A Marriage Between Friends (16 page)

“I never get the last word,” Sam grumbled.

But Vince, who wasn’t immune to the charm of their banter, had suddenly realized why he’d come by Sam’s. “I need to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not calling me a coward in Iraq. For putting up with my bullshit when I thought my grandfather was Mafia. For being my friend and including me in your family.” Vince paused and rubbed his right arm. “I haven’t had a lot of friends. And family, well, that’s pretty much hit or miss.”

“Have you been drinking?” Sam asked, peering at him closely. “I mean, I respect what you’re saying. You know I feel like we’re brothers and, as for Iraq, to have something like that happen to you on your first day…it’s not something they train you for. You reacted like a human being.” Sam swallowed, his gaze ricocheting off everything but Vince, no doubt remembering he’d been the one to pull the trigger when Vince couldn’t. “Quit beating yourself up over it. I’m not saying it doesn’t still suck to remember that day, but neither one of us deserves to let it ruin our lives.”

Vince managed a miniscule nod and breathed a little easier.

“You know,” Sam said, back to examining Vince’s face. “You’re not usually so…”

“Honest?”

“Yeah.” Then Sam smiled. “But, hey, women do that to you. They push and they push until your demons don’t seem so bad.”

Which would be just fine with Vince, but he was afraid that Jill hadn’t appreciated such honesty this morning, and wouldn’t until she met the man who’d make her happy for the rest of her life. Which would be fine if Vince had been completely straight with her, but he hadn’t. He’d hedged his bets before they made love.

And now he couldn’t help but hope that Jill would overlook his lack of honesty.

Just this once.

J
ILL STOOD
at the podium at the front of the room in the community center the Monday night after Vince left. There were thirty minutes before the city council meeting was to start. She had nothing prepared. No speech. No fact sheet. Nothing. She could only hope that the citizens of Railroad Stop who showed up tonight had strong opinions and ideas. Jill was fresh out.

She bent her head. She was so tired. The nuns had done it. Five days of silence and sign language and notes, four of which were without Edda Mae. Oh, Edda Mae had tried to talk to her about Vince, but mostly Jill kept it all inside. And it was eating her alive.

Had Vince really taken advantage of her? Or had Jill misread Vince’s signals and been unable to reassure him that what they had was true love? She’d been fooled into thinking Craig liked her. Had she been fooled into thinking she loved Vince? It hurt too much not to be the real thing.

Vince said he’d been hers since kindergarten. But if that was true, wouldn’t she have known it? Wouldn’t he have expressed it in some way?

His father started beating him before Vince entered kindergarten. He probably learned to hide his feelings at an early age.

And she’d slept with Vince, her body tightening at the memory. He’d known exactly what to say to her about Craig. He’d known exactly how to treat her in the bedroom. He’d said he’d thought about it for a long time. But Vince was an experienced lover, had managed a load of practice while they were married.

But he said he was waiting for you to return to him. He promised to give you back what Craig had stolen. He said he thought other women would be repulsed by his scars and that the next person he showed them to would be his wife.

And then there was Teddy. Vince claimed he wanted to be his father, but left without saying goodbye and had sent no word in five days. Five days to a ten-year-old was a lifetime.

But Vince seemed to know what Teddy needed. His advice was spot on.

He was more successful than he allowed. He’d worked hard to put together a deal that would benefit his family’s company. He survived Iraq. But he was certain everything he touched was destined to fail, and he’d used every setback as proof of how incompetent he was. Yet, Vince was a great negotiator, able to find common ground where there was none. With her. With Teddy. With Arnie.

Maybe Vince made the offer because he believed it wouldn’t fly. Just by the fact that he was involved with it.

That couldn’t be.

But…

It was just like Vince to sacrifice his own interests for Jill. He always put himself last, as if he didn’t believe he was worthy of anything better. Which would mean that there was a strong likelihood he’d also tried to persuade Jill she wasn’t in love with him. A few more days and Jill might not have been so vulnerable, but what she felt for him was still too new, too fragile to withstand Vince’s attack. If he thought their marriage was doomed to fail again, he might not have wanted to take a chance on more than one night. Hadn’t he said something about one perfect night?

No wonder she felt so betrayed. She did love Vince. And he loved her.

Wait until she got him alone in a room. She was going to tell him exactly how stupid he’d been, how brilliant, how annoying.

The door creaked open at the back of the hall. Jill whipped her head up, looked at the clock. Six-forty. It was about time people showed up for the meeting.

