Chapter 7
“I can only stay two weeks, Dad.”
Halfway up the porch steps, Tony almost faltered to acomplete halt. “But I thought we were going to see Virginiatogether,” he protested, trying his best not to sound toodisappointed.
His daughter flashed him the kind of smile that was giving him gray hair at an alarming rate. “I got a job at themall. I mean, you’re the one who told me I should find away to support my own wardrobe in the style to which I’dlike to be accustomed. It was either that or a rich, snottyboyfriend with a foreign car. And I know how you’d feelabout that, especially since Mom married a rich, snotty guywith a foreign car. Anyway, I told them it was a family emergency—it is, isn’t it?”
Tony didn’t bother to answer that one. He just reachedpast his daughter to open the front door of the James RiverInn.
It was another busy afternoon, with the bright music ofwomen’s laughter cascading through the rooms and thesmells of yeast and cinnamon saturating the air.
“Wait’ll you meet the pastry chef,” he promised.
Gina barely heard him. She was too busy craning her headin any and all directions to see everything at once. She woresomething short and gauzy to impress her father with howgrown-up she was, even though in the airport she’d thrownherself in his arms with a shrill “Daddy!” That still didn’thelp when Tony realized that after only a few days sheseemed older, her features maturing into an almost-exoticbeauty, with her thick black hair and hazel eyes. She wasalready too old for her daddy. He just didn’t want to admit it yet.
“Not bad,” she judged with a slow nod of the head.“What’s there for you to do?”
“The second floor. Now that you brought my toolbox, Ican get started.”
Gina harrumphed in disgust. “Oh yeah, I looked greatsending that thing through at the airport. Poor Grampy almost got a hernia dragging it in for me.”
“And don’t think I don’t appreciate it. Now, say hello toour hostess.”
Tony did his best not to laugh as Claire showed up from the back room clad in gray serge, apron and mobcap. Herhair was in disarray, even in the bun into which she’d triedto train it, and there was a liberal smudge of flour along herleft cheek. She was humming, her hands full with plates oflittle sandwiches and fresh fruit.
“Is that her?” Gina demanded sotto voce.
“You don’t have to whisper,” Tony retorted dryly. “Sheknows who she is.”
Gina giggled. “She sure doesn’t look much like your otherNam friends.”
No, Tony thought with a fresh surge of delight. Shedidn’t.
The minute Claire saw them, her attention zeroed in onGina, and her smile grew brilliant.
“He’s right,” she said in greeting as she paused mid-trip.“He said you were beautiful. Hi, Gina. I’m Claire.”
“He’s my father,” Gina protested. “He’s supposed to say things like that.” Even so, she was grinning, her hands suddenly taking flight. “This is a great place. Did you do it allyourself?”
“Come sit and I can tell you all about it.”
They followed Claire to the linen-covered table in thefront window with a hand-lettered Reserved sign in front ofthe flowers. Their view consisted of clusters of chatteringwomen on one side and a flower bed shaded by a clump ofbirch on the other. Tony settled Gina into her seat and thenpulled out his own, glad that he’d changed into his knit shirtand slacks before returning. This just wasn’t a jeans kind ofplace during business hours.
“Yes.” Gina was nodding. “Very cool. I could get usedto this.”
“Too bad you have to get back to work.”
He got quite a face for that one. “By the way, you’re introuble at home.”
“Your mother?”
“Your brothers. What did you say to Uncle Mike? He’sgoing nuts.”
“I told him he and Pauly can handle the business perfectly well without me, and it had been five years since I’d taken a vacation, so I was taking one now.”
Gina nodded, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Andthen Gram called and wanted to know what this meant thatUncle Dave said you weren’t coming to Fourth of July... areyoureallygoing to miss the Fourth of July?”
Claire showed up to catch the tail end of Gina’s diatribe.“Is the Fourth a special holiday for your family?” she askedin all innocence.
