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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MELANIE
The moment I walked in here, I felt like I was being slowly strangled from the inside. Death and sadness were old, unwelcome acquaintances. I should have realized that being at Donna’s funeral would remind me of the worst time in my life, but somehow it hadn’t occurred to me. Even the look of the funeral home was the same. Too much hardwood everywhere and far too many flowers.
“Hey there, stranger,” said a familiar voice, and I looked up to find Dominic’s best friend was talking to me.
“Mind if I keep you company?” he asked.
“Hi, Jason,” I said warmly. “Please do.” I gestured to the empty space on the bench.
In truth I barely knew this guy, but Dominic talked about him all the time. Jason was reportedly an unrepentant playboy with his own family struggles to deal with, but he and Dom had been close friends for a decade, so I figured he was all right. Anyway, I’d been feeling a little awkward as I suffered my private panic attack, alone in the back of the funeral home.
Jason settled down beside me. He was one of those guys who managed to take up a lot of room with the sheer force of his charisma. He wore an expensive suit, was still absurdly handsome, and the irresistible spicy musk of his aftershave must have been designed as a magnet to collect women. But as he looked around, his chiseled features conveyed a sad expression.
“She used to feed me all the time,” he said.
“You mean Donna?”
Jason nodded. “It seemed like there was always a pot of sauce on the stove, and she was always waiting for someone to serve it to. I used to go over there under the pretense of looking for Dominic, even after he moved out.” He chuckled a little. “I’m sure she saw right through me, but she was always happy to fill a bowl and watch me eat. Nice lady. I should have gone to visit her more after she moved to that nursing home.”
“I’m sure she knew you cared about her,” I soothed, but it was just a nonsense thing that people said at funerals. I had no idea what Donna Esposito did or did not know. I was starting to calm down a little with Jason beside me. At least I was no longer tempted to jump up and sprint out of the funeral home as if I was being chased by a chainsaw murderer.
There were a few dozen people here, all talking to each other in low, respectful voices. Gio got in front of the room and made a short speech about his grandmother. He talked about how she’d raised him and Dominic, about how she radiated love and acceptance no matter who you were. While Gio talked, I stared at the back of Dominic’s head. He’d been extremely preoccupied the last few days and most of our conversations had revolved around work. At least that crappy SunRepublic article hadn’t hurt business at all, and we’d been crazy busy. In fact I was so busy I couldn’t seem to find time to answer the texts Dominic sent where he said he was thinking about me. I didn’t mean to ignore him. I missed him constantly. But I couldn’t be all sappy when I had some important questions on my mind. I needed some answers. But this wasn’t the right day to seek them.
Dominic had hugged me when I walked into the visitation room, but then he’d greeted everyone that way. Both Esposito’s locations were closed until six p.m., and there were a few staff members here. They shook hands with their bosses and murmured proper words. Carl the ex-cop waved sadly at me before exiting on the arm of a rather twitchy-looking woman. I assumed she was the overbearing wife he was always trying to escape from.
The casket was closed, and burial would take place immediately afterward at the neighboring cemetery. People were starting to rise and shake hands with the family members who sat in the front row. Tara stood beside her husband and brother-in-law as they accepted condolences.
Jason nodded in Dominic’s direction and nudged my arm. “Is he doing okay?”
“I hope so,” I said, checking out Dominic in his black suit, his hair slicked back. He looked excellent. Mouthwatering in fact. I understood what a creep I was for itching to rip the clothes off a guy who was moments away from burying his grandmother, yet that didn’t shut off my hormones.
I didn’t realize my inner struggle had an audience until Jason cleared his throat. I thought he was suppressing a laugh and considered how that might have been odder than my secret lust. Then he shot me a bemused glance, and I grasped that Jason was unusually perceptive, at least when it came to sex. He knew exactly what I was thinking, and he found it funny. I folded my hands and primly looked at the wall. I still felt like a creep.
“You know,” Jason said, leaning close, “I think there’s something at the nursing home after this. You should come, Melanie. I’ll even pretend I’m a gentleman and give you a ride over there.”
“No, thank you.” I shook my head and stood up. “I should stop by the restaurants and make sure everything’s all set. We’ll be open for dinner, and I don’t want the guys to have to worry about anything. Besides, it sounds like something for close friends and family, and I don’t really fit into either category.”
Jason stood up, too, looking a little worried. “He’d like to have you there, Melanie. I’m sure of it.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“No.”
“Then mind your own damn business, Jason.” Instantly I grimaced at my own rudeness.
Jason Roma chuckled, though. “He said you were spirited.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, but I could already see that for myself.”
“I’m sorry,” I said miserably. “I have kind of a hard time with funerals.”
Jason put a hand on my arm and grew serious. “Don’t jump to conclusions. And don’t believe everything you read.”
The SunRepublic article was the elephant in the room that no one talked about, least of all me. If any of the staff had read it, they’d kept their opinions to themselves. Tara texted me yesterday to ask if I wanted to meet for coffee and have a chat, but I found an excuse not to. I was still shaken up by what I’d overheard outside Dominic’s door on Sunday morning.
