“Would he ever,” Vinnie said with a laugh.
Alice’s brow rose, and Hank wished he understood what that meant. He shot Vinnie a look. “Eager to swim with the fishes, are you?”
“Those are my people, man,” Vinnie said, snapping his suspenders and falling into their neighborhood banter. “You Irish like the baseball bats. Anyway, you might not have said anything, but Sarah told me you two got all hot and bothered last Thanksgiving. I’m just saying… Life is way too short. I’ve never believed that more than I do now.”
“Sarah told you that, did she?” Alice asked. “Well, she would have known.”
Every muscle in Hank’s body locked, hearing that.
“She was a good wing woman. And I’m a good wingman,” he said, gesturing to Hank, “so go talk in private. I’ll turn my Dean Martin up and sing. Won’t hear a thing.”
Normally Hank would have walked over to her, taken her elbow, and led her to the backroom. But Covid was tough on good manners. Instead, he pointed to the hallway leading back to his office, and she preceded him. A cheesy Dean Martin song began to play over the loudspeakers, making Alice laugh.
“He wasn’t kidding!” she exclaimed. “Man, I love your new soundtrack. Never imagined you’d go for that.”
“I can’t play ‘I’m Shipping Up to Boston’ or ‘The Wild Rover’ every day. It started as a way to keep his spirits up. But some customers who miss Two Sisters have been hearing the music and coming in. Everyone remembers Vinnie singing at the restaurant, whether he was bussing tables or seating people.”
They arrived at his small back office next to the kitchen. She turned to him. “It was nice of you to help him like that. Sometimes people swing by to check on our progress, and a few people have told me what Two Sisters meant to them. There are a lot of happy memories in that building. Keeping it alive here, even in a small way, is an act of kindness, Hank O’Connor, and I’m happy for you both.”
Hank had his fair share of good memories from Two Sisters, always accompanied by Vinnie’s voice, red dripping candles running down leftover Chianti bottles, and the smell of Mama Gia’s lasagna and garlic bread flavoring the air. “People have a special nostalgia for Two Sisters. A lot of them celebrated important events there. First Communions or high school graduations. I even know of a couple of men who proposed marriage there.”
“And people come to O’Connor’s to have really good beer or whiskey and chat in a festive environment. That’s why Sarah loved it. And me too, when I visited her.”
The flash he’d been waiting for brightened her eyes. He told himself to settle down. The other part of him said, Like hell.
He gestured to the worn desk chair with the faded wine-colored seat. “This about six feet? Let me open a window.”
“I won’t be taking my mask off inside, but some fresh air would be great.”
He wanted to see her face. Couldn’t wait another moment to see her lush lips suddenly. “What if we talk outside? I really hate the masks sometimes. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or Watchmen. Sometimes I do a double take when Vinnie talks to me. I’ve seen that pretty boy mug of his my whole life and hell…I miss it.”
She was quiet a moment. “That’s incredibly sweet. I feel like that with Clifton too, but we agreed to keep masks on inside at all times. He’s eighty-one, and we had to set some ground rules. I’m protective of him, and he is of me too.”
Hank liked hearing that. He didn’t have enough bad words for the yahoos who flouted good sense and health guidelines. “Vinnie moved into the attic above his mother’s garage to watch over her and save some money.”
“That’s beyond sweet too, and admirable. Part of me wishes Clifton had decided to stay in Sarah’s house with me rather than rent his own place. You know…I only see his face when we’re outdoors now, and I try to be grateful for those moments. Seeing a person’s whole face isn’t something I’ll ever take for granted again.”
“Me either.”
He led the way this time, choosing a large table that met the requisite social distancing. Also, it had an umbrella to shield her fair skin from the sun. They both sat. He slowly took off his mask, and his breath caught as she did the same. Her cheeks were rosy, calling to his fingertips to trace them. He’d forgotten she had such a cute button nose. But his gaze quickly settled on her mouth.
Her smile was slightly bashful, and she pointed to her lips balefully. “No lip gloss, right? Why wear it under the mask? It smudges.”
Funny how it wasn’t something he’d thought about, but then again, he was a guy. “You don’t need it. You’re beautiful, Alice.” He scanned the details of her face again, from the kissable naked mouth to the sweetly pointed chin before raising his gaze to her big brown eyes. “I like this better.”
“Me too,” she said, misunderstanding him.
He wasn’t going to correct her.
“Even though I believe in masks, sometimes I feel like it’s stealing our humanity, making us anonymous somehow. But let’s stop those dark thoughts and talk about something hopeful.”
He settled back in his chair. “You bet. Got something in mind?”
“Yep and it’s a doozy,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of details yet, but I know one thing. I want to have a chocolate festival. With you.”
His mouth went dry, and he struggled for composure. “Okay…”
“Maybe the Coffee Roastery too. Chocolate and beer and coffee. It’s a winning combo.”
“Tell me more,” he said. If nothing else, this would give him the chance to spend time with her.
By the end, he could see the promise of her idea, although they had a lot of details to fill in. “Baker has a strong base of customers, and he’s a good guy.”
“Sarah always liked him. She got coffee from the Coffee Roastery every day before she got on the train. I haven’t seen him much since I’ve been back. Opening a shop is nonstop work.”
“Your to-do list must be crazy. As for Baker, he’s going through a divorce, but he’ll want to make time for this. I’ll talk to him if you’d like. Then the three of us can meet and talk specifics. Because doing anything right now will mean meeting crazy health and safety standards.”
“We can do some video promotions,” she said, pulling out her phone. “Are you on social media?”
He laughed. “No. That keeps falling off my checklist. I’m just trying to get through all of this. You know?”
Her eyes darkened, and he felt the pull of those big brown eyes. He was in real trouble of falling for her. A voice in his head corrected him—again. You’re in danger of falling for her again.
Vinnie came out from the side door to their outdoor seating, a tray in his hand. “Put your masks on,” he said in his boisterous voice. “I’m coming out with drinks and a snack.”
Ever the host, Hank thought, shooting his friend a smile before he and Alice put their masks back on. Vinnie set a carafe of red wine and two glasses in front of them, as well as a plate of mozzarella sticks with a side of the new marinara sauce he’d insisted on making, saying it was a step above that swill O’Connor’s long-time chef and Hank’s godfather served out of the jar. Marty wasn’t any happier with the changes Vinnie was instituting than Hank’s dad was, but Hank tried to stay out of the middle. He loved the old cuss.