Friends in High Places Read online

  “I’m so glad you understand, Kat. You’re really an amazing woman.” His voice was so grateful it just made me feel worse. Was he relieved I was so willing to jump into the friend zone?

  In the awkward silence that followed, I stared down at the leaves all around our feet, not knowing what to say, and then Gino moved even closer and he lifted my face toward his and then, very gently, he kissed my forehead before turning and hurrying back up the path to the house. “I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea,” he said, “We’ll see you Saturday!”

  “I’m looking forward to it!” I called out, watching him leap up the steps and hurry back into the house. And then I got in my car and, with shaky hands, started it and began the short drive home, more confused than I’d ever been.

  I wondered which wrong idea he’d been hinting at. Was it the wrong idea that he wanted to be with me but was taking his time in developing our relationship because of Tori’s attitude, and was it the right idea that he was most comfortable remaining friends?

  He’d mentioned the possibility of a future relationship with him and his children, but then he was so relieved when I understood he couldn’t really date now; so much so it didn’t seem as if he did want the kind of relationship with me I was secretly hoping he did.

  And then the kiss had been wonderful and disappointing all at the same time. I’d always thought that when a man was attracted to you, he kissed you on the lips even if it was just a peck.

  Maybe the truth was that he liked me as he said he did and was glad I had connected with his children, but he really wasn’t ready to move on yet and fall in love again. Maybe that had more to do with him than it did Tori. Just maybe she provided a welcome excuse not to move on with his life.

  As I pulled up to my little cottage, I was relieved to see I hadn’t forgotten to leave the porch light on and as I knew he would be, my gray cat, Charlie, was sitting at attention on the windowsill, waiting patiently for me to return.

  The night was growing chillier by the moment and I was glad to be back home and hugging my cat. Charlie purred, then scolded me as he always did when I went out at night and made him worry something might have happened to me. He was definitely my cat-husband.

  I couldn’t wait until morning when I could call Lilly and see what she thought about Gino’s speech and his friendly kiss on my forehead. I knew she’d make me feel better about it, but I was already beginning to lower my expectations. Strangely, if I had to choose between a romance with Gino that would alienate Tori and a beautiful rewarding friendship with his entire little family, I think I would have to choose the friendship.

  I picked up my sketch pad and began to draw. I had an idea growing and taking form for a new tea set design. I sketched quickly from memory. A little girl with red hair

  sat beside the sea surrounded by her cat friends, and a little dark-haired brother. Dressed in Victorian bathing costumes, they all sat on a colorful blanket together on the sand, sipping their tea from graceful shells. My mind raced with different scenes, and a graceful design for the pot and sugar bowl…each with a different shell on top of the lid. Gino would love this…It would make the perfect Christmas gift for all three of them; a little piece of my heart and an offer of friendship.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  TORI

  “I’m confused. I don’t want my daddy to date anybody, but maybe I’m just being selfish. We all went to dinner at this friend of my dad’s house last night and there was this nice lady there…And she really gets me…We even both love to draw! Her name is Kat, remember, I mentioned her before and I was sure I was going to hate her, but… I don’t at all. She said her mom is thinking about dating too and it’s even bothering her and she’s a grown-up. Turns out I was completely wrong about her.”

  “But one thing bothers me. I was listening to her talk about her mom dating and I started to wonder if I’m being selfish because Kat said she wasn’t going to say anything to her mom about how she feels because she just wants her mom to be happy. I don’t think I can be like that, Angel. It’s just if Daddy really loved Mommy how can he be happy with anybody else?”

  Angel was sitting on the swing next to me and she jumped off and then turned to face me. “I can understand how that could confuse you.” I said, “It’s freaky to even think about your parent going on a date.”

  “Right! And that’s exactly what Kat said!”

  “It sounds to me like Kat is a smart lady.”

  “Yeah…I think she really is…And I feel bad that I was all ready to hate her before I even met her.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that because it shows you’re growing up. You’ve been through alot, Tori. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I bet Kat understands that part too.”

  “You sound like you know her. How would you know that?”

  “Probably because I’m a smart lady, too.”

  “And modest.”

  We laughed together and it felt great to just let myself feel something good and not think for a while.

  “So it won’t bother you now if Kat and your dad start dating?”

  “Dating? No! Dad was talking about looking for somebody on the internet to date. It’s just that I was wrong about Kat. She isn’t like that. She’s my friend. She understands how I feel. She would never do that to me.”

  I couldn’t see Angel’s face as she walked toward the ice cream place, but I could tell she didn’t like what I’d just said. I guess I’m not as grown up as she thought I was.

  “Let’s get some ice cream, Kid,” she called back to me, “Race you!” And she shot off over the shiny green grass. The sun was so bright it nearly blinded me as we ran out from under our favorite tree and toward the light. And in that moment I wondered if I’d even remember this dream in the morning.

  ***

  TORI’S DIARY

  October 25th.

