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“You were a good girl. Mr. Hayes at the Pershing School even came up to me on graduation day to tell me so, and that I’d done a great job raising you.”
Marisa smothered a wince and then walked over to the kitchen sink to wash and dry her hands. Naturally, Mr. Hayes had thought she was one of the good guys. She’d ratted out Cole... Marisa had kept her mother in the dark about that part of her life. She hadn’t wanted her mother burdened any more than she was.
“How is your job at Pershing, by the way?” Donna asked. “Are the kids taking a lot out of you?”
It wasn’t the kids who were responsible for her current turmoil, but a certain six-foot-plus former hockey player. “I’m in charge of the big Pershing Shines Bright benefit in May.”
“Ted and I will be there, of course. We want to support you.”
“Thanks.” Marisa eyed the pasta machine. “You’ve been busy.”
“One of the benefits of having the day off from work. I made the pasta sheets for the lasagna from scratch.”
Marisa picked up one of the sheets and set it down in a pan that her mother had already coated with tomato sauce.
“Is the planning going well?” Donna probed.
“It’s fine.” Marisa shrugged. “Cole Serenghetti of the New England Razors has agreed to headline.”
Donna brought her hands together. “Wonderful. He’s so popular around here.”
Tell me about it. “He’s not playing professional hockey anymore. He got hurt.”
“Oh yes, I had heard that.” Donna frowned. “He was such a good player in high school... Well, until the incident that earned him a suspension.”
Marisa kept her expression neutral. “He’s running the family construction business these days, though I’m not sure how happy he is about it. His father had a stroke.”
Donna’s gaze was searching. “You do seem to know a lot about Cole.”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Marisa responded, setting down more sheets of pasta for the lasagna. “I also knew a lot about Sal before he dumped me. Once burned, twice shy.”
“Dumped is such an ugly word,” Donna said lightly. “Fortuitously disengaged is the way I put it for members of my book club.”
“Are you doing ad copy for the department store circular these days?” Marisa quipped.
“No, but I did suggest to the book club that we read Dump the Dude, Buy the Shoes.”
They shared a laugh before Marisa said, “You did not!”
Actually she thought the title might not be a bad one for the autobiography of her mother’s life.
“No, I was joking. But I did tell everyone that I got promoted to buyer for housewares.” Donna spooned a thin layer of ricotta cheese mixture on top of the layer of pasta that Marisa had created.
“They must have been thrilled for you.” Before Marisa could say any more, she heard her cell phone buzz. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she walked over to get the phone out of her handbag. When she saw the message on the screen, her heart began to pound.
Told Dobson our meeting cut short b/c I had other business. Let’s reschedule. Dinner Friday @6. LMK.
“Is everything okay?” Donna asked, studying her.
“Speak of the devil,” Marisa said, trying for some lame humor. “No, not Sal. The other devil. Cole Serenghetti.”
Donna’s eyebrows rose. “He’s texting you? So you do know each other well!”
“First time. He must have a record of my cell number—” she paused to consider for a moment, thinking back “—because I had to call him to discuss something related to the fund-raiser and new gym.” She was not going to mention to her mother that she’d visited Cole’s offices. Because that might lead to mention of the incident in the storage room. And she was so not discussing that mishap. Especially with her mother. Even if she was thirty-three and an adult.
“Well?”
“He’s invited me to dinner.” As her mother’s eyebrows shot higher, she added, “A business dinner.”
