Page 52 of Matched

I push back my hesitation and take a chance for the sake of Tony and his dad. “I work at a place called Shaken & Stirred. Our restaurant is great at hosting all kinds of events. Our kitchen can accommodate most sizes and they make great party foods.”

“That sounds perfect. I hate to be a bother, but could you give me contact info? Maybe the name of someone who will help me set it up?” The crinkle of shuffling paper comes through the phone as if he’s looking for a piece to take some notes down.

“Please let me help. Give me the date and some details and I’ll book it for you. It’s a wonderful thing you are doing in honor of your wife. She’d be very proud.” A warmth blossoms in my chest and spreads through my body. If only I could share a love like that one day. Find a man whose love for me never wavers, even after I leave this earth.

Tony’s dad relays some necessary details and, as I take them down, I don’t know if I’m more excited or nervous about stepping in. I just hope that my assisting doesn’t cause me to lose any ground I’ve gained in my relationship with Tony. “I’ll have my manager call you to firm up all the details.”

“Thank you, Inara.” He pauses for a moment, then continues. “And if I could just ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Could you please tell Tony what we talked about? I think he will take it better coming from you.”

I’m not sure I totally agree, but there’s no turning back now. I just have to find the perfect time to broach the subject. “I’ll take care of it. It sounds like a great event, and I’m sure Tony will come around and be supportive.”

“I really appreciate that. And of course, I can’t wait to meet my new daughter-in-law.”

The corners of my mouth lift into a stupid grin at the term daughter-in-law. There’s something about belonging to another family that makes me giddy. A part of being married I hadn’t thought of. Come to think of it, I have four new sisters I haven’t met. “Well, I can’t wait to meet you and the rest of the family.”

“I will let you get back to your day now. It has been very nice talking to you. I hope to meet you soon.” Every word is clear with a hint of sweetness behind it. Then the line disconnects.

But now that the room is quiet once again, my stomach drops as if I’m on the largest rollercoaster ride. What have I done? I swallow hard and hope Tony will forgive me and that he comes to understand I was just trying to help, even if it stings a little at first.

My potential freak-out turns to sadness. I can’t fully understand what it’s like losing a parent because of death, but from what I’ve gathered, I don’t think my husband has had closure on the subject, which means he’s still suffering and will continue to do so until he takes that step. If he doesn’t learn to process it and work through the loss, that cloud will haunt him for a long time.

I check in on Simon and then settle back on the couch. Tomorrow is Little Creek’s annual barbecue and is my first time going. With everyone there, Tony will be in a great mood, and probably more receptive to me filling him in on the fundraiser. I catch my gaze in the mirror by the front door and try to convince myself it’s not a move right out of I Love Lucy, and that I haven’t overstepped. I mean his dad was going to have the fundraiser here anyway, so I was only being polite by helping him out. Still, I did agree to help convince my husband to go. I just believe that if he doesn’t, he’ll regret he missed out on an important family event. There are some moments you can never get back, like not having our parents witnessing us getting married.

I stand and head to the kitchen, picturing myself telling Tony tomorrow. But my mind can’t seem to conjure him up with a smile, dammit. If he gets mad, then I’ll put on my big-girl panties and deal with it.

I open the fridge and my cheeks inflate. That’s it. Tony mentioned in passing once how much he loved his mother’s empanadas. How he used to make them but stopped a long time ago. He told me that before he opened up about how his mom died, which leads me to believe that he stopped making them after she passed away. If I could convince him to make them again, wouldn’t that be a step toward healing?

I lean down and check all the drawers before moving on to the freezer. I grab my phone and start a list. I’m going to convince Tony to do an empanada cook-off. I’ll make some, he’ll make some. We’ll share them with everyone at the barbecue. I know mine are supreme, but I can hold back and even tell everyone to vote for his. I’ll need to pull this together fast and get Tony on board. I bet my mom will even chime in at dinner. She loves that he cooks.

I’ve got a shopping trip to make between now and the barbecue, but at least my mind is at ease. Between good times with his friends and a little ego stroke for his cooking, Tony will be primed for me, and I have the best chance to pull this off.

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