  It was very dark in my cousin Gia’s bedroom and the only light came in under the door to the hallway. Her blinds were down and it took a moment for my eyes to get used to the pitch black all around me. It was Sunday night and I was sleeping at her house because Dad had taken Anthony and Sal to a birthday party at Chucky Cheese and Gia and I are so over that place we can’t stand to go there anymore. It’s really just for little kids. Then Aunt Lisa had stayed at Grandma's to help her clean up the kitchen and Uncle Mario had taken us back to their house so we could get ready for bed.

  It took a minute before I realized what woke me up, and then I realized it was Gia. I was in the twin bed across the room from hers, but I could hear her making strange noises and then she whispered, “Stop! Please!”

  I tried to focus my eyes in the dark and realized Uncle Mario was sitting on her bed. I had this very bad feeling he was up to no good. I felt sick to my stomach and I put my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream out loud. Was he doing something to hurt her?

  The strangest thing is that he was so quiet while Gia was so upset? I couldn’t figure it out, but I knew I had to do something to help her so I sat up in bed and said, “Are you Okay, Gia?”

  She started to cry out loud then, and it looked to me as if Uncle Mario pushed her face sideways into her pillow.

  “She’s fine, Tori,” he said in a mad voice. “I came in because I heard her whimpering. She just had a bad dream. That’s all.”

  “Is Aunt Lisa home yet?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” he said, springing to his feet. “Now the two of you get back to sleep; school in the morning.”

  The door slammed and he was gone and Gia sobbed harder into her pillow. I jumped up and ran to her. Her shoulders were heaving and she was shaking all over. “That must have been a really bad dream,” I whispered, “Do you want me to sleep with you?”

  “Yes!” She threw her arms around me and I just held her while she cried.

  “But why was Uncle Mario just sitting on your bed? What’s up with him? He wasn’t comforting you, or anything. It was weird. Did he say something to scare you? Do you want to
talk about it, Gia?”

  “No! I can’t talk about it, Tori! Just forget about it. Please? I have these bad dreams sometimes, and he thinks I’m being silly. You know what he’s like.”

  “Yeah, I do,” I assured her, as I slid under her covers and stroked her back until she finally fell back to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep; at least not until I heard Aunt Lisa come in. That’s when I got up and came over by the window and started writing all of this down.

  The thing is, I just don’t like Uncle Mario, and I don’t trust him. There’s something wrong with him and I’m surprised no one else in the family can see it but me. Thank God my dad isn’t anything like him.

  And now I can hardly see this page because I’m crying too and more than anything in the world I want to see my mom and be able to talk to her about all this. She would be the perfect person to help me figure it all out. But she’s gone and she’s never coming back. Maybe sometime Gia will tell me what’s really bothering her and then I can try to get her to talk to Aunt Lisa about it.

  I don’t know what else to do and sometimes writing things out helps me to figure them out, and as I read back over this, I realize I have no choice but to try to find out more about what’s really going on over here. Until Gia opens up to me I don’t see how I can help her. It would be a complete disaster if I was totally wrong about Uncle Mario being a big creep. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am.

  ***

  “Look, Tori, the moon is huge tonight!” Anthony whispers to me.

  Right then the wagon we’re in teeters on the edge of a huge rut in the path and then jolts down hard. Most of the kids and parents who are riding with us squeal, and a few laugh nervously. It’s spooky out here in the cornfield maze, but not too spooky because there were so many of us on the wagon. We all sit huddled together on plank seats that line the inside and it’s actually pretty cozy.

  “It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!” Kat begins to sing softly in an ominous voice. Soon, Daddy, Lilly, and Tom are singing along, while several of the other moms and dads join in too, so it must have been a song they all learned when they were kids in school. “Ghosts and goblins and witches are seen. On Halloween!!!

  “AHAAAAHAHAAAAA!” They all finish with that laugh the evil witch does in The Wizard of Oz.

  Little T. and Daisy scream, and then laugh as their daddy tickles them both until they all fell over in the center of the wagon. At this very minute, we pass a huge Hemlock tree and a snarling zombie drops down from the branches above and lands right next to them, exactly in the middle of our hayride!

  All I can hear are gasps; and then Daisy jumps back up, shouting, “Bad Monster!” as she swings her little pink purse and smacks the zombie in the side of his knee. Dressed as an angel, her halo falls forward over her eyes before she snatches it off and throws it down in the hay.

  Kat and I start to giggle as we hug each other and watch Little T. and Anthony, both in ninja costumes, crouch together, assuming the fighting position they’d learned last week in the Karate class they took at the Y. Then leaping into the air and screaming at the top of their lungs, they both lash out at the scary intruder.

  The unfortunate zombie quickly jumps off the wagon and limps back down the path. “They don’t pay me enough for this crap!” We hear him complain as he takes off.

  “You guys are really brave!” Kat says, “I was scared myself there for a minute.”

  “Ninjas never back down,” Little T. bellows.

  “Times have changed,” Lilly sighs, “Remember how frightened we all used to be on the haunted hayride?” She shakes her head. “I hate it when a dream dies.”

  Kat and I start to laugh again at the same time. “That was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time,” she says.

