Page 52 of 4 Weddings and a Feud

“Don’t speak ill of the dead.” Her bangles clanked, a sure sign she’d crossed herself.

He was done wasting time on his father. “You’re doing all right, Mama?”

“I’m feeling better this week. They let me walk in the garden every day before it gets too hot.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bring back Mary sometime? When I’m made up and not making a scene?”

He chuckled. “Okay. Behave yourself, and we’ll see.”

He disconnected the call. Then he nudged the shadow box with the photo of Mary next to the photo of his mother. They looked good together, the three of them.

The phone on his desk buzzed. He hit the button to speak to Yasmin. “Yes?”

“A Mrs. Campo is here to see you.” Yasmin’s tone was frosty. “She doesn’t have an appointment.”

“S-send her in.” Alex had time to crack only the knuckles on his left hand before his door flew open, and Mrs. Campo marched inside. Her hair was gray now, but it was still scraped back into a bun, exposing her blazing brown eyes. The fine lines around her eyes and mouth had deepened. But other than that, she looked the same as the last time he saw her, when she’d come to his parents’ house eighteen years ago.

“Mrs. Campo,” he said, indicating the seating area at the front of his office, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’ll stand, thank you.” She planted her black flats on the carpet and propped her fists on her hips. She wore a black short-sleeved blouse over black slacks. At least she’d ditched the black veil she’d worn when she’d cursed his entire family.

He resisted the urge to cross himself. He hadn’t been to Mass for eighteen years. God wouldn’t protect him now.

“I suppose I should thank you for taking care of my family since my husband died,” she said.

Alex sucked in a breath. She knew? She couldn’t. He’d hidden everything so well. She must be talking about Joey. Shaking it off, he flashed her a smile. “I hired your son because he’s a good worker.”

She smiled proudly. “Joey is a good worker. But that’s not all you’ve done. I’m no fool. I know my husband didn’t have a pension.” She twisted her lips. “Your father didn’t care who he hurt. He only cared about himself. And your mother, she only cared about the money and her status. You’re different. You’re still a controlling bastard, but you’ve got a heart in there under that fancy suit.”

“Thank you?”

“Don’t thank me. I have a request.”

Alex held his breath. Proud Mrs. Campo wanted something from him, the boy she’d cursed all those years ago to a life of the same type of pain she’d experienced when her husband died? Not that he believed in any of that. He fisted his hand to keep it off his crotch.

“It’s for Dante. I know how you’ve helped him over the years. And now he and his friends have started a business. An entertainment business.”

Alex blinked. He was pretty sure he hadn’t seen Dante at the strip show the other night. “What kind of entertainment?”

“They’re fire dancers. He’s always had a passion for fire.” She pursed her lips. “They went to a school for it, and now they’re pretty good.”

Was that why he’d had bandaged hands at Lev’s office? But Alex still had red in his ledger for this woman and her family. He’d never be able to make up for her husband’s death. “How can I help?”

“That school was expensive, and now they need work. You could hire them as entertainment for one of La Villa’s events.” She pulled her phone from her pants pocket, tapped the screen, and held it out to him.

He took it from her. A thumping bass erupted from the phone’s crappy speaker. On the dark screen, fire whirled, lighting up bare torsos. The circles it made were hypnotic, and he couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen. This would be a thousand times better than Cierra’s dull aerialist. It would make the Richardson wedding truly unforgettable.

“They’ve got insurance?” he asked.

“It was included with the training program.”

“Then, yes, I have an event where we can use them.”

ChapterTwenty-One

Sunny hugged Mary’s arm as they walked into the club. “I love seeing you so happy.”

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