Page 48 of Until Now

The date.

The kiss.

Dancing in the rain.

It was magical. But, it came to a halt when we got home. We walked through the door well past midnight trying to be quiet since everyone was already in bed, except one. Mother. Her shadow in the doorway of the theatre room, arms crossed tightly, a bright flashing light in the room behind her. “Davina, you’re both soaking wet!”

“We got caught in the rain on the way to the car,” Nick said, touching my lower back.

“Well, I hope you had a good time.” Her eyes never left mine, locked in some sort of standoff to see who was going to crack first. Finally, “Run along then, you should change. Don’t want to ruin the floors.” It was the first time my mother has ever come close to showing the smallest amount of concern.

“G’night, Mrs. Villa,” Nick pushed me forward.

Halfway up the stairs, I noticed he was no longer with me. “Nick?”

“Run along, Nicholas,” Mother hissed loud enough for me to hear. “Wouldn’t want to keep Davina waiting.”

“Coming Dee,” he said after another moment.

“What was that about?” I asked behind the safety of our bedroom door.

“Nothing.” Nick smiled and kissed me, but I didn’t believe him. Something definitely happened. “Dee, it was nothing. Okay? Just your mom being your mom. C’mon, let’s get ready for bed.”

But, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I couldn’t figure it out. What was he doing down there? Did she say something to him? When I woke up this morning, he wasn’t in bed. I heard hushed voices from down the hallway. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but it was obviously Mother and Nick. “Watch your mouth,” Mother hissed, unable to contain her volume. But, that was all I could hear before Nick walked in juggling pastry bags and a tray of coffee.

“You’re up?”

I debated asking him what in the hell was going on, but decided it might be best to let it go. I knew Mother didn’t like him. She could only keep the nice act up for so long and I was surprised it had lasted this long. So, I let it go. “Bed was cold.”

“I can fix that.” Breakfast long forgotten as he climbed into bed and kissed me.

“Everything okay, Nin?” Daddy asks, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

“Come hai fatto a saperlo?”

“Know what, Piccola?”

“Mom was the one.”

A knowing smile spreads across his lips. “Haven’t I told you this before?” I shake my head, I’ve never cared to ask. Daddy settles back into his chair. “Your mother wasn’t like the other girls. She was feisty and no-nonsense, kept me on my toes, and I loved every second of it.” A smile thinking back to when they were younger. “I think what solidified it for me was when Pop died.”

“Because she knew she was about to get his fortune?”

“When Pop died, your mother was the only one there. I didn’t hear much from my ‘friends,’ but your mother was there every step of the way. For no other reason than to make sure I was okay. In those moments, the money didn’t matter to her… I mattered. She took care of us — me, Nonna, Drew. And, I knew, she was the one.” His eyes are blurry when he opens them again, but he blinks away the tears. Daddy has never liked to talk about his family, it’s always been a hard topic.

But today, he decided to tell me everything.

It was never the same after Pop died. Nonna’s heart broken. She passed when I was eight years old. And Daddy’s younger brother, Drew, O.D.’ed after his daughter was killed in a tragic boating accident.

Daddy grew up in a blue-collar family in Holly Hill, South Carolina. His father, Lorenzo Villa, was an Italian immigrant who had moved to the United States in search of a fresh start after his parents died in a tragic car accident. He met Natalie Jones on a job site and fell head over heels for her. They dated for three months before they were married and Daddy was born two years later.

Lorenzo worked many odd jobs throughout his life, mostly picking up carpentry jobs, a trade he learned from his father. Two years before Daddy started high school, Pop started his own home services company. The business took off quickly and he began operating throughout the entire state. The Villa family became one of the wealthiest families in the area. But even after the money came, Pop never stopped working.

Watching his success inspired Daddy to do the same. From a young age, he found ways to make money, whether it was mowing lawns or selling lemonade on the side of the road. In high school, he played football and baseball, but Pop made him get a job to understand what it meant to earn his own money.

After high school, Daddy went to Clemson University, but college didn’t suit him. After sophomore year, he dropped out and started working at the family company. After two years, he opened his own business — a furniture store with handcrafted items by local vendors and himself. Three years later, he had acquired enough equity in the company that he was able to sell it and use the money to invest in other opportunities.

After Pop’s death, he took over the home services company. Later, he sold Drew’s share of the company after his passing and used the funds to start his investment firm. Thus, began the Villa Empire.

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