Overflow: The Carpino Series (5 page)

She gives her head a little shake and while frowning
replies, “I can’t wear orange,” as if this explains why she won’t cheer on my
team. 

“Ouch babe, that stings,” and she rewards me with another
huge smile.  I go on, “I don’t know where I’m going.  Lead the way, Gabby.” 

What I did not do was talk to her about Trevor Harper. 

*****

My younger cousin Paige is dragging me by the hand and my
very pregnant cousin Sophia is waddling behind us pulling up the rear. 

“Paige, what are you doing?” I ask, trying to keep up with
her. 

She pulls me into the room that used to be Tony’s bedroom,
which is now just a shrine to Tony.  Medals, trophies, pictures and Tony
memorabilia litter the room that used to be his in this house.  Tony is the
only boy of four kids and although he’s never been a momma’s boy, he’s my
aunt’s only boy which makes him her golden boy.  So although my female cousins’
rooms have been remade into exercise rooms, craft rooms, junk rooms and the like,
Tony’s room will always be Tony’s room.  His sisters give my poor aunt shit
about this all the time, but I honestly don’t think she cares and will probably
never change a stitch in here. 

“What do you mean, what am I doing?  I want to know who that
man is that brought you here and why he can’t take his eyes off of you no
matter where you are in the room.  It doesn’t matter if he’s drinking beer,
eating dinner or shootin’ the shit with the men, he’s always got an eye on
you.  And those eyes are hot, just like the rest of him!  Now spill!” she
demands. 

My rollercoaster of a day didn’t stop when Jude showed back
up at my house this evening, demanding to know why I lived alone and I had to
tell him what I hate telling people, that my parents are dead.  I should be
used to it by now.  It has been three years and eight months, but it’s always a
bit emotionally draining as much as I try and get used to it.  And if that
wasn’t enough, big badass Jude Ortiz who wears a bullet proof vest, rounds up
bad guys for a living and is uber bossy, got super sweet on me.  First getting
really close to me, then apologizing and then he touched my face.  I swear,
when he slid his hand into my hair I seriously thought I was going to melt into
a puddle right on my kitchen floor.  My whole plan for driving separately then
leaving early was thwarted when he informed me I was coming with him to the
draft and like an idiot, without thinking, I said, “Okay!”  And this is what I
get!  I knew this would happen, my crazy family is now all up in my business
about it and I don’t even know what “it” is! 

Two hours earlier when we pulled into my Uncle Tony and Aunt
Lizzie’s driveway, I took a minute to warn Jude what he was walking into.  Here
is how that went:

Me: Um, Jude, I need to talk to you about my family. 
They’re
all
going to be here. 

Him: Yeah babe, Tony said this is a family thing.

Me: No, you don’t understand.  I have a pretty big family. 
Even the little kids will be here.  And since I’ll be walking in the door with
you, they’re going to freak out. 

Him: No they won’t.

Me:  Yes they will. 

Him:  Sugar, they won’t.  It’s not a big deal.

Me:  Yes, they will and it is a big deal.

Him:  Then they can have their freak out, they’ll get over
it.

Me:  What?!?!?!

Him:  Not a big deal. 

Apparently finished with our tennis match conversation, he
gets out of the car, gathers all the food, opens my door and waits for me to
get out.  All I have to say to him is, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

I jump down from his truck, put Mia on the ground and she
runs up to the door she knows so well since she has been here about two million
times in her short little three year old life.  I start walking up the walk to
the front door when I look up and stop in my flip flops.  Jude almost bumps
into me from behind carrying both my salad and dessert saying, “Sugar, let’s
get on with it.”

“Ohmygoodness,” I breathe, looking up to the dining room
window where about three quarters of my family is plastered watching us walk up
to the house. 

“That’s what you get for sitting in the truck so long
warning me about your family,” he simply states, not at all bothered by our
audience. 

“They’re going think we came together,” is what I think out
loud. 

“We did come together,” Jude points out.

“But not together-together,” I go on.

“Gabby, get a move on,” he instructs again, a little more
forcefully this time.

“Ohmygoodness,” I whisper again.  “You carry a gun for a
living, please just shoot me now.”

Jude, tired of waiting, rounds me and heads to the front
door.  The door opens and all hell breaks loose.  I hear the kids running
around screaming.  I hear greetings and a couple of my aunts start questioning
Jude.  I hear Jude answering.  I hear the deep voices of my uncles and adult
cousins offering drinks.  And then I hear Jude bite out, “Gabby!”  Finally
snapping out of it, I return, “Coming!” and head toward my latest trauma. 

