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Carlo woke to darkness in the early November morning. He closed his eyes again and let himself linger beneath the warmth of the bedcovers. It was a quiet morning, but in the distance he could make out the ding-ding-ding of the NJ Transit bells warning that a train was pulling into the station followed by the toot-toot of the train. Beneath those sounds was the low murmur of the nearby ocean and the sharp bursts of a sea breeze as it buffeted his house.
He was almost always awake before the crack of dawn to take advantage of the peace and calm before the day got hectic. He would get in a quick workout before heading to his office to oversee what needed to be done that day for the events and catering orders his company had been entrusted to handle.
His company, he thought with a smile. He pillowed his head on his hands, stared up at the ceiling, and allowed himself a moment to appreciate all that he’d accomplished in the nearly dozen years since he’d left the family bakery. From one food truck he’d gone to three during the busy summer months with the help of his two younger brothers. A win on one of the food channel challenge programs had brought in a needed infusion of cash from the prize while the publicity had skyrocketed sales. That increase in customers had allowed him to open a full-time catering business. Long hours and lots of hard work had taken him to where he was today with an operation that employed over a dozen people full time and twice as many part-timers when needed.
Not bad, he thought as he slipped from the bed and stretched in the narrow space in his bedroom. The king-sized bed took up nearly the entire room, but he was a big man and couldn’t imagine sleeping in anything smaller. He ambled out through a small hall to the kitchen where he prepped an espresso maker for his morning coffee and grabbed the remote to turn on the television just several feet away in the living room. With the push of a few buttons he was watching the financial news to see what the markets were doing and how that might impact his business. Many years earlier a big downturn in the markets had caused many of his customers in the financial sector to tighten their belts, causing him to lose business.
His mother would chide him for being a work-a-holic and starting his day that way. Carlo couldn’t deny it, but he was fine with that because it had put him at a place in his life where he could consider doing something different. Like maybe the event planning business Emma and he had discussed some time ago. And maybe even something more with Emma although things had gotten a little awkward with them ever since the kiss months earlier.
He didn’t regret the kiss. In fact, the only thing he regretted was having had it take almost nine years since the day he’d first met her and realized that she was the woman who’d be perfect for him. And maybe now, after that kiss, it was time to prove it to her, he thought.
Returning his full attention to the financial news, he was pleased with what he saw and lay down in the center of the narrow living room to do some quick pushups and crunches while the coffee brewed. The smell of it soon filled the small space and the sputter of the espresso pot warned him the coffee was ready. He headed back the few feet to the kitchen where he prepped his morning cup of café com leite for that much needed morning rush of caffeine and sugar.
As he sipped his coffee, a news story came on about tiny houses yanking a chuckle from him. Between growing his business and buying a prime lot close to the beach in Sea Kiss, he’d only been able to afford the compact mobile home he’d plopped on the lot to live in until he could one day replace it with a larger house. One that he’d intended to fill with a wife and kids, only the one woman with whom he wanted to share that home was more distant than ever.
For a moment he thought maybe he shouldn’t have kissed Emma at the wedding, but he just hadn’t been able to resist. He should have known better. He’d told himself that a thousand times since that night, but he hadn’t stopped hoping she’d come around. Maybe after Connie and Jonathan’s wedding and the holiday break that would follow, Emma would soften up a little and consider that maybe she was entitled to a little love in her life as well.
As Squawkbox came on the air, it drew his attention back to the television and he listened for only a few more minutes since he had to get going for a quick jog and shower before heading to work. He chugged down the coffee, dressed in sweats, and raced out the door. Barely an hour later, he was on his way to the warehouse housing his catering business.
He opened the front door and flipped on all the lights. Strolled through the reception area to the kitchens and work areas to make sure all was in order from the work the cleaning crew had done overnight to the walk-in freezers and fridges holding supplies. Then back to the stockrooms where they kept the china, cutlery, linens, tables, chairs, and decorations used for events. Finally, he sauntered toward the front of the building where he, his youngest brother Paolo, and their staff had their workspace.
