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Knowing how I feel about washing hair, Mia’s jaw drops. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Well, first off, you two will be there and secondly, I need raffle donations.”It’s not like I haven’t covered before. Marion’s hair salon has more intel on the neighborhood than the CIA and the FBI combined.”
“So, Petey wasn’t shitting us.” My oldest cousin recovers first. “Oh my God. What happened to Suzi? She’s done it for years.”
“I heard she moved out of state.”At my honest statement, Mia shoves a palm to my forehead.
“Because she blew it last year. If you screw up again, the school closes.”
For the first time since agreeing to chair the event, panic creeps into my bones. “What? I thought it was a simple fund raiser?”
“Oh my fucking lord. How long have you lived here?” As Rose buries her head in her hands, I try to remember anything but come up blank.
“How bad could it be?”In all fairness, after college, I did live in DC for a few years.
Her glare across the table melts the back of my irises. “Seriously?” You’ll need local business owners to donate gifts, and expensive ones. Then, you must invite people from all five boroughs which means incentives and advertising and… Fuck. You have no idea what you’re up against, right?”
As she stares at me, my stomach churns. “I figured I’d start with the salon.”
Shaking her head, the dark-haired woman who’s been more like a sister stands and opens her phone. “I will call Suzi. She has ten years of experience that we can use.”
Mia pops up next to her. “As soon as she has the volunteers’ names, I will organize a team.”
Finally understanding my impossible situation, I clunk my forehead on the table. In complete sync with my mood, the wind picks up and water pelts their back window.
Standing, I stroll to their living room, gaze out at the small courtyard, and check the weather on my phone. “Shit. Can you guys help me move my pine-sicle into my house before work?”
They both groan but agree.
After donning raincoats, we all pile down the stairs where Joey peers up from his TV. He takes in our rubber boots, umbrellas, and smirks. “Where’re youz guyz off to?”
“My house, why?”
He grins wider. “Don’t tell me the brilliant private eye left her Christmas tree outside to freeze?”
“Shut it, jerk-face.” Outside, I mutter under my breath, “God, now I remember why we moved.”
“Ditto.” My cousins respond in unison, laugh, then high-five each other.
Soon we’re gossiping like old times and before long, reach my front yard. Once I unlock the gated fence, we walk to the back where we grab the trunk and squeeze the branches to fit inside the kitchen door.
Speaking while holding her nose, Mia looks around the room. “Where do you want it?”
“In the tub? That way it won’t drip all over the hardwood floors.” I point to the bathroom and as we lean the trunk against the tiles, Rose covers her mouth.
“Holy Mother of God, what is that stench?”
Eyes watering, I moan, race the two outside, and gasp for air. “Sal said something about a trap, but he promised he is coming soon.”
The oldest groans. “So is Christmas. Are you certain you don’t want to take the tree back to the apartment?”
Tears well, a sign hormones are eating me from the inside out. “No. This is our first holiday in our new home. Salvatore is going to fix this, even if I have to place a gun to his head to get it done.”
Realizing I need to up the urgency, I scroll through my phone, call the plumber, andhis wife answers, “Palermo’s fast friendly service.”
“Hey, Lolly, is Sal available?”
“Sorry hun, he’s on a job.”
