“What’s a zips?” Carlita asked to no one in particular.
“It’s a mafia slur,” Mercedes whispered in her ear.
There was a light rap on the door.
“Grand Central Station. C’mon in,” Mercedes quipped.
Paulie and Gina, who was holding baby Vinnie, stepped inside. “We saw Vin’s car pull in and told Shelby we’d bring the baby over.”
Baby Vinnie took one look at his mother and started to wail.
“Poor Baby V. It’s nappy-nap time,” his mother sing-songed. “Thank you for bringing him here.” She cradled her son in her arms as they bounced their way to what was Mercedes’ bedroom, the one she graciously gave up for her brother and his family.
Ricco and his partner passed them in the hallway, pausing when they reached the living room. “Have you met Roxy, Mrs. G?” he asked.
“Not yet.” Carlita extended a hand. “Hello. I’m Carlita Garlucci.”
“Mrs. Garlucci.” Roxy shook her hand, her eyes traveling up and down her as she sized Carlita up. “Heard a lot about you.”
“Good, I hope.”
“Roxy and I are on our way out.” Ricco hooked his thumb in his belt loop. “We’re gonna hang with Luigi for a few.”
“You’re gonna hang out with Luigi. I’ll be downstairs keepin’ an eye on the place,” Roxy jabbed her finger at him. “As in, doin’ my job.”
“Whatever.” Ricco shook his head in disgust as he followed Roxy out of the apartment.
“They strike me as an interesting duo.” Carlita slipped past her son and stepped into the kitchen. “Now that the children have eaten, I have some snacks for the adults.”
She removed an antipasto platter from the fridge and set it on the dining room table. There were meats – prosciutto, salami and pepperoni, three kinds of cheeses, nuts, olives and bread.
Gina licked her lips as she eyed the platter. “This is the most gorgeous antipasto platter I’ve ever seen.”
“Ma worked hard on it,” Mercedes said.
Carlita stood back and watched as her children gathered around the table. Their voices filled the apartment, and it was a sweet sound to her ears. Her family was once again, all together.
“Hey, Ma.” Tony slipped away from the crowd and joined his mother in the kitchen. “What time are we caravanning to Pete’s surprise?”
Carlita repeated what little information Pete had given her. “It involves meeting him in Merry Bay, The Flying Gunner, dinner and drinks.”
“Ah.” Tony lifted a brow. “South Carolina, eh? There’s not much on the other side of the bridge.”
After munching and catching up, her children headed out. Tony returned to the pawn shop to close for the night. Vinnie and Brittney went to check on the baby. Paulie and Gina, along with their tribe, returned to Tony and Shelby’s new apartment to work on the sleeping arrangements.
It gave Carlita enough time to straighten up and change into a warmer outfit before meeting everyone in the alley to discuss the travel logistics.
Tony, who was familiar with the area, offered to take the lead with the siblings sandwiched in between Carlita and Mercedes, who would be bringing up the rear.
“What do you think about Roxy?” Mercedes climbed into the passenger seat as her mother slid behind the wheel.
“I dunno. I got the feeling she was sizing me up. How about you?”
“Same here. I stopped by Luigi’s place while you were getting ready. Ricco was hanging out with him, but there was no sign of Roxy. I don’t think Luigi likes her.”
“I got that impression too.”
Mercedes consulted her watch as her mother pulled onto the street. “I texted Sam before we left. He’s on his way and will meet us there. His last tour ended at five.”
The caravan of vehicles crossed the bridge and followed the signs to Merry Bay Park. The main parking lot was full, forcing them to continue to the overflow lot.
Carlita tapped the brakes as they coasted around the corner. “Oh, my gosh. Would you look at that?”
Chapter 2
Bumper-to-bumper vehicles, nearly all of them towing a boat, lined both sides of the road leading to Merry Bay Park. There were big boats and small boats, cabin cruisers, houseboats, trawlers and tugboats.
“What’s up with all the boats?” Mercedes peered out the front windshield.
“I think this is part of the Christmas boat parade. I heard something about it on the news the other day.” The parking lot was filling fast, and Carlita ended up parking in a grassy area right next to Vinnie and Brittney. She texted Pete to let him know they had arrived before exiting the vehicle and joining the rest of the family who had gathered behind Paulie’s van.
“What is this, Ma?” Paulie scooped Gracie up.
“They’re boats, Papa,” Gracie said. “Look, there’s the hippopotamus.”
Sure enough, a hippopotamus sporting a red Santa hat and holding a brightly wrapped present was tied to the back of a speedboat.
A string of flashing Christmas lights blinking red and green ran from the bow of a sailboat to the top of the mast and then down to the stern.
There were even more boats docked in the nearby marina. “I think I see The Flying Gunner.” Carlita pointed to a pirate flag.
A familiar figure stepped out of the crowd and strode across the parking lot. “Welcome to Merry Bay,” Pete said. “It’s a good thing you got here when you did. This place is filling up fast.”
Vinnie grasped the older man’s hand as he juggled the baby. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Same here.”
The baby stared at Pete, who was decked out in full pirate attire, from his feathered black cap to his blood-red velvet jacket trimmed in gold-braided ropes and capped off with brass buttons. His black and white striped trousers were tucked into his knee-high pirate boots.
A
