He raised his glass and sipped his champagne. Yes, she’d brought happiness to all of them. Without Lane there would be no Jess, and suddenly, he was having trouble imagining a world without Jess Parker.
Jess stood and raised her glass. “I’m Lane’s daughter, Jess. My brothers and I met Ben three years ago. He’s been the father figure we never had. He’s shown us what it means to love a woman. He’s made our mother happier than I’ve ever seen her. So, a toast to my mother and the man who loves her. May they always be as much in love as they are at this moment.”
She sipped her sparkling grape juice. Jess wouldn’t be 21 for another four months, and serving alcohol to minors could get Bellini’s liquor license revoked.
The dishes were being removed; and the simple string quartet, that had been playing softly during the meal, was trading places with a band that would play dance music. The band warmed up and began an intro to Exactly Like You. Jess and Joey both stood up.
Jess looked at Joey. “What are you doing?”
“Ben asked me to sing Exactly Like You for Lane.”
Jess groaned. “Mom asked me to sing it for Ben.”
Joey smiled and put his hand in the small of her back. He leaned down. “Looks like we’re doing a duet, Toots. You take the lead. I’ll sing the second time through.”
Jess looked at him. “You sing?”
“Like Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble, Toots, let’s go.”
They approached the band. Jess took the microphone. “Once again, my Mother and Ben are thinking alike.” She looked at Joey. “Without knowing it, they asked each of us to sing the same song, so we’re going to be doing a duet. Mom, Ben for you.”
Jess began, “I know why I’ve waited…” she sang the song through the first four verses.
The band played the orchestral interlude and Joey started with the next verse, “I know why I’ve waited…”
They finished with Joey singing, “Exactly like you.” Followed by Jess echoing, “Exactly like you.” Then together, “Exactly like you.”
There was applause. Joey and Jess held hands and bowed together, each held a hand to the other and bowed separately and then together again.
Joey put his hand in the small of her back and walked Jess back to the table. He held out her chair. “If this acting gig doesn’t work out, I have a job in Vegas for you.”
Who knew she could sing like that and make the whole room believe she was in love with him while she did it. He hadn’t seen anything in the profiles he’d read online that gave any indication that Jess sang at all let alone like she should quit her day job and do it for a living.
She lowered those incredible eyelashes and looked at him through them, “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” He could swear her eyelashes fluttered as she said, “Any other hidden talents?”
He was about to make a reply filled with double entrendres and sexual innuendos, when Pauli stepped in and asked Jess to dance.
Ben and Lane had danced together to Exactly Like You. Papa had cut in for the second dance and Ben danced with Mama. Lane and Ben sat out the third dance. Uncle Sal had asked for Jess to dance the third dance.
It was the first time Jess and Uncle Sal had spoken since Friday night. “I am in your debt, little one.” He said as they began dancing.
She smiled at him. “I think Joey owes you. I’d like to acquire his debt as payment for the debt you owe me.”
“Consider it done.” He smiled down at her. “Are you sure you aren’t Benito’s child?”
Jess laughed. “I’m not.” She inclined her head toward her grandmother, “I look too much like Nana Evie.” Jess was short like her grandmother. Evie Parker was five feet nothing. Lane and the boys were all tall, there was no place else this short stature could have come from.
Joey came to claim the next dance with Jess. Salvatore Luciano placed Jess’s hand in Joey’s and said “Giuseppe, Il vostro debito è ora nelle mani della bambina.”
Joey looked at her. “You bought my debt from Uncle Sal?”
She smiled. “Traded, I traded him his debt for yours.”
He narrowed his eyes and nearly growled, “Why do you want me to owe you, Toots?”
“Uncle Sal already owes me. There’s no reason to have him owe me two favors.”
He pulled her closer and bent to whisper in her ear. “That still doesn’t tell me why you want me to owe you.”
Did she have any idea what that meant within his family? He was sure she couldn’t and yet what had Ben told him? She’d called in a favor from Uncle Vinnie to protect Meg last month.
“You never know when I might need protection. We’ll keep Ben out of the middle of things this way.”
“Huh?” He grunted, “And I just come running when you call. Is that it?”
“Only if I call in the favor. It will be very clear when I call it in.”
“God you are such a little princess.” He mumbled in an exasperated tone.
The music had stopped and they stood on the dance floor amid Ben and Lane and Jake and Meg and Jamie and Nana Evie.
“Of course I’m a princess, my father’s a queen.” She said as she turned and quickly walked away.
Jamie and Jake both moved toward Joey. Ben stepped closer to the three of them as he said, “Joey, you have to go after her.”
Joey was confused. “What the hell did she mean?”
Jake stepped closer to Joey and quietly said, “Our father came out of the closet and walked out the door when Jess was a year and a half old. He may have left Mom, but he abandoned all of us. Jess has never gotten over it.” Jake looked at Nana Evie. “Sorry Nana.”
Lane took a step away from Ben. “I’ll go to her.”
Joey held up his hand. “No, I clean up my own messes.”
He turned and left the ballroom. Where had she gone? She had left the ballroom. She hadn’t stopped at the table to get her purse and she had no keys. So she hadn’t left the building. All of the family was in the ballroom. That meant the Board Room would be empty. He knew she hadn’t left, and knew she’d want to be alone. Really alone. She wouldn’t have gone to the Ladies’ room. Nope she’d be all alone in the Board Room.
He pushed the carved wooden doors open. She turned as he walked into the room. She picked up a glass center piece, with an unlit candle, from the table next to her and hurled it toward him. It whizzed past his head.
“Get out.” She said firmly as she swiped at her eyes.
Oh, God, she was crying. They all told him she didn’t cry unless it was written in a script. Oh, crap. What had he done?
“I’m not leaving.” He said quietly but firmly.
She moved to the next table and picked up the center piece and hurled it at him, hitting him in the middle of the chest.
What’s wrong with him, he isn’t even trying to deflect. She thought, but said, “You’ll go or you’ll regret it.”
“I’m not leaving.” He repeated.
She stepped to the next table but before she could pick up the center piece, he’d pulled her into his chest.
He ran his hands gently down her back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
She pushed away from him. “That’s because from day one you had a preconceived notion of who I was and that picture was painted by your delusional brother…” She affected a perfect Pauli tone … “Dr. Paolo Raffaele Bellini.”
She’d stopped crying. That was good, wasn’t it?
“And he only wants me because I won’t swoon and because he can’t have who he really wants. My Mother.”
Good God, crying was better. While she was sort of cute when she was mad, he knew mad wasn’t good.