Romancing Sal Gabrini 2: A Woman's Touch (11 page)

Sal
realized what he had said.
 
“That’s not
what I meant.
 
I meant, you should have
told me about it.
 
But bump it now.
 
Here’s what we’re going to do.
 
Since this is your bread and butter, we’ll
start here.
 
How much do you owe on this
place?”

“How
much do I owe?
 
Sal, I don’t own this
building, are you kidding?
 
I’m renting
it.”

“Not
anymore you aren’t.
 
You don’t rent your
livelihood, you hear me?
 
The owner
decides he wants you out, then what?
 
You
have to relocate your business?
 
Your
business
?
 
I don’t think so.”

“But
. . .”
 
This was becoming an overwhelming
proposition for Gemma. “But what if the owner doesn’t want to sell?”

“He’ll
sell.”

“But
what if he doesn’t want to, Sal?”

“Let
me worry about that.
 
What are you
worrying about that for?
 
He’ll sell.”

Gemma
could only imagine how Sal would make him sell.
 
But that was just the start of her reservations.
 
She had tons.
 
“But it’s not just this office,” she finally said.
 
“There’s three other businesses attached to
this building.
 
He owns all four
businesses.”

“And
after he sells, you’ll own all four.
 
Yours and the three others.
 
It’ll
be income coming in for you.
 
Bad economy
income.”

Gemma
was floored.
 
How did she accept such a
gift?
 
But how could she turn it
down?
  
She was struggling, no doubt
about that.
 
But for Sal to suddenly want
her to buy and be responsible, not just for her own business, but for three
others?
 
When in the world would she have
time for all of that?
 
And the debt she
would owe, maybe not to any creditors, but to Sal.

“I
can’t allow it,” she said, shaking her head.

“You
can allow it.”

“No I
can’t. I can’t be beholden to a man like that.”

“What
man?
 
I’m
 
not just some man.”

“That’s
not what I said.”

“And
you won’t need to be beholden to me.
 
I’m
not loaning you anything.
 
I’m giving
it.
 
You won’t owe me nothing.
 
Not a dime, not a thank-you.
 
Damn, Gem.
 
This is the least I can do for you.”

Gemma
stared at him.
 
The idea that he could
make her debt free?
 
But she couldn’t do
it.
 
What if their relationship soured?
 
What if he left her?
 
“I’ll agree,” she said, “but only on one
condition.”

Sal
looked at her suspiciously.
 
“No
conditions, Gemma.”

“One
condition, Sal, or I can’t, in good conscience, accept it.”

“Okay
shoot.
 
What is this one condition you
insist on having?”

“You
have to allow me to pay you back for every dime you give to me.
 
I wouldn’t argue if you made the loan
interest free, which would be great, but it has to be a loan, Sal.
 
I can’t accept it any other way.”

Sal
studied her, and he didn’t respond.

“Is
it a deal, Sal?”

“No.
  
I’m not loaning money to my woman.
 
No.”

Gemma
nodded.
 
“Okay.
 
Then we should keep things just as they
are.
 
We promised that we would take this
relationship slowly.”

“I am
taking it slow.”

“Offering
to pay off all of my debt isn’t taking anything slow.”

Sal
smiled.
 
“That’s not slow, hun?”

“More
like lightning fast, Sal.
 
Maybe one day,
but not yet.
 
We aren’t there yet.”

“Okay,
I’ll loan it to you.”

“Nope,
the offer is off the table now.
 
Let’s
just keep it status quo for now, all right?
 
When we get to the place where I can accept that level of generosity
from you without reservation, we’ll both know it.
 
But I don’t want the stress of you and me in
business together.
 
You don’t want me up
in your business, and I would rather you not be up in mine.
 
Not yet.”

To
Gemma’s surprise, Sal seemed to agree with her.
 
“Okay,” he said.
 
“The offer will
stay on the table, but I get what you’re saying.
 
I respect it.”

Gemma
nodded.
 
“Thanks.”
 
Then she smiled.
 
“Speaking of respect, guess what?”

“You’ve
changed your mind already?”

“No,
silly!
 
My mom phoned me back.
 
She wants us to come up for the weekend.
 
They’re going to have a family gathering in
our honor, or something like that.
 
You
think we can make it?”

Sal
swallowed hard.
 
Maybe that was one
reason why he wanted to pay off all of her debts so badly.
 
To give himself some insurance in case her
parents hated him and wanted her to dump him.
 
But he knew he had to get this over with.
 
“Yeah,” he said.
 
“This weekend is fine.”

Gemma
smiled.
 
“Thanks, Sal.
 
To know them is to love them.”

Sal
had no doubt about that.
 
They had to be
good people to raise a great woman like Gem.
 
To know them was to love them he was
certain.
 
Just as he was certain that
knowing him usually had the opposite effect.

SEVEN

The
live band was wired, playing all old-school jazz, from John Coltrane to Thelonius
Monk, and Reno and Trina were leaned back relaxing and grooving to the
beat.
 
They were in the VIP section of
the brand new jazz club, seated side by side on an L-shaped leather couch.
 
