For Love of Livvy (15 page)

"Are you always so punctual or did you think I'd leave without you?” He chuckled and his large teeth glowed against the tanned skin. The sleeveless tank top and cargo shorts showed off well toned bulging muscles in his arms, chest and legs. He was in good shape all right, there was no doubt about it.

I grinned and said, “I knew you'd wait. I just need to get up my carryall. I'll be right out.” I left him waiting at the truck and scooted inside to grab my bag. The phone rang as I headed out the door. I stepped back inside to catch sight of the caller ID to see who it was. The call was a restricted number so I had no idea who it could be. I turned and left the house, the doors locked behind me.

The day was sunny and warm. With little to no humidity, the closer we got to the beach the more glorious the weather became. I figured it may have something to do with the company, too.

It had been a couple of years since I'd been down to this end of Rhode Island. Aunt Livvy and I plein air painted around the reservoir and on the eastern side of the state in Bristol and Barrington. We'd always planned to get down to the southern end of the state, but time had run out.

Aaron shared stories of childhood vacations. His family had rented a summer cottage for several summers until it became too touristy and prices climbed out of sight. He and his siblings had always spent their summers at the beach while their mother tanned and their father fished off the rocky shoreline.

I laughed at the antics he and his brothers had performed. Regaling him with some of my own antics, I watched his smile. He was an interesting man.

"Do you have any siblings?” he asked.

"Yes, I have a twin brother. Saint Giovanni, I call him. He's a doctor and lives in Nebraska."

"Why do you call him that?” He chuckled at the name.

"We were a bit wild in our younger days, though I was always the one who got punished for it. It seemed when the crap hit the ground, I was left standing in the middle of it. He never looked guilty while I, on the other hand, always looked that way. So, I christened him Saint Giovanni and he named me Vinnie. Fair trade, I think."

I told him of the boys in blue who had visited our house on a couple of occasions and of my father's reaction. The cops issued dire warnings of retribution if we strayed from the path of righteousness again. I assured Aaron that our bad deeds were of a minor nature. No court appearances or arrests, thank God.

Hearty laughter boomed from Aaron at the spectacle I'd presented. His glance slid toward me and he asked, “Have you heard anything more about the gems incident?"

Surprised, I nodded. “Lanky told you, didn't he?"

With a nod, Aaron slowed to make the turn and gave me a brief glance. His dark eyes were curious, but he said nothing.

"It's okay if he did. The whole neighborhood probably knows by now that I've had some weird things happening."

"What do you think of Liz Taylor?” His grin turned to a chuckle.

I joined in. “He sure is different. I've seen some drag queens and cross dressers, but none like that. He had on enough make-up to sink the Titanic."

"He was quiet when we went upstairs. He just glanced around with interest while Larry gave him the tour."

"Huh, imagine that. You know, it's nice to have someone upstairs since I've had an intruder. More than one, actually."

"You've had more than one?” His eyebrows hiked and his voice sounded concerned.

"Mmm, one when I got home from my date with you and one before that. Each time nothing was taken, but I suspect they're searching for the gems I gave the State Police."

"I'm glad I've moved in. If there should be more intrusions, I'll be around to assist you.” His hand slid along the back of the seat and fondled my hair.

I could get real used to this treatment. Especially since Aaron wasn't a cop, but a regular working guy instead. My earlier thoughts of him were a thing of the past and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I'd felt apprehensive in the first place.

We arrived in Narragansett and spent most of the day walking the beaches where I gathered odd shaped shells off the sand. We soaked each other with salt water and then swam for a while before we found a public restroom to change our clothes for dinner. Sand and salt covered me, but hey, what's the ocean for? It felt good to be in the sunshine with a man who made no demands.

We arrived at The Spain around six thirty and sat at the bar with drinks while we awaited a table. The conversation turned to my family and the multitude of aunts, uncles and cousins I had. Aaron said he'd heard of my Uncle Al Scorcini's brilliant jewelry design and that his mother had several rare pieces of it.

