Renzo (The Ciprianos of Kellington) (14 page)

“You’re right. It went
on for about a year. It took Renzo no time to realize that she had a thing for
him. He thought it was sweet because honestly Rebecca was a pretty girl, a bit
on the thick side, but still a beautiful girl. He would go and chat with her
when she came in. He was only being hospitable, but they soon struck up a good
friendship. Well this particular day, Rebecca had come back from being out of
town. Her mother had been really sick in the hospital. She came into the
restaurant and of course sat in her booth. They struck up a conversation and of
course she was pretty upset because she just found out that her mother had
cancer.”

“Oh no, that’s
awful…wait a minute. How do you guys both know all of this anyways?” Jaslyn
wondered.

“Well, I found out from
Renzo himself about her mother being sick,” Marilyn told her.

“And I found out about
the rest from Rebecca, we had been friends when she first moved here just like
I am with you. Go on, Marilyn, finish it up.”

“Well Renzo of course
being the gentleman he is, comforted
her
by holding
her hand and telling her that things would be all right. If she needed any help
he would be willing to help her. While they had been talking, it seemed someone
had sent word to Melanie about them holding hands because she came into the
restaurant, stormed over toward them, and went off on Rebecca like a sailor.
Poor Rebecca didn’t get a word in edgewise to defend herself. People were
eyeing the three of them and when they brought out her food, Melanie took her
plate and threw it in the poor girl’s face. And it was hot food too. Her face
and arms ended up getting burned from the sauce. Rebecca of course pressed
charges on Melanie and after this incident, she left town.”

Jaslyn couldn’t believe
what she was
hearing,
never had she heard anything so
horrific in her life. “But what happened to Rebecca though?”

“Thanks to Melanie
embarrassing her like she did, she ended up leaving town. People being nosy
would come into the flower shop to see if they could see what Melanie had done
to her. So she packed up and left, went to live with her mother until she
passed away…which I think was about three months later. It was hard on her big
time, but now she’s living in New Orleans with a husband and a baby. She owns
her own floral shop there and she’s way better off now than she was back then.
But that’s what she had to deal with as far as Melanie and her wrath.”

“Damn, that is insane.
I honestly can’t believe that she went and did that to that poor girl. Can I
ask you this…was there any others besides me?”

“Oh yes, and every
single one of them ended up getting into trouble with Melanie. I swear that
woman has her own private cell in jail. But you my friend are totally different
than the rest of the women that have come across Renzo’s path.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you were the
only one who stood up to her, you stood your ground with her. You didn’t back
down from her crap and she couldn’t get over it. I really think you were meant
to be together, Jaslyn, you both need each other. The love that you both are
starting to have for each other will grow into something that neither one of
you expect it to be. Just take your time, get to know and love one another. So
what are you going to wear out on your date tonight?”

Jaslyn smiled at the
two women who had been her friends since she first came to Kellington. “Well,
what I have in mind is something simple yet sexy. I wonder what he has planned
for us
tonight?
”

“With Renzo, there is
no telling what he could be up to, either way it will be something for both of
you to remember for a very long time.” Marilyn patted Jaslyn’s arm and left the
two with a wave.

“Do you really think we
have a chance, me and Renzo?”

“Of course I do, I
honestly think you two were made for each other. Just take your time and when
the moment comes, man it will be explosive between you two.”

“What do you mean
explosive between us two?” Jaslyn chuckled.

“You know.” Delia
rolled her eyes a bit even though Jaslyn knew what she meant but just wanted
her to actually say it.

“Go on and say it,
woman, we are adults here, you know.”

“When you guys make
love for the first time.”

“Well, if something
does happen tonight, it won’t be the first time.” Grabbing a dust rag and some
Pledge, she hurried toward the back when she heard her say, “Oh my God, no way,
you guys did it?”

Jaslyn nodded while
spraying some of the polish on one of the desks. She watched while Delia came
over, grabbed the rag from her hand she
asked,
“Was
this last night?”

“Uh-huh, it was last
night.”

“So, how was it?” Delia
questioned her, a grin extend across her face as she poked Jaslyn in the side.

