Page 21 of Family Ties and Alibis

Quickly finishing their snack, they ran downstairs where Brittney, little Vin, Tony, Shelby, their children, and Mercedes had gathered. The only person notably missing was her eldest son.

Paulie gave his mother a bear hug. “Lookin’ good, Ma.”

“Other than my bum leg, courtesy of Rambo.” She gathered Gracie, Noel, and Paulie Jr., nicknamed PJ, close to her, hugging them tightly. “I’ve missed you.”

“We missed you too, Nonna.” Gracie fidgeted, curiously staring at her grandmother’s scooter. “Does your leg hurt?”

“Mostly my ankle. I’ll be back on my feet soon,” she promised.

Noel squeezed in next to her sister. “Does your scooter go fast?”

“Fast enough,” Pete said. “It hasn’t slowed Nonna down.”

“Not a single iota,” Tony chuckled. “A word of advice: don’t cut her off.”

“I wasn’t made for scooter driving.” She patted the handlebar. “I’m doing much better with the knee scooter.”

Paulie’s smile faded. “I heard Vinnie’s having a time of it.”

“A rough time,” Carlita sighed.

Taking turns, the family brought Gina and Paulie up to speed.

“I still haven’t heard from him.” Brittney’s brows knitted. “If you don’t mind, I think it would be better if we met downstairs for dinner.”

Mercedes patted her arm. “We completely understand. Hopefully, he’ll be walking through the door any minute.”

“I’m hungry,” PJ whined.

Gina smoothed her son’s hair. “The kids have had a long day. Grabbing a bite to eat and stretching our legs might be a better plan.”

“We can catch up later or in the morning,” Carlita said.

Paulie and his family left to head to their room.

Brittney wasn’t far behind, promising to let them know when she heard from Vinnie, leaving Tony’s family, Mercedes, Pete, and Carlita standing in the lobby.

“I say we order pizza and eat at our place. Pete and I have more than enough room for everyone to comfortably hang out.”

“Sounds good. Shelby and I will swing by the casino’s convenience store and grab sodas,” Tony offered.

“I’ll track down Luigi to see if he wants to eat with us,” Mercedes said.

With a plan in place, the family split up. Reaching their suite, Carlita fired off a quick text to Paulie, inviting his family to an impromptu pizza party. He quickly replied, accepting the invitation.

She also sent a text to Brittney, inviting her, but never heard back. “It looks like Brittney is a no-go.”

“We’re gonna need a bunch of pies. I’ll get them ordered for delivery.” While Pete placed the orders, Carlita tracked down paper plates, napkins, and cups she found in the stocked kitchenette.

Mercedes and Luigi arrived at the same time as the pizza delivery. Not long after, Carlita’s other sons and their families showed up.

“Any word from Vinnie?” Paulie asked.

“Nope. Not a peep from him or Brittney.”

“Don’t be shy. Grab a plate and dig in.” Pete set a slice of pizza on the table in front of his wife.

“Thank you.” Carlita took a big bite of her New York-style pizza, savoring the tangy tomatoes and extra cheese. “I need this sauce recipe.”