Page 117 of This Memory
He seemed just as confused and shrugged. “I guess they hadthings to do.”
I laughed. “You don’t think they’re…”
“James and Aurora? No. Not at all. They’re like oil and water.”
“Why did they bolt out of here so quickly then?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? All I know is, our reservations are soon. I’m dying to try that new Italian restaurant.”
My hand went to my stomach when Lily kicked. I laughed, grabbed Gavin’s hand, and put it on my belly. “I think Lily is too.”
He winked. “Then let’s go feed my girls.”
The new Italian restaurant in Moose Village was just outside town and overlooked Moose Lake. A local resident named Toni Rossi, born and raised in Moose Village, had left town to go to culinary school after graduating. He lived in Italy for several years, then moved back to town and opened the restaurant. His mother and father were both retired, but they helped at the restaurant as well.
“Have you ever met Toni?” I asked. “I’ve met his mom and dad several times, Toni Senior and Tina. I always thought their names were cute. Toni and Tina. I don’t remember their son, though. They would come in to buy gifts for their granddaughter. I’m guessing that’s Toni’s daughter?”
“Yeah, he has a little girl. I think she’s around seven. Speaks both Italian and English. His wife is Italian. I’ve met him a couple of times when he’s brought food in for us at the police station. He’s a nice guy. His wife is also sweet. I’ve met her once. He’s in his late thirties, so we wouldn’t have gone to school with him, and from what I know, he left Moose Village after high school and lived abroad for quite a while.”
“That’s nice of him to bring you guys food.”
He smiled. “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”
We pulled into the parking lot, and Gavin found a spot near the front door. “Doris Day parking!” he said with a nervous laugh. I wasn’t sure if he was worried about how the food would be or because there were hardly any cars in the lot.
“It’s our lucky day.”
He looked over at me. “What? Why would you say that?”
I shrugged. “I dunno. You found a spot right up front. It’s just a saying.”
Visibly relaxing, he laughed. “Right. Let’s, um, let’s get some food. Good food. Italian food. From Toni!”
He opened his door, shut it, and ran around to my side. After he reached into the back seat to get our coats, he motioned for me to start toward the entrance.
“Why are you getting our coats? The door is just right there.”
He stared at the door, then at the coats, before shrugging. “It could be cold in there. You never know.”
Gavin had been acting strange all day, but this was the strangest yet. I brushed it off and took my coat. “I know I’m cold standing out here talking about our coats.”
He laughed and took my hand. “I heard the deck that overlooks the lake is beautiful. If we want to go out and take a look, now we’ll have our coats.”
I nodded. “Oookay.”
We started toward the door, and I stepped in when he opened it for me. The smells instantly had my mouth watering. Bread and pasta sauce filled my head instantly, and I moaned in utter delight.
“It smells so good in here!”
“Sure does,” Gavin agreed.
Tina, the mother of the owner and chef, made her way over to us. “Brystol! Gavin! Welcome to Rossi Trattoria!”
She hugged Gavin and then me. “May I?” she asked, pointing to my stomach.
“Of course,” I said with a grin.
Placing her hand on my baby bump, she said something in Italian. “Che Dio vi benedica!” She smiled at me. “A blessing for the baby.”
