But damn, it worked.
I couldn’t help but laugh to myself.
She got me.
Well played, Gia. Well played.
The cabbie was looking at me through the rearview mirror. “Something funny?” he asked in a Jamaican accent.
Busted.
“Nah. Just thinking about a woman who makes me a little crazy.”
Nodded in understanding, he said, “Yeah, mon. Don’t they all.”
He dropped me off, and I entered the diner, which was retro-themed with vinyl red booths and neon lights. One of the servers, dressed in a poodle skirt from the fifties, was standing on top of one of the booths singing. She was probably a wannabe Broadway actress.
It didn’t surprise me one bit that Gia had chosen this place. It was eccentric, just like her. What did surprise me was to find her sitting in a booth across from an NYPD officer. Before I could draw the conclusion that she was getting herself in trouble for doing something stupid, I noticed she seemed to be smiling and laughing.
A cop? What the hell?
My fists tightened. A rush of adrenaline hit me until I got closer and realized who it was from the resemblance alone. She had said she was planning to meet her father.
Shit.
Her father.
I felt like a dumbass now. With everything that happened back at Vanderhaus, I became distracted and had totally forgotten she was meeting him. I definitely wouldn’t have come here if I’d remembered she was with her dad.
It was too late to turn back. She spotted me. So did he.
You could have told me, Gia!
She was smiling from ear to ear and waved me over to their booth. Gia seemed completely comfortable with this situation, which was the opposite of how I was feeling right now.
“Hey!” she said.
Placing my hands in the pockets of my jeans, I nodded once. “Hi.”
“This must be Rush,” her father said.
She’d told him about me?
“Yes, Dad. This is Rush.” She turned to me. “Rush, this is my dad, Tony Mirabelli.”
Her father looked like he was in good shape for someone I’d put in his early fifties. They both had the same blue eyes that contrasted their dark hair and olive skin.
I took one hand out of my pocket and extended it. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
His handshake was firm while his eyes fell to the tattoos on my arm. He nudged his head toward the table. “Sit. Join us.”
I looked over at Gia. “I’m thinking maybe I should come back when you’re done with your dad. I don’t want to interrupt. I have a few errands I could run.”
Tony answered for her, “Nonsense. Take a seat.” His tone was not exactly casual. It was more demanding, like sit the fuck down, motherfucker.
I no longer felt that I could get out of this situation, so I conceded and planted myself next to Gia.
There was a huge plate of half-eaten French toast in front of her. Her father’s plate was clean.
A waitress came by and placed a menu in front of me. “Can I get you anything?”
I hadn’t eaten all day but didn’t feel like making myself too comfortable here, so I said, “Just coffee.
Black.”
My eyes landed on his. Tony was staring at me intently. For some reason, the theme to The Sopranos started playing in my head. Probably the name Tony triggered it. The opening sequence where Tony Soprano is driving over the bridge to Jersey flashed through my mind. That was exactly where I wanted to be—driving over a bridge to Jersey and not staring this man in the face right now.
There weren’t many things that made me nervous. But sitting across from a man who’s looking at you like he knows you want to spread his daughter’s legs apart and eat her out, is definitely one of them.
Especially, when the dude is packing a pistol.
He folded his hands together and tilted his head to the side. His expression suddenly turned serious. In fact, he looked pissed. “My daughter tells me you punched her in the eye.”
My heart started to pound faster. A long moment of silence passed as I just sat there speechless.
She what?
What in the ever-living fuck?
Then…Gia snorted. Tony looked at her, and they both busted out into laughter.
Am I being punked?
“I’m just kidding, son.” He wiped his eyes. “It was a joke.”
They were both assholes. My pulse finally calmed down.
Can’t believe I fell for that.
“He knows the truth about what happened,” she said.
I looked him dead in the face. “If I had been there to monitor things, she wouldn’t have gotten that black eye. I’m sorry she got hurt.”
He simply nodded.
“We were just talking about you before you walked in,” Gia said.
“Must have been why my ears were ringing.”
Tony turned to me. “I hear you gave Gia a job and that you make sure she’s safe in getting home at night. I never really loved the idea of her moving out there all alone and so far away from me when I have no choice but to be here for work. But you know Gia. She has a mind of her own, couldn’t be stopped. So, I really appreciate any help I can get in looking out for her.”
I felt like a fraud. My thoughts when it came to Gia were far from “safe.”
Nevertheless, I took credit. “No problem. It’s my pleasure.”
He brushed a piece of food off his navy uniform. “I raised my daughter to be smart and independent.
But there’s only so much she can do to protect herself. I worry about her, particularly because she can be hotheaded like her dad. She can be minding her own business one minute and breaking up a bar fight the next.”
“Well, I can definitely agree with you on that one.” I chuckled. “Gia is definitely…spirited.”
Gia winked at me. She seemed to be enjoying this interaction, whereas I was watching the clock, rearing to leave.
The waitress set a glass of water and a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. I took a sip of the hot liquid.
Tony was just watching me and then caught me off guard when he said, “So…that being said…in all seriousness, what exactly are your intentions when it comes to my daughter?”
I nearly spit out my coffee.
A long moment of silence passed before they once again turned to each other and burst into laughter.
These two were in cahoots—a couple of pranksters.
Tony cackled and pointed. “I loved the look on your face.”
“Don’t worry,” Gia said as she placed her hand on my forearm. “He knows you’re not interested in me and that you’re harmless, despite how dangerous you might look.” Leaning her shoulder against mine, she said, “Right, Rush? He has nothing to worry about?” She batted her eyelashes at me.
I swallowed. “That’s right.”
The better to eat you with, my dear,
Said the big bad wolf.
She addressed her father, “Rush says because he’s my boss, we can’t date.”
He took a sip of water then said, “Well, that’s smart, I suppose. Never hurts to keep things professional.”
I glared at Gia. “I completely agree.”
“Although, you’re probably kidding yourself,” Tony said. “I see the way you look at my daughter, and I’m not sure I like it, to be honest.”
My eyes narrowed.
Shit.
He must have sensed the worry on my face when he said, “Man, you’re gullible.”
He was fucking with me again. Gia and her dad were once again laughing at me. Two peas in a pod.
“You want to know the truth, son?”
I let out a long breath. “Sure…”
“I did my best to lead by example as far as my daughter is concerned, show her what a good, decent, hardworking man is like. I trust her judgment. So, if Gia feels that someone is worthy of her time and trust, then that’s enough for me, whether it’s a friend or more. Who she associates with…well, it’s not my decision to make anymore.”
I nodded once. “Alright…”
“Plus, I ran a full background check on you a little while ago as soon as she told me about you. Came up clear.” He grinned. “Heathcliff Rushmore. Interesting name.”
Thanks a fucking lot, Gia.