In his office he perused the large calendar on the wall which was marked up with their events and orders for the upcoming months and smiled. Life was good. The business was doing well and would be busy through the holiday season with a wedding and various holiday parties. There was a slight break in January, which was normal, and then back to work for a number of February weddings. Lots of people loved the idea of a wedding close to Valentine’s Day.
Yes, life was definitely good, he thought again, but then the little voice in his said, Except for your non-existent love life.
He drove that niggling idea away and went to work since he only had a couple of hours before an early morning meeting with none other than Emma, Connie, and Jonathan to go over their wedding plans. He had finished making notes for everything that needed to be done when Paolo strolled in for work, his face shadowed by a scruffy beard, hair bed-tousled, clothes rumpled as if he’d slept in them.
“Late night?” Carlo asked and arched a brow, worried that his youngest brother didn’t seem to be settling down. Unfortunately, life at the Shore could include a lot of partying.
“Sim, but it’s not what you think, mano. Lily got sick and I spent most of the night at the vet’s.”
Paolo loved the rescued pit bull that their avô, his mother’s father, had given him, worried that the youngest wild child needed to become less restless and that maybe the responsibility of owning a dog might help him become more settled.
“I hope Lily will be okay,” Carlo said because he liked the scrappy little dog.
Paolo tiredly dropped into a chair in front of Carlo’s desk and dragged his fingers through the dark strands of his wavy hair, smoothing it into place. “She will. Vet managed to get out the blockage without surgery, but it was scary for a moment. Makes me wonder how parents handle things that happen like that with their kids, sabe.”
“Sim, eu sei. Mamãe and papai had their share of sleepless nights with all of us,” Carlo said with a shake of his head.
Paolo chuckled. “They did. Good thing we’re all getting old and boring. Except Tomás, but at least he’s back in the States for a bit.”
Carlo was glad for that because he worried when his bad ass Army Ranger brother Tomás was on a mission. More than once he’d wished that Tomás would also settle down and leave behind his dangerous life.
“Let’s hope Tomás finds time to visit his family while he’s back,” Carlo said and then shifted the talk to work and what needed to be done while he was at his morning meeting. After a quick chat, Carlo was satisfied that Paolo and his staff were ready to handle the chores scheduled for that day and left to go meet Emma, Connie, and Jonathan at the Sinclair mansion.
As he drove through town, he noticed that the Christmas decorations were starting to go up and some of the shops were already boasting holiday trimmings even though Thanksgiving was still a few weeks away. Sea Kiss was getting into the holiday season and he loved the change even if it was a little early. It always made him feel like he was home to see the Christmas spirit coming alive in the quaint Jersey Shore town. Funny considering how different Sea Kiss was from the urban Ironbound section of Newark where he’d grown up. Despite the differences, both places had that special something that made them unique, and Carlo was glad that he’d fled the nest and struck out on his own.
He’d needed his space and to make his own way and that wouldn’t have been possible in the Ironbound where everyone knew him and his family and expected him to join the family business unaware of the fact that his younger brothers and he might not be welcome there.
With a sigh, he dispelled that sadness and focused instead on the happy decorations and what he hoped would be even more joyous gatherings. Connie and Jonathan’s upcoming wedding was sure to start the holiday season right for all of them, and he had no doubt that it would be perfect.
Perfect was what he and Emma did together because they had a unique kind of alchemy that let them take the most basic idea and transform it into something golden and wondrous. Not that they hadn’t had their share of near disasters like the time the baker’s delivery truck had gotten into an accident on the way to the wedding. The crash had toppled the multi-tiered cake, but somehow in the few hours before the reception he had managed to piece it back together and hide the damage while Emma had raced out to the bakery for replacement cakes to feed the guests.
