Speak Low (Speak Easy 2)

“Tiny, how old are you now, dear?” Joey’s oldest sister Therese smiled at me from across the table, which had been extended to accommodate all the adults.

“Twenty. I’ll be twenty-one next month.”

“And are you working or going to school, or does your father keep you busy at home?”

“Well, I’ve been working for Bridget at the store and I attended nursing school at the University of Detroit for a bit over the last year or so. I’d like to go back, if I can save up tuition money.”

“Oh.” She took another bite from her plate and chewed thoughtfully. “So you’d like to work a while then, before you have a family?”

“I’m sorry?”

Therese exchanged a look with Joanna. “Do you plan on having a family?”

Joey and I locked eyes for a second. “Uh, I… haven’t really thought about it. Not too much, I mean. My own sisters have kept me pretty busy.”

“Oh, they should be plenty able to care for themselves by now, shouldn’t they? You should start thinking about your own.”

“Therese. Leave her alone,” Joey scolded. “Tiny can make her own decisions.” He scooped another helping of roasted zucchini onto his plate and turned to me. “Can I get you some more?”

I shook my head—I still had a full plate of food.

Joey’s sisters exchanged another look.

“So, Joey,” Therese said. “Going back to Chicago now that Ma is settled at Marie’s, I hear?”

Joey sipped his wine. “That’s the plan.”

I set down my fork and picked up my wine as well.

“I wish you wouldn’t go,” Joanna piped up. “I’ve been trying hard to convince him to stay and run this place, Tiny, but he won’t listen to me. Maybe you’ll have more luck.”

“Basta, Joanna.” Joey’s voice held a warning.

She put her hands up. “Don’t get mad, I’m only saying it because I think you’d be so good at it. And it’s breaking Ma’s heart to have to sell.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and gestured toward the other end of the table, where Joey’s mother sat with the older adults.

“Nice. Pin Ma’s broken heart on me now, too.” Joey forked a rice ball with vehemence.

“Well, anyone can see she doesn’t want to give it up. It was her dream to run this place. And Papa’s too.”

He glared at her and she dropped the subject. But from that point on, something in Joey was less than it had been. He still smiled at me affectionately, and in his eyes was a promise of what was to come later, but I knew that he’d been bothered by the mention of his father. We hadn’t even spoken about what he planned to do with the information Enzo had given him. And what about Chicago? Would he still go? Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I’d just gotten him. Would I lose him already?

Over cannolis and coffee, I brooded a little. As thrilling as falling in love was, Bridget and Joey were right—it left you vulnerable, unprotected. Had I offered my heart to Joey only to have it broken when he left? Was he still bent on seeking revenge for his father, or would I be enough to convince him to leave the past alone?

Then there was the other kind of danger—the kind that might occur once Enzo realized I’d been less than truthful about Joey and me. And even though I hadn’t exactly lied, I knew he wouldn’t see it that way. Fear seized me, and my coffee cup clattered against the saucer in my hands.

Joey put his fingers on my wrist, and I looked into his concerned eyes, which made me hot through the center all over again. Lord, when would his family leave? I was desperate to get him alone. At the same time, we both glanced behind us at the clock on the mantel. When we realized it, we shared a genuine grin, and my hands steadied.

And when his relative finally gathered their hats, purses, and children to leave, my pulse began to race.

Chapter Thirteen

Goodbyes in Joey’s family were endless. Endless! Just when I thought he’d hugged and kissed the last relative goodbye, there was another one standing with open arms. All of them hugged me and kissed my cheeks as well, and his mother made Joey promise to send me home with a big plate of food for my father and sisters. She and Marie’s brood were the last ones out the door, and she looked around longingly at the front room before going.

Her eyes were shiny with tears, and I understood. It must have been hard for her to move out, leaving all the relics of her past here. She pointed a finger at Joey. “You take her right home. I don’t want her father to think I don’t raise a gentleman.”

“Ma, for cripes sake.” Joey turned her by the shoulder and steered her out the door into the hallway. He looked back at me. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to see them off.”

Nodding, I watched Marie’s two young children scurry out after them, which left only Marie and I in the front room.