As I get to the door I hear my cousin’s daughter, Emily, who
is twelve years old say, “He’s way hotter than James!”

“Em!  Watch it,” her dad, Joe, semi yells at her.

“What?  I’m just sayin’,” Emily returns, full of tween
attitude.

“Gabby!” little Chloe comes clickety-clack, throwing herself
at me in her little tap shoes and tutu pulled on over her normal clothes. 

I drop my bag to the floor, reach down to pick her up and
give her snuggles.  “Hi love, I missed you!  I like your outfit!”

“Your boyfriend is big,” is her only response.  Feeling
myself turn pink, I look around the very crammed-with-nosy-family entry way. 
Jude is standing beside me and everyone is staring at us. 

Starting to get pissed at my family’s attention, I decide to
start damage control immediately, “He’s not my boyfriend, Chlo.”  Then I look
back to the rest of my crazy family and ask, “Are we going to stand here all
night?  I’m hungry and need a beer.”

“Gabby, don’t be rude,” my Aunt Emma scolds me like a child.
“Introduce us to your guest!” 

“He’s not my guest!” I reply.  “Tony invited him!”

“Well, he came with you,” my uncle Nic says, grinning like a
loon.

“He’s not with me,” I return, losing what little patience I
have left.

“He’s standing right next to you,” says my cousin Grant.

“Shut up!” I return, apparently reverting back to my
childhood. 

“Gabrielle Carpino,” my Aunt Lizzie hisses, moving her long
and lanky body forward a step.  She starts talking with her arms and hands in
full motion, “The least you can do is make introductions so this young man
knows who he’s eating dinner and Fantasy Footballing with!”

Snickers and choked back laughter can be heard around the
room, either from calling Jude a young man or referring to the draft as Fantasy
Footballing, of which I do not know. 

“Fine,” I look up at Jude and give him the scariest glare I
can muster, hopefully relaying to him an ‘I told you so’ and decide to get this
over with.  “Jude, this is my Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Tony, this is their house. 
Tony is the second oldest boy in my dad’s family.  Their oldest daughter is
Sophia, the pregnant one over there, she’s married to Lanny, he’s Mia’s
veterinarian.  Their boys are Noah and Cayden.  Then there’s Charlotte married
to Vic, they have Madelyn and Cole.  You know Tony and this is their youngest,
Paige,” I look up at Jude for confirmation and he just grins down at me, the
jerk, so I carry on. “This is my Uncle Gino, my dad’s oldest brother and Aunt
Emma.  Their son Dean is married to Audrey. They have Ella and William.  This
is their daughter Micah, married to Joe and they have Emily and Grace.  And
finally, this is my Uncle Nic and Aunt Tia.  Nic is the youngest boy in the
family.  This is their son Grant, the obnoxious one, and his wife Clara.  This
is their daughter Chloe,” I say, giving Chloe a bounce in my arms.  “Nic and
Tia also have Logan and Avery, but they are away at college.”  I pull in a big
breath while waving my hand around, “Everyone, this is Jude Ortiz.”

I hear Jude chuckle beside me and say in his low raspy
voice, “Thanks for having me.”  With that, I plunk little Chloe down on her tap
shoes and march through my crazy family heading straight for the fridge to get
a beer.  Picking a Blue Moon, I pop the top, take a long pull as people start
filing into the great room and kitchen.  I see Tony heading straight for me. 

“I’m not talking to you,” I say, pointing at him and turning
around. 

“Why aren’t you talking to me, Gabba?” he asks, while
fighting back a grin.

“This is entirely your fault,” I say.  “Hence, me not
speaking to you!”

“I’m not the one who found myself in the middle of a Federal
raid, Gabby.  Don’t see how it’s my fault,” he drawls back at me. 

“Shut up,” I mutter again since I had no meaningful
response. 

“Gabby?” I hear Chloe calling up to me.  “Will you watch
Enchanted with me tonight?”

“Yes, sweetie, we’ll put it on after dinner,” I answer.

“Yay!” Chloe cheered.  “I wanna be Giselle!” she yells, as
if I was going to call it first and she clickety-clacks away only to continue
yelling, “Pop!”  I look over and my grandfather walks into the room.  My
insides soften to the point where I can almost forget the last fifteen minute
horror show my family has put me through.  He is swinging Chloe up in the air,
still pretty agile for his seventy years.  He receives greetings from his
entire family, his great grandchildren especially attacking him with loving
hellos and I make my way to him.

