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I managed a smile when she bounced out of her chair to show me a dance move that one of the people she works with taught her doing lunch.
Vivi is many things, but she’s not a good dancer. I’ve always told her that she missed out on the rhythm gene I inherited from our mom.
“It’s Roman,” I blurt out. “Something happened with him.”
She bites the corner of her bottom lip. “He didn’t cheat on you, did he? If he did, I’ll find him. I will give him a piece of my mind just like I did with Kieran.”
“You talked to Kieran?”
The laugh that escapes her is fleeting. “Not exactly. I yelled at him on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building.”
“What?”
“He deserved it.” She places the spoon down on the table. “He hurt you. I couldn’t let him get away with that.”
I thought Thurston would be the one to confront Kieran. I had no idea Vivi would do it.
“That wasn’t necessary, V.”
“Oh yes, it was.” She chuckles. “It made me feel better. I hope he thinks twice before he cheats on another woman.”
I hope so too. Even though I wasn’t devastated by Kieran’s actions, I know that level of betrayal can break some people. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“Roman didn’t cheat,” I say softly. “He closed up when I was at his apartment.”
She rests her elbows on the table. “Closed up? How?”
I finally let out my first big exhale in days. “I was telling him and the girls about our family. Grayson, Thurston, you, dad…and he just shut down.”
“Why?”
That’s the million dollar question I don’t have an answer to.
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Ask him.”
“How?”
She points to where my phone is on the coffee table. “Call him and ask him what the hell is going on, Bianca.”
“Just like that,” I tease.
“You’re reading between the lines.” She skims a hand over her forehead. “Maybe something you said upset him. Did his dad die? That could have been a trigger for him.”
“I’m not sure.”
“You won’t be sure until you ask him.” Her gaze darts to my phone again. “Get a good night’s sleep and then call him tomorrow. Tell him you need to see him.”
“What if he doesn’t answer?” I ask.
“Leave a message.” Her hand reaches for mine. “You’ve never been in love, so I get this is new, but you can’t twist yourself up because of this. It could be a misunderstanding, but you can’t know that until you reach out to him.”
“How are you so smart?” I narrow my eyes. “You’ve never been in love either.”
“I will be one day,” she says confidently. “When I fall in love, I’ll hold tight to him. You’re going to do that with Roman too.”
“I am.”
“Do you want to skip the pie and go there?” she stresses the last word. “It might help.”
There.
It’s a weathered wooden bench that sits in the alley near a bodega on the Lower East Side. Our dad would take us to the bodega, buy us each a popsicle, and the three of us would sit on the bench and talk.
The bench is still there, so whenever Vivi or I need an escape, we go to the bodega together, buy two grape flavored popsicles, and then we sit on the bench.
Sometimes we talk, other times we share silence, but we do it side-by-side.
I nod. “I’ll grab a sweater.”
“Ditch that shirt while you’re at it.” She laughs. “Daddy would have loved it, but the New York Yankees are our team, remember?”
I smooth a hand down the front of the shirt. “I remember. The shirt stays on. Maybe we need to consider being fans of both teams.”
She purses her lips. “You might have something there. Double the fun and all.”
I laugh for the first time in days. “Double the fun.”
Chapter 50
Roman
Some secrets can stay buried for eternity. Others can’t.
The one that Angela Marks thought she’d take to her grave came back to haunt her in the form of a phone call from me.
That happened two days ago after Chad tracked down her cell number for me from a woman named Shirlene. I didn’t ask for that story because it didn’t matter. I had Bianca’s mother’s number. That’s all I wanted.
When I introduced myself as the man who is madly in love with her daughter, she was surprised.
When I explained my connection to her past, she hung up on me.
Then she set her husband, Thurston Marks, to my office.
The man could hold the attention of all of Manhattan just by using his charm and wit. Neither worked on me.
I’m a parent, so I understand, in an abstract way, that Angela was doing what she thought was best at the worst time in her life, but I can’t keep her secret hidden.
I promised Bianca I’d never lie to her, and I have every intention of keeping that promise.
