Page 35 of A Valentine's Day Gift
“That’s wonderful,” she said. She checked in with Vinny, a little surprised to hear he wasexcellentat cooking. He shrugged modestly. She hadn’t had the experience of his cooking yet. Vinny always took her out. Maybe he wanted a break from the daily chore.
“Of course,” Mrs. Costa said coolly. “He had to learn Italian cooking so his sons can have the cooking their mother would’ve provided.” She turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Vinny closed the distance between them, leaning down to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, “How’re you doing?”
“I’m fine.” She took a step away, not sure if her boys would appreciate any public displays of affection.
Vinny turned to her boys. “Hello, I’m Vinny.”
“Oh, yes,” Allie said. “Vinny, this is Gabe.”
Vinny shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Marino,” Gabe said in a subdued voice.
“This is Luke,” she said.
Luke shook Vinny’s hand. “Hi.”
“Nice firm grip there,” Vinny commented. He turned to Jared. “I remember you, Jared.”
Jared beamed. “I remember you too! You let me use your hammer.”
“What?” Allie exclaimed. “When did that happen?”
Vinny laughed. “You never asked your mom if it was okay, did you?”
Jared ran over to Angel and said something to him.
“I didn’t know that,” Allie said.
Vinny shrugged. “He came up to the art studio and said it was okay with you. I let him hammer in some sheetrock.” He turned to his boys. “Come on over. She doesn’t bite.”
His boys walked over—Vince meeting her eyes warily, Nico looking curious, and Angel already smiling. Vince was the spitting image of his dad, already big at twelve. His face looked like it was stamped with his dad’s exact features—dark eyes with thick lashes, high cheekbones, strong nose and jaw, full lips. Nico was also striking, his features quite refined, a softer version of his dad’s, his manner reserved. Angel was simply adorable with rumpled dark hair and a dimpled smile.
Vinny introduced them, tapping them on the head as he did. “Vince, Nico, Angel, this is Ms. Reynolds.”
“Nice to meet you,” Vince and Nico mumbled in unison. Their dad had probably coached them.
“Hi!” Angel said. “Can Jared and I go back to my house? He wants to see my skateboard.”
“No,” Vinny said. “It’s family time.”
“But we’ll be back before dinner,” Angel said. “I know the way and I’ll check the clock.”
“Go show Jared the model train set in the basement,” Vinny said.
“Okay,” Angel said, as easygoing as Jared. “Come on, Jared.”
They left.
The older boys eyed each other. Vinny herded them to the living room, where Gabe and Vince sat at opposite ends of the sofa. Nico and Luke sat on the floor, and Vinny took the recliner. She could sit on the floor or between Vince and Gabe. She took the middle seat on the sofa.
Vinny leaned forward, elbows on his knees, asking her boys how old they were, probably so his boys would know. He already knew a lot about them from her; they spoke of their kids often. Luke and Nico were the same age; Gabe was nearly two years older than Vince. Vinny moved onto sports talk, and Allie watched her boys carefully to see how they were taking things. Gabe was a little on edge but trying at least. Luke was giving one-word answers. Vince and Nico spoke easily and enthusiastically about their favorite teams. They were probably sweethearts just like their dad. It seemed like hours passed with Allie on the edge of her seat, not sure if she should intervene and tell Gabe to relax and Luke to stop with the monosyllables, when Loretta finally put an end to the awkwardness.
“Dinner!” Loretta caroled.
Vinny went to the basement door and called Jared and Angel to dinner. The rest of them gathered in a dining room set with nice china and cloth napkins. She wasn’t sure if this was a typical Sunday dinner or if Loretta had tried to make it a special occasion. Two trays of manicotti took center stage, along with a big bowl of salad.
