10
Her heart was racing. Her shift was over and Dylan hadn’t arrived yet. Of course, he was about to walk into the fire, or firing squad, by the look on Sal’s face. She was surprised by his demeanor. Sal was the one she’d thought she didn’t need to worry about. If she was wrong about this, what else had she missed?
Filippo came out of the kitchen and asked, “Is everything okay? You look worried.”
“Papa, Dylan isn’t here yet.” That might be a good thing too. He could stand her up for their dinner date and she’d pretend to be crushed. Shed some crocodile tears and bam, it’s over. Why hadn’t I thought about this before? Maybe Dylan not showing was part of the plan, the part he’d forgotten to tell her about. But a good one, nonetheless.
“He will be here. He comes from the city and there’s traffic to consider. If you’re worried, maybe you should call him.”
Should she lay out the groundwork and set the stage? It’d only been ten minutes. If he showed after, it’d be hard to backpedal. She’d give him a few more minutes, but if he didn’t arrive soon, she was going to turn on the waterworks.
That was going to be difficult, because she wasn’t a crier. It was something she feared having to do during a performance too. They said to dig deep into a part of her life, a memory or something that hurt so much, and think about that. Sofia was blessed, as she didn’t have any of those experiences to draw upon—a problem many people wished they had.
“You’re right Papa, I’m sure it’s traffic.” She went over and sat at the table with Sal. Might as well figure out what was bothering him before Dylan arrived. He looked exhausted. “Pulling double shifts again?”
He nodded. “Haven’t slept yet so be wary, I’m short-tempered today.”
“Today?” she teased. That familiar warning glare appeared immediately. Sofia couldn’t help it. What were big brothers for, if not to push their buttons every once in a while?
“I can see one thing you and your boyfriend have in common.”
Sofia could tell Sal didn’t like calling Dylan that. “What is that?” she asked.
“You both like to prod the lion. Not wise, my dear sister. Not today. Unless you want me to spew what I’ve been biting back.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant. But since he’d included Dylan in that statement, it had to be about him. Sal wouldn’t have used his police authority to do a background check on Dylan, would he? Of course he would. He’s overprotective. The only question was, would he be revealing what he knows at dinner or privately? Sal had never thrown her under the bus before, and he had plenty of opportunities when she was growing up. Him being ten years her senior, he sometimes acted more like a father, than a brother. She wasn’t sure which he was today. Whichever it was, he wasn’t happy about her and Dylan.
“Sal, why don’t you go home and get some rest? We can catch up tomorrow,” she suggested. It wouldn’t hurt not having him here, either.
Sal cocked a brow. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“Concerned for you. You look exhausted Sal. We’re having a quick bite with Mama and Papa, then I’m going straight to bed myself.” She wasn’t sure how she’d even make it through dinner, her eyes burned so badly.
“You seem just as…tired. Maybe we both should blow off dinner. Why don’t you let me give you a lift home?”
“Sal, you know I can’t do that. I’m waiting for—”
“Your boyfriend? He doesn’t seem to be coming.”
This was really getting annoying, but so was sitting here and no Dylan. Sofia was just about to accept Sal’s offer when she felt a hand on her shoulder and a kiss on her head.
“Sorry I’m late. I was with Charles. That niece gets cuter every day.” He turned to Sal and added, “Charles said he got your message and will call you later, when the baby is asleep.”
Sofia caught the twitch on Sal’s jaw. Whatever he wanted to talk to Charlie about was supposed to be private. Don’t go looking for trouble when there isn’t any. After all, this wasn’t real. It just felt that way.
“I’ll call him after dinner. Which hopefully isn’t cold now,” Sal said.
Be nice.“Mama has never served a cold meal in her life. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go let her know you’re here and see if I can help bring things out.” When she got up, she realized that would be leaving Dylan alone with Sal. That was a horrible idea. “Dylan, would you mind giving me a hand?”
“I’d love to.” As they walked towards the kitchen, he whispered, “Everything okay with you two?”
So Dylan picked up on it, which meant her parents surely would too. “Yes. He’s just working too much. Gets to us all.”
“You must be talking about your brother,” Mama said when they entered.
“Yes, Mama. He’s so tired.”
“You look the same, my dear.” Then Mama looked around at Dylan and said, “You as well.” With a loud belly laugh, she said, “Papa, look. These youngsters can’t keep up with us.”