Page 42 of Just for Her
Chapter Eighteen: Paulie
Once again, time wasrunning out. I didn’t want to make the same mistake I’d made the first time. I didn’t want Allison to go. I wanted to give her a reason to stay. Namely, me.
The thing was, I didn’t know how Allison felt. She didn’tseemto be stoked about returning to Boston, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part.
I’d done everything I could be to be supportive without pressuring her. I called her every day. I used the massive kitchen at the restaurant to create dishes I thought she’d enjoy. I even pulled a few strings to ensure she had a job to go back to,ifshe wanted it.
So, I did what any thirty-something man would do in my situation. I called my brothers and invited them out for a beer.
“Okay, so what gives?” Vinnie asked after we were seated in the back of the IAC, or Italian American Club. Owned by my uncle Rico, it was a dark place, reminiscent of its time as a speakeasy back in the day.
As the oldest, I was usually the one everyone else came to for advice, not the other way around. But I was truly torn on this one. These were uncharted waters for me.
“How did you know?” I asked.
I didn’t have to explain. They knew exactly what I was talking about.
Nick shrugged. “I thought about Kat all the time. Wanted to be around her even if it was just being in the same room with her.”
Vinnie nodded. “Same with Haven. The best part of my day was dropping by the diner every night at the end of my shift, knowing she’d be there.”
I understood that because that was exactly how I felt. When I was with Allison, I felt better. And when I wasn’t, all I could think about was being with her again.
“I’ve never felt so in sync with anyone before,” I admitted.
In my mind, I’d been building a case for exactly why I believed Allison and I belonged together. Like me, Allison was a logical, practical person, and I felt as if presenting the facts to her in a logical, practical fashion was the way to go.
Dom, however, suggested a completely different approach. He tipped his bottle in my direction. “You’re overthinking this. Have you kissed her yet?”
I shook my head. I’d wanted to though so,somany times.
“You should,” Nick said, nodding.
“You sound like Nonno.”
“Have you ever known him to be wrong?”
He had a valid point.
“So, what are you waiting for?” Vinnie asked with a grin. “Go kiss your woman and remove any doubt.”
