Taming Theresa (3 page)

Behind the kitchen were a screened in back
porch on one corner and her office room on the other. She loved the
sunny little office where she worked and did her romance novel
writing, taking her laptop outside occasionally in good weather.
From her office she had a view of the barn and the big three bay
garage, with a backdrop of woods and rolling hills.

When she'd inherited Nanna's childhood home
it was like coming home to a place she'd lived in a former life.
Finding Jack here was another unexpected surprise and she grinned,
remembering how they'd fought with each other initially over
ownership of the farm. How silly it had all been. I would never
have believed Jack and I would ever get together and now we’re
getting married six months later. Poor Terry. How awful for her to
find out about Tony like that. I never liked that guy, but she must
have cared for him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of
Jack's pickup truck on the gravel drive. By the time he got to the
back door, she was there in his arms. They kissed and Jack pulled
away, grinning. A younger version of Jack was behind him, smiling
shyly at her.

"Victoria, meet your new brother-in-law,
Bobby.

She saw that he had Jack's dark eyes and
hair, but was a slighter, thinner version of his handsome older
brother. Hugging him she said, “It’s so good to finally meet
you.”

"Nice to meet you, Vicky.” He smiled back
shyly. “Jack, I'll grab my stuff and take it up to your apartment
over the garage. Okay? Be right back." The door slammed behind
him.

Jack wrapped his arms around her and gave her
a squeeze.

She sighed. "I’m glad you’re back. I missed
you”

Jack smiled into her soft hair as he held her
close. “How much did you miss me?” he whispered.

Laughing, she said, “By the way, Theresa went
upstairs just now, so don’t get any ideas. She’s a little weepy
because she dumped that loud mouth, Tony, she was engaged to. Don’t
mention him.”

“Yeah, sure. What happened?” asked Jack.

She winced. “He’s been sleeping with a friend
of hers. She actually caught them doing it. Caught them in the act.
Naked. Can you imagine?”

“Ouch! Not good. Bad juju. Guess she was a
little freaked out?”

“Well, yeah. Very freaked, actually. You’ll
love Terry. She's very sweet. I just had her out on the porch,
telling me the whole story and crying her eyes out. I can’t believe
any man would cheat on her. She’s so beautiful. Then yesterday,
some jerk at the tavern thought she was a stripper and announced it
publically. I don’t think she took it very well. She mentioned
having a meltdown. My cousin does have a bit of a hot temper if you
cross her. It's an Italian thing.”

“I told John to stop by later and meet Terry.
Is that going to be a problem?” he asked.

Jack watched Vicky walk into the kitchen
where he was relaxing with coffee and the morning paper.
Distracted, she frowned and wandered back into the dining room
mumbling to herself. Curious, he got up and followed her.

The fully extended dining room table was set
with sparkling china and crystal on a cream-colored damask cloth.
Flowers from her gardens and candles graced the table amid rows of
wine and water goblets. Curtains fluttered gently at the open
windows and the hardwood floors gleamed. Vicky was straightening
the silverware.

“Wow! You girls really go all out for your
bachelorette parties.”

“What?” She looked over at her future husband
and smiled. “Oh, this? My Aunt Rose and Uncle Dominick are
coming.”

Jack gestured toward the elaborate table.
“You did all this just for lunch?”

Vicky came over and gave him a hug. Smiling
into his eyes, she explained. “It’s that Italian family thing
again. You know, like making three times the amount of food you
need, just in case.”

"It seems there are a lot of those Italian
things. So, all this is for what?"

"Well, company is coming. Aunt Rose and Uncle
Dom have never seen the house. It should look nice. You'll see what
I mean."

“Okay, I get it, but can’t you take a break?
You look tired and besides, I want to kiss you.”

“That’s an offer I can’t refuse.” She grinned
at him and let him gather her into an embrace, kissing her
deeply.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” he
murmured, kissing his way down her neck and gathering her into his
arms. “Let’s go upstairs.”

She sighed with pleasure. “Good idea.”

They were interrupted by pounding on the back
door, and Jack’s head lifted. “Shit! I asked John to come over and
meet your cousin before your family got here. Remember? He’s early.
Maybe if we don’t answer the door, he’ll leave and come back
later.”

