Forever in My Heart Read online

  Jamie hoped Nick wouldn’t fall for this line of bullshit.

  “You want to file charges? Okay, let’s go down to the station so I can get your statements. And while we’re there, you can answer questions about a few break-ins over on Cottman Ave. There were reports of three guys leaving the scene matching your descriptions.”

  “Hey, we don’t know nothing about no break-ins,” Jimmy said, a quiver in his voice.

  The detective moved quickly and the next thing Jamie knew, Nick had Jimmy’s arm twisted behind his back and his face pressed up against the side of the building.

  “You don’t say? Here’s my suggestion, boys. You get your fucking asses off my sister’s property. I don’t want to see or hear that you’ve been so much as on the block let alone in the store. Otherwise, I’ll have a black and white bring you to the station. Capisce?”

  Jimmy nodded, but Nick twisted harder.

  “Okay, okay. I hear you.”

  There were disgruntled mumbles from Tommy and Snake as well.

  Nick let go of Jimmy. “Scram.”

  The three guys scrambled around the corner as quickly as their wimp-ass legs would take them.

  Jamie whistled. “Nice, man. Admit it, you enjoyed that.”

  Nick fixed a cold gaze on him and Tristan. “I don’t like punks who think they’re above the law.” He turned to make sure no one was around before lowering his voice and grinning. “Yeah, I did enjoy messing with them.” He nodded toward the café. “Everything okay in there?”

  “It is now, but you missed the fireworks earlier,” Jamie said.

  Tristan gestured that he was going inside and left Jamie and Nick alone.

  “Jimmy and company?”

  Jamie exhaled. “No. Your sisters.”

  “What did Kate do now?”

  Interesting that Nick immediately presumed Kate had done something.

  “It started with my father showing up and ended with Vicky and Kate going at it in the kitchen.”

  Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me no one got scratched or slapped.”

  “Edward and I intervened before it got to that point.” And it’s possible it would have.

  “Where are they now?”

  “Edward took Kate to your parents’ place. Vicky’s inside. She’s pretty shaken up.” Jamie put a hand on Nick’s arm when the man moved toward the entrance to the café. “This thing between your sisters is bad. I offered to leave and take my father with me, but Vicky wouldn’t hear it. She’s drawn a line in the sand, and it’s me and her on one side, Kate on the other.”

  Nick shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. “It’s about time my baby sister got some balls.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Vicky and Kate have never been BFFs. They love each other, but there’s always been friction between them. As long as Vicky did what Kate said and didn’t challenge her, things were fine. Whenever Vick tried to assert herself, sparks flew, until she backed down.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen this time. And now your parents have started to rekindle their friendship with my parents, which could pose even more problems.”

  “I never understood why they became estranged. Stupid, in my opinion given how close they were. I love my sisters, but they’re similar-minded. They don’t react the same way, but they both care about family. Kate was hurt, very badly, by both your brothers, and it’s changed how she views the world. I’d hoped since she married Edward and has her own family she’d have gotten over the past. Apparently she hasn’t.”

  “She’s had a lot to overcome. I feel bad about that.”

  “It’s not your fault, nor your parents’, despite what Kate thinks.”

  Jamie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Nick was actually defending Jamie’s family.

  “Listen, I know I gave you shit when you first returned, but I see what you’ve done here. Vicky’s had difficulty finding her happy. She has now, and you’re part of that. So, thanks.”

  Nick patted him on the shoulder and walked into the café, leaving Jamie standing, speechless, on the sidewalk. Wow, if he hadn’t been there to hear Nick’s words with his own ears, he wouldn’t have believed it. Jamie still didn’t see how they were going to overcome the Kate problem, but for the first time, he saw a small sliver of hope.

  ****

  In the back corner of D&D, tables had been pushed together and now over twenty kids sat shoulder to shoulder, awkwardly trying to ice and decorate cupcakes. It looked like a small war-zone with icing, multi-colored sprinkles, and an assortment of candies spilled over the surface and on the floor.