“All I can say is that
it was absolutely amazing, the whole experience was like nothing I’ve ever had
with a man. He actually loved me, body and soul last night, Delia. I told him
everything about what happened between me and Gerald.” She found her throat starting
to
tightened a bit and then tears started to form when
she thought about that night. “And he accepted me even after all the crap I
have been through. He just wanted to love me for who I am and nothing more.”
Feeling her friend’s arms close around her, she continued to cry, and these
would be the last tears of pain she would ever let fall again. The only tears
she would cry were those of joy and laughter from now on.

Chapter Nine

Renzo had been in his
office, making last minute details for dinner that evening. He had planned on
taking her over to the town of Shelley, which was about twenty miles away from
Kellington. He had planned the perfect night, just for the two of them,
involving an intimate dinner at La Cote Basque, a carriage ride through town
and dancing. He even decided to rent a small cottage over at the Overton
Cottages and Inn. Renzo wanted to make sure their time away, even if it was
only one night, would be an enjoyable one. He couldn’t wait until she saw all
of the surprises he had planned for her.

He heard the phone
ring, and immediately picked it up. “Thank you for calling Filomena’s, this is
Mr. Cipriano speaking.”

“Hi there, Renzo, this
is Megan over at Tilly’s. I wanted to let you know that those orchids just came
in.”

“Great, that’s fine. I
wanted to just have a small corsage made for the wrist like we said.”

“I will get on that
right now. I’ll call you back to let you know when it’s ready to be picked up.”

“Thanks, Megan, talk
with you then. Goodbye.” When he hung up, he heard a knock on his door. He
looked over and saw his mother standing in the doorway. “Mom, I see you are
checking up on me.” Getting up from his chair, he greeted his mother with a
kiss on her cheek.

“I was heading over to pick
up some things for the party and thought I’d come and see how everybody was.
You seem so upbeat, my dear, I like this look on you. Does a certain young lady
have anything to do with it?”

Renzo took his mother’s
hand, kissing it softly. “Yeah, a certain beautiful young woman has really made
me see the world around me just a bit brighter. I’m planning something for us
this evening over in Shelley. I think it will be perfect, especially after all
that has happened to her as of late. We went to the police station and found out
that Melanie had some alterative plans besides the trashing of Jaslyn’s car.”

“What do you mean?”

Renzo was hesitant
about even letting his mother know what Officer Taylor had told them but, of
course, it was something that had to be said. “It seems that Melanie had
planned on doing more damage to Jaslyn by burning down her shop or her home.”

He heard a gasp of
shock come from his mother. “You can’t be serious. I mean he really said all
that? What about poor Jaslyn or Delia? What if they had been in the shop or
Jaslyn was at home?”

“Well it seems that
even if anyone was in the shop or at her home, Melanie wanted the job done.”

“
Buon
Dio
, I knew the woman was crazy but I
didn’t think she was demented enough to want to do something like that.”

“This is why I plan on
getting her out of town for the evening, just so she can have some peace of
mind without worry,” Renzo said, receiving a smile from her in return.

“You are more like your
father every day.” Getting up she kissed his forehead as he got up too. “So
where are you taking her tonight?”

“I’m taking her out for
dinner, a carriage ride, and dancing. Are you going by Tilly’s?”

“Actually, I had just come
from over there before I went to Roberta’s about some things for the party I
wanted. Why do you ask, dear?”

“Could you go by there
for me and pick up the flowers I got for Jaslyn for tonight?”

“But of course, my
dear. I would be happy to do that for you.” They started to pass through the
kitchen when they saw Warren heading toward them with open arms. “Mrs. Cipriano,
it’s so good to see you again.”

“Hello, my dear Warren,
it’s wonderful to see you as well. How are Priscilla and the children doing?”

“Doing just fine, thank
you, I’ll let them know you asked about them. I’m glad you are here. I want you
to try something that I am testing out to see about adding to the menu sometime
soon. I think it needs something, but I just don’t know what it could be.” They
all walked back into the kitchen, some of the other chefs said their hellos to
Filomena as she made her way over toward the stove. Once he took the lid off
the pot, steam evaporated from whatever was cooking inside of it.

