Page 120 of Married with Mayhem

“Yeah, Nico.” I cross my arms and throw him a look. “Why were you in the lobby? I mean, it was nice of you to show up at the airport to pick me up this morning but I didn’t ask for the stalking treatment.”

Playing it cool doesn’t come as easily to him as it does to his big brother. I’m sure he feels stuck in the middle. He shifts his weight and jams his hands in his pockets.

“I was in the neighborhood,” he mumbles.

“Monitoring my movements?”

He makes a face. “Just looking out for you.”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly safe. Are you here on your brother’s orders or is he still camping?”

There’s a lot of tension crammed into the question and seeing a grimace from Nico sure doesn’t fix my anxiety.

“Haven’t heard from him,” he says.

“Oh.” I clutch a counter barstool and plunk down on the cushioned seat. Somehow I hoped that Nico had found a way to contact Monte. “Can’t you just call these Tempesta cousins?”

“I did.” He sighs and frowns at his shoes. “I had no luck getting through to my cousin Julian but my uncle still keeps a landline at the house. Carmela answered. She’s been their housekeeper for decades. She remembered me so she was friendly enough. She confirmed the boys all went out to hunt down some stray cattle. She really didn’t seem to know when they’d be back.”

Daisy has teamed up with Big Man Bowie to unpack groceries and lay out the ingredients for dinner. “When Monte does get back to the city we’ll have a big dinner to celebrate. You need to come too, Nico.”

“Celebrate what?” I ask.

She pauses and gazes at me with loving eyes. “Your wedding news, silly.”

Nico laughs and tries to disguise it with a cough.

“Right.” I touch the ring on my finger. I’ve adapted very happily to the idea of being in a relationship with Monte but sometimes I forget that I’m actually married to him. Kind of a unique problem.

“I like to go camping,” says Big Man Bowie.

We all wait for him to issue a follow up to that random statement but he doesn’t. He pulls out a thick wooden cutting board, drops a brick of white cheese in the middle and begins rapidly slicing off perfect squares.

“You take your burgers fully loaded, right Nico?” says Big Man Bowie.

“Sure,” says Nico. “Thanks.”

Daisy and Big Man Bowie are a very efficient cooking duo. Within minutes the potatoes have been cut into wedges, seasoned and sent to the oven. Daisy begins whipping up a batch of their secret aioli recipe and her husband rapidly shapes new patties from a lump of ground beef.

They routinely make hundreds of gourmet hamburgers every week for hungry customers who show up at Big Man Bowie’s Burgers food truck. Sometimes I wonder if they get tired of feeding people hamburgers but this question seems rude so I keep it to myself.

“Will you try a white truffle burger, Sabrina?” Daisy asks.

Normally, I prefer hamburgers with nothing but the bun and some ketchup but I’d have to be heartless to crush the eager look on my sister’s face.

“I’d love one,” I tell her.

The Brooklyn apartment is small and cozy. Daisy and Big Man Bowie are in perfect sync while they prepare dinner. I’m not surprised when my offer to help is politely refused. While they don’t forbid trespassers in their kitchen the way Mama often does, they have a working system and they’re happier when left alone.

The best way for me to contribute is to stay out of the way and slouch on my kitchen stool. Nico slouches beside me. He folds his hands in front of him and searches my face.

“Stop it.” I nudge his arm. “I know I’m bitchy today. Not my finest hour. Sorry you got caught in the web of my angst.”

He extends a large fist. “So we’re cool?”

I bump his fist with mine. “Of course we’re cool.” With a loud, melodramatic sigh, I drop my chin to the counter. “Patience is not one of my virtues.”

“No kidding,” he snorts. “You have that in common with someone else I know.”

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