Page 9 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

“I don’t know anything about Kidd Curry or his rock career, but I know a little something-something about his college career,” she said, and they laughed.

“I was stunned when I saw you standing here,” Mason said to Gemma. “What are you doing here in Vegas?”

“I live here now.”

“You decided to live here, okay.” Mason was nodding his head. “I hear you. So what do you do? And if you say a showgirl I’ll eat your briefcase.”

Gemma laughed. That was what she remembered about Mason: the way he was always joking around. “I’m an attorney. I was in a meeting.”

“That’s right. You did go off to law school and I went off to all the craziness I went off to. What kind of meeting?”

“I was just giving some legal advice to the owner of this establishment.”

“To Reno Gabrini? No joke? So you work for that character?”

“I don’t work for him, no. I was just giving him my two cents regarding a legal matter. You know him?”

“I still can’t get over the fact that you two know each other,” said Jimmy. “You actually know each other?” he asked again, still shocked.

“I would say we know each other very well, yes,” said Mason, and he and Gemma laughed.

“We met in college my freshman year,” Mason added. “The best year of my life.”

Gemma found that an odd thing to say. So did Jimmy, considering how old they both were. But Jimmy was smiling. “Auntie you never told me you and Kidd Curry used to be tight.”

Tight, thought Gemma. They were more than that. Much more. But she knew early on that he was great in a lot of ways, but was not marriage material, and she moved on. “We hung out for a while,” said Gemma. “Then moved on with our careers and forgot about each other.”

Speak for yourself, Mason wanted to say. She might have forgotten about him, but he never forgot her. She was the one that got away. That special lady that he measured all other ladies against. That once-in-a-lifetime person that no other lady had ever measured up to.

“What are you doing here in Vegas?” asked Gemma.

“One of my artists is headlining a show here,” Mason explained, “and Gabrini’s trying to rip her off.”

“I doubt that,” said Gem.

“I seriously doubt that,” said Jimmy.

“Okay my artist is trying to riphimoff, but still,” Mason conceded, and they all laughed.

“That’s more like it!” said Gemma.

Mason looked at Jimmy. “You defended Gabrini as if you work for him too.”

“I work for Tommy Gabrini, yes. But Reno Gabrini, the man you’re here to see, is my father.”

Mason laughed. He doubted that! Jimmy looked like a straight-up black guy, as black as Mason and Gemma were. Then he realized how foolish he was acting. It wasn’tthatunusual. He knew more than a few biracial kids that came out looking as if they were one race only. But Reno’s arrogant ass was so dominant he could not believe he’d have a son that wasn’t the spitting image of him. Although, Mason realized, looking beyond Jimmy’s skin color, he did favor Reno!

“Reno can see us now, Boss.” It was Elsie Reynolds, Mason’s assistant, coming over and giving him the news.

“Gotta run,” Mason said, “but dinner tonight, Gemma? And I won’t take no for an answer. It’s been years! We gotta catch up, girl.”

But as soon as Mason asked Gemma out to dinner, Jimmy’s antenna flew up. Uncle Sal, he knew, would not approve.

That was why Jimmy, secretly, snapped a photo of Kidd Curry.

But Gemma, to her credit, Jimmy thought, wasn’t jumping on that reunion train that easily. “I don’t think so, Mason,” she said. “I have to prepare for court tomorrow. I’m in the middle of a trial that won’t be ending any time soon.”

“Come on, Gem, please! Just dinner with an old friend. I’m only in town for this one night. I’m heading out tomorrow. This will be our only chance. I’m sure your husband won’t mind.”

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