Page 114 of Second Chance

In the circle of Tony’s arm, Daniel shakes with repressed laughter.

“When have you ever tried anything I’ve cooked?” Colette asks with supreme dignity.

“Never,” Tony tells her. “Because you don’t.”

Under the table, Daniel pats Tony’s knee. “Come on now. Don’t make her too mad.”

Tony kisses his cheek. “Fine. For you.” He wonders if Daniel and Colette have worked out their fight yesterday, or if they’re ignoring it.

When most everyone, including Daniel, has gone to examine the dessert selections, Tony catches his pa watching him.

“What’s up?” Tony asks.

“Nothing.”

That’s definitely a “something” voice.

“Pa.”

Pa shrugs. “He didn’t need to get kidnapped for you to treat him like your boyfriend in front of us.”

“Joseph,” Ma hisses. “We agreed—”

Pa holds up his hands. “I know, I know.”

“What did you agree?” Tony looks between them. Ma looks like she’s been caught red-handed. By comparison, Pa looks a little disgruntled, the way he does when he’s been asked to come to dinner right after his favorite show started.

“We agreed we weren’t going to push you to talk about anything,” Pa says matter-of-factly. “We didn’t want to drive you away.”

Tony clears his throat, heat suffusing the back of his neck. “That’s, uh, why I didn’t talk about it. In case it droveyouaway.”

“Tony,” Ma chastises. “You don’t think we’d—”

“No, no,” Tony says hastily. “Just—your church friends. Our clients at the shop. Didn’t want to rock the boat.”

“Ifthatrocks the boat, they don’t deserve to be on it.” Ma tucks her napkin more firmly onto her lap as she says it, mouth drawn tight.

Wordlessly, Tony gets up and rounds the table to give her a hug.

If he squeezes a bit too tight and holds on a bit too long, well, no one says anything.

Gianna does take a picture, dessert in one hand and flash bright in Tony’s face.

“Come on,” she demands afterward. “Family photo. No, Daniel, you’re in it, too, come on.” She beckons him over, and he sets two bowls of rice pudding down at his and Tony’s places before he obeys.

Blake W takes the pictures, forcing them to make all sorts of dumb faces. They pass Lia around between them until there’s a picture of every one of them holding her, even Daniel, who still looks like he’s holding a ticking time bomb every time he ends up with her in his arms. Pa even sticks his tongue out for one.

“I’m putting that one on the shop Instagram,” Gianna says immediately, thumbs flying on her phone screen. “It’s a business strategy. People dig the whole family-run thing.”

Colette agrees despite having not entered an auto shop for the entire time she’s been living in the US. “It helps them identify with the product. There are some excellent anthropology papers about that.”

“Huh,” Pa says. Beyond putting a sign on the shop roof, he hasn’t ever demonstrated an interest in advertising.

Gianna, ever the academically minded d’Angelo, is far keener on anthropology. “You mind sending me those papers? We could definitely use some more marketing strategy if we want to beat out the new shop over on Ulster Avenue.”

“We’re not trying to beat anyone out,” Pa says, not for the first time. “Staying in business is enough for me.”

“With that attitude—” Gianna starts.

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