Edda Mae came in, Teddy on her heels. The door swung shut.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Edda Mae said.

Teddy dragged his feet up the aisle, touching a chair on each row along the way.

“It’s okay, Edda Mae,” Jill said, still staring at the clock. She’d gotten Vince into this mess all those years ago. She was the one person who loved Vince enough to make their marriage right. “Do you have Arnie’s telephone number?”

Edda Mae squinted at her. Teddy froze in place.

“I’m the mayor and I ought to know what’s best for this town.” Jill gathered up her purse. “And what it needs is economic growth. If the casino is the best way to do that, then so be it.”

“I thought we were against casinos,” Teddy said.

Edda Mae nodded, for once at a loss for words.

“Not anymore. Come on. It shouldn’t be hard to find Arnie. He’s probably parking that enormous truck of his.” Jill started toward them. Something in Edda Mae’s hand caught Jill’s eye. “What’s that?”

Edda Mae looked stricken. “It’s a…it’s a…”

“FedEx package. From Vince. See?” Teddy pulled it down to his level. “It came after you left.”

Jill understood Edda Mae’s horror. She wanted to be sick. The only thing Vince could be sending in an envelope that size was divorce papers.

“I
T’S ABOUT TIME
you came to see me,” Aldo said as he stood up to greet his grandson. He took a few faltering steps toward Vince, then hesitated.

“I had to take care of some things.” After losing Jill, Vince had needed a few days to decompress and bolster himself for this most important meeting with his grandfather. Today he’d felt ready to face Aldo and see if the deal he’d struck with Arnie had met with the old man’s approval.

Wearing khaki slacks and a long-sleeved button-down shirt, Vince stood in his grandfather’s foyer, drinking in the familiar sights—the Picasso on the wall, the poker table, the grand view of The Strip. Vince had lived here when he was in high school. The only thing that seemed different was his grandfather. When Vince had left Las Vegas last year, his grandfather had been less robust but just as feisty. Now he seemed tired and frail.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time. Vince was used to a grandfather always in motion, shouting for quicker responses, better returns. This man was nothing like him.

Vince was suddenly afraid that his grandmother had passed away and no one had told him. “How is
Nonna?
”

“The same. We’ve had no incidents since the summer.” The old man reached over and knocked his bony knuckles on the poker table. Periodically, Rosalie Patrizio’s organs stopped functioning. It was only a matter of time before the doctors could no longer save her.

Again the awkward silence. Why wasn’t Aldo asking him about the deal? “Can I see her?”

“Certainly.” His grandfather deflated into his chair, not looking Vince in the eye.

On impulse, Vince went to stand in front of his grandfather, offering him a hand. “Come on. You, too. You know she always loved you best.” It was an old joke of theirs.

Behind the thick trifocals, dark eyes sparked to life. “No-no. She loved you best, but she loved me the longest.” He accepted Vince’s help up and leaned on him as they walked toward the bedroom.

“How’ve you been, old man?” There had been times when Vince, in his frustration and self-centeredness, had used the term derisively. Not now.

“No one asks me how I’ve been.”

Vince was suddenly struck by the silence, the loneliness of the penthouse. “I’m asking.”

“I’m not through with this world yet, if that’s what you mean.” Some of the fire returned to his voice. “Always the smart one.”

“Let’s not fight.” Vince pushed open the door to his grandparents’ bedroom suite. Over by the window a hospital bed surrounded by softly whirring machines contained the thin shell of his grandmother. “She wouldn’t approve.”

The private nurse on duty stood and quietly left the room.

It seemed to Vince that they took a long time crossing from the door to the bed and it wasn’t just because his grandfather walked slowly. Vince’s feet dragged, as well.

“You look beautiful today, Rosalie.” His grandfather reached over and stroked her short, silver hair, then he perched on the edge of the mattress.

Vince took his grandmother’s hand. “It’s me, Vince.” He frowned. “She looks so tired.”

His grandfather nodded, his lips pursed, his hands clasped in his lap, yet shaking. How could Vince ever have doubted the love his grandfather had for his grandmother? Aldo Patrizio would do anything for his Rosalie. Vince wished
he
was capable of such love.

Vince knew he cared for Jill. She’d always hold a special place in his heart. He wanted the best for her and that was why he’d given her up. Vince could imagine sitting on the edge of Jill’s bed fifty years from now, talking to her as if she was still cognizant of his presence, making sure she knew he was still in love with her as she slipped away.

Vince stopped breathing. He was in love with Jill?

Oh, hell. He was. He had to be. Vince stared at the ceiling and shook his head. He’d screwed things up again.

