“Oh honey, your mama, she loved you. She was proud of how you stood up to your papa. She confided in me that she would always regret not being there for you like she should’ve been.” I knew she was telling me this thinking it’d help me grieve for my mama and overcome my anger, but all her words did was shift that anger from Mama to me. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, if I hadn’t run away like a child who didn’t get their way, we could’ve made amends. Now, it was too late.
“And now look what I’ve done.” Mama Marino reached up and wiped away my runny makeup with her thumb. “You know, you surprise me, Peter. I was taken aback when you walked in, but you really are a beautiful man.”
“Thank you, Mrs.—Mama,” I corrected myself. She smiled broadly, reached for two menus, and rested her hand in the crook of my elbow as she guided me through the dining room.
“I’m going to put the two of you in the back room. It’s quiet back there and I can send Freddie out when the kitchen slows down a bit,” she told me. “Now, I should warn you that some of our regular customers are in tonight, but I don’t think you’ll have an issue with them.”
We turned the corner, and I saw a beautiful man, one who made me seem masculine by comparison. He was wearing a red, ankle length pencil skirt with a black silk tank top.
Mama noticed me gaping at the man and pushed against my chin so I’d close my damned mouth. “You see, Peter, sometimes it takes those of us who are older a bit of time to come around, but that doesn’t mean we’re always so set in our ways that we can’t learn to see more than skin deep.”
She led Sophia and me to a table in the corner and promised she’d send Tony back to take our orders. As Sophia told me all about her plans for the summer, I watched the group on the other side of the room, feeling for the first time like I could stay in town without having to hide.
9
Freddie
“There’ssomeone here to see you,” Mama announced as she pushed through the swinging doors. I was sweaty, tired, and in no mood to deal with people. Business had been so steady Frankie jumped on the line to help make up for being three cooks short, but he wasn’t used to the groove and was more like a speed bump through most of the rush.
“Mama, I’m not fit to go talk to anyone,” I complained.
She walked behind the line, something she almost never did, and tugged on my arm. “Believe me, you have time for this couple. In fact, I’d wager they’re exactly what you need to brighten your night.” She took the rag out of my hand and shooed me away. “Go. I’ll help the boys finish in here. You make yourself presentable and go to the back dining room.”
“Mama—”
“No, you go. The worst of the rush is over and I’m sure your brother will help me if I need him,” she said, physically pushing me out of my own kitchen.
I didn’t even have the energy left to fight with her, so I ducked out of my apron and tossed it into the dirty laundry bin. A few people waved to me on my way to the back room and I returned the gesture. Marino’s was busier now than it’d been in years and I didn’t want the reputation of a surly executive chef to chase anyone off. My steps faltered when I rounded the corner. Peter’s back was to me, but Sophia looked like a real-life princess and smiled broader than I’d seen in months.
“Daddy!” She ran up to me, clutching my legs so tightly I couldn’t move. “Peterbrought me to see you and Uncle Frankie for dinner. I told him you used to bring me, but you can’t because you’re working so much now.”
Ouch. As grateful as I was that Peter hadn’t hesitated to step up, I couldn’t shake the feeling he was stepping into my place. “Are you going to eat dinner with us?”
I almost said no, then remembered Mama insisting that I take the rest of the night off. I helped Sophia into her chair and then sat in the chair facing the room.
“I hope it’s okay that I brought her out,” Peter said. “I texted you, figuring you’d tell me I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere with her, but you didn’t.”
“Why wouldn’t I let you get her out of the house?” I let the man sleep down the hall from her, he had full rein of the house, so it made no sense he’d think I didn’t trust him. I did, far more than I should.
“Because we didn’t talk about it beforehand,” he explained. “I know how protective you are of her.”
We both glanced over at Sophia, who was engrossed in a picture book. That’s when I noticed there was a tote bag sitting on the chair across from me. “I wasn’t sure if we’d have to wait, so I brought something to keep her entertained. Otherwise, she’d have been bugging her uncles and running into the kitchen to see you.”
“You thought about how to make tonight as stress free as possible, and you’re still worried that I’d be upset you left the house with her?” Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d brought any activities when we left the house. Usually, I had to surrender my phone in order to keep the peace. “For future reference, as long as you shoot me a text so I know what you’re doing, you can take Sophia wherever you want.”
“Cool. Thanks.” Peter’s shoulders sagged, and he let out a slow breath. Even though I didn’t understand his worry, it warmed something inside of me to know he respected me enough to be concerned. “I know I’m just the guy you’ve been screwing around with—”
“Stop.” The order was barked out with enough force to make Sophia jump. I placed a hand on her forearm, rubbing softly. “I’m sorry, Tinkerbell.”
I was so proud of myself for remembering to call her by the nickname she’d demanded for months I didn’t notice her scowl. “I don’t like that name anymore.”
“You don’t?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, wondering when this parenting thing would get easier and if she was so contrary because she was a little girl or if this was a five-year-old thing.
“Peter calls me Soph, because I’m a big girl now,” she announced. Peter stifled a laugh.
I placed my arm on the back of his chair and leaned in close enough so only he could hear me. “Just so you know, that means you’re her favorite person.”
“How so?” His brow furrowed slightly, and I had to resist the urge to smooth out the lines.