  Vicky brought out another tray of cupcakes and more icing. She’d made four dozen and only had one more tray left of un-iced cupcakes and another hour to go. Where had all these kids come from? At this rate, she would have to turn away kids—not a way to endear her business to parents who would hopefully come back for birthday cakes or maybe even a party.

  She snagged Lucy as she walked by. “Hey, I’m going to throw together another batch of cupcakes before we run out. Can you help out here?”

  “Sure, let me put on another pot of the mocha macadamia nut coffee, and I’ll be right over.”

  Five minutes later, Vicky was in the kitchen pulling out the ingredients to make a double batch of red velvet cupcakes. Whatever was left she’d have for tomorrow. The simple process of measuring ingredients along with the hum of the mixer kept her mind busy and off thinking of her problems. She’d filled four trays worth of batter when Nick walked in.

  “Hey, squirt. You’ve got a full house out there.” He leaned down to give her a hug and kiss.

  “Tell me about it. There are so many kids here for the cupcake decorating I’m afraid of running out. So I’m making more.”

  “Lucas was out there, a pile of icing the size of the cupcake on his. He’s going to have a sugar buzz the rest of the day.”

  Great. Something else for Kate to blame her for.

  “I’m glad he’s having fun.” She picked up two trays. “Can you grab the other two?”

  Nick did and followed her to the oven. After setting the timer, she turned, knowing there was more to Nick’s visit than his interest in cupcakes.

  “Are you going to be able to bring Joey and Gina here tomorrow?”

  “I’m hoping to. It’s technically not my weekend, and if Franny’s feeling bitchy, she won’t allow it.”

  “She was never my favorite person, but she wasn’t this hateful when you were together. What’s up with that? It’s not like you cheated on her.”

  “She’s moving in with him, with Daddy Warbucks. They’re house hunting now.”

  “That little witch.”

  “Probably some big fancy house up on the Main Line, where the houses are more than I’ll make in a lifetime.”

  “Couldn’t she at least wait for the divorce to be final?”

  “She wants to move by the end of the summer before the kids start a new school year.”

  “Makes sense. I wonder how they’ll handle meeting new friends?”

  “I don’t know, and it’s not as if they’ll talk to me about it.” He shrugged, which was his way of saying he was done discussing it. “Anyhow, she just got my child support check, so hopefully she’ll be reasonable about letting me take them here tomorrow.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  He wandered over to the refrigerator and helped himself to a bottle of water and a cream puff. “Speaking of unreasonable females, tell me about our sister,” he said between mouthfuls of pastry.

  Tired and not feeling up to rehashing her face-off with Kate, Vicky wiped her hands and leaned against the work table. “You haven’t talked to her yet?”

  “Nope. After I got the pleasure of helping kick out Jimmy and his entourage, I came to see you.”

  Between the Kate drama and cupcake chaos, she’d forgotten about them. “Are those jerks gone?”

  “By the time I got here, Jamie and Tristan had
muscled them outside. I got to play bad cop to get them to leave. If you see them again, call me, and we’ll put out a restraining order against them.”

  “Thanks. One thing off my plate for today.”

  “You’re evading my question. What happened with Kate?”

  She exhaled and took a sip of his water. “Mr. DiSilva came in. Jamie didn’t know his dad was coming by. I got him something to eat and drink and was chatting with him while he ate. Dad went over to say hi, and they started talking.”

  “How was that?”

  “It was a little awkward at first, but it didn’t take long before they were laughing and talking about old times. Then Lucas came running up, and Mr. DiSilva was startled, called the boy Tony.”

  “Lucas does sort of resemble what Tony could have looked like at that age. Same hair and skin coloring.”

  “Exactly. He hadn’t heard about Kate adopting and seeing a boy the age of his dead grandson shocked him.”

  “Understandably.”

