Page 75 of Casino King

Do they know I’m coming? How will he introduce me to everyone? Will he hold my hand? Will he act like this week never happened and everything is just fine?

I dress in a flowy navy blue maxi skirt with a slit on one side that goes up to my knee, and tuck in a white short-sleeved top that has little knot ties on the sleeves. Adding a long, blue crystal tasseled necklace and a pair of nude wedges, I curl my hair in loose waves and apply my makeup.

I want to make a good first impression on his family, especially his mother, but I don’t want it to look like I’m trying too hard or wear clothes that are too fancy so they think I’m with Alec for his money. I’m just going as me.

Unless I’m expected to wear something fancy?

Mild panic starts to set in, so I quickly gather my purse and head out to the living room to see if Alec is here.

I wouldn’t be this nervous if he would’ve talked to me and maybe given me some direction as to what to expect. But nope, I’m flying blind on this.

“Hey, Tessa,” Vinny greets, standing from the couch. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I smile. “Is this okay for a family dinner? I’ve never done this before, but Alec’s always in a suit, so am I supposed to wear a nice dress, maybe?”

Laughing, he shakes his head. “You look perfect. Don’t worry, Anita will like you.”

“Anita?”

“Alec’s mom,” he says, and I immediately feel dumb.

“Alec hasn’t exactly told me anything about her, or what to expect tonight.”

“You’ll be fine. Just be yourself.”

I take a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “Alright.” I nod. “How much longer will Alec be?”

“Oh.” He frowns. “Did he not tell you?”

“What?”

“He’s meeting us there. He had to go into the city this afternoon to talk with Leo and Luca.”

“No, he didn’t tell me. We haven’t really talked in a few days,” I tell him reluctantly. “Is he okay? Is something going on? I know you can’t tell me much, if anything, but…”

“He’s fine,” Vinny says quickly. “He’s had a lot of work lately.”

Yeah, that sounds like a bullshit answer, but I’m not about to tell him that. “Alright, so it’s just us?”

“Yeah, and we better get going if we want to be on time.”

Heading down to the private garage, Vinny guides me over to a sleek red Mercedes.

“I like this one.” I smile, running my finger along the hood. “What is it?”

“It’s a Mercedes AMG GT Coupe.” Vinny’s chest puffs out with pride. Oh, boys and their cars.

“Let’s see how fast she can go.”

“Get in, gorgeous, and I’ll show you.”

A little giddy, I slide in and buckle up. The engine rumbles to life and I feel the vibrations in my blood. Vinny takes the streets inside Atlantic City easy, but then opens her up on the Parkway, weaving in and out of cars as we blur by them.

Laughing, I turn and see Vinny with a smile on his face that matches my own. I haven’t had a real reason to smile this week. First, Enzo, then Alec. But this? This is fun.

He lets off the pedal after a few minutes and we drive in a comfortable silence for the rest of the way as I tap my fingers to the music playing.

When we cross the Goethals Bridge onto Staten Island, I keep my eyes trained out the window, and Vinny lowers the music when we turn off of the highway. “This is Todt Hill,” he says, and my eyes bug out at the massive mansions we pass.

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