"What happened to the business after your uncle passed on?"

With a quick glance to perhaps read him and figure out why he asked, I answered him.

"My two cousins, the dummies, Frankie and Kenny Scorcini run the business now. I don't see them very often, just at funerals and weddings. My brother and I stayed as far away from them as possible when we were kids. We got punished for our misdeeds while they got rewarded."

The waiter led us to our table and we studied the menus when both our cell phones rang. I glanced at Aaron as he read the number that scrolled across the screen. With a grimace, he rose from his seat.

"I'll take this outside since you've got a call as well.” He smiled and left.

I whipped my phone open. My mother was waiting with news.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you dear, but I just returned from my visit with Josephine. She doesn't know much about the boys’ business, but she did tell me she overheard them talking about Livvy. Some kind of deal was supposed to happen that didn't work out to their satisfaction. Josephine is rather disappointed in them, but blames their father for leading Frankie and Kenny astray. I wonder if you might show them that invoice you have and see where it takes you. I know you don't care to deal with them, but like you said, there's no proof they've done anything wrong. Just be careful Lavinia, please."

"Thanks for the information, Mom, but I don't think I'll approach the two dummies."

She disconnected, and I tucked the phone away when Aaron strolled across the room toward me. A disgruntled grimace lingered on his features as he stared at me.

I smiled at him, but he didn't return the smile with his usual charm. Something had gone awry and I hoped it had nothing to do with me. I watched him try to shake off the attitude as he approached and assume his former mood. Whatever the call was about had taken the joy from the evening.

We ordered dinner and stared at the spectacular view from the second floor. Seagulls drifted on air currents over the bay and pelicans dive bombed the water for food. The sun set and grey fog rolled over the shoreline. I knew it would make travel difficult until we got inland.

Conversation was sparse while we waited for our meal to arrive. Spanish fare is always good, no matter what dish is ordered. I had Spanish rice with mussels that were so scrumptious, I couldn't eat them fast enough. Aaron laughed at me and then sobered slightly.

"What's up? Did you get bad news or something? You've been quiet since you came back to the table."

He stared at me for a moment and then nodded. “It's a work related matter. I don't want to spoil things by discussing it. I hope you're not offended, I'd just rather not talk about it."

"Sure, that's fine. I'm a good listener though, so just remember that, okay? In fact, I got the best listener of the year award in college,” I joked.

"Really? What other awards did you get? Best legs? Best looks? Tell me?"

I laughed over the question and joked about Lola, her good looks, and how she found him quite attractive.

"I hadn't noticed. She's cute, but short, huh?"

"Yeah, but she makes up for the height thing. Lola owns the deli at the corner where you bought the muffins. She's the best cook I've ever known-besides my father, that is. He's a retired chef and taught her just about everything she knows about cooking."

"How long have you two been friends?"

"Years and years. We hung out whenever I visited Aunt Livvy in Scituate. Why?"

"I just wondered, that's all. She opted not to stay with you last night?"

"No, I told her I'd be fine. You gave me a heck of a scare though. I never saw the lights on when we drove up to the house."

"I do apologize for that, but I'd been putting things away and the curtains were all closed, so of course you wouldn't see any lights. Tell you what, I'll bang on the floor three times when I come in, okay?"

Chuckling, I told him that was unnecessary. After we finished the meal, we drove inland toward home. I found I was more tired than I thought. The day had been a welcome break in routine until my mother's and Aaron's phone calls. I sure was curious about his. The call took the light from him and the smile from his face. A different sort of look lay hidden deep within those dark brown eyes. His sense of humor was gone. It piqued my curiosity and I had to satisfy that one way or another.

[Back to Table of Contents]

Drawn up before the garage, Aaron parked the black truck next to the house and we got out. He unlocked the door as I dragged my carryall bag from the vehicle and headed inside. At my door, he smiled, thanked me for a fun time and kissed me before he turned to tread up the stairs.