  I agree with her as we turn down another path and three witches slip out from their hiding places in the tall stalks and began to moan while reaching out and tugging at our clothing. We all started to scream and both Little T. and Anthony try to fight back again, but the going is rough along these paths, and they both end up tumbling back down into the hay. They roll around and wrestle with each other instead and soon we turn a corner out of the corn field and arrive back at the beginning of the course.

  “That was fun,” I say to Kat.

  “It really was,” she says, “It’s been years since I came up here on Halloween. I’m so glad you’re dad invited me to come along.”

  Dad is grinning at her and she grins back at him. “It’s my pleasure,” he says.

  I hug Kat, then say, “Mine too!”

  I’m starting to feel really close to her and the funniest thing is we’ve picked the same thing to be tonight. She’s a cat and all night everyone keeps saying I must be her kitten.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MERI

  “I’ve finished setting up the buffet in the dining room, Meri,” Franny said, then sneezed and clawed the fake spider webs away from her face as she came through the archway into the living room. I was lighting new candles in the carved jack-o-lanterns along the sill of the huge front bay window preparing for the second part of our yearly Halloween Extravaganza. Crow napped on the window-seat cushion, wearing his little purple Dracula cape as if he looked forward to it each year.

  “I guess we need to scale back on the webs,” I said, adjusting my purple silk witches’ hat over my long auburn hair and checking out all of the decorations we’d spent days putting up.

  Franny laughed at me. “I love that costume, Meri! I never get tired of seeing you in it every year!”

  “It does seem to suit me,” I laughed.

  “I’d better get home and get dressed-up myself before everyone starts to arrive for the party. Do you realize we must have given out nearly five hundred candy bars so far this evening. If half that many families come back for the party later on we’ve got a huge crowd coming!”

  “You won’t get any complaints from me about that, My Friend!”

  “No surprise there!” Franny said, “Your one party rule has always been, ‘the more the merrier!’”

  “Absolutely, now scoot. I’m just going to take a minute and check the dating site for messages one more time before people start to arrive.”

  I sat at my desk and lifted the cover on my laptop, logging in as if I’d been doing it my entire life. This has turned out to be an adventure! I’d only managed to mess the computer up about four times since Kat set it up for me earlier this month and I considered that to be quite the accomplishment.

  But the real surprise was how much I enjoyed writing back and forth with several different gentlemen. It was a lot more fun than I’d imagined it would be. It’s a shame it took me so long to finally join the information age! I’d never done any real dating before, except for Bob, and that hardly counts since we started going together back when we were kids.

  “So do you expect any of your prospective suitors to show up tonight at the big party?” Franny asked, pausing in the doorway to put her jacket on.

  “Oh, My Lord, no!” I said, “I’ve only spoken on the phone to that one nice man named Brian, but I’m not ready to meet anyone in person yet.”

  “Hmmmn,” she said, “During your most recent conversation, you didn’t happen to mention to him that you own this bed and breakfast or that you’re throwing a huge open Halloween party tonight…or did you?” Franny grinned at me.

  She knew me well. “I may have mentioned something like that…but you don’t think Brian would just show up like that?! Do you?” I felt panic quickly growing.

  “You never know. And would that be so bad? You can’t flirt forever, Meri. Sooner or later you know you’ll have to at least meet one of these guys in person.”

  Franny smiled at me with her pretty hazel eyes as she tucked her wavy, blonde hair back behind her ears.

  My heart began to pound at the thought. “I guess so,” I said, “But I’m just not ready yet.”

  She was halfway out the door when she said, “Well, I’m
kind of hoping this Brian does decide to put on a costume and just show up. From what you’ve told me about him, he seems special. And his picture is really cute.”

  I stood and closed the laptop. “Well, I hope he doesn’t because I’m going to be busy enough as it is. Now get home, get dressed, and come back here with the family. I can’t wait to see the kids in their costumes.”

  I threw another log on the fire, and adjusted the hearth screen. I’ve always loved the excitement of Halloween, but I’m not as fond of the questionable excitement of surprises, and I hoped Brian wouldn’t decide to pop up on my doorstep tonight of all night!

  ***

  There were wall to wall guests dressed in costumes ranging from a walking dirty laundry basket to every super hero and Disney princess on the storybook shelf. When Kat walked in with her group of friends, I nearly fell over. She was holding the hand of an adorable little girl who was her spitting image at that age, right down to the hair color! It took my breath for a moment, they looked so perfect together, and they were even dressed in matching costumes. It was a bittersweet moment because I know how much she wants a family.

  “Introduce me to your mama,” Gino Rossi asked. I recognized him immediately as he stepped forward and took my hand in both of his. “I’m Gino, Mrs. Donovan,” he said, “and it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”

  He was dressed as a pirate and even without the dashing costume I’d have to be on ice at the morgue not to beam back at this gorgeous man, even though he is young enough to be my son. “It’s great to see you, again, Gino! Everybody around here knows who you are! You were one of our wrestling stars at the high school and now you’re back home and selling real estate with Tom. And of course I know your lovely mother and sisters! I gave candy to Lisa’s kids earlier this evening. How have you been, Sweetheart?”