Part 22 (2/2)
Rosalie downed her wine and would have refilled the thimble-sized gla.s.s, if Aunt Rose hadn't been staring. Rosalie heard Aunt Rose's voice in her head. ”Drink all the wine you want, little girl. It's not going to change your stars. It's only going to show you how dumb you can be. Salute.” Salute.”
Hearing Aunt Rose's voice as clear as if she'd spoken was enough to cause nightmares. She gave Rosalie a knowing smile.
Johnny nodded toward Joey. ”Hey, Joey, what are you doing here?”
Johnny must have swallowed the huge amount of pasta he'd stuffed into his mouth. Either that, or he was talking with his mouth full, which would have surprised no one.
”I thought Rosalie dumped you. Are you trying to get her back?”
Joey wiped his mouth before answering. ”She didn't dump me. We've decided to take a break.”
Rosalie didn't correct him. She hoped he was only saying that to save face and wasn't delusional. But in either case, it was no longer her problem.
Johnny laughed. ”It sounds like a permanent break to me. The guy she's dating let her drive his brand-new Mustang. You see what I'm saying?”
Johnny turned his eyes to Rosalie and used the tip of his knife to pick his teeth. Emiserating.
Nick needed to find Rosalie. Doing nothing but vacuuming was driving him crazy. He went to the closet, got his jacket, and was putting it on when the front door opened. A weary, haggard, and demoralized-looking Rosalie stepped inside. Christ, she was gone an hour and a half, and she looked as if she'd been tortured for a week.
”What took you so long to come home? You scared me. I thought... h.e.l.l, I don't know what I thought.” Nick drew her close and held her. ”What happened?”
He slipped the coat off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Ignoring it, they went to the couch and sat.
Nick pulled her onto his lap. He still wore his jacket but couldn't figure out how to take it off without letting go of her. She'd tucked her head under his chin, her face resting against his neck, and she had yet to say anything. A quiet Rosalie was disconcerting. ”Lee, are you okay?”
She nodded against his neck. He felt her chest expand as she took a deep breath, as if she was trying to calm herself.
”Where were you?”
”Green-Wood Cemetery. I took a walk.”
”In this cold? Are you nuts? You're frozen.”
”I had to get out of there, and I was so mad, I didn't want to drive. I turned into the cemetery, parked your car, and took a walk. Then all I wanted was to come home.”
”What happened?”
”G.o.d, what didn't? Ma invited Joey to dinner-” ”The idiot?”
She nodded, her cold nose moving up and down against his neck.
”Before he showed up, my mother... G.o.d, Nick- she knows. How could she know and stay?”
”Sweetheart, you don't know-”
”I know. Aunt Rose said. I don't know how Mama can still live with him.”
”You talked to your aunt about your father's affair? You told her?”
”Papa was there when I told them I was seeing someone else and that we'd gone to Pane e Vino in Nolita on Thursday night. Papa looked as if he were about to have a coronary. He knows I know. Then it kept getting worse.
It was awful. When we sat down to supper, Johnny rubbed Joey's nose in it because I drove your car. He kept putting his greasy hand on my thigh, and then Annabelle said I could sleep with whoever I wanted-”
”Wait a minute. Who put his hand on you?
”Johnny.”
”Who the h.e.l.l is Johnny?”
”Annabelle's fiance.”
”I'll break his f.u.c.kin' neck.”
”Not necessary. I broke his finger. Well, it could have been his knuckle. It was hard to tell.”
He patted her a.s.s. ”That's my girl.”
”All h.e.l.l broke loose. Johnny cursed. Joey choked. Mama prayed. Aunt Rose smacked Annabelle. Papa rattled the dishes. And I left.”
”You're home now. I've got you. It's going to be all right”
”You feel so good.” She snuggled closer. ”Where were you going? You have your jacket on. And why is your prized vacuum out?”
'There are a ton of crazy messages from your family. I knew something was wrong. What can I say? I vacuum when I worry. Not that it helped. I had to do something so I was going to find you.”
”I don't need a knight in s.h.i.+ning armor, Nick. I take care of myself.”
He tried not to laugh. Sure, she took care of herself, but she'd been clinging to him since the second she walked through the door. She'd come home, because she had to see him. She'd die before she'd admit it, but she needed him, even if it was only to hold her. Maybe old Aunt Rose wasn't crazy after all.
”Did you eat?”
She shook her head. ”Not a bite.”
”Good, me, either. I'll throw together a quick meal.”
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