“Whatever it is, it’s
making my mouth water with the aroma,” Filomena told him while Renzo watched
him stir what looked like lamb shank in a delicious brown sauce.

“Let me get a bowl for
you to taste.” Grabbing the spoon, he got some of the beef, which seemed to
just fall from the bone as he ladled some of the sauce over it. Renzo grabbed a
fork and handed it to his mother. Once she got herself a piece, she blew on it
to cool it and took a bite. Both men watched and waited for her to say
something. It was as if everybody in the kitchen had stopped what they were
doing. They had respected her just that much for whatever comment or bit of
advice she gave as far as cooking was concerned, they listened.

“Do you have oranges?”
She put the bowl down on the stainless steel table, walked over toward the huge
refrigerator, opening it up to stand there staring at the array of food within
it.

“I think we have some
blood oranges down in the bin.” They watched her go into the bin and grab three
oranges then go over to where the knives were; she selected one from the
magnetic strip from the wall. Just like the pro she was, Renzo watched his mom
work magic in the kitchen after cutting and seeding the oranges, she began to
squeeze the juice from two of them into the pot before stirring it up once
more. “Now I want you to let this simmer for another five minutes, I think you
will like the taste. It needed a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice to it. You
will notice the flavor will really come out when you taste it. Now I must go,
everybody have a wonderful afternoon.”

Everybody said their
goodbyes when the two left the kitchen, walking arm in arm to the door. “I’ll
talk with you later, my dear.” Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Renzo opened the
door for his mother and she walked up the street. He looked over toward the
shop. His heart beat just a bit faster, thinking about all that would happen
tonight.

* * * *

When Jaslyn heard the
grandfather clock chime throughout the shop, she knew that it was time to close
up. After going around once more along with setting the alarm, both ladies
walked out the door and Delia locked it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jaslyn told
her.

“Have fun tonight. I’ll
see you tomorrow.” They waved their goodbyes while Jaslyn walked her way toward
the restaurant. When she walked inside, she was greeted by the hostess, “Why
hello, Ms. Whitman, how are you?”

“I’m doing just fine
thanks. I’m here to meet with Mr. Cipriano, please.”

Grabbing the phone,
Jaslyn watch her press a button, silently waiting for him to answer. “Yes, Mr.
Cipriano, you wanted me to call you when Ms. Whitman arrived and she has. All right,
sir.” Hanging up the phone she smiled. “He’s on his way.”

Jaslyn nodded while
slowly moving away from the podium. It didn’t take long for him to come to the
front and the first thing she heard him say was, “Hello, darling.” He took her
in his arms. A low growl rose from his throat when he held her.

“Are you ready for me?”
she asked him.

“I was going to ask you
the same thing. Goodnight, Kelly.”

They made their way out
to his car and he hit the button on his key fob to open up the doors. Once he
opened the door for her, she got inside as he made his way over to the driver’s
side. “So where are we headed tonight for dinner?”

When he started the car
and pulled out onto the street, he said, “If I told you where we are going,
then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise would it? All I can say is that when you
go to get your clothes for tonight, make sure you have a change of clothes for
tomorrow.”

“So we are spending the
night somewhere then?”

“Exactly, we will have
a wonderful time tonight and all that matters to me is making you happy.”
Grabbing her hand, he kissed it soundly while going down the road.

How
could I have gotten so lucky
?

When they pulled up to
her home, both walked to her door. Once inside, Jaslyn turned on the lights to
head toward her room in the back. “Welcome to my home…again.” She smiled. “I’ll
be back, just
make
yourself at home.” She went into
her closet, moving hangers of clothes over until she found a beautiful royal
purple dress. It was sleeveless with a surplice neck, set with an empire waist
decorated with jewel studs while the back of the dress was tied. Grabbing the
shawl that went with it, she grabbed a pair of silver shoes with a strap. She
began putting stuff into a smaller bag she had since she left her larger bag
back at Mrs. Cipriano’s.

