Page 8 of Sinful Bargains

A soft knock at the front door startled me. I glanced at the clock on the wall—barely 7:30 a.m. Setting the mug down, I crept over to the door and peeked through the peephole.

“Mr. Davidson?” I asked, opening the door, relieved to see his soft smile and weathered shirt.

His silver hair was neatly combed, and a paper bag was in his hand. His kindness shown in the soft lines of his face. “Good morning, Adriana. Thought I’d stop by and bring a little something. Figured you might need it.”

He handed me the bag. Inside were fresh eggs, a loaf of bread, and a small tin of butter.

“Thank you,” I said. “You’ve already done so much for us. This is too much. You know you don’t have to do this.”

“Nonsense,” he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s nothing. Besides, I remember how hard starting out can be. Only I didn’t start out with a hungry teenage boy.”

I stepped aside, letting him in. He surveyed the small space I had turned into a home, nodding approvingly. “Place is small, but you’ve put a nice touch to it,” he said. “How’s Antonio settling in?”

“He’s doing okay,” I replied, glancing at the closed bedroom door. “Better than I expected, to be honest.”

“You’ve got a good boy there. He reminds me of my own son at that age,” Mr. Davidson said with a fond smile. “Listen, if you need help with anything?—”

“I know,” I interrupted softly. “You’ve been so kind already. I can’t thank you enough.”

He smiled warmly and patted my shoulder before glancing at his watch. “I should get going. I’m meeting my son for coffee down at the diner. But remember, I’m just down the road if you need anything.”

The paper bag in my hands felt heavier than it was, a physical manifestation of the hope I hadn’t dared feel in so long. I set the groceries on the counter, then quietly checked on Antonio. He was still fast asleep, his dark curls spread across the pillow, his chest rising and falling steadily. I often wondered if he ever thought about that night. But I wasn’t brave enough to ask him. I could only hope he was able to erase it from his memory. The rental wasn’t much, and our situation was far from ideal, but it was ours. It was a place to start rebuilding.

As I prepared scrambled eggs with buttered toast, Antonio stumbled out of his bedroom, still half-asleep, his dark curls messy and tousled. I smiled and gently pushed a curl off his forehead as he peeked over my shoulder at the eggs sizzling in the pan. “Finally decided to wake up?” I laughed.

He yawned, rubbing his dark brown eyes. “I could smell it from my room.”

I plated our food as he poured himself some coffee, and we sat down at the table together, enjoying our breakfast in peace.

Antonio was in the 8th grade, and despite being the new kid where everyone had already formed their own groups, he made two friends—Enzo and Michael. For the first time in my life, I managed to befriend their mothers, Angela and Lucy.

Angela was a widowed single mother of two—Val and Enzo. She had a fiery, free-spirited personality. The complete opposite of me, which only made me admire her more. She had a knack for wearing bold, colorful prints that turned heads wherever she went, though she never cared who was watching. She loved handing out crude remarks in her raspy New York accent, forcing a smile to appear on my face. Something that once felt almost sinful and forbidden was beginning to feel normal and organic. And despite how much perfume she drowned herself in, you could always smell the faint hint of cigarette smoke on her.

Lucy, on the other hand, was married with one child—Michael. She often joked that she couldn’t handle having another because she didn’t want to “ruin her figure” with a second pregnancy. Glamorous and attractive, Lucy had a way of commanding attention, and people naturally made her the center of any room she entered. She always dressed in formal attire and could make the best dirty martinis in all of Staten Island.

Lucy and Angela grew up together and lived on the same street on the other side of town, which was considered the “nicer” side of town—the side you would want to reside in. But they welcomed Antonio and me with open arms, which I was grateful for.

“Any big plans today?” I asked Antonio as we ate breakfast,the smell of coffee lingering between us. I sipped my mug and glanced at him over the rim.

He shrugged. “I was thinking about hanging out with Enzo and Michael later.” He then hesitated, his gaze flicking to mine. “Will you be okay here by yourself?”

I smiled, setting my mug down. “Of course I will. I’ll drop you off and then run my errands. We’re low on groceries.”

He smirked. “I noticed. Yesterday, I caught you rationing milk in your tea.”

“Desperate times,” I said, grinning. “Anything specific you want me to grab from the store?”

“Yeah, ice cream.”

“Your wish is my command.”

He laughed. “So, you’ll come pick me up after?”

“Of course.”

After dropping him off with Enzo and Michael, I decided to make the most of my free time. I headed to the grocery store for a few necessities and Antonio’s chocolate ice cream. Afterwards, I stopped by the dry cleaners to pick up a few items I’d meant to grab yesterday. I felt a satisfying sense of accomplishment—until my car sputtered to a halt in the middle of the road. The nearest payphone was miles away, and Antonio was even farther. I was mentally preparing to start walking when a car pulled behind me. Relief washed over me—until I saw who stepped out of the driver’s side.Joey.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. It was beginning to feel like Joey was either my knight in shining armor or someone keeping a much closer eye on me than I appreciated.

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