“Pop,” I say as he turns and folds me into his arms.  I lean
my head back and ask, “How are you?”

“Piccolo,” he says kissing me on the forehead,
affectionately greeting me in his native Italian.  “I’m old, Gabby.  How’s my
girl?”

“I’m fine and you’re not old, Pop.  Quit saying that,” I
return, smiling big at him. 

From my legs, I hear Chloe yell like we are across the
house, “Pop!  Gabby’s got a boyfriend and he’s really big!” 

I look up at Pop and my eyes get big.  “I do not have a
boyfriend,” I tell my grandfather.  Then, turning my head down to a not-so-cute
Chloe, I hiss, “I do not have a boyfriend!  Stop saying that!”

Out of nowhere, Jude walks up behind Chloe.  I look up at
him and sigh.  Of course he grins at me.  My pop turns me forward with his arm
still around my neck, frowns and says in a not very polite voice, “Who are
you?”

“Pop!” I give him a soft elbow to his side.  He is seventy,
after all. 

“Jude Ortiz, it’s nice to meet you,” Jude rasps, holding his
hand out for my grandfather. 

Pop slowly takes his arm out from around my neck taking
Jude’s hand and returns with a frown, “Gil Carpino, Gabby’s grandfather.” 

“You’ve got a big family here, Mr. Carpino,” Jude says. 

“Yes, I do,” my grandfather coldly states, now assessing
Jude.  I’m not sure, but this could be worse than the craziness we experienced
when we walked in the house. 

Deciding now was the time to escape, I mutter, “I should
help with the food.”  I push away from my latest uncomfortable situation, go to
Lizzie and hope she assigns me something to do. 

I set about my tasks, occasionally glancing over to see Jude
moving around the room.  He doesn’t seem to have a problem socializing on the
crazy train.  When it’s time for dinner, Jude casually sits down next to me
like we’ve eaten our last four hundred and sixty two meals together (which we
haven’t!).  Then, he just as casually chats with my family as if he’s the
favorite neighbor boy just back from war (which he isn’t!).  I, on the other
hand am stressed to the gills, especially when Jude sits back to stretch his
arm out across the back of my chair casually drinking his beer, as if he’s
really that big and needs the extra room to stretch out (which he is).  More
than once during dinner, I catch my Pop glaring at Jude.  Also more than once
throughout this horrific time period, I catch Tony grinning at me, which only
makes me glare back at him. 

Finally, the torture was over and we clean up the colossal
mess created by my big family.  All the men, other than my grandfather, head to
the basement for the much anticipated once a year pleasure of drafting a
Fantasy Football Team.   Everyone else starts unwrapping desserts or finding a
place to settle with a new drink.  This is what I was about to do, but instead
am drug into Tony’s shrine and for the umpteenth time in the matter of two days
find myself being interrogated, this time by the women in my family.

“Spill!” Paige demands!  At this point, our private party
has grown to include Audrey, Micah, Charlotte and Clara. 

“What do you want to know?” I hesitantly ask. 

“How did you meet him?” Sophia asks.

“Um…I met him through a friend,” I reply, trying to be as
vague as possible.

“How long have you known him?” Clara shoots.

“I guess we met yesterday.”

“Yesterday!” a couple of them scream at the same time. 

“Well, yeah,” I repeat. 

“Why he is acting like he’s with you?” Charlotte joined in.

“He’s not with me,” I insist.

“Girl,” Audrey starts.  “I have been married for fifteen
years and have seen a lot.  That man not only thinks he’s with you, but he’s
with
you, if you know what I mean.  He seems to have the ability to watch you like a
hawk while drinking beer and shooting the shit.  Trust me, we know.  We’ve been
watching him like a hawk all night!”

“I wanna know where you found him,” says Paige.  “I want one
just like him!”

“Ohmygoodness,” I whisper again. Finally, I decide enough is
enough.  “You can sit in here and talk about Jude Ortiz all night.  I’ve had a
freaking long day and didn’t sleep last night.  The bottom half of my house is
wet, I’m tired and I need another beer.  I might need a lot more beer to get
through the rest of the night with all you people.  I’m going to watch
Enchanted, appreciate Patrick Dempsey’s hair for the beautiful lushness that it
is and drink.  Don’t ask me anymore questions!”