Going into her dresser
drawer, she pulled out a simple lavender gown she hadn’t worn in a while. It
would be perfect for their evening together afterwards, wherever they were heading
off to. Once she got what she needed, she head back to him in the living room.
“I’m ready, let’s head on off.”

During the ride to the
Cipriano home, Jaslyn was going to find out one way or another about what Renzo
had planned. She had to admit his tenacity for not spilling the beans only made
the situation of finding out funnier. When they pulled up to the Cipriano home,
Renzo was still as tight lipped as ever.

“Why hello, you two,
how was your day?” asked Filomena, who was sitting on the couch reading a book
when they came into the living room.

“Oh I’m fine, Mrs.
Cipriano, it’s just that your son isn’t letting me know where we are going this
evening.”

Filomena laughed. “And
I can tell you, my
dear, that
you probably won’t. Out
of all my sons, Renzo is the only one who can keep a secret from anyone. So if
you think you can draw it out of him, you might as well forget it.”

Jaslyn grumbled, but
Renzo just smiled. “Well, come on so we can get ready.” She pulled him toward
the hallway.

“Are we pouting?” Renzo
joked when they got to his room. She went into the bathroom to start the shower
as he went into his closet to get the clothes he had Gianni bring over earlier.
He was thankful to have a brother who was a model. He sure had an eye for
clothing. “I’m going into the guest room so you can get dressed in private.”

“That’s good. I want
you to be surprised when you see my outfit.” Walking over to him, Jaslyn kissed
him softly on the lips. Feeling his arm pulling her close to his chest she felt
her breath leave her body. Quickly she stopped because she knew by the way he
held
her,
they probably wouldn’t leave the room again.
“You go and get dressed, and I’ll see you in a bit.”

Giving her a wink, he
left closing the door behind him. Jaslyn made her way toward the bathroom to
get ready.

After taking her
shower, which she had to admit, was the best one she had taken after such a
long hard day, she began to get herself ready. Once her dress was on, she
looked at herself in the mirror. Never in her life had she thought she would
have been this happy. Jaslyn never considered
herself
lucky especially when it came to the affairs of love. But now here she was
getting ready to go out with probably one of the most eligible men in town who
wanted to be with her. He could have had anybody before she came into town but
no, he wanted to be with her and only her.

Fixing her hair, she
decided to pin it up, but have some of her curls fall softly down along her
face. After she did this, she started to do her makeup which of course wasn’t
much. She put on some eyeliner and a bit of lipstick. She never really needed
much of anything else as far as makeup. ‘Keep it sweet and simple’ that’s what
her grandmother use to tell her whenever she would watch her put on her makeup
when she was a kid.

Grabbing a bottle of
cocoa butter, she went to the bed, sat down and began to put some lotion on her
arms, legs, and feet. Once her shoes were on, she went back to the mirror to
check her makeup and put on the pearl earrings she decided to wear. Once she
saw that everything looked fine, she spritzed on some perfume, got her
overnight bag and shawl then made her way out of the room and turned off the
light.

* * * *

Renzo had been waiting
for almost an hour. It really didn’t take him long to get showered and dressed.
He had been so excited about this evening and making sure that everything was
perfect that he almost forgot to put on his socks. In his hand was a lovely
pink orchid corsage. This was their first official date, and he wanted
everything to be just right.

Sitting on the loveseat
of the couch his mother said, “Sweetheart, don’t be so restless. You’ve been
running your fingers along that plastic container for the flowers for a long
time now.”

“I know and I’m sorry
to be so disruptive while you’re reading. Just been waiting and thinking is
all.”

“I understand, my dear,
but can you do it more quietly? I’m in the middle of a good part of this
story.” Filomena adjusted her reading glasses a bit and he chuckled to himself.
That was when he heard the clicking sound of heels walking toward them from the
hallway. As he stood up, he saw her wearing a beautiful purple dress that made
her look regal. Her hair was beautifully pulled up to show that long lovely
neck of hers. A smile that could light up the stormiest of nights increased
when she saw him standing there.