more and kissed her until the sound of an approaching car had them both pulling away. “I’m hanging on to my man card by a thread as it is.”
“Hardly,” Hope said, giving her best sniff of disdain. “Darlin’, after caveman sex, your man card is made out of platinum.”
Calmed, he laughed as they went to meet their team.
For the first leg of the journey, Lucca sat quietly at the back of the bus. All the way at the back. Twice when the kids got loud, he snapped at them to be quiet. When Hope started the climb up Sinner’s Prayer Pass, a glance into her rearview mirror showed her that Lucca had a death grip on the grab bar in front of him. His obvious stress affected her, and she was never so glad to reach the flats on the other side of the pass as she was this time. She wondered what her chances would be to convince him to catch a ride home with one of the parents making the trip to Serenity Valley.
They arrived at their destination without incident, and once the students exited the bus, Lucca moved up to the seat behind her. He looked like he’d run a marathon, she thought.
“Welcome to Serenity Valley,” she said.
“I made it.” He flashed her a relieved grin and added, “Is it too early to start drinking?”