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ChapterFourteen
After leaving Maggie’s, Lauren’s mood turned melancholy. What she’d told Maggie was true—she couldn’t have given Danny the life he had now. But could they have made a life together in her world? She’d been plagued by doubts, regrets, and what-ifs about their relationship for years.
Back at her posh apartment, she sat on the balcony overlooking the park and soaked up some sun. She scribbled ideas in her notebook. A few of the lyrics had promise, but none had the soul she was looking for—that still eluded her.
Finally, Lauren decided that if she was feeling so damn nostalgic, a trip to the old neighborhood was in order. Maybe she could ferret out some inspiration there. She spent the afternoon driving around. She cruised past St. Catherine’s, stores where she used to shop, the mall and movie theater where she had hung out with friends. She sat in the parking lot for a long time, remembering all the times she’d gone there with Danny. And all the time they spent making out in his car.
Her growling stomach interrupted her reminiscing. With a glance at her watch, Lauren realized it was later than she thought. She knew, however, exactly what she was going to have for dinner. A fifteen-minute drive later, she pulled into an open parking spot across the street from Dom’s Pizzeria Supremo.
The front of the shop was unassuming: a simple clear glass door sandwiched between two large windows. The window on the left hadDom’s Pizzeria Supremoin bold red letters, and the one on the right sported a neon “open” sign and a few posters stuck on the glass. Framing all of it were two sections of brick that separated Dom’s from the stores on either side.
A little brass bell chimed when Lauren opened the door. It was like stepping back in time—nothing had really changed. The tables and chairs were the exact same ones she remembered. The counter and the menu hanging above it were the same, as were the pizza ovens lining the back wall. Behind her sunglasses, Lauren welled up for a second before she brushed away the sentimentality.
Big Dom Bonati was at the register. “Ready to order, young lady?”
“My usual,” Lauren said. “A slice of pepperoni and a slice of thebianca.”
Dom scribbled the order down. As he ripped the piece of paper off the pad, he really looked at Lauren. Her smile grew wider as he paused.
“I don’t believe my eyes!”
“Been a long time, Big Dom.”
He hustled out from behind the counter and kissed Lauren on both cheeks before dragging her to a wall, where he proudly showed her a picture. It was Lauren when she was about sixteen, playing her guitar on his sidewalk. She’d autographed it back then, telling Dom that someday it would be worth a lot of money.
“You kept it,” she said. Seeing that old photo, so full of hope and promise, gave her a warm feeling.
“Kept it? I treasure it!”
“Hey, give me one of your menus,” she said.
Dom didn’t question her. Lauren took the menu and plucked a Sharpie marker out of his pocket. She wrote,I came all the way from LA for a slice of Dom’s!across the menu and then signed her name with a flourish.Dom beamed and promised to add that to the wall as soon as he bought a proper frame. Lauren tried to pay for her slices, but Dom was having none of it. She found a booth to sit in and devoured the food when it arrived—and then Dom brought her two more slices.
Danny pulled into the parking lot behind Dom’s. Three generations of the Bonati family had run this place. It had been, and still was, the one and only place to have pizza as far as Danny was concerned. At sixty-five, Big Dom still ran the business, which he’d taken over from his own father years before.
The Mets and Yankees were playing, and Danny was on his way to watch them with his father—it was a tradition for the Padovano boys to enjoy the first game of a Subway Series together. He looked forward to the day when Joey would be out of the Army and back in New York so he could join them again. Until then, it was Danny and his father, and tonight, he had offered to stop for the pizza on his way over. Normally, he’d bring all three boys with him. But they’d gotten into hot water for playing a video game that he and Heather had declared off-limits and were grounded.
A pimply-faced teen loitered behind the register. He eyed the badge looped around Danny’s neck and stuttered a little as he took the order. Danny guessed he had a baggie of weed stashed on him somewhere, but he didn’t feel like busting the kid’s balls. In the back, he could hear Dom’s deep bassoon of a voice as he lectured one of the workers about the art of pizza sauce—You don’t wipe it like you’re painting a wall! Per l’amor di Dio! You swirl it. Swirl it!
Then another voice grabbed his attention. “Detective, I have an alibi, I swear! Don’t put the cuffs on me!” Even though she sat at a booth in the back, he could see the mischief sparkling in Lauren’s eyes. Then she smiled. That warm, beautiful smile. Danny felt it all the way down in his toes. He walked over to the booth.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, leaning an elbow on the booth corner.
“Like I could resist getting a slice at Dom’s,” she said. “Join me?” She gestured to the open half of the booth.
They chatted for a few more minutes, smiling and joking. Without even realizing it, both leaned forward, elbows on the table, heads closer together, so their conversation could be quieter, more intimate. Danny couldn’t believe how easily they slipped back into their comfortable cadence. Later, he wouldn’t remember exactly what they said, only how amazing it had felt to be with her again.
“Oh ho! Look at the two of you. Inseparable, just the way it used to be.” Big Dom’s booming voice filled the room.
As his boisterous laugh enveloped them, Danny realized how close they were to each other. He drew back, an abrupt gesture that startled Lauren. His cheeks warmed, and Danny could only assume his face was as scarlet as hers. How many times had they sat there, eating pizza, holding hands? Sat there talking about things they’d do together?
“Meeting here to reminisce? Ah.” Dom tapped his heart with his hand.
“No, this was total chance.” Danny regretted how defensive he sounded.
Big Dom just nodded and smiled. “Well, the next time you want to catch up over some pizza, you come here—just like old times—and the pizza will be on me.”
After Dom went back to the ovens, Lauren finished the last few bites of her pizza as they called Danny’s order number. Disappointment and guilt buffeted him. He wanted to stay. For the first time in a long time, he’d lost himself in the moment. Forgotten, just for a few minutes, about his responsibilities and worries.