Inside my apartment, I stood with my back against the door for several moments. The day with Aaron Grant had drawn to an early close. I wondered why as I wandered into the kitchen. The upstairs door slammed, feet rumbled down the stairs.

Curious to know as much as I could about him, I answered the door when he knocked. He strode inside, grasped me by the arms and dragged me to him. Warm lips covered mine. My eyes grew wide with surprise.

What was this about? I wondered, in a muddled state. He let me go, stepped back a bit and peered at my expression. His lips played over mine again and I moved in for more. It wasn't the same as when Marcus kissed me, but darned close. He finally pulled away and stared into my eyes.

"Are you really a good listener?” he asked, his face serious.

"Yes, I am. Sit down and I'll make coffee or drinks.” Rattled, I watched his big frame settle into a chair at the counter while I put the coffee on to perk.

"I'm sorry if I shocked you just now.” His lips twitched as a half smile tilted his mouth.

"Um, that's okay. It was a bit of a surprise, but nice all the same."

"I apologize for putting you off earlier. I'm not used to sharing my business with anyone."

It was apparent he struggled over whether to discuss his secrets with me. After all, I'm a newfound friend. I sat across from him with folded hands and waited patiently.

"When we were on Federal Hill for dinner, there was conversation that concerned my move to the village. Do you remember?"

I nodded and waited in silence for him to continue.

"For a moment, I thought one of my friends would mention why I'd moved on with my life. I truly held my breath, worried that you'd flee. You did, but at least it wasn't because you got the dirt on me."

"So, tell me about your dirt filled life. We all have some dirt, you know."

"I don't work for the gaming commission. I work for someone else, though I can't say who. My friends think I've given it up, but that's not so. Instead, I've given up my whole life to do this job and let everyone think otherwise. When the remark was made about time and change, it was because last year I sustained a serious injury. It was nearly the end of me, but I was determined enough to get back on my feet. It was at that time I decided to allow my friends to think I had quit the job and went to work for the gaming commission.” Deep chocolate eyes gazed steadily into my face.

My heart raced as I stared back at this handsome man. “I don't understand. Does this have anything to do with me?"

"In a roundabout way, it does. Now that you've had two intruders and found packages of gems, I figured I should come clean and tell you the truth so you won't be nervous."

"Packages? How do you know I found more than one package of gems?"

He didn't answer right away. As my eyes widened, he said, “It's just part of an inquiry I'm making, that's all it is."

Anger gnawed at the pit of my stomach over the deception. Had he wiggled his way into my life with dinner invitations and whatnot so he could spy on me? For what? Were his romantic advances a way of using me for information on the gems? I slid off the stool, poured coffee and tried to think of ways to ask without pitching a fit. A loss of temper was definitely not the way to go.

Tired to the bone from the fresh air and surf, I juggled the coffee cups and my anger at the same time.

"So are you using me for information to further your inquiry? And you're not going to tell me who you work for? Is it a cartel of some sort or the government?"

"No, I'm not on the first two counts. Initially, I thought it would be all right to worm my way into your confidence, but now, well I realize it's not fair to keep you in the dark. I'm sorry if I've hurt you, Vinnie, I care about you."

The paper napkin next to my cup scrunched and unscrunched in my hand while I considered what he said. The look on his face was hopeful as I glared at him.

"You still haven't answered the third question, but I guess you're not going to. It would seem I've become the center of everyone's attention over a matter I had no clue of until it smacked me in the face.” I leaned back in the chair and sighed heavily. “It's late, I'm tired and I need some time to assimilate what you've told me. We'll talk again, okay?"

Disappointment crossed his features as I watched him nod. I couldn't figure out if he realized the impact his story had on me. His thoughts were a mystery that I'd consider later.

I walked him to the door, slid the bolt and turned the handle lock. Making my way through the rest of the apartment, I checked all the other locks and turned the lights off.

I sat in the dark living room for a while until the phone rang. I fumbled to answer the call. When I heard the scratchy voice, I wondered if it was a dream. A shaky hand ran across my forehead and I flung tousled hair back off my face.