Frankie did wind up joining us for dessert at the insistence of the birthday boy. Tony gave us a smirk, whispered something to his brother, and left us alone. Frankie pulled up a chair next to me and placed a hand on my knee under the table. “He’s going to keep Mama busy and out of our hair. I hope she wasn’t too much of a pest. We keep telling her that not everyone’s comfortable with the way she roams, but she’s set in her ways.”
“She wasn’t a bother at all,” I reassured Frankie. I didn’t share my suspicions that she might’ve overheard us talking before the meal. That’d only give him one more thing to worry about while I was gone. “It’s kind of cool, really. She’s from a different era and seeing her milling around gives the place a homey, family atmosphere.”
Frankie groaned. “Don’t let her hear you say that. You’ll jump to the top of the list of her favorite kids.”
“I’d hate to dethrone you, golden boy,” I teased.
“Oh please, Teo will always be the baby of the family.” Right then, Tony walked out with a small double chocolate birthday cake. Ryan’s eyes grew wide, and I knew there would be no leftovers. If he didn’t burn so many calories on the ice, I’d worry he had a tapeworm. Matteo came in behind Tony, lugging the gift bag I’d stowed in the office earlier.
We invited the two of them to join us for dessert, and since it was after the rush, both accepted the offer. Frankie quirked an eyebrow in question. “If three of you are in here, it’ll be easier for you to play off as we’re friends if your Mama asks any questions.”
“God, I love you.” I gave Frankie’s leg a squeeze and turned my attention back to my son, who was tearing into his present. As expected, it was a huge hit.
Once we finished our dessert, it was time to hit the road. Frankie had been called into the kitchen for some sort of emergency, so instead of stealing that one more last kiss, I settled for a text reminding him to call me before they went out. It was going to be a long ass weekend.
17
Frankie
The upsideof running a restaurant that’s been in the family since before I was born meant I knew how to make every dish on the menu. That was also the downside when Freddie had to bail because his flake of a wife “forgot” to pick up their daughter from the sitter’s house. Again. Why he stayed married to that woman I’d never understand, and by the time Tony and I finished closing down the kitchen, I had a broad vocabulary of choice terms for her. Mama had backed out of the kitchen without even scolding me for the names I’d called Angela. We were all hoping he’d wake up and leave her before something happened.
“You’re not punking out on that drink, are you?” Tony asked as I shuffled back to the office. There was sweat dripping down my back, my hair was soaked, and I probably smelled like I’d bathed in marinara. Drinking was the last thing I wanted to do. But I’d promised Tony and Enzo we’d go out tonight. It was all part of my vow to reclaim my life from the restaurant.
“One. And we’re not going clubbing,” I warned him. Leaving a club sweaty and gross was one thing, entering one in that condition was totally different.
“I was sort of thinking we could hit that bar you like.” I stumbled over my feet, and Tony ran into my back.
“You do realize it’s a gay bar, right?” The logo that resembled one guy plowing into another guy’s ass should’ve been a clue, but sometimes Tony wasn’t the most observant.
“What? You think you’re the only one in this family who’s at least a little interested in taking a walk on the wild side?” Tony reached around me to open the office door and shoved me inside.
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” Why was it so hard for me to ask if my brother was gay, too? I knew what he was doing. Other than the one time he’d confronted me about where I was going after work, I hadn’t said the words ‘I’m gay’ to anyone other than Calvin.
“You’re happier than I’ve ever seen you, Frankie. If you can’t tell me you’re gay without freaking out, how in the hell do you expect to tell Mama?” We both stripped out of our work clothes and started changing into jeans and T-shirts.
“I know you’re right,” I grumbled as I shimmied into my jeans.
“Yeah, I am. And after tonight, you know damn well she’s gonna corner you and ask about Calvin.” I hated when Tony was right. I hated even more when he was right and I had to come clean to Mama. “Tonight might be a good opportunity for you to open up to Enzo.”
“We’ll see.” As soon as I’d pulled my T-shirt over my head, Tony smacked me upside my head. “Fucker! That hurt!”
“It was supposed to,” Tony deadpanned. “Why in the hell do you feel like you can’t show your family who you really are? No one is going to judge you for being authentic, but the longer you wait, the more pissed they’ll be that you didn’t trust them with this sooner.”
“Fine. I’ll tell Enzo tonight. Where is he, anyway?”
“He’s already at the bar saving seats for us.” Nice to see my opinion was being taken into consideration tonight. “Don’t give me that look. It was getting late and I don’t feel like standing all night unless it’s on the dance floor with someone grinding against my cock.”
“TMI, man.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t want to hear you sucking off your boyfriend last week, but we don’t always get what we want. Come on.”
* * *
Friday morning wasa great reminder of why Thursday night had been a horrible idea. Okay, so Tony and Enzo had been right that I needed to unwind and not think about missing Calvin, but I might’ve gone overboard a bit. My head felt like it was caught in a vice, my mouth made me wonder if I’d fallen asleep with a small rodent in my mouth, and every muscle in my body ached. I much preferred when I hurt because Calvin had thoroughly fucked me the night before.