  “It wasn’t a big deal, until Kate came over. She held it together at first but started to crack when Mr. DiSilva mentioned how upset Mrs. DiSilva would be if she had seen Lucas. Then Kate said she didn’t want either of them around Lucas.

  “Please tell me she didn’t.”

  “No can do. I dragged her in here because I was afraid of what she’d say next.”

  Nick shook his head. “Kate’s habit of speaking before she thinks always gets her in trouble.”

  “Seeing Jamie’s dad really upset her. She was shaking and everything. Said she’s been having nightmares ever since Jamie returned.”

  “That can’t be good for her or the baby.”

  As if she didn’t feel enough guilt, now she had her unborn niece or nephew to consider.

  “She wants me to stop seeing Jamie.”

  “That’s harsh, even for Kate.”

  “I know, right? A month ago she was encouraging me to date, and now it’s like she needs to approve who I see. What gives her the right?”

  “Jamie said she left.”

  “Edward took her to Mom and Dads’ after Jamie offered to take his dad home and I said no. I tried to get her to stay and try and work this out, but she wasn’t hearing any of it.”

  “And then Jimmy comes by.”

  “Don’t forget about the cupcake madness.”

  He slung an arm around her shoulders. “You’ve had a pretty suck-ass day.”

  She gave a tired half-hearted laugh, but what she really felt like doing was crying. “That’s putting it mildly. What do I do about Kate?”

  “She’s emotional in general, then you add on the pregnancy, and she’s a walking DiSilva-hating time bomb. Edward will calm her down.”

  “What if he can’t? Even he seemed frustrated with her when he left.” She put her hand up to her mouth. “What if all this stress causes her to have a miscarriage? I wouldn’t be able to deal with that.”

  “Let’s not panic. How about I call Edward to see how she’s doing?”

  She nodded. While Nick was on the phone, Vicky gathered the dirty bowls and measuring cups and started washing them. Then she removed the cupcakes when the timer dinged and set them on wire racks to cool.

  “Edward says she’s resting. He managed to calm her down by threatening to call her doctor.”

  “He must hate me.”

  Nick placed his hands on her shoulders. “Quite the opposite. Our brother-in-law is outraged by Kate’s behavior. He said when he walked in here earlier it looked as though Kate was going to deck you.

  Vicky had thought the same thing.

  “Thankfully he and Jamie came in when they did.”

  “Edward agrees that there’s lingering PTSD from the incident with Sal last year plus the worry about the pregnancy. He wants to talk her into having therapy again.”

  Vicky snorted. “Like that worked so well when Mario died. How many counselors did she go through? Around five?”

  “I think it was closer to seven. The point is that Edward’s concerned for Kate’s emotional state as well as the health of the baby.”

  The idea that Vicky could be contributing to her sister’s stress level was upsetting. But there was more at stake than only Kate’s feelings. There were her parents and Jamie’s, too. Their relationships suffered as well. If they could work through their differences, then why couldn’t Kate?

  “What do we do now?”

  “I told Edward I’d stop by with dinner from the trattoria tonight. Hopefully a taste of Vinnie’s veal parm will brighten her mood and make it easier to reason with her.”

  One could only hope.

  Jamie walked into the kitchen. “Is the new batch of cupcakes ready? We’re almost out.”

  “What happened to your shirt?” Vicky walked over to him. “And your arm. You’re covered in icing.”

  “Looks like you got on the wrong side of a cupcake,” Nick added.

  “Before today, I’d never have thought that was possible. I was helping out and stretched one way and a kid the other and the next thing I’m covered in icing.” He picked at it with a finger and licked it. “Delicious.”

  Vicky laughed and found that once she started she couldn’t stop. It was either laugh or cry and right now seeing Jamie smeared in icing, she ended up doing both.

  “Nice job cheering her up,” Jamie said to Nick.

  “No, man. You did that all yourself.” Nick grabbed a rack of cupcakes and headed out into the chaos.

  “Are you better?” Jamie asked.

