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“I’m . . . I’m glad to hear that.”
“Yes, well, I just wanted to stop by before dinner and say hello. Let you know that if you ever need me, I’m here. My son—he’s a real shit sometimes. Gets that from his fucking father.” I blink, unsure of how to respond, and she laughs, a tinkling, rich sound.
“Anyway. Us girls need to stay together, Delilah.” Her words have my mind reeling, a memory I can’t quite grab firing to life, but before I have time to answer, she’s smiling and raising her hand, looking somewhere in the crowded room. “It was a delight to meet you. Let’s do lunch soon, yes?” she asks, and before I can answer, she’s off, and I’m left shaken.
* * *
When dinner is called, we're given assigned seating. Marco is to my left, and Angela Sigano is sitting across from me.
The woman is gorgeous, if not a bit brain-dead, and any man would be an absolute moron not to fall head over heels for her—or at least the promise of her.
Dante leans over to whisper in Angela’s ear, and I bite the inside of my lip, using my fork to move around the fancy dinner on my plate. I hear her laugh, the sound tinkling and sweet and perfectly appropriate for the setting.
“Ignore it,” Marco says in my ear.
“I’m trying,” I say through gritted teeth.
“You know, he has good intentions.”
“You know, the reason I got involved with him is because you vouched for him, said he wasn’t a creep.”
“I said that?” he asks, and I smile. “I was definitely lying then. Man is for sure a creep. Just a creep who is crazy for you.” I laugh out loud, and Marco smiles, white teeth against dark skin so handsome, I can’t fathom why he’s single. “Uh oh,” he says, and I look across the way to see Angela smiling and Dante absolutely glaring at me.
The look is part like he wants to bend me over the table and spank me and part like he wants to bend me over the table and fuck me so everyone knows I’m off limits.
He does neither.
I smile at him, and he rolls his eyes at me.
The dish is taken away, and I'm that much closer to going to my room to wait for Dante.
* * *
Another course and a dessert later, though, and that smile is long gone from my face when there is a tinkling of metal on glass.
Dante is standing across the table in front of me, holding his rocks glass in one hand and looking over the long table.
Over his family.
Every sinew in my body feels wrong as his eyes skip over mine and he looks at everyone.
He skips mine like he doesn’t want to see me, doesn’t want to know what he might find there.
Then he begins to speak.
“First and foremost, I want to thank you all for coming. We used to do these more often, and I fully plan on getting back into that habit. Having you all here has been an honor.” There's a cheer, glasses raising before the room settles to listen to Dante again.
“This morning, I had a long conversation with my nephew Paulie about how the family will be moving forward.”
Paulie called him this morning when we were still in Lake George.
God, that feels like an eternity ago.
Paulie also called him when he was in my room. “The Carluccios have always been a strong family and a huge fixture in the Hudson City community. Carmine has done a wonder at growing this family, at making sure we all prosper. But eventually, the torch must be passed.” Carmine does a strange chuckle that seems like he both hates Dante's words and enjoys them. “We all know my beloved older brother is not with us, but his only son is. Paulie has been like a son to me over the years, and it’s been an honor to watch him grow.”
Paulie tips his chin to his uncle like he appreciates his words, like they aren’t mortal enemies fighting for the same position.
Like he didn’t just get his ass handed to him by that uncle for cornering his assistant in a dressing room and threatening her with prostitution.
