“My neighbor Bianca.”
“Ahh,” she sings.“A good Italian girl.”
“Nope.A spicy Latina.”
“Catholic?”she fires back.
“I don’t know.”I look at her funny because what the hell does it matter what religion she is.“We’re not getting married.We’re swapping dates.”
“Swapping dates?”She gawks at me and then at Angelo like he has the answer, but he only shrugs.
“She’s coming with me to the party, and I’m going with her to her parents’ anniversary dinner.”
“Is that what your generation has come to?”she asks with a sour look on her face.
“I don’t even know what that means.We’re helping each other out.”
“What’s her last name?”
Jesus.I feel like I’m being grilled by a Chicago detective.“I don’t know.”
She glances up toward the ceiling and mutters some Gaelic curse word.“Maybe I should meet this girl.”
Angelo waves his hand to me.“Ma, let the man handle it.He’s a big boy now.”
She grabs my shoulders and stares me straight in the eyes.“This girl could be some unbalanced stalker.”
“Tracie is the stalker, Ma.Bianca is a neighbor who’s made it very clear she’s not into me.”
“She’s playing hard to get.”
“Betty,” Tilly says as she opens the front door of the bar, rescuing me.“Can you help me for a minute?”
“We’re not done,” Ma tells me before she slides off the barstool and heads toward Tilly.
“You can thank me later for the save.”Angelo taps the wooden bar top in front of me.
“She’s brutal.”I shake my head, wishing our mother didn’t always feel the need to butt into our lives.
“She means well, but she gets carried away.”
I nod at my brother.“I better run.I have some shit to do before my shift tonight.I’ll be back on time.”
He lifts an eyebrow, and I know he doesn’t believe me.“You’re always late.You’ll be late to your own funeral.”
“I’ll be here at seven.”
“Six, dumbass.Don’t play games.Tate has ballet class tonight.”
For my niece, I’ll be on time.That girl has me wrapped around her little finger.I don’t know how my brother says no to her because I sure as fuck can’t.Never have been and never will be able to either.
I walk around the back of the building to get to my car, avoiding passing by the large windows in front of the cupcake shop.I’ll go to any length not to have my mother coming after me again, serving up Emma Claire to me once more.
I make my way to Macy’s for a new shirt since all of mine are in boxes somewhere and probably won’t see the light of day until God knows when.Between training camp and then the football season, not much is going to get accomplished.
Other than football, my life is a mess.I thought playing college ball was bad, but it’s nothing compared to the workouts and training at the professional level.
