I grab a glass, trying not to get an attitude. “Busy as always, Dad. Want to help?”
He takes a step back and clears his throat. “I can’t tonight, Daphne. I’m pretty busy.”
“Yeah,” I mumble. “Sure looks like it.”
He runs his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and motions over his shoulder. “Well, I better go check on your mother.”
I nod because it doesn’t matter what I say, he’s not going to pitch in. There’s no use wasting my breath. “She’s out back.”
“Don’t worry. He’s still adjusting,” Michelle tells me as she shoves a tip into her front pocket.
“Did your dad act like this when he got out?”
“He wasn’t himself for a while, but he slowly got back into the groove,” she says while she checks her makeup in the mirror behind the bar.
My dad didn’t have a groove.
He had a way of life.
Even though he was released early for time served and good behavior, I have a nagging feeling he’s fallen back into the lifestyle—the very one that landed him in the joint in the first place.
I settle into my usual routine, checking on the customers, chitchatting with the regulars about life, sports, and all the juicy neighborhood gossip. Hours pass and Vinnie’s still MIA, but the bar is slammed and selling out of liquor at twice the rate as usual.
Michelle follows me into the back room and collapses onto a crate of vodka. “You look like shit,” she tells me point-blank as I pull down a bottle of tequila from the top shelf.
“Thanks.” I give her a fake smile, knowing I feel like shit too.
“Let’s go out tomorrow. You need some fun in your life. You’ve been sulking for a month, and I can’t take much more.”
“I have plenty of fun in my life, and for your information, I have not been sulking.”
“Sure.” She cackles. “You’re a party animal,” she says, picking at her fingernails and twisting her lips.
“I have plenty of fun,” I repeat, feeling defensive. “We have to work.”
“Working doesn’t mean fun. Come out with me, and I’ll show you what fun really means.” She challenges me because she knows I won’t back down. “Vinnie can fill in.”
I walked right into that one, but Vinnie will be my saving grace. “Fine. I’m game.” My stomach churns even thinking about the killer hangover I’ll have from this night offunshe’s talking about.
She rubs her hands together and smiles. “I know just what we’re doing too. We’re going to find you a piece of ass so you forget all about Leo.”
I blanch, not looking for a random hookup. “I don’t need ass, and I forgot about him a long time ago.”
She purses her lips. “You definitely need a guy, and you’re not fooling anyone. You’ve been sour since the day you ended things with him.”
I wave my hands in the air, showing my surrender, and walk into the hallway, leaving her behind. I’m not even five feet away when Michelle’s hand lands on the fleshy part of my ass.
I yelp and glare at her over my shoulder.
“Yeah, you need some bad.” She laughs.
“Vinnie!” Angelo yells across the bar when boy wonder walks in just as I walk out of the hallway from the back room.
Vinnie waves, looking so much like my father it’s scary. He doesn’t shake hands like Santino, but he sure has the look of importance down like he’s waving to his adoring fans.
People in the bar start to murmur about the kid who went to Ignatius Prep and helped bring home a state championship in football for the neighborhood. Now every Saturday during college football season, the only thing on at the bar is Vinnie’s football game. We have a viewing party and cheer him on as he runs downfield, carrying the ball toward the end zone like the cops are chasing his ass.
My mom runs right to Vinnie. “Oh, my baby.” She holds his face in her hands before she starts to pepper him with kisses much the same way I did. “You look so good.” She’s gushing over him.
