“Yeah,” I whisper and toss my eyeliner pencil back in the drawer. “But that kid is all man.” There’s no way I can focus enough to avoid looking like someone out of thoseHow Not to Apply Makeupvideos on the internet.
“You know that’s messed up, right?”
“I don’t get involved in my father’s world. I drank too much. That’s my only defense.”
“Daphne.” I can picture her shaking her head at my sheer stupidity. “Stay away from that man. His father and your father…”
“I know. I know. I don’t have plans to ever see him again.”
“Was he good, at least?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.” I wince as I say the words.
“That’s a shame.” Michelle laughs. “There’s going to be blowback eventually, and it would be nice at least to have a fond memory or two to look back on.”
“Shut up. He said he’s a businessman. I don’t really know anything about him except I made an epic mistake.”
“Did he at least have a bangin’ body underneath that suit?”
“The best I’ve ever seen,” I say honestly.
“Better than Tommy Pasquale?”
He follows me everywhere.
“Girl, better than any male on the planet.”
“Big dick?”
“Perfect. Long and thick.”
“Fuck. All the good ones are either taken, unavailable, or off-limits. I swear, it’s tough out here.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.” I pull on my sandals, wishing my mother would’ve canceled Sunday dinner, but that’s not her style. “I got to run. I’ll see you at work tonight, yeah?”
“I’m going to do some digging before I come in.”
“No. Absolutely not. Do not ask around about him, Michelle. I don’t want our names linked even in casual conversation.”
But I know, no matter what I say, Michelle’s going to stick her nose right where it doesn’t belong. That’s what we do for each other, and it’s why she’s my best friend. She always has my back. Always. Doesn’t matter if I’m in the wrong, she’s willing to go down with the ship.
“I’ll be discreet,” she promises before hanging up.
I’m not sure she even understands what that word means.
An hour later, I’m at the bar, and my father is standing in the middle of the room, clinking his fork against his wineglass to get everyone’s attention.
This isn’t a normal Sunday dinner. My mother decided to invite the out of town guests to the bar for one last hurrah to close out the wedding weekend. Thankfully, she didn’t cook and was smart enough to have the event catered from Dino’s down the street.
“First, I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with us. We’re overjoyed to have Delilah as part of our family.” My father pauses and glances down at my mother, who’s beaming from ear to ear. “Second, as the years pass by, Betty and I understand how important family is, and we wanted you to be the first to know we have officially decided to tie the knot.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter under my breath, which earns me a kick under the table from Angelo.
“Seriously, Angelo.” I stare at him, arms crossed, totally annoyed. “Why now? You can’t be happy about this.”
My parents have been together over thirty years, but they have never once seriously talked about getting married until this moment. It makes no sense. The time to do it was decades ago when they decided to start a family, not after we’re all already grown.
“It makes total sense. They’re getting older, Daph.”
