Erica held out her arms to me. “Give me a hug. No standing on ceremony here.”
“Good to see you, Erica.”
“I’m so glad you’re here with Gabriel,” she whispered in my ear.
“Me too. And that’s a sexy silver fox you have there.”
Her shoulders shook with laughter. “He is, isn’t he?”
Ira held out his hand to me once Erica let me go. “Nice to meet you, Ronan.”
I took it without hesitation. “Same, Ira.”
The drive to Erica’s place took less than ten minutes. She lived in a pretty two-bedroom garden apartment with an open kitchen and a little patio in the back. When we went inside, I was touched to see she’d prepared a big spread of cold cuts and salads.
“I hope you boys are hungry.” She surveyed the food platters on her dining table. “I might’ve gone a little overboard.”
“Might’ve?” Gabriel snorted and elbowed me. “Don’t let her fool you. This is typical.”
“Don’t be rude to your mother,” Erica said with a sniff, and while on the outside I smiled with them, waves of pain squeezed my heart recalling my parents, Cassie, and me sitting around the table on a Sunday, devouring my mother’s giant lasagna and garlic bread.
“Food is love,” Mom said. “A full table is a full heart.”
“You okay?” Gabriel leaned into me once we’d sat down, and again I marveled at how he could sense my inner turmoil.
“Yeah. I’m good.” I squeezed his hand. “Let’s eat. I haven’t had deli since I’ve been home, and I’m thinking of a triple-decker of corned beef, pastrami, and turkey.”
“Ronan, you read my mind.” Ira held out the platter of meat. “That’s exactly what I planned on having.”
“Good taste in foodandladies,” I joked, and Erica blushed.
“What a silver-tongued charmer you are, Ronan.”
“I got it from my Irish father. He could charm the scales off a snake, my mother used to say, and told the best stories.” I blinked several times, and Erica grew somber.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories.”
The last thing I wanted was to have this sweet woman think she’d hurt me. “Just the opposite, in fact. I like thinking about being with my family in happier times. Makes me appreciate what I have now even more.” Although the rift with Cassie was like an ever-widening river.
“You haven’t had any more trouble with those reporters, have you? That was terrible.” She turned to Ira. “They were like vultures, all over him the moment he stepped outside. I think I told you.”
“You did. It’s not right that they get to hound you. You’re a private citizen. No one should be allowed to invade someone else’s personal space. I’ve seen them run after you when you walked out of the courthouse, and it’s ridiculous.”
“That’s why I hired Gabriel in the first place. Obviously the situation’s changed between us, but initially I didn’t feel safe walking outside or even bringing packages into my house. And even though the fear is considerably less now than when I first came home, I’m still concerned something might happen.”
“Like the person who threw coffee at you and missed, hitting Gabriel instead.” Her lips pressed together. “You were lucky it didn’t get in your eyes.”
“I know, Mom. But you can’t even see where it landed anymore. I told you it would be okay.”
“It’s never okay when you’re in danger. Now I have both of you to worry about. It doesn’t stop simply because you’re older.”
“I appreciate it, Erica. It’s been a long time since I had someone care about my well-being.”
She smiled at me across the table. “You’re stuck with me now.”
We did a good job powering through the food, and once the table was cleared and we were in the living room with coffee, Gabriel sat fidgeting beside me. I knew what was coming and was as nervous as if it were my story to tell.
“Mom, I need to tell you something.”