The backdoor banged open as John called out,
“Hey! Anybody home?”

“Go away!” yelled Jack. “We're busy.”

Vicky laughed and gave him a shove. “We
better go.”

“Don’t forget where we left off.” His eyes
held hers as he reluctantly let her slip out of his arms.

“How could I?”

Jack kept his arm around her as they went
into the kitchen to find John with his head in the refrigerator.
“You're a little early. Why don't you come back later?”

John snorted as he rooted around the shelves.
“What’s a guy got to do to get a beer around here?” Emerging with a
cold longneck, he twisted the cap off with his shirttail then took
a long drink, his Adam’s apple pumping. He followed up with a loud
belch and grinned. “Haven’t you two cooled off yet?”

"Oh my god! John, what happened to your
face?" exclaimed Vicky.

He grinned sheepishly at his two friends as
they stared at the red welt and black eye on the left side of his
face.

“Whaaat?” He raised his eyebrows and gave
them a blank look.

They all turned at the sound of rapid
footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

Theresa was looking forward to meeting her
cousin's fiancé. Hurrying down the stairs, she rounded into the
hallway and headed for the sound of voices. Smiling, she said,
“Hello, I’m so glad to finally meet you...,” then teetering on her
high heels, she clutched the doorframe when she recognized the
idiot from the tavern.

Van Wart leaned forward and extended a hand.
"Hello. I..." Their eyes locked as understanding dawned. Warily, he
took a step back and continued, “I’m John.”

Vicky began her introductions. “Terry, this
is Jack; I’ve told you all about him, and this is John Van Wart.
He’s the guy you’ll be paired with for the ceremony.”

Ignoring John, Theresa recovered quickly,
stepping bravely into the room. “Vicky, Jack’s gorgeous! You didn’t
tell me he was so gorgeous!” She threw her arms around Jack, and
hugged him. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. Mom and Dad are
thrilled that you and Vicky are getting married. They’ll be here
soon and I'm sure they’ll tell you themselves.”

She stepped back and looked past him to John.
“Hello,” she said slowly nodding. Tentatively, she held out her
hand to him, her face frozen in an awkward smile.

He cautiously reached for the proffered hand
and grasped it. “Hello."

She snatched her hand back quickly.

The screen door's hinges squealed in protest,
before banging shut, as a young man came bounding through the porch
and into the kitchen. "Hi, everybody!"

Jack put his arm around the newcomer's
shoulders. "Everyone, this is Bobby. He’s making a sacrifice
leaving his college to party with his older brother. Bobby, this is
Vicky's cousin, Terry and you remember my friend, John?"

“Bobby’s eyes widened as they rested on
Theresa a little longer than necessary. She was wearing a red
sweater that poured over her full breasts, not quite meeting the
top of tight jeans. "Hey." Bobby gave her a hug.

“Nice to meet you, Bobby,” she said.

Staring at the beautiful girl as he shook
hands with John, Vicky saw him mouth the word ‘Wow’ and incline his
head towards Terry.

John grinned and then Bobby noticed his
bruises. “Hey, what happened to your face?”

John was spared having to explain by the
sound of vehicles pulling onto the gravel drive.

Looking out the kitchen window, Vicky
exclaimed, "Great. Marsha’s here and Joe's right behind her. I'll
bet they'll be glad to see each other. You know, they've been so
busy since that weekend last summer when they met, I don't think
they've been able to get together as much as they'd like."

In order to get as far away from John as she
could, Theresa followed her cousin to the front hall. How am I
going to explain that I’m responsible for his bruised face?

As the front doorbell rang, Vicky pulled the
big door open and gave Marsha a hug. “I'm so glad you came early!
Come on in and meet everyone. This is my cousin, Terry. She’s going
to join us tonight. Jack’s brother, Bobby, is here for the bachelor
party. I saw Joe pull in right behind you. Are you guys together?”
Marsha looked pale and exhausted. “Hey, are you feeling okay?

“Vick, Honey, I’ll be right down.” Marsha
raced up the stairs and the bathroom door slammed behind her.”

Vicky shrugged. “Must be the long drive.” She
returned to the kitchen where Joe had just come in the back
door.

“Hey everyone.” Smiling he looked around and
then asked, "Where's Marsha? I saw her drive in ahead of me."