  She brushed the tears from her eyes. “For the moment. You’d better change.”

  “Not before I get a hug.”

  “No way. You’ll get icing all over me.”

  “I like the sound of that. We’ve tried chocolate syrup and whipped cream but not icing.”

  Vicky ran around the other side of the table. “Maybe later.”

  Jamie yanked off his shirt, caught her, and planted a long kiss on her lips. “I’m glad to see you smiling again.”

  It felt good to smile and how couldn’t she while plastered against his bare chest? “I’ll save some icing for later, okay?”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  And after the day she had, she was, too.

  ****

  Over the weeks after the grand reopening, the café was busier than ever. Vicky hired two college students to keep up with the crowd and allow her and Lucy more time to bake. They’d gotten a lot of birthday party requests, both cake decorating in the store and orders for cakes or cupcakes for parties.

  The increase in business thrilled Vicky, but the lack of sleep was killing her. Most nights she fell asleep on the couch next to Jamie while he watched a Phillies game and only awakened when he carried her to bed.

  Then there were the meetings for the carnival and planning for the cupcake competition. The finalists were announced Memorial Day weekend. Decadent DeLites was selected—not that this had surprised Vicky. In addition, her mom had signed up and had been chosen. The interesting part was she’d chosen to partner up with Jamie’s mom, now out from rehab. The thought of that combination made Vicky sweat despite the coolness from the air conditioner.

  Her mother was a fantastic baker and taught her a lot about making desserts. As a child, Vicky would stand on a chair while her mother instructed her on how to mix and knead the batter for biscotti. After several failed attempts, Vicky finally perfected the beloved sweet. Over the years, Vicky had taken a few classes, but would it be enough to compete with over thirty years’ experience?

  Along with her mom, Barbara DiSilva had been a pretty damn good baker from what Vicky could remember, with a strong eye and hand for details. Paired up with Vicky’s mom, they would make formidable competitors.

  Vicky spread out her notebook over the dining room table and waited for Lucy to disconnect from her call with Tristan. He and Jamie had been called out to fix the Martino’s air conditioner, which had gone on the fritz again.

  “Tristan says they
should be here within the hour.” She plopped down next to Vicky. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Her friend sat on the edge of the chair, practically bouncing in her seat.

  “Okay, what?”

  “Tristan asked me to move in with him,” Lucy said.

  Vicky dropped the pen she’d been using to write notes. “Are you freaking serious?”

  Lucy nodded, a silly grin pasted on her face. “He asked me last night.”

  “And you’re just now getting around to telling me? What kind of best friend are you?”

  Lucy held up her hand. “I know, I know. I wanted to tell you this morning, but with the last minute cupcake order on top of our regular work, I never got the chance.”

  “What did you tell him? Are you going to do it?”

  “I’m still considering. It’s a big decision.”

  “You love him, right?”

  Lucy sighed. “Yes. He told me he loves me, too.”

  “It sounds like a no-brainer to me.”

  “It is, but I always expected I’d be married before living with a guy.”

  “Aren’t you at his place almost every night as it is?”

  “Yes, and my mom gives me grief about it every week. It’s bad enough I’m not saving myself for marriage, but now I’ll be living in sin—her words.”

  Vicky cringed. Lucy’s mom was traditional, and Vicky was sure the guilt-trip her mom was giving her friend wasn’t fun. “I say you should go for it.”

  “Do you think about what will happen between you and Jamie after this business with Jimmy is over?”

  Lately, despite her intentions not to, she’d been thinking about it. Too much. Not that they were the slightest bit close to finding the drive, but the day would come when they would and then what?

  “There hasn’t been a lot of time to think about it,” she lied.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of it. I can see right through you.”

  She never should have bothered to fool her. “Fine. The thought’s crossed my mind a couple times.”

  “And?” Lucy probed.

  “And nothing. It’s probably best for Jamie to return to his own place when this is over.”

  Now she was even lying to herself.

  “You won’t miss all that yummy sex?”