He was certain that Emma and he could be perfect together in other ways, whether it was being business partners or lovers. More than once he’d pictured making love with her and he was glad that he’d finally shown her just how he felt with the kiss. He knew they’d put things back to right soon. He missed their almost daily calls and the way they’d used to chat about what was going on in their lives once business was done. He missed just hanging out with Emma after a consult to share a bite and brainstorm ideas for whatever wedding they were working on. Most of all, he just missed seeing her, period.
Fifteen minutes later he wheeled his van into the circular driveway of the Sinclair family mansion and parked behind Emma’s Sebring convertible. Connie and her fiancé Jonathan were staying in the Sinclair beach house while renovations were being done to the Pierce family mansion next door.
He glanced over at the newlywed’s home-to-be which already looked so different than it had barely a month earlier. The bright colors welcomed and flowers lined the walk, inviting you to stroll up to the front door. That is if you could get past the carpenters, sawhorses, and lumber piled here and there along the walk and lawn. From inside the home came the sounds of whirring saws and men hammering away.
With Connie and Jonathan’s wedding barely over a month away, Carlo hoped that the work here and at Jonathan Pierce’s new corporate building would be done in time to host the ceremony and reception. Although they had talked about a Christmas wedding, everyone had decided to have the event the first week of December so the families could celebrate the holidays more peacefully.
Which meant he should get his butt in gear and head inside to go over what Connie and Jonathan wanted for their upcoming wedding. Especially since Emma was already here and he was eager to see her. He hopped out of the van and rushed to the door, and it swung open even before he could knock.
Connie stood there, smiling, looking more beautiful than ever with healthy color in her cheeks. Emma had told him during one of their almost daily calls that Connie had been experiencing horrible bouts of morning sickness during the first months of her pregnancy. Now into her third month, Connie looked positively radiant. He could understand how the saying about pregnant women glowing had come about. An aura of joy and peace surrounded her.
“Hola, Connie,” he said and dropped a friendly peck on her cheek.
“How are you, mi amigo?” she said and hugged him.
With a quick glance at Emma as she stood beside the kitchen table with Jonathan, he said, “I could be better.”
Connie tracked his gaze and nodded. “Don’t give up on her.” Wrapping her arm around his, Connie led him into the house. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
They walked together through the parlor and into the kitchen where Emma and Jonathan stood by the table, seemingly in a deep discussion.
“Hey, Carlo,” Jonathan shouted out and hurried over to give him a big bro hug and clasp his hand in greeting.
“Hey, yourself. I hope I didn’t miss much,” he said but it looked like Emma had only just started laying out wedding invitation samples on the table.
“Not a thing, but you know the world’s best wedding planner is way anal,” Jonathan teased Emma as he always did and returned to sit beside her at the table.
“I am totally anal – I prefer perfectionist by the way—because I’m so looking forward to ending your days of bachelorhood,” Emma taunted right back and playfully poked him in the ribs.
“It will be my pleasure,” Jonathan replied with a loving glance at Connie who slipped to her fiancé’s side for a kiss that raised the temperature in the room by a few degrees.
“Break it up, kids,” Emma said playfully, but then cursed as her portfolio fell onto its side and disgorged a mound of samples onto the floor.
Carlo bent at the same time Emma did and they barely avoided bumping heads as they gathered the invites into a pile. His hand brushed hers and heat blasted through him. As she jerked her hand away her gaze locked on his, full of confusion and yearning. It was a look he’d seen before on the night of Maggie’s wedding. On the night of that kiss and after.
“Thank you,” she said as they finished gathering the invites and rose together slowly. As their arms brushed, they jumped apart and quickly turned their attention to their two friends.
Jonathan and Connie were arm-in-arm and smiling, obviously in love.
“Time to get to work and plan the most epic wedding ever,” Emma said and motioned for their friends to come look at the invitations.
“Yes, let’s get to work,” Carlo said in the solemn and measured tone he reserved for clients and wedding guests. A tone that he’d unfortunately found himself using way too much around Emma lately.
