Chapter 16
Iducked, and the pastry flew right over my head.
“What in the world?” Gerty gasped, swiveling in her seat to stare at the brunette.
Not intimidated by her miss, the brunette snatched two donuts and heaved them at me. One smashed into my neck, and the other one hit Nonna’s shoulder. Oh, God.
Nonna pushed me out of the seat and dragged her purse with us. Chocolate frosting covered her shoulder.
“No, Nonna,” I began, stumbling to my feet and trying to wipe vanilla cream filling off my neck.
“This is not how a lady behaves,” Nonna snapped, yanking her wooden spoon from the purse. It was well worn with dents in several places along the handle—mostly from being clanked against pots. Mostly.
I backed away until my butt was against a barstool and I could see everyone at once. Protecting Nonna and Gerty was the only important consideration right now.
The blonde behind me screeched and yanked Teddy from the booth. He slid on the first pastry but pivoted his body to keep his injured arm away from her. Pain and panic widened his blue eyes. Kelsey immediately exploded from her side of the booth and crashed into the blonde, sending them both spiraling between bar stools and into the counter. Teddy spun and tried to reach for Kelsey with his good arm.
I pushed Nonna toward Nick, who was standing up. A pie crashed into the side of his head, sending whipped cream flying in every direction. He fell into a rapid smattering of Italian that somehow included dead goats and a lot of swear words I’d never heard strung together. When Gerty tried to slide from the booth, he lifted a hand to stop her.
She glared, smacked him with her straw purse, and all but forced him to back away.
Panic grabbed me and my breathing panted out. We had to get the grandmothers out of the way.
A piece of coconut cream pie hit the side of my face with the force of a softball. My head jerked, and I turned toward the brunette while cool cream slid down my cheek to plop on my shoe.
She smiled and was missing one of her canines. “Bitch,” she yelled, her fingers covered in frosting. She reached for another piece.
Nick herded his grandma toward mine, putting his body between the brunette and them.
She threw like an MVP pitcher at the same time, and a piece of strawberry cheesecake splashed right into his face. He growled and wiped strawberry goo from his eyes. It extended up into his dark hair and slid along his ear.
Kelsey yanked the blonde up, both swinging.
I yelped and jumped between them and the grandmothers, instantly taking an elbow to the gut. Pain detonated in my stomach and I doubled over, scrambling to ward off blows as Nonna swung her spoon around me and nailed the blonde in the ear.
The blonde screeched and lunged for my grandmother.
Fury roared through me. I have no idea where Tessa came from, but one second she was on the counter, and the next, she was tackling the blonde back into the booth.
I turned to help her just as Kelsey did the same, and we collided, both sliding on the gooey floor and going down hard. She groaned and tried to roll over just as I did the same. More bruises collected on already healing bruises on my body. My ears rang, and it wasn’t from the coconut sliding into them.
“The police are coming,” somebody yelled from the kitchen.
I grabbed a barstool and tried to pull myself to my feet. My shoes slid on whipped cream, but I managed to gain my balance. Nonna slid a hand beneath my elbow as she tried to help me.
The blonde shoved Tessa off her, and I turned to catch my sister before she careened into Gerty. We slipped and both fell. Nonna smartly released my arm and waited until I had settled on the hard tile before leaning over to help us up.
The brunette threw one more piece of pie and hit Teddy right in the chest. Then she turned and ran out the front door. The blonde started to hurry for the exit, but Nick grabbed her arm and forced her to a stop. She turned, surprisingly fast, and punched him right in the groin.
The sound he made was worse than a furious coyote. He released her and bent over, gasping for air.
Gerty lost it. She careened around him and for the door. “You terrible woman! I’d better still get grandchildren.”
I rushed past Nick and reached Gerty, jumping in front of her before she could run outside. “Gerty. Nick is hurt. We have to make sure he’s okay. Don’t worry. We’ll have that woman arrested.”
Gerty partially turned. “Elda? Throw me your spoon.”
Nonna instantly complied, and I somehow snatched the spoon out of the air before Gerty could get it.
