Page 17 of Above ’N’ Beyond

Or how much seeing her so pleased had pleased him.

Overall, the last two days had gone well. Jamie already had a good foundation with Tony, and they planned to meet up again tomorrow. Now to dive deeper into the other half of his two-pronged assault.

Bella waved him over to the bar. “This is Sierra, the Bistro’s head waitress.” She indicated the tall, smiling brunette who could have walked a cover model runway.

Jamie shook hands with the woman.

“And this is Rebecca.” She nodded to the slim young blond woman who looked so frail a gust of wind could knock her down. “Rebecca is studying to be an anesthesiologist at Nyack Hospital. And this is Lori.” She indicated to another woman. “Lori is on her way to becoming a tennis pro.”

“In my dreams.” Lori’s shoulders shook, and her red curls bounced when she laughed.

“Follow me.” Bella led the way into the kitchen. Smells of garlic and sizzling meat made Jamie’s mouth water. “You’ve already met Lou. He’s our head chef, the maestro of the Bistro. Lou, this is Jimmy Santoro. He’s working here now.”

“Nice ta meet ya. Officially, that is. Welcome to the Bistro.”

“Thanks,” Jamie said as the other man pumped his hand enthusiastically. Lou’s hand was as big as a catcher’s glove, engulfing Jamie’s, a feat that didn’t happen too often.

Jamie nodded in greeting to a kid cutting vegetables and another washing dishes.

When something sizzled and popped loudly, Lou picked up the tongs and turned over a big hunk of browning meat in a saucepan. “Hey, when you take a dinner break, swing back here and I’ll give you a plate of my famous sausage lasagna.”

“Thanks.” Jamie’s heart suddenly felt as heavy as an anvil. Lasagna was his and his dad’s favorite food. His mother used to make it all the time for Sunday dinner. Before his dad went to prison.

For killing someone.

Sierra glided into the kitchen, looped a graceful arm over Lou’s shoulders, then planted a kiss on his cheek. “That’s how he convinced me to marry him. One bite of that lasagna, and I was smitten.”

Must be true love. Not that Jamie would know.

Years ago, and probably because he’d never dated any woman longer than a hot second, his friends had nicknamed him “Romeo.” He enjoyed women, and they seemed to like him back, but between the demands of his job and the crap rolling around his head, he’d remained single.

Lou planted a smacking kiss on Sierra’s lips. “For me, it was colpo di fulmine, ‘the lightning bolt.’ Ever watch The Godfather?” He aimed the tongs at Jamie.

“Who hasn’t?” The Godfather and The Godfather Part II were two of his favorite movies.

Lou sighed as he gazed up at his wife. “I was spellbound at the sight of a beautiful woman. The one woman meant to be mine.”

All of Jamie’s friends seemed to have found that one special woman. It wasn’t in the cards for him. But Lou and Sierra were totally rocking it.

“C’mon.” Bella waved her hand. “I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

He followed her down a short hallway.

“You didn’t seem too excited about the lasagna,” she threw over her shoulder.

“On the contrary. I love lasagna.”

“You look like you work out enough to burn off all those calories,” she said, continuing down the hall.

He did. Before he’d begun working out every day at Sing Sing’s “iron pile” and running as many laps around the prison yard as his outdoor time allowed, he’d worked out religiously in the Port Authority Police precinct’s facility at JFK Airport. “I start eating pasta, I can’t stop. A good lasagna is worth the calories, even if I gain twenty pounds.”

She stopped outside a closed door. “I agree, but I’m trying to shed a few pounds.”

“Why?” To him, she looked perfect. Not skinny, not fat. Just…perfect. Not that he was checking her out or anything.

“Oh, please.” She turned, a look of disbelief on her face. “You already have the job. No need to suck up to the boss. You should know honesty is something I value highly.”

“I’m not sucking up, and I’ll be sure to remember that.”