Nets and Lies(55)

It turned out Nick’s loft was in the same row of buildings as the church. It wasn’t the greatest looking area in the world, but I was so proud for him. He’d come a long, long way in a year.

Nick took his keys from his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. After he opened it, he motioned for me to go in first. I took off my coat and glanced around the apartment.

“So, um, it’s not much, but this is home sweet home,” Nick said. He raked his hand over his dark, buzzed hair, and I could tell he was nervous showing it to me.

It might have been a bit run down on the outside, but the inside was so homey. It was one huge, open room. One part was divided into a kitchen and dining room and past that there was a living area with a worn sofa and chair. In the far corner was a double bed and chest of drawers. A partition divided what I imagined was the shower and toilet from the rest of the room.

I turned back to Nick and smiled. “It’s great—I love it.”

He cocked his eyebrows. “Really? I would’ve thought compared to your house, it’s a real shithole.”

I shook my head furiously, hating how he was running himself down. “That’s my mom’s house. This is your place. You did all of this yourself without anyone else’s money. And for someone who is a recovering addict off the streets that’s pretty freakin’ amazing.”

Nick contemplated my response. Then he grinned broadly. “Okay, then, let’s get started on dinner.”

I followed him over to the kitchen. “And what culinary delight are you preparing?”

“Well, I figured after working all the time in an Italian restaurant, we could do with a change. So, I thought chicken enchiladas would be good.”

I bobbed my head appreciatively. “How did you know I loved Mexican food so much?”

“Lucky guess….and a good one considering I went ahead and made them earlier today!”

I laughed as Nick took out a casserole dish from the refrigerator. He passed it under my nose for inspection. “Hmm, those smell amazing.”

He beamed as he set the dish aside to preheat the oven. “I figured we’d be pretty starved after we got in, so I thought I’d better plan ahead.”

“I do like a man with a plan,” I joked as I hopped up on one of the empty counters. Swinging my feet back and forth, I watched as Nick began gathering the onions, tomatoes, and chilies for fresh Pico de Gallo. “So where did you learn to cook?” I asked when he started dicing the veggies.

“It’s actually in my blood. My dad’s family owns an Italian restaurant up in Jersey. When he wasn’t on a binge, my dad would do the cooking in the house. He taught me a lot of dishes that had been passed down in my family from when they were back in Sicily. I’m hoping to convince Manny to let me introduce them to the menu.”

I rolled my eyes. “Good luck with that one.”

The oven timer went off, and he slid the enchiladas inside. “Tell me about it.”

“But hey, if your family was from Sicily, maybe you’ve got some mob connections that could put some heat on Manny.”

Nick laughed. “That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?”

I giggled. “It’d probably make working for him a lot easier. He is such a tool sometimes.”

With a snort, Nick said, “I don’t think he needs the mob. I think he just needs to get laid.” The moment he realized what he said, his ducked his head. He busied himself fixing some chips and salsa for us to snack on.

To change the subject, I asked, “Do you ever hear from any of your dad’s family?”

“Yeah, I actually talked with one of my uncles a few months ago. He’d been looking for me since I left the last foster home.”

“That’s great.”

Nick nodded. “When he heard I wanted to go to culinary school, he asked me to come up to Jersey and run the family restaurant while I’m in school.”

My heart sank. I couldn’t believe the emotions coursing through me. Even though it was way too soon, I couldn’t bear the thoughts of Nick leaving. Finally I found my voice again. “That’s awesome.”

“I haven’t decided if I want to do it or not. It would be cool to have some family support after all these years.”

“I can only imagine.”

He slid the plate with the chips and salsa over to me. “Have you ever thought of looking up your dad?”

Shrugging, I took one of the chips and broke it apart. “Sometimes.”

Nick came over and stood in front of me. “Are you afraid of what you might find out? Like what happened to him?”

“Maybe.” At Nick’s expectant gaze, I sighed. “Maybe I’m afraid that I’ll find him living an amazing life with a new wife and kids. Maybe I’ll find out that he still doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, and that his greatest regret is me being born.”

I hated myself when tears stung my eyes. When they spilled over my cheeks, Nick swept them away. “You won’t ever know until you try,” he whispered.

I bobbed my head. “Yeah, I know.”

“You might find out he’s been wrestling with contacting you just as much as you have him.”

“That’d be cool.”

Nick smiled. “Hang in there, Jordan. Things are going to work out for you.”