“I told her you were here,” said Vicky.

“Where’d she go?”

“Upstairs, bathroom I guess.” Vicky smiled.
“She’ll be glad to see you.”

“I’ll be right back,” said Joe, heading for
the front hall and the stairs.

The doorbell rang again accompanied by a
gentle knocking. "That must be Aunt Rose and Uncle Dom," said
Vicky. Heading for the front hall, she called over her shoulder,
“Jack, I’ve got cold cut platters and salad for lunch in the
fridge. Could you put them on the table? John, would you turn on
the coffee pot and slice some bread. There are some napkin-lined
baskets on the counter for the bread. And the wine is on the porch.
Uncle Dom is particular about his wine, especially when the family
is all together.”

Laughing, they all yelled, “Go! Answer the
door. We’ll take care of lunch!

Vicky opened the door to Aunt Rose, Uncle
Dominick and her cousins Paul and Frank.

Uncle Dom was an imposing figure. His eyes
were dark like his daughter's, set well apart in a broad handsome
face. His hair, once dark, showed silver at the temples. A firm
mouth, square jaw, and a large Roman nose, gave him an appearance
of majestic confidence. Anyone who didn't know Dominick Buonadies
might assume those chiseled features belonged to a cold hard
individual. The opposite was true. He was a warm loving husband and
father, a shrewd businessman and with everyone, generous and honest
to a fault. Today he wore an expensive looking sports jacket,
slacks, and an open shirt. For him, this was casual dress.

Theresa joined Vicky to greet her family,
though she'd seen them only a few days before. Her father held her
and looked into her eyes, searching. “Are you all right?” he asked
softly. “You haven’t changed your mind? I don’t know what happened
between you and Tony, but you’re my baby girl. I love you and I
want you to be happy.”

She gave him a watery smile. “I’m good,
Daddy.”

Rose hugged her and said, “Of course she’s
all right. My daughter knows her own mind. Where’s the kitchen?
Paulie, Frankie, you boys get the ziti and the meatballs. I want to
put the ziti in the oven right away and heat up my gravy.”

Rose Buonadies was a small woman with big
hair that topped out at about five foot four, but her bottom two
inches were high heels. She had a broad pleasant face with
attractive features; her eyes were large, dark, and bright with
enthusiasm.

“Oh my god, Victoria.” she said, hugging her
again. “You've grown up to be such a beautiful young lady. I only
wish your mother and father could be here to see this day, God rest
their souls. Now Victoria, where is this big handsome man of
yours?"

Jack cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Uh, that would be me, Aunt Rose. I'm Jack. Very nice to meet
you.”

"Oh my god!” She crushed Jack to her, and
then stood back. “Look at you.” She turned to Vicky. “He’s
beautiful. Look at the muscles on that man. Victoria, he's
gorgeous!" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You really stepped in
it this time!"

Jack put his arm around Vicky and grinned at
her. “Did you hear that? I’m beautiful.”

Theresa sighed. "Here we go," she said to her
cousin, giving Vicky a knowing look, and to her mother, "Ma, don't
embarrass the man. Let him get used to all his new relatives,
okay?"

Hands on hips, she smiled at Vicky. "Never
mind that. I'm not embarrassing anybody. Oh my god. Victoria dear,
let me look at you. I'm so happy for you. You're going to be such a
beautiful bride. I can't wait to see you get married. Your poor
mother would have loved to see this day.” Dabbing at a few happy
tears, she hugged her niece and then Jack again.

Rose sailed past them into the kitchen,
preceded by an enormous white cardboard bakery box tied with string
that she'd retrieved from the porch. Several bangle bracelets
jingled in accompaniment to the rapid rat-tat of her heels. “I
didn't want you to go to any trouble on our account, so I brought a
little something. Just a pan of baked ziti and some sausage and
meatballs, couple of salads and, Victoria, Honey, I remembered how
you used to love the Italian pastries from Frangellio's bakery. You
remember. The cannoli and the schviadel? I picked them up just this
morning, nice and fresh."

“That’s so nice, Aunt Rosie. I did make my
tiramisu that you like so much.”

“Aww! You shouldn’t go to any trouble for us.
You’re a bride. You come. Sit down in the kitchen and I’ll make us
all a nice lunch.”