A Bookie's Odds Page 15

  “It’s nothing,” her friend explained before anyone had a chance to ask questions. “I walked into a wall the other night. You know how clumsy I am.”

  Georgia shook her head as she wiped her own face. She didn’t remember her friend being clumsy. The only time she could recall Celeste ever walking into anything was the night of their prom, and the woman had been smashed at the time.

  “I was sorry to hear what happened, Mr. Collins.” Celeste reached for the flowers Nicholas had rescued. “I got you these. I wasn’t sure if you’d like them.”

  He lifted his left hand, and she placed the bouquet in the crook of his arm.

  “They’re beautiful. Come, sit down.”

  Nicholas slipped out of the room as Celeste took the chair Georgia had vacated.

  “I’ve missed havin’ you around the apartment. It’s so quiet without the two of you gigglin’ at all hours of the night.”

  “You couldn’t have heard us, Mr. Collins.”

  He snorted. “Y’all used to make such a racket the deaf man in the next block complained y’all kept him up.”

  Nicholas returned with another chair and a vase. He placed the second chair next to his sister.

  “Thank you,” Georgia said as she slid into the empty seat.

  Nicholas winked at her before he disappeared into the bathroom. A second later, Georgia heard the sound of water splashing against glass.

  “So how’s married life treatin’ you?” her father asked.

  Celeste flinched. It had been a slight gesture, one Georgia would have missed had she not been staring directly at her friend.

  “It’s fine.” Celeste’s voice was unnaturally high, as if she was trying to force herself to sound cheerful. “I never realized how much work goes into taking care of a house, but Gio’s so patient with me. He’s so understanding when I do things wrong.”

  Georgia glanced at her father, who rolled his eyes. He also wasn’t buying the load of bull Celeste was dishing out. The young woman, however, did not appear to notice the silent exchange as she continued to praise the virtues of a man Georgia suspected was no more honorable than the serpent was with Eve.

  Nicholas walked back into the room. He passed the filled vase to Georgia, who held it out to Celeste. Her friend took the vase and placed it on the nightstand next to her. The movement caused her sleeve to rise. The bruise was wider than Georgia’s fist. It was more the size of a man’s fist. If she had to guess, she’d say the fist belonged to Gianni.

  “Celeste, I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. Do you mind walking to the cafeteria with me?”

  “Of course not. It’s…it’s just…” Celeste’s cheeks reddened.

  “It’s just what?”

  “I don’t have any money. I spent it all on the bus and the flowers.”

  The confession made Georgia more suspicious. Celeste used to walk around with enough cash in her purse to go shopping at Bergdorf Goodman, have lunch at the Waldorf Astoria, and then pay a driver to take her from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Now she was claiming broke after spending fifteen cents for a bus ride and a dollar fifty for a small bouquet of daisies.

  “No problem.” Georgia smiled up at Nicholas.

  Shaking his head, he pulled out his wallet. “Will a fiver do?”

  “That’s more than enough.” She stood, walked over to him, and took the five-dollar bill from him, then waved toward the door. “Come on.”

  Celeste slowly rose from her chair and shuffled across the room. They headed down the hall to the elevator in silence. Neither spoke until they were seated at a table in the corner.

  “What’s going on, Celeste?”

  Her friend shrugged her shoulders. She ripped the wrapper off her chicken sandwich and tore into her food as if she had not eaten in days. Georgia lost her appetite, watching. She silently placed her sandwich on Celeste’s tray.

  “Nothing’s going on,” Celeste replied after she swallowed the bite she’d been chewing.

  “Come on, it’s me you’re talking to. I know you better than anyone else does.”

  Celeste dropped her gaze to her tray as she shoved more food into her mouth.

  “Is Gianni hitting you?”

  Her friend squared her shoulders. She vehemently shook her head. Yet Georgia noticed the mixture of fear and sorrow in her friend’s eyes.

  “How could you ask me something like that?”

  “The bruise on your arm.”

  “I told you, I walked into a wall.”

  “I’d believe that if you weren’t the most coordinated person I know.”

  Celeste’s shoulders slumped.

  “If he’s hurting you, you need to tell someone.”

  “Gianni would never hurt anyone. He’s the kindest, most gentle man—”

  “And he’s patient and understanding…” Georgia ticked off the virtues on her fingers as she repeated the list her friend had recited while they were upstairs.

  “Stop making fun of me.”

  Georgia dropped her hands. The last thing she wanted to do was antagonize Celeste; however she could not back down until she got the truth.

  She reached across the table and held her friend’s hand. “Do you remember what your father used to tell us?”

  Though Celeste nodded, Georgia repeated the lecture the man gave them when they were old enough to date. “We’re princesses in our fathers’ eyes and princesses deserve princes. A prince would go out of his way to make a princess happy. He’d never do anything to make her cry, and he’d sooner chop off his own hands than lay them on her in anger.”

  “I remember,” Celeste whispered.

  “So, if anything is going on—”

  “Why should you care?” Celeste’s voice rose, attracting the attention of the diners at the next table. “You couldn’t even bother showing up for my party.”

  Georgia shook her head. “I did show up, but I was told it was a private party.”