The club, called Feet, opened three days ago
inside Reno’s PaLargio Hotel and Casino, but this was their first chance to
check it out.

“This
is lovely, Ree,” Trina said, sipping more wine.
 
They had their own bottle of wine with glasses on the cocktail table in
front of them, and Reno’s legs were crossed while Trina leaned against
him.
 
“And the turnout is excellent.
 
But I still don’t understand why they call it
Feet.”

“Look
around at the people,” Reno said. His arm was around Trina as they listened to
the band, and he knew he looked something exhausted.
 
He, in fact, had on shades to conceal his
tired, bloodshot eyes, his hair was all over his head, his suit crumpled, but
at least he had shaved.
 
But only after
Trina had insisted.

“I’m
looking around,” she said.
 
There were
many couples on the dance floor and just as many seated at the tables.
 
“I still don’t get the name.”

“Look
at their feet.”
 
Trina looked.
 
“Every feet in this joint is either dancing
or tapping, right?”

Trina
smiled.
 
“Right,” she said.

“That’s
why they named it Feet,” Reno said.
 
“You
have to move in a joint like this.
 
Now
does it make sense?”

Trina
nodded.
 
“It makes sense.”

He
looked at her.
 
He removed a strand of
hair off of her forehead.
 
“I’m glad you
suggested this,” he said.
 
“You look
really relaxed.”

“We
both could use the break.
 
And I know
Gemma could.”

“How’s
it going with her?
 
She won a court case
yet?”

Trina
smiled.
 
“Boy quit.
 
You know she’s won cases in the past.”

“But
none lately.
 
She’s batting what?
 
Zero for a hundred or something?”

Trina
exhaled.
 
“She hasn’t had any winners,
that’s the problem.
 
Nowadays she has to
take what she can get.”
 
Then she looked
at Reno.
 
“There’s nothing you need her
to do for the PaLargio?” Trina remembered how she met Gemma.
 
Reno had hired her to do some legal work for
him and she was sitting in his office.

But
Reno was shaking his head now.
 
“Nothing.
 
I have too many lawyers
on my payroll as it is.
 
Way too many.
 
Besides, I hear she’s doing criminal work
now.”

“Only
because she’s taking cases as a court-appointed attorney.
 
Her paycheck is guaranteed.
 
But it’s not exactly major money.”

“Well,
hopefully Champagne’s will start turning a profit for you gals,” Reno
said.
 
“Now that it’s at least no longer
bleeding money.”

“Yes,”
Trina said with a smile.
 
“We’re not in
the black yet, but at least we’re out of the red.”

“Amen.”
 
Reno lifted his glass in toast to that
wonderful piece of reality.

Then
Reno looked toward the entrance of the beautiful club.
 
“Here comes Sal now,” he said as Sal was
being escorted toward their section.
 
Trina
looked too.
 

“Now
why can’t your suits look like that?” They watched the very well-groomed Sal
head their way.
 
“They’re just as
expensive as his.”

“My
suit may be wrinkled,” Reno said with a smile, “but I still look good in it.”

Trina
couldn’t dispute that, so she didn’t say a word.

When
Sal arrived, he leaned down and kissed Trina, and then sat on the L-shaped
couch also, sandwiching her in.
 
He
unbuttoned his suit coat as he sat down.

“Don’t
you look handsome,” Trina said with a smile.

“Thanks,
Tree.
 
You don’t look bad yourself.”

Trina
laughed.
 
Reno, however, failed to see
the humor.

“She
don’t look bad?
 
Really Sal?
 
What kind of compliment is that?”

“Don’t
start, Reno.
 
I’ve had a long day.”

“Not
so long that you can’t take a second and compliment my wife the right way.
 
Or me for that matter.”

Sal
looked at Trina.
 
“Pardon my poor
manners, Tree.
 
You look beautiful, as
you always do.”

Trina
smiled and turned on her fake southern belle accent.
 
“Ah, thank-you so much, Mr. Sal.”

Then
Sal looked at Reno.
 
“And you,” Sal said,
shaking his head as he looked at Reno’s general state of appearance, “look
pitiful like you always do.”
 
Trina
laughed.
 
“I’m sorry, Reno, but you do,”
Sal added.
 
“And what are you blind?
 
A member of the Blues Brothers?
 
What’s with the sunglasses in a place like
this?”

But
Reno wasn’t thinking about Sal.
 
“You do
you,” he said, “and I’ll do me.”

Trina
laughed.
 
The day Reno and Sal got along
would be the day one of them died.

“I’m
glad you and Gem agreed to come out with us tonight,” Trina said.

“Where
is she anyway?” Reno asked, looking past Sal for her.
 
“Don’t tell me you left her outside and just
came on in, Sal.”

Sal
wanted to sock Reno right where he sat.
 
“Yeah, I left her outside, Reno, that’s it.
 
I left her outside changing the tire on the
car, and then she’s to give it a good wash and wax.
 
How dare you suggest something like
that!
 
What I’m gonna leave her outside
for?”

