It might not be a kiss on the lips, but she treasured those sweet moments of physical contact probably a lot more than she should. No, definitely a lot more than she should.
* * *
As the meetingcame to an end, Josh stood and offered Nonna his arm. She used it as leverage as she stood. These days it took her a little while to get out of a chair if she’d been sitting for a while. She said her bones got stiff so it was a process. He hated seeing her growing physical limitations because it was the evidence that her age was finally catching up with her.
When he was a kid, he had honestly believed that Nonna would outlive everyone, including his father and himself. He’d been right on one count.
Nonna continued using him to brace herself after she was on her feet as he leaned over and picked up her coat. He then held it out so she could put one arm through at a time, making sure to keep hold of him with the other. He’d bought her three canes, one for her house, one for the auto shop and one that he kept in his car so she would always have one at her disposal. So far, all they’d been used for was collecting dust.
His mind was still stuck on this singles week thing and he wanted to press her for more information but he knew that she would say it was none of his business. Maybe it wasn’t but he was very concerned about her taking on a project of this scale. She was already doing too much, and he’d noticed that she was getting tired and needing to rest a lot more often than she had been even six months ago.
If she was taking this on, he would need to step in and help. Which meant he was going to have to deal with people. Which was his worst nightmare.
Being in the garage, fixing cars, was his safe place. He did okay dealing with customers one on one but only when it was under his own roof on his terms. When he knew exactly what needed to be said and there was a structure to the conversation it was fine. Small talk, however, was his personal hell. He’d never been a huge fan but growing up in a town of this size where everyone knew everyone, he’d gotten good at faking it. But that was when he was younger before he’d been diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD. Now he wasn’t so good at faking it.
“If you scowl like that for so long your face is going to look like a bulldog, il mio tesoro.” Nonna reached up and patted his cheek, using the Italian nickname she’d given him when he was a child which translated to, my treasure. She had a special name for each of her grandkids and great grandkids. Josh’s name had always made him feel special, which he was sure was the point. Her hand was freezing, as always, and her skin was soft and smelled like Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion. His grandmother had been using the same lotion since he was a kid. He’d never smell that smell and not think of Nonna.
“You ready to go?” He asked after her coat was buttoned up.
“No, no, no.” She tsked at him as she shook her head. “Always in a hurry. I need to talk to my Vivi first. We have the big plans. You wait for me? Yes.” Without sticking around for his response, she shuffled away.
As he watched her go, he noticed that she looked thinner than she had before the holidays, which made her appear even more frail than she already did. The woman was barely one hundred pounds soaking wet and could not afford to lose even a pound. At her last check-up, Dr. Mills had made it a point that she needed to incorporate some more calories into her diet. Josh had researched the best protein shakes and healthy snacks for her to have on hand. He filled her cupboards weekly with the nutritious snacks, but she insisted on her regular diet of Ritz crackers, black licorice bites, and Shasta soda.
“Hey J.”
Josh looked up and saw Davis Brown walking toward him. Davis was a retired NFL player who owned Davis Construction. Josh worked on Brown’s personal vehicles and his business trucks from time to time. Nonna was going to be upset that she’d gone off to talk to her Vivi and missed seeing Davis. She had a big crush on the man. Every time she saw him, she told him that he reminded her of her hall pass Denzel Washington. Josh had to admit the two men did resemble each other, they definitely shared the same megawatt smile. Davis, for his part, was always a good sport about Nonna’s flirting, and even encouraged it by making claims of how he would wine and dine her if he wasn’t a married man.
Josh lifted his chin in greeting. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, I’ve got a couple of trucks that I need to bring in. One of them is leaking coolant and the steering wheel is shaking; the other needs new brake pads and the engine light is on. You gonna have time this week to look at them?”
Josh nodded. He had a few oil changes scheduled and he was working on the mayor Henry Walker’s transmission in his classic ’66 Ford Bronco but he could definitely fit a couple of Brown’s trucks in. “Yeah, bring ’em by tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks, man.” Davis shook Josh’s hand and gave him a one-armed man hug. “I appreciate you,” he said before heading out of the rec room.
That was a great example of the sort of interactions Josh was comfortable with. Short. Sweet. And to the point. They had a purpose, a beginning, middle, and an end.
He waited for a few minutes but as the crowd dwindled, he figured he might as well head in the direction Nonna had gone.
A quick search out in the hallway and courtyard proved fruitless. There were no signs of either Nonna or Viv, and Viv was hard to miss. She had fire engine red hair and a lot of curves that she showcased proudly. A lot of people around town, and even tourists, referred to her as Jessica Rabbit because she was the epitome of that cartoon coming to life.
He doubled back and walked into the lobby thinking the two might have gone out there. He didn’t find Nonna or Viv but he did find Audrey. She looked up from her book at the same time he came out of the rec room.
He smiled automatically. He couldn’t help it; it was just what his face did when he saw her. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Audrey dipped her head and her long dark lashes brushed against her high cheekbones. She smiled as she looked back up and his heart expanded in his chest.
She always had that effect on him. He was convinced that her smile could cure cancer, could solve world hunger, and bring world peace.
“I was looking for Nonna,” he said as he looked around. “She said she needed to talk to your sister.”
“Viv took off a few minutes ago, she said she’d be back.” Audrey explained.
Josh assumed they would have to come back this way, so he could just hang with Audrey until they did. Which was no hardship on his part. Being near her was like feeling the sun on his face after a dark, cold winter night. “I’m guessing you didn’t know anything about this singles week thing?”
“No.” Audrey shook her head.
He’d figured that she hadn’t. He was sure that she would have mentioned something to him if she had. He and Audrey were friends. Good friends. At least, as good of friends as he could be with someone whose clothes he wanted to rip off every time he saw her.