  “That’s impossible. I told them to let you in the moment you arrived.”

  She opened her mouth, then quickly snapped it shut. They could go back and forth all day in a he-said-she-said debate and never resolve the problem. It wasn’t what Georgia wanted. She preferred them to put everything behind them and be friends again.

  “I don’t want to argue anymore.”

  Celeste dropped her head, but not before Georgia saw her unshed tears.

  ****

  Neither woman looked like the reunion had been a joyous one. Celeste appeared ready to burst into tears any second. Georgia was tense and seemed like she would snap at the first person who looked at her wrong.

  “Is everything all right?” Nicholas asked.

  “Everything’s fine,” Celeste mumbled as she walked around to the other side of the bed. She leaned over the bed and gave Mr. Collins a kiss. “I hope you feel better soon.”

  “You’re leavin’?”

  “I have to get dinner ready. Gianni likes to eat before he goes to the club.”

  “In that case, I’m glad you stopped by.”

  “Do you mind giving Celeste a ride home?” Georgia asked Nicholas.

  “Let me know when you’re ready,” he replied.

  Georgia stepped up to the bed. “Daddy—”

  “Go do what you need to do.”

  “Thank you.” She placed a kiss on his cheek. “Behave yourself and don’t give the doctors a hard time.”

  He snorted. “She thinks she’s grown enough to tell me what to do.”

  “Till you’re out of that bed, yes, I am.”

  Both women walked away from the bed. Nicholas gave the older man a curt nod before following them out of the room.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Celeste said as they waited for the elevator. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get home in time to get dinner on. I hope you’ll excuse me for not inviting you over, but I’m still trying to learn my way around the kitchen.”

  “Is everything all right…you know, moneywise?” Nicholas asked.


  His sister chuckled. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be? Gianni said the club’s doing fine.”

  Yes, business was fine, if the club was supposed to cater to a seedy crowd. Their father had envisioned a more upscale venue, and though Nicholas had not been interested in taking over the business, he did not want to see his father’s dream dissolve.

  “When was the last time you were at the club?”

  “My birthday. Gianni prefers me to take care of the house. He handles the club.”

  “Since you haven’t started dinner, why don’t we stop by the club? We’ll head back to my place. You can call Gianni from there and tell him to meet us there.”

  “I’m not dressed for going out,” Georgia replied.

  “I think I saw a blue dress in the back of my closet.”

  “I’m missing a blue dress.”

  Celeste gave her a weak smile. “I thought the color looked good on me.”

  “So, whaddaya think?” Nicholas asked.

  “I think I need to go through your closet.” Georgia sighed as she stepped off the elevator and marched toward the door.

  Chapter 16

  Georgia stopped short as she stepped into the dining room at Gracie’s. She had thought her plain blue dress would be too casual. Yet a quick scan of the crowd told her she was overdressed.

  The majority of the women wore dresses more suited for standing on the street corner, while the men reminded her of guys one could not pay a woman to be with.

  The once pristine establishment looked like the cleaning crew had quit. The tables were bare and the linen napkins had been replaced by dispensers that stored paper products. She took sparse breaths so as not to gag on the stench of cheap perfume, watered-down liquor, and tobacco smoke.

  Gianni stood in front of the band, conversing with two large men who gave Georgia the chills. Both looked dangerous, the type she would not want to bump into on a well-lit street, and she suspected they were packing. A woman wearing a tight, low-cut dress and gaudy jewelry stood, in Georgia’s opinion, much too close to Gianni. He apparently forgot he was a married man and reached around and groped the woman’s derriere.

  Georgia glanced at Celeste. The other woman’s face turned red, yet Georgia suspected her friend would not say anything to her husband about his habit of groping other women.

  After a second, one of the men glanced in their direction. His eyes locked on Georgia. Her skin crawled as he leered at her. It felt like he was not only undressing her with his eyes, but imagining what he would do to her once she was rid of all her clothes.

  Without a word Nicholas’s hand closed around hers and he pulled her behind him. The man’s leer turned to a scowl. He silently challenged Nicholas. When her companion did not back down, the other man leaned in and whispered to Gianni.

  The man who had vowed to forsake all others slowly glanced in their direction. He then turned back to the men, his hand moving only an inch up from his companion’s rear. Once the goons walked off, Gianni’s arm snaked around the woman’s waist. He leaned over and whispered in the hussy’s ear. She stared at Nicholas, her lips twisted in a mocking grin.

  Nicholas squeezed Georgia’s hand as if trying to get the strength to keep from flying across the room and laying into someone. However, she did not think he would get what he needed from her. She wanted to step forward and wipe the grin from the woman’s face before laying into Gianni.

  How could they carry on in front of Celeste like she didn’t matter? Her friend was a good person and did not deserve to be treated with such disrespect. She should be with a man who not only had enough class not to flaunt his women in front of his wife but didn’t have other women to begin with.

  Before Georgia could snatch her hand from Nicholas’s and start across the room, the other woman pecked Gianni on the cheek and sashayed over to the bar.

  “What are you doing here?” Gianni asked as he stepped around the tables to get to them.