“You’ve
been known to treat women worse.”

“Not
Gemma!”

“Then
where is she, smart mouth?”

“How
should I know where she is?
 
She’s
working.
 
She said she’ll meet us here.”

“Okay,
now guys,” Trina said, deciding to step in.
 
“Time out.”
 
She held her hands in
a time-out symbol the way the referees did.
 
“We’ve got to have some ground rules here or this can get ugly.
 
And the first ground rule I propose is for
you guys to knock it off.
 
You two have
got to stop sniping at each other.
 
It may
be funny to us, but Gemma’s not used to it.
 
We don’t want to scare her away.”

Sal
snorted.
 
“Fat chance that’ll happen,” he
said.
 
“Especially since I think I
already have.”

Reno
and Trina both looked at him.
 
“Oh,
Sal
,” Trina said disappointedly.

“Not
already
,” said Reno, with equal
disappointment.

“What
did you do?” Trina asked.

“I thought
I was helping her,” Sal said, his palms-up hands spread out in front of him to
make his point, his New Jersey accent overtaking his speech.
 
“I thought I was doing what any red-blooded
American man would do if they had a woman like Gemma.”

Trina
gave him that Gary Coleman, sidelong look.
 
“What you talking ‘bout, Willis?
 
What did you do?”

“I
didn’t do nothing.
 
At least I didn’t
think I was doing something negative at the time I proposed it.”

A
sidelong look from Reno this time.
 
“What
you talking ‘bout, Willis?” he asked, mimicking Trina.
 
“What did you propose?”

“Nothing!”
Sal said this in his usual animation.
 
“I
just told her I was going to take care of her debts, that’s all I said.”

Trina
frowned.
 
“What do you mean take care of
her debts?”

“Whatta
you think I mean?
 
Pay’em.
 
I was going to pay her bills for her.”

Trina
was still confused.
 
“You mean for this
month, to help her out?”

“He
means for all eternity,” Reno said, knowing Sal too well.
 
“He means he wants to pay every single bill
she has ever acquired.”

When
Trina’s brain registered what that meant, her countenance dropped.
 
“Oh, Sal, it’s too soon,” she said with alarm
in her voice.
 
“You can’t step to a woman
like Gemma that way this soon!”

Sal
nodded.
 
“Yeah, that’s what she said too.
 
In so many words.”

“It’s
only been a few months, Sal,” Trina continued.
 
“For some women that may be enough time to have a man doing all of that
for them, but not for a super-independent woman like Gem.
 
You guys are still in that courtship phase as
far as she’s concerned.
 
She can’t accept
that kind of gift from some man she’s only been dating for a few months.
 
She won’t accept it.
 
Especially with your baggage.”

Sal
looked at Trina. “What’s that supposed to mean?
 
What baggage?”

“Oh,
come on, Sal.
 
Your baggage.”

“What
baggage?
 
Spit it out, Tree.”

“Um,
let me think,” Trina said mockingly.
 
“What baggage could Salvatore Luciano Gabrini possibly have?
 
Oh, that’s right.
 
Your mob baggage, for instance.”

Sal
frowned.
 
“What mob baggage?”

“Ah,
come on, Sal!”
 
Trina had never known him
to be so dishonest with himself.
 
“You
know good and well that many, and I mean many people think you’re a mob boss
from way back who’s always taking all of those sudden and unavoidable trips to
the east coast because you’re a boss.
 
They view you suspiciously, there’s no secret about that.”

 
“And what about your husband?
 
They view him more suspiciously than me, but
I don’t see you getting on Reno’s case about his trips around the country.”

“Yeah,
they figure I’m Mafia too,” Reno admitted.
 
“But I’m not the one in denial here.
 
You are.
 
So cut it out.
 
You have baggage.
 
I have baggage.
 
All Gabrinis have baggage.
 
It’s a fact.
 
Stop acting like it’s all news to you.”

“Ah,
fuck you, Reno!”

“Fuck
you, Sal!”

“Ground
rules, people!” Trina said, tapping the wine bottle with a spoon.
 
“Remember the ground rules!”

Sal
exhaled and leaned back.

Reno
could see the distress on his face.
 
He
immediately regretted getting into it with him. “Okay, give,” he said.
 
“What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing’s
bothering me.”

“Come
on, Sal.
 
I know your ass.
 
What is it?”

Sal
looked at his cousin.
 
Other than Tommy,
Reno was the most dependable man he knew.
 
They didn’t get along on any given day, but Sal respected him
completely.
 
Not just because of his
strength and loyalty, but because Sal knew Reno would always tell it to him
straight.
 
“I’m worried,” Sal said.

Trina
started to speak, but Reno placed his hand on top of her hand, stifling
her.
 
“About Gemma?” Reno asked.

“My relationship
with her, yeah.”

“What’s
worrying you about that?
 
She adores
you.
 
Why, I don’t know, but she does.”

Sal
hesitated.
 
“We go see her parents this
weekend.”

Now
Reno and Trina both understood.
 
“Ah,”
Reno said.
 
“You go to meet the parents.”