They shared a laugh, and Adam hung up, sadness stealing through him that only because of a tragedy was Rico in his life again.
Chapter Seventeen
The time hadcome, Rico decided, to tell Gideon what had happened. He and the kitchen crew had spent several hours cleaning up the broken glass from the sidewalk and boarding up the front of the store. Much as he dreaded doing it long-distance, he couldn’t put it off any longer. It was Gideon’s business as much as his, and the two of them had always made decisions together. After taking a shot of tequila to settle his nerves, he pressed the button on his phone and placed the call.
“Rico. How the hell are you?”
Hearing how carefree and happy Gideon sounded, a dull ache pounded in Rico’s head, knowing he was about to break Gideon’s heart. Next to Jonah, Gideon loved that business more than anything.
“I’m good. You guys having a good time? Jonah’s conference is okay?”
“It’s been great. We ran into a few of his friends from when he was in law school, and we hung out. And I met the old boyfriend.”
“And? How’d that go?”
“Great. He’s married now, and he and his husband are thinking of adopting a baby.”
“So all your worries were for nothing, like I knew.” Wincing from the tension at holding back the news, Rico tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice. “I got—”
“Wait a sec? I was gonna call you with a favor.”
“Yeah? What’s up? What do you need?”
“Would you mind if Jonah and I extended our trip?” He lowered his voice. “We got invited to the Cape by one of the big, hot-shot rabbis speaking here. The guy talked to Jonah all night after the big panel discussion, and he may want him to sit on some national board. Jonah says he doesn’t need to go, but I know he’s just saying that ’cause he thinks I don’t want to stay away from the business too long. I know it would be good for his career. He’s always doing everything for me; I want him to have this.”
Fuck my life.Rico paced back and forth in his small apartment. What the hell was he supposed to do now? If he told Gideon, he’d come back immediately and ruin Jonah’s chances of making a good impression with someone influential who might help him in his career. But if he kept quiet and didn’t tell Gideon, wasn’t that wrong? Or was he doing what was best for his friends? Hecouldhandle things and let Gideon know after everything was finished. And he wasn’t holding back for a bad reason. Rico’s head pounded, and he massaged his throbbing temple while eyeing the tequila bottle. Getting drunk was the last thing he needed to do.
“Of course. It’s no problem at all. We have that fiftieth birthday party, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Now that he’d gotten the go-ahead from Adam to use the firehouse kitchen, things were a little better. He had to buy all new supplies, but the insurance should cover it, as well as the food they’d have to replace.
“You’re sure? We always do the parties together. I can come back; it’ll be okay.”
But he heard the wistfulness in Gideon’s voice, and Rico knew how badly his friend wanted to stay and help his fiancé.
“Absolutely positive. You stay with your man, and I’ll hold down the fort here.”
“Thanks. I know Jonah really wants to have a chance to talk to the guy and make a great impression. It’ll be something in his own right, not simply by being his father’s son, you know?”
The pride in Gideon’s voice when he spoke of Jonah’s accomplishments hit a chord with Rico. Oh boy, did he know. The only thing his father was ever proud of him for was graduating business school. He said he was happy about the business, but all he pressed for every time they spoke was when were they going to open a second store, expand into Manhattan. Do more, be more. Be better.
“He’s going places, your man. I think that’s great. And having you there with him makes it even better. Go on, go have fun, and I’ll take care of everything. When were you thinking of getting back?”
“Well, Ari will fill in this weekend, so services are covered. Nice to have a rabbi in the family.” They chuckled. Rico knew how proud Ari was of Jonah’s accomplishments. “So probably in the middle of next week. Is that okay with you?”
“It’s all good. Take the time to relax and enjoy. I got everything under control.”
Not really, but hopefully by the time they came home, Rico would have the insurance sorted out and the place clean and on the way to repair. The fire hadn’t spread inside the store, but that’s where their luck had run out. It had caused enough smoke and water damage to render the space unusable.
“I owe you one. I gotta go. We have to get ready for this lecture and then a big dinner.”
“Have fun and say hi to Jonah for me.”
“I will. Talk to you soon.” Gideon hung up.
Drained from holding back all the information, Rico collapsed on the sofa. There was one more call he needed to make, and while it wouldn’t be as hard as the one to Gideon, Rico wasn’t happy about having to make it all the same. He eyed the phone next to him and picked it up.
“Rabbi Fine, it’s Rico. How are you?”