Unless Jill loved him with the depth of emotion his grandfather felt for his grandmother. There was only one way to find out. And that was to wait and see how she reacted to the divorce papers.

Vince turned his attention back to his grandmother. “I have to tell you a couple of secrets,
Nonna.
One you probably already know and the other I’m sure you don’t. But I’m not going to lie to you anymore.” And then Vince started to roll up his sleeves as he told his grandparents how his arms had come to be less than perfect and how his heart had finally healed.

“Is that a new desk?” Vince asked later, after he and his grandfather had wiped away their tears and hugged each other.

“It is. The gadgets on top are new, too.” His grandfather hesitated. “I don’t know how to work any of them. Some new
jamook
in the computer department downstairs thought I needed it all. And then the management team agreed with them.”

Vince grinned. Kudos to the old man for trying. “You don’t have to use the latest technology to prove you’re a smart man,
Nonno.
” It had been years since Vince had used the Italian endearment for his grandfather.

His smile was pleased. “I’ve got a new executive assistant. Ernie. You might remember him. He was one of those cardsharps we were looking for last year. He works everything electronic for me, types it all, too—correspondence, e-mail. I swear he doesn’t listen to a thing I say. You know me. I say what I say and I say what I mean some more and then Ernie only writes one sentence. Everyone’s happy to hear less from me, I suppose.”

“Ernie’s been typing your e-mails?” Vince smiled. That explained the terse messages he’d been receiving.

“Yes, the
jamook.
He reads the incoming ones, too, prints them and organizes them into color-coded files. What man my age has color-coded files?”

“Did you know I made an offer to the Amador tribe over a week ago?”

“Of course, I know. It was a magnificent first-round deal. They haven’t countered yet, but we won’t budge.”

“I don’t expect them to counter.” The fact that Vince had made an offer he knew would stalemate the casino troubled him. Railroad Stop needed something, but he’d decided Jill’s plan would more directly benefit the population. “I’m not going to look for any more deals. You don’t need another project. I know that breaks our contract, so I’ll find a job here in town where I can be close to you.”

“I don’t want you to work anywhere else.” His grandfather tilted his head up to look Vince in the eye. “I’m very proud of you. Even if you’d never found a deal, I’d have been proud of you and would have loved you just the same.”

Even though he’d waited a lifetime to hear a member of his family say that, Vince couldn’t resist contradicting his grandfather. “I’ve been an ass, especially to you.”

“I wish you would use your Italian to curse. It shows so much more class.” Aldo chuckled. “
Strunz.
You were a
strunz.
”

Calling Vince a piece of shit was the perfect olive branch. He was, after all, very much like his grandfather.

“I’
M TOO LATE
.” Jill pulled into the driveway of the house she and Vince owned in Las Vegas. A truck filled with two wardrobe boxes was parked in the middle of the driveway and left barely any room for her car.

It was five o’clock on a sweltering Sunday and her little sedan’s air-conditioning had given out about an hour before. Her dress stuck to her back and legs.

But Jill hadn’t come this far for nothing. She knew Vince loved her. She tried to slip on her sandals, but her feet were swollen from the combination of the ninety-degree heat and the soda she’d bought when she’d had to roll the windows down fifty miles ago.

Jill got out of the car barefoot, toting her purse and a stack of papers as she ran for the lawn. She’d forgotten how hot Las Vegas pavement could be in September. She cooled her tootsies in the blades of grass and pried the damp blue cotton from her backside as she surveyed her wedding gift.

The house looked the same—much too grand with its columns in front, red-tile roof and large windows. The shrubs lining the walkway were neatly trimmed and the yard well maintained. Vince had taken good care of their house. So why was he moving?

“You have too many clothes.” A man’s voice. Unfamiliar. Coming from the garage.

“I don’t,” Vince countered. Jill’s heart began to pound. “Just because you live in shorts and polo shirts doesn’t mean everyone else does.”

“You have more clothes than Annie does.” The speaker was walking backward carrying one end of a wardrobe box. He was taller than Vince. Lankier, too.

Jill decided the best way to get Vince’s attention was to jump in. “I know he has more clothes than I do.”

The back end of the box dropped.

“Hey.” The man in front fought against being crushed.

“Jill?” Vince appeared wearing Bermudas and a T-shirt. Short-sleeved, no less. He looked fantastic and it was all Jill could do not to fling herself into his bare arms, especially when he gave her a hesitant smile and a slow once-over. “What are you doing here?”

