“Well good luck with that, man.” Danny stood and gave Tommy a bro hug with two slaps to his back. Tommy and Jake repeated the custom.
“All right. We should go,” Harper said, standing to make herself actually get going. Pippi poked her head out of Harper’s tote at the word “go.” The little dog had loved all the new smells at Central Park and smugly looked at the bigger dogs who didn’t get to go everywhere she did. “We’re going to walk her in Prospect Park for a little while before we meet up with my family. My brother is so envious I have a dog. I’m going to make him pay me just to hold her.”
“All right, guys. See you soon,” Mary said. She, Jake, Tommy, and Harper headed toward Blackstone’s front door, bracing themselves for the cold. Jake held the door for them, and Mary was the last in line to leave. Before she stepped out, she turned and said to Danny and Dot, “Love you. And I mean it. See you soon.” She kissed her fingertips and blew them a kiss.
And then it was just them.
“So, what should we do now?” Danny asked Dot. And she braced herself for what was next.
Chapter 76
Mary’s mother and Nonna had gone all out for Jake’s Sunday supper visit.
“You didn’t need to do all this,” Mary said to her mother, surveying the appetizers. The Christmas decorations were still up, and the sideboard was filled with antipasti—asiago, provolone, and mortadella cheeses, plus olives, roasted peppers, mushrooms, and fried calamari. “You even used the good china? Ma, this is nuts.”
“What? Can’t I use the good china when my baby is bringing home her friend?” Christine Russo asked. “I can’t send him home on an empty stomach.”
“You’re going to send him home weighing ten more pounds. He’ll have to pay for extra baggage at the airport.” Mary decided to lighten the mood and be happy her mom had gone to such lengths to make Jake feel welcome.
“Here, dear, I made you a plate. You look like you could use a few good meals,” Nonna said to Jake, handing him a dish filled with Italian appetizers. He took it and stood while Nonna got herself settled on the sofa. “Such a gentleman!” She looked at Mary and nodded her approval.
When they’d arrived, Tony and Christine had treated Jake like a long-lost son. They asked about Grace and Joe Taylor and reminisced about their summer visit to the farm. Mary’s brothers shook his hand firmly and peppered him with questions about the Packers, being a cop, and how Mary got around in the ice with her high heels.
“Very carefully,” he’d said.
Mary’s nieces and nephews wanted to show Jake their Christmas presents, and they all spoke at once trying to get his attention. If he felt overwhelmed, he didn’t show it. Occasionally, he’d look for Mary, catch her eye, and smile to reassure her he was enjoying himself. She had to admit, he looked like he was doing just fine.
During the main course, Nonna insisted Jake sit next to her, and Christine was on her right. Mary sat across from Jake next to her brother, the priest.
Gabe led the table in saying grace and Jake complimented his prayer. “You know a way to a man’s heart,” Father Russo said.
“Yeah, through his stomach,” Tony said. “Let’s eat.”
The dinner guests laughed and started dishing out the food.
All eyes were on Jake as he tried every dish they put in front of him. He especially liked the gnocchi, carbonara, and braciole. He asked Nonna for her secret ingredients, and she said, “I’ve never told anyone this, but it’s...” whispering her secrets so quietly that no one else could hear her.
Mary’s sister-in-law leaned over to Mary and said, “Home run.”
“You think?”
“And he’s hot!”
Mary smiled and took another bite of sausage and peppers. Yes, he is, she thought. Her foot found his and they linked ankles under the table.
When it was time for Mary to take Jake to the airport, the goodbye took close to an hour. Nonna had prewrapped treats in an insulated bag for him to take home and share with his parents. Mary watched as everyone gave him a hug, including a young niece who clung to his leg and said she was going with him.
“All right, all right. Enough. I’m going to take Jake to the airport,” Mary said.
“You’re driving?” Her brother Frankie was incredulous. “To the airport? No one does that anymore.”
“It’s a new tradition,” Mary said. “It’s kind of our thing.” She walked out to her dad’s Mercedes.
“Will you come back?” Christine asked Jake as they said goodbye at the front door of the Russo’s home.
“If you’ll have me,” Jake said.
“I’ll have you,” she said. “You make her so happy. And you make a beautiful couple.”