Our dinners arrive and I all but shove my face into the cheesiest, sauciest, meatiest lasagna known to man. If Nana Rose were here, she would shed enough tears to create an Italian river. This is ecstasy. It’s as if my entire life, even that briar patch known as Hastings, New Jersey, had been pointing me in this direction—right to Eatie Some Ziti to experience this slice of Italian heaven. The ricotta. The provolone. The brown and bubbly mozzarella caramelized on top.
Shep sets his fork down and takes a deep breath as he soaks in the magic we’ve just experienced.
“Amazing,” he muses.
“I heard angels sing,” I moan.
“Save the pillow talk for later, Cupcake.” He gives a sly wink. “This is a family restaurant.”
Hilary shoots me the death rays. “So the two of you are the real deal, huh?”
I openly scoff her way. “And why wouldn’t we be? It’s almost as if it’s not enough that Shep told you we were engaged.”
She gives a little shrug. “I thought maybe he was trying to play hard to get.” She glides her finger over his tie and takes it back before I can slap her hand once again. “You know, it’s not like I see a ring on that finger of yours.”
I glance down at my bare left hand.
“I don’t do rings,” I hear myself say the words, and even I don’t believe them. “At work,” I add as if it made sense, and in a weird way I think it will. “I work with food all day, and I’m terrified I’ll lose it. Shep bought me a beaut of a rock, a boulder actually. His love for me knows no financial or carbon pressed bounds.”
“Oh?” She looks from Shep to me. “My stepfather owns Linder’s Jewelers. He can make a fake for you that you can wear anywhere without fear of losing it.”
Tilly waves her off. “Bowie hates jewelry. She’ll probably never wear it. Hey, I know?” She makes wild eyes at me. “You should both get tattoos for the wedding.”
Butch nods. “I like that. So when’s the big day?”
I say, “Next fall,” and Shep says, “Next June,” all at the same time.
Hilary laughs so hard she snorts. “Oh hon, I’m seeing right through this little tacky charade.” She picks up her purse. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head off to the little girls’ room.”
I straighten. “Did she just call our engagement tacky?”
Tilly sniffs. “I think she was directly speaking about you.”
I wait until Hilly is out of sight to take a page out of her potty playbook.
“I’ll be back. Tiramisu for dessert, please.” I scoot my way to the front of the establishment where I spot Kadie polishing the brass railing that leads to the register.
“Kadie?” I manufacture a sparkling smile just for the brunette. “I’m sorry about your friend.”
She looks mildly confused about who I am and who her friend might be.
“Oh right, Craig.” She winces. “That was pretty terrible.” She closes her eyes a moment.
“So you were close?”
She shrugs. “He came by the house once in a while. I’m in the middle of a remodel, and he liked to check in on things.”
“Right, Oliver and he were partners.”
She tips her head to the side. “Not many people know that. Oliver is proud, and when he hit hard times, it was Craig who stepped in. He was always trying to do the right thing.” Her jaw tenses as she stares vacantly past me. “Sometimes when you do the right thing, the wrong thing happens.”
“You said it, sister.” Not that I would know. I was doing the wrong thing and just so happened to live to tell about it.
She shrugs up at me. “It’s a terrible world. I’m just living in it. I’ve got my girls to worry about.” She holds herself for a moment. “And Lord knows I’d do anything to protect them.”
“You’re a good mother,” I say. “But poor Craig. His mother sure couldn’t protect him. Hey? You probably knew him best. Did he have anyone who was angry with him? Maybe someone he owed money to?”
She shakes her head emphatically. “No money issues. Craig was more dependable than the bank.”
“How about enemies?”
She takes a deep breath. “I wouldn’t say that. But there was someone he was arguing with that night.” Her eyes flit to the dining room for a second. “A man.”
“Arguing?” I lean in. “What were they arguing about?”
“A woman.” She averts her eyes.
“Kadie, who was the man Craig was arguing with?”
Her lips part just as I spot Shep heading this way, and judging by the look on his face, he doesn’t look too impressed with my agenda.
I lean in. “Kadie, was it Oliver?”
She looks stunned for a moment before nodding frenetically.
I’m about to say something when a woman calls out for her.
“It’s not real!” the all too familiar shrill voice screams. “They’re fake. Shep and that nitwit are no more engaged than I’m an elephant seal.” Hilary stumbles into the entry from the other side, and no sooner do I catch that annoyed look on her face than Shep pulls me in close.
“Here you are, Sweet Cheeks,” he says. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I thought you were trying to get away.” He forces a tight smile before planting one on me, right on the kisser—as in his lips over mine.
And he lingers.
It’s as if my entire body melts into a blazing puddle of ecstasy.
A groan works its way up my throat and I reach up and clasp my hands over his face and hold him hostage there in the event he thought about getting away from me.
Shepherd Wexler has the