Jill smiled and waved the divorce papers. “Apparently they need to be notarized in Nevada.” It might have been a lie. Jill hadn’t done more than stare at the top page. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with them if she really wanted to divorce Vince.

“Oh?” His gaze turned wary.

“You going somewhere?” Jill asked, pointedly glancing at the boxes already packed. She hadn’t counted on that. Was there something in the divorce papers about the house? She should have read them.

“Yeah. I’m moving out.”

Jill forced herself to keep smiling.

“I’ll go back inside where it’s air-conditioned,” tall and lanky said. “I’m Sam, by the way. I take it you’re Jill.”

“Nice to meet you.” Jill gave a little wave and then waited until Sam left them alone.

A classic red Corvette rumbled past, then backfired.

Vince barely flinched.

“You look great,” Vince said, coming a few steps closer and wiping his brow.

“It’s a new dress. Do you like it?” Jill would have spun around if she wasn’t convinced the cotton on her back was a different color from being drenched with sweat.

He’d taken another few steps, his gaze in the area of her cleavage. For the first time in years Jill was showing some skin. No flannel shirts or loose-fitting tops. She felt pretty.

“I do. Like it, that is.” Now that she was closer she could tell his arms had the beginnings of a tan.

“So, you’re moving…um…where?” She wanted to ask
why
he was moving. This ruined everything.

“Back to my grandfather’s penthouse at the Sicilian. He has trouble getting around and I thought…” He sighed. “It’s really great to see you. How’s Teddy?”

“Good. He’s going to paint the scenery for the school play. He’s very excited.”

“Really? And Edda Mae?”

“She’s good, too.”

“And Looney?”

“You don’t really want to know about Moonbeam, do you?”

He shook his head, then grinned at her. “You don’t have to get those divorce papers notarized in Nevada.”

“I don’t?” Jill glanced at them as if just a quick look would enable her to figure out all that legalese.

“No. Have I told you how great you look in that dress?”

“Not nearly enough times.” The sun felt so hot it stole Jill’s breath.

Vince stopped about five feet away from her. Five feet too far. “Why are you really here?”

Jill sighed. He always saw right through her. “It all started with Arnie.”

“Arnie?”

“Uh-huh. He didn’t think your deal was very fair. In fact, he recommended that the tribe turn it down.”

“Oh.” Vince looked superior. Jill had known it was exactly what he wanted all along.

“And then I told him the tribe couldn’t turn it down.”

“You what?” Vince walked in a tight circle, then jabbed his finger at her. “Now look, Jill, you’re mucking things up.”

“I went over the details with Arnie and I thought he could do better.”

“Why would you do that?”

Jill sighed again, but this time slowly, followed by a carefully rehearsed explanation. “Because I’m the mayor and Railroad Stop needs a casino, as well as vacation homes, to bring the town back to life. In fact, I’m considering changing the name to Railroad Go. That’s how positive I am that we’re going to turn the place around.” She smiled brightly.

A muscle jumped in Vince’s jaw. “I went to a lot of trouble to make sure that deal didn’t go through.” He had to be the trickiest, most intelligent man Jill knew.

“I know. That’s why I had to step in.”

Vince washed a hand over his face and looked around the yard as if it could provide him with answers. Finally he brought his gaze back to Jill’s. “I’m confused.”

“I’m so glad.” It was payback time. Jill put her hands on her hips and raised her voice. “Because I was more than confused when you gave that Oscar-winning performance the morning you left me. I have never met a man more certain that he’s worthless than you are and I’ve never known a man more noble and brilliant and courageous.”

Vince was shaking his head.

“Oh, get off your high pity-me pony,” Jill snapped, really warming up now. “Failure? You? You outsmarted a Stanford graduate millionaire and probably your grandfather, as well. You saved Teddy’s life when you caught him on those rapids. You deserve everything your heart wants, including to be loved unconditionally.” Jill prayed his heart wanted her.

Vince was close enough to touch now, grinning with that dimple that she loved so much, but Jill was still too wound up to stop.

“Who gave you the right to decide that you can just waltz in and out of my life whenever you please? I told you I loved you.” Her voice dropped. “I showed you.”

“You certainly did.” Vince put his hands on her shoulders and warmth seeped immediately to her core.

“I think I was half in love with you when we got married.” And she’d nurtured the feeling for years. “And then you broke my heart.”

Vince slid his hands around to her backside, cocking one eyebrow. “You’re wet.”

“My air conditioner broke. I need to shower and change.”

His grin was positively wicked as he lowered his head toward hers.