Blitzed(41)

Laurie nods and smiles, and I'm nearly in tears now, watching Troy father his daughter without even knowing it. Lorenzo comes back and sits down, saying nothing as the waitress brings out the desserts. Troy makes the best of the situation, talking with Laurie and me while eating the tiramisu, even clowning around a little by 'forgetting' a giant glob of cream on his nose, which makes Laurie descend into a gale of giggles. We finish dinner, and Troy is restrained enough to not offer to pay our check, seeing the way Lorenzo is still seething. As we get up to leave, Lorenzo takes Laurie to the car while I get my purse.

"Whitney," Troy says, leaning in close enough that it feels again like old times. "This was . . . this was nice. I'd like to see you guys again, if that's okay."

"I'm not sure, Troy," I reply, trying to control myself. "It may not be . . . safe."

"What is safe?" Troy asks, and slips a piece of paper into my hand. "Please. It's just my phone number. Just a call maybe. At least so I can ask the questions I need to ask."

I slip the paper into my purse and leave. Outside, I see Lorenzo stewing next to the car. Laurie's inside, but Lorenzo's still pissed, staring at me over the car. "What?"

"Are you happy now?" he nearly yells, gesturing at the restaurant. "First the game, and now this? Are you happy that you saw Mr. Football Hero? Can we go now? Or do you want some more private time?"

"Lorenzo, what I do is my own business," I say evenly, trying to keep my voice level. "We've discussed that, and you agreed to it as well. I know your feelings, but I won’t be ordered what to do!"

"So you can go running back to him? He's an imbecile, a brute who gets paid to beat up people in front of a crowd! You might as well call him a gladiatore!"

I nod, and open the door of the car. “Maybe, but he was polite and kind to all three of us tonight," I say. "That's better than I can say for you. Now, are you driving, or are you going to stand there?"

Lorenzo thumps down into the driver's seat and jams the keys into the ignition. He sits there for a moment, then shakes his head. "No. I'm sorry, Whitney, but I can’t do this anymore."

He gets out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition, and now Laurie's crying in her booster seat in the back of the car, watching the two adults who have so far raised her yell and argue. I get out and watch Lorenzo go around to the sidewalk. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the hotel," Lorenzo replies. "If you choose me, well, we can discuss that on the way back to Italy. But if not . . . I can't fight this ghost of yours any longer. I've been a good man to you, Whitney, and I love you with all my heart. But you don’t love me. I can see that. I can see something else, too, and I can't fight that anymore. So I'm not going to. I have too much of my life left to waste it fighting with some ghost that is now flesh. Arrivederci, Whitney."

Lorenzo walks off, and it's my turn to start crying as he leaves. I wipe at my eyes, though, and go around to the driver's seat, sitting behind the wheel. Laurie's still crying, not understanding except that Lorenzo's walked away. "Mama, what happened? Where's Lorenzo?"

"Away," I reply, looking back. "He's . . . well, baby, he may have to go back to Italy. We'll talk about it at Grandma's house. There's a lot to talk about, I think."

"Lorenzo's going? But why? Why is he leaving?" Laurie cries, tears rolling down her face, and I don't have an answer for her. Instead, I drive, hoping that my own tears don't lead to me getting in a wreck before I get to Mom's house.





Chapter 14





Troy





"Troy! Holy shit, man, it’s good to see you!"

I'm smiling as I give my old center a hug. Pete blocked for me for two years, and despite the fact that I'm now bigger than him, it certainly doesn't feel like it. The morning sun drifts through the trees that shade the entrance to Pete's house, and I let go of him, shaking hands instead. "Hey, bro, congratulations. Who'd have guessed that you'd get back with Dani after the Navy?"

"It is pretty freaky," he agrees, laughing. "But I guess that's just love, you know? When I got out of the Navy, I came back here just to chill for a bit and consider my options, and bam! I literally ran into her in the supermarket. Knocked her down coming around the corner to the frozen food aisle."

"So what are you doing now?" I ask, following Pete inside his house. It's a nice little place, not very big, but for a young couple just starting out, it's good. "I mean, besides getting married."

"I'm working for the city now," he says. "The Navy taught me to take care of all the pipes and water systems for a nuclear aircraft carrier, and now I get to do it for the city, minus the nuclear reactor, of course. Oh, the smart asses might call me just a plumber, but I prefer the term hydrology engineer. At least it sounds better on my business card."

I laugh and take a seat in the offered chair. "That's good, man. The city's a good place to work, and you two can build a good family here, you know?"

Pete nods, grinning. "We know. We already have it mapped out. I'm going to work while Dani finishes her doctorate, and after that, Dani's going to support me while I take night classes, turn that associate's I was able to get in the Navy into a four-year degree. Unless, of course, kids come, then we might have to adjust timelines."