  Celeste squirmed when his gaze fell on her. After a second, he turned his attention to Georgia. She, however, did not cower at the flash of the disdain in his eyes.

  “We were at the hospital, visiting Georgia’s father.” Nicholas glanced from Georgia to Gianni. “I figured we could have dinner here tonight. Maybe get to know one another.”

  Gianni’s face went blank when he looked at his friend. “Celeste was with you?”

  “I went to the hospital to visit Mr. Collins,” Celeste said. “I took him flowers.”

  Georgia noticed the tick in the man’s chin. Instead of replying, he waved them to a table in the shadows.

  As they walked through the room, she realized she was the only person of color not waiting tables. Though the establishment had been an upscale Italian eatery, when Mr. Santiano ran the club it was integrated; it had not been unusual to see coloreds dining as well as whites.

  Once they were seated, Gianni raised his arm and snapped his fingers. Across the room, the bartender reached under the bar and retrieved a bottle. A waiter grabbed the drink as another picked up four glasses. Halfway across the room, the two men were joined by a third carrying menus.

  By the time they reached the table, the waiters had filed into a single line. The first waiter placed a glass in front of each diner. He stepped to the side and the next waiter poured the drinks. Once he was finished, the last waiter stepped forward and passed out the menus.

  As he handed Georgia her menu, his eyes locked with hers. She saw his disapproval and wondered if he considered her a traitor for dining at the establishment.

  “I’ve made a couple of changes,” Gianni announced as they opened their menus.

  “A couple of changes” was an understatement. Patrons had once been able to enjoy filet mignon, oysters, and a variety of Italian dishes prepared from the recipes passed down from one generation of Santianos to the next. The menu they stared at had the same fare offered in the hospital cafeteria.

  “Whaddaya think?”

  “Quite a lot of changes you’ve made,” Nicholas stated. “It’s not exactly what Pops was going for when he opened this place.”

  “I’m taking the place in another direction.”

  “I think I’ll just have a slice of toast and tea,” Celeste announced. She closed her menu and laid it on the table.

  “Live it up a little.” Gianni wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. “I promise you the cooking here’s better than yours.”

  Celeste flinched.

  “Cooking’s not easy,” Georgia said.

  “It’s all right. I know I’m not the best cook.”

  Georgia shook her head. She would stand up for her friend, even if the woman refused to do it for herself.

  “It’s not all right. No one’s born knowing how to cook. It takes time and practice.”

  “She’d get better if she wasn’t so busy running around town, socializing.” Gianni sneered at her. “Celeste needs to remember she’s a married woman.”

  How dare he talk about someone remembering she’s married? From what they’d witnessed when they arrived, he was the one who needed the reminder.

  Before Georgia could voice her opinion, Celeste reached across the table and touched her hand. With her eyes, the other woman silently pleaded for her not to make an issue of the statement. Though it bothered her to keep quiet, Georgia decided to drop the subject for her friend’s sake.

  Having once again lost her appetite, Georgia closed her menu and placed it on top of Celeste’s.

  “I’ll also have a slice of toast,” she said.

  Once Nicholas made his selection, Gianni placed their orders. The men then reminisced about the antics they’d pulled when they were younger, while the women sat quietly, each lost in her own world.

  ****

  Celeste’s head dropped forward until her chin touched her collarbone. It then snapped back so hard Nicholas’s neck hurt watching her. He glanced at his watch. It was eight o’clock, much too early for her to be dozing off.

  Ignori
ng his wife, Gianni started to tell a story that involved him and another woman in an alley across the street from his Uncle Joey’s diner. Nicholas remembered the incident and felt the story was inappropriate for the company they were with. As he opened his mouth to change the subject, Georgia reached across the table and tapped Celeste’s arm.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Gianni stopped midsentence and glared at his wife. Celeste’s eyes popped open. She glanced around the table and her face turned red.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to nod off.”

  “Lounging around the house has made you lazy,” Gianni commented. He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in her direction.

  Celeste coughed and waved at the air in front of her. “Could you put that out, please? I’m not feeling well.”

  “Then go home, where you belong.”

  “I’m not feeling too well myself.” Georgia pushed back from the table, scraping her chair on the floor.

  That made three of them. Since they walked into the club, two hours earlier, Nicholas had not felt the same peace he used to experience when he visited Gracie’s. Instead he felt tense, his stomach turned and his head throbbed.

  “Maybe we should call it an evening.” He stood. “I’ll drive you home.”

  “I’ll take the bus,” Georgia replied.

  He shook his head. Though it was not late, there was no way he was going to let Georgia or Celeste take the bus.

  “What’s the big deal?” Gianni leaned back in his chair. “The dames can take the bus home. Sit. Have a drink.”

  Nicholas wondered what his friend had to drink before they arrived. His behavior had been progressively crasser during the evening. Figuring he should take Gianni up on his offer and stick around to talk to the other man, Nicholas reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys.

  “Take the car,” he said, passing the keys to Georgia. “I’ll get a ride.”

  She hesitated before she grabbed the keys. For a second he feared she was going to toss them in his face and insist on taking the bus. But after a quick glance at Celeste, she walked off without acknowledging either man.