Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“I’ll come back,” he says as I close the door. “I promise.”
He puts the truck in gear and drives off.
Carmine’s guys are watching me, smoking away, saying nothing. I ignore them, turning to the house, and as I walk to the door I realize that I never told him how I feel.
I never said the words. “I love you,” I whisper out loud to nobody and nothing.
That asshole better come back so I can say it to his face.
Grandpop sits at the table with me eating pancakes and drinking his coffee. We work on the crossword together like we normally do, acting like everything’s normal. He didn’t ask me any questions yet, but they’re coming.
“The house looks good,” I say, noting the cleaned dishes, the dusted counters.
“Housekeepers started showing up a few days back,” he admits with a shrug. “Figured you knew about it.”
I laugh, surprised, but I shouldn’t be. “I actually didn’t.”
“Really?” His face screws up in worry. “This have something to do with your job?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, Grandpop. It does, but it also doesn’t.” I cross my arms, not sure how to broach this subject.
We’re close. We’ve been close all my life. He talked to me about my period, let me cry to him when boys broke my heart in high school, even did a half-hearted sex talk at one point.
But now I feel like I don’t know how to tell him that I fell in love.
“There’s a man,” he says, grunting the words. “What’s his name?”
I rub my face. “I should’ve assumed you’d put it together.”
“You been with him this whole time?”
“Yes, but it’s not what you think. We haven’t shacked up together. It’s because of the job.”
His eyebrows raise. “That job have anything to do with the tough-looking sons of bitches smoking out front right now?”
I laugh, clearing our plates. “You noticed?”
“Of course I noticed, Ren. I hoped you’d come out and tell me the truth sooner, but here we are. Better now than never.”
I put the dishes into the dishwasher then face him. “Those men are mobsters. They work for a friend of the man I’m seeing.”
Grandpop’s eyebrows shoot up. “You being serious right now?”
“I didn’t plan on telling you this much, but hell, you might as well know. The man I’ve been staying with is named Lanzo. I’m in love with him.”
Grandpop leans back, breathing slow and steady. “Well, shit.”
“I know it’s a lot, but—”
“I’m happy for you, kiddo.”
That surprises me. “Really? Even though he’s the kind of man that’s friendly with gangsters?”
“Hell, people do things,” he mumbles, always prone to understatement. “Is he good to you?”
“Yes,” I say.
“You two got the same values? Care about the same things?”
“I think so, yes.”
“He gonna take care of you? No bullshit?”
“No bullshit,” I say, nodding.
“Then he’s all right. I’ve been wondering when you’d meet a guy. Pretty girl like you can’t be holed up in here with her grandfather forever, you know.”
“Grandpop,” I manage to croak.
But he waves me away. “Don’t get all upset with me, Renny. I love you to death, you know that. I’ve been worried about you for a long time and it makes me happy hearing you found someone you love. Don’t waste it, all right?”
“I’m not going to.” I can barely speak. Tears gather in my throat, a lump the size of a planet threatening to make me sob.
He struggles to his feet. I hurry to him and we embrace. This man took me in when my parents abandoned me, he loved me in his old age despite how hard it must’ve been to raise a little girl deep into his retirement. He never complained, never made me feel guilty, never made me feel unwanted. There was only ever love.
I don’t know how I got so lucky, ending up with a father like this. Because despite our biological relationship, he’s my dad, always has been.
“I love you, Grandpop,” I whisper.
“I love you too, Renny girl.” He pulls back, wiping my face. “Now, when the hell do I get to meet this guy?”
“Later today, hopefully. Maybe tomorrow, I don’t know.”
“He doing something?”
“The job we’ve been prepping. It’s dangerous.”
“You’re worried about him.”
“Yeah. I am.”
He squeezes my hands. “Then come on. We’ll sit down, watch some old movies, try and keep your mind off things. How’s that sound?”
“That sounds really, really good.”
“That’s my girl.” He pats my arm and shuffles toward his chair. “You’re a good kid, Renny, a real good kid.”
I cry for a minute. Grandpop leaves me alone. He knows better than to wait around for the waterworks to stop. That’s only going to make it worse. Soon though, I get myself together, wiping my face with some tissue as I head into the other room.
Only to stop dead in my tracks.
Grandpop’s in his chair like always.
But he isn’t alone.
Time seems to stop. My heart races into my throat as fear floods through my limbs, numbing my fingers and my toes. I can’t move, can’t breathe.