Page 68 of Back for Seconds

Mimi patted the stool beside her, ignoring my inquiring look, while the other woman enthused: “Please!” Her eyes were the most stunning, implacable shade of hazel. “We really need to even out the gender dynamic here.”

“Del, come on,” Angel whined at the woman with the sleek bob. “You’re one of the muthafucking boys.” Then, turning to me, he lowered his head in a conspiratorial nod. “She’s a hard ass. I saw her throw a man out of the bar by his belt loops last night.”

“Don’t”—Del held up a finger to silence him—“start with this bit.”

“I saw Del arrest a police officer for jaywalking,” Louis added. “Rumor has it, he’s still serving time.”

“Yesterday Del pulled me over and asked if I was old enough to drive this thing!” Isaac gestured to his wheelchair. “What the fuck, Del!”

“Oh my god.” Her mouth fell open as she barely kept back laughter. “Isaac, not you too? Don’t let them pollute your mind.”

“Wait—she actually did flag Officer Burke two weeks ago,” the man with his arms around her neck added, mouth pulled into a wild smirk. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her temple. “She’s a bad mama jama.”

That made Angel and Louis howl.

Angel was the shortest of the Pagano brothers, despite being the oldest, and he kept his curls in a close-cropped wavy style. His arms were covered in a patchwork quilt of tattoos of varying levels of quality. At his side, Louis was his complete opposite. He favored his father the most out of the four boys; he had Joey’s same aquiline nose but was altogether more petite, with thin shoulders and a slim, angular face. Unlike his brothers, his hair wasn’t a raven black but more of a chestnut brown, which only added to his boyishness. Isaac, on the other hand, was nearly Joey’s twin. They had the same sideways smile that made their eyes shimmer and the same square, strong jaw. All Isaac needed was a few smile lines and a ponytail.

“Hold on! He was totally trashed!” Del shouted, defending herself through laughter. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Something deep in my stomach twisted at the sight of them—his hands sliding down to rest on her full belly, the adoration so clear in his eyes; the light glinting off her diamond ring when she reached up to swat affectionately at his ear, matching the shine in her eyes as they caught on his gaze. Like a flash of lightning, an entire private world passed between them. Made up of inside jokes and horrible fights and hard-won years of happiness. My stomach kept twisting as the conversation carried on. Why didn’t seeing them make me miss Brian? Had Brian ever wrapped his arms around me like that? Held me close and kissed my temple? Loved me in a way that made the entire room warm of that light?

No.

All that twisting—it was just plain longing.

Del caught my eye and flashed me a soft smile. “We own the bar on Brambleberry, and the Pagano brothers love to make fun of me for taking my job seriously.” She leaned forward and extended her hand. “I’m Del. What’s your name again?”

“The Billiards?” I took her hand, shoving away the pain in my chest, letting her warmth replace it. “I love that place. And I’m June. Great to meet you.”

Her husband flashed me a dazzling sideways grin. “Eddie. Nice to meet you.”

“You don’t have a drink.” Del frowned at my empty hands. “Eddie, make her a mojito.”

The boys fell into a round of laughter, cajoling her loudly. But Eddie just smiled, and then he fucking did it.

Chapter 21 June

I was halfway through my mojito, laughing so hard I thought I might sprain a rib at the third or fourth story Angel told us about his daughters—the noisy brood of pigtailed girls monopolizing Joey’s TV—when Joey appeared back at my side. An absolute natural, Angel even had Mimi doing her quiet little shoulder-shaking laugh, and she wasn’t always an easy laugh.

Once I got myself under control, Joey held out two paper plates, balancing one on each hand.

“For you, madam. Only our finest cutlery and flatware.”

“For me?” I smiled up at him. “I was waiting to eat with you,” I admitted. “I feel like we’ve had dinner together every night this week.”

For a moment, everything in his features softened. “I think you’re right, Junebug. We can’t break the streak now.”

We ate until we were full, and then we ate some more. We only stopped eating when one of Joey’s uncles pushed his chair back, turned off the lights, and turned up the music. It was a song everyone knew—everyone except me and Mimi. We looked at each other and shrugged, snickering into our drinks like nervous middle schoolers.

She lifted a pinky from her wine glass, pointing at an older gentleman swinging his hips in a wide and violent circle. “Don’t hurt yourself, king.”

Rum and carbs had lulled me into a buoyant, giggly mess. I pressed the back of my hand into my nose, snorting with laughter. Then Louis stole Mimi away, and I was left on my stool alone, swaying to the beat. I watched Eddie gently spin Del, sliding his hands back and forth over the dip of her waist while Joey’s dad and Bernie traded complicated footwork.

“JB,” a familiar voice purred close to my ear. I turned to find Joey leaning against the island, his head bowed close to mine. He’d pulled his hair back, all except for one zig-zagging curl that fell over his eyes.

“JP.” I felt loose and soft. I reached out and swiped the curl away from his eyes.

“You’re gonna dance with me, right?”