Page 15

Jazz breathed in and out several times as she faced the door to her parents’ house.

She wasn’t prone to panic attacks, but being in the same room with both her mother and sister was enough to drive a saint to drink.

Her father generally stayed out of the way and plodded along in his life as an observer, not a participator.

Hopefully, Hugo would be here to help mediate any drama.

The houses in this neighborhood were built long and narrow, fitting so close together that there was little to no room to walk between them. A few of them had driveways, but most cars were parked on the street.

Jazz shifted from foot to foot on the unpainted concrete steps that led to the entrance. She carried a sugar cake and a box of Danishes as her contribution.

Just a couple hours. That’s all. Then you can go home and binge-watch Deep Space Nine the rest of the night.

The internal pep talk wasn’t helping much.

Wolf told her he would meet her here, as he had something he needed to do before he came.

She was still shocked as hell that he said he would be her pretend boyfriend for the day.

Boyfriend didn’t sound right for a man like Wolf, nor did the pretend part.

It was more like a repeated movie trope from the Hallmark Channel.

Men didn’t do favors like this for random women in real life.

Or was it her doing a favor for him? It didn’t make a lot of sense for Wolf to come to Easter dinner to prove something to Liz.

He didn’t know the woman, so why did it matter?

Jazz shook her head. Gah, she needed some serious Vulcan logic to figure out Wolf and his motive. Even so, it was a nice gesture, and she would consider this more like a friend helping a friend.

She glanced at her Doctor Who watch and noted it was five minutes after three.

Technically, she was late, but Wolf wasn’t here yet.

Should she go in and see the sneer on her sister’s face that the alleged boyfriend didn’t show up or wait and listen to the inevitable lecture from her mom on punctuality?

Thankfully, Hugo ambled down the cracked sidewalk, his round face bursting into a big grin when he spotted her. “Yo, sis! Whassup?”

Jazz smiled back. “Yo, bro! I’m soooo glad you’re here. I can’t face the lion’s den without backup.” She hugged her brother, who only stood up to her shoulder.

“Whatcha got in the bag?” he asked in his lisping accent. His glasses made his brown eyes look huge.

“Treats from the bakery. Did you bring any from your work?”

His grin got bigger. “Duh. I make dog treats. Remember?” He used his most sarcastic tone but giggled at his own words.

“I don’t think the kids can tell the difference.”

Hugo burst out laughing and showed his short teeth with their slight underbite.

“I can’t give dog treats to Liz’s kids. That’s dumb.

” His face filled with delight. “Look at that!” He pointed excitedly at a spot in the distance.

The rumble of the flame-covered motorcycle got louder as the rider pulled the machine up next to them.

Jazz froze. This was the perfect slo-mo movie scene, and she didn’t want to miss a moment.

In one motion, Wolf kicked down the stand and dismounted the bike, swinging one leg over the seat, stretching his jeans tight.

He removed his helmet and shook out his hair, letting the curling length fly and settle around his face.

Those green-gold orbs of his blinked slowly as their gazes met, and her ovaries started singing the Hallelujah chorus.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then did it again.

She opened them to see Wolf and Hugo fist-bump in greeting.

“Cool motorcycle. Are you dating my sister?” Hugo chortled as he turned to face Jazz. “Liz told me you have a boyfriend now. I came to meet him. I wanted to see for myself who would be brave enough to date my favorite sister.”

“You think she shouldn’t be with me?” Wolf asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“No way. You shouldn’t be with her . Run away while you can. I’ll cover for ya.”

Wolf threw back his head and laughed long and loud. “Hugo, my brother, you are cool as hell.” He slung an arm around the shorter man. “Let’s go eat. You coming, baby?”

Ooooo, he called me baby again!

Jazz shook her head to get her thoughts in order and to quell the butterflies in her stomach. “Okay, then. Dibs on when Mom brings up mass. I say before the meat is served.”

* * *

“You can’t get a good pork roast around here anymore. I went to three different grocers and the butcher shop over on Fifth. Terrible service.”

Jazz cringed as her mother, Delores Hickling, started the expected rant.

Just after the woman’s ample backside hit the chair, she asked the dreaded question.

“Yinz go to mass this morning, yeah?” It was directed at the entire table, but Jazz felt the weight of that stare on herself.

She exchanged a look with her brother, who tried not to choke on his suppressed laughter.

Wolf answered with a surprising yes. “Early sunrise service.” He picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes to serve himself and plopped a spoonful onto Jazz’s plate before handing it off to her dad.

The dining alcove was small and crowded with six adults sitting around the table.

The two older kids were in the kitchen at a card table, making more of a mess than eating.

The baby sat in a high chair between his mom and his grandfather.

Liz and Hugo were across from Wolf and Jazz.

Her parents were stationed at the head and foot of the table.

Jazz noted that these were the same places everyone had occupied for decades. The only exception was Wolf.

Liz had gone all out, with full-blown makeup and hair.

Three pregnancies had left her with humongous breasts, and Jazz was sure there was a major push-up bra under those puppies.

The top halves were exposed and moved around like Jell-O.

Jazz wondered if Wolf would be impressed or disinterested.

The man got to see naked women nightly at the strip club he worked for, so a set of ample ta-tas shouldn’t hold more than a passing interest to him, right?

Liz batted her eyes as she picked up a dish and handed it across to Wolf. “I bought an apple pie from Phyliss’s store yesterday. I hope it’s good this time. The last one I got was too sweet. She was out of Graeter’s, so I had to get Breyer’s ice cream for the top.”

Delores screwed up her face in revulsion. “That’s not gonna taste right. Didja at least get the cheese for your father?”

Liz rolled her eyes and dropped the charming facade for a moment. “Yeah, I did. It’s revolting, though. Who else but him eats a slice of sharp cheddar on their apple pie?”

Jazz held back her “I do,” but she heard it anyway. All eyes centered on Wolf, who had spoken.

Hugo blinked behind his glasses. “You do that too? I thought Dad and Jazz were the only weirdos.”

Jazz turned red at her brother’s comment. “Hugo!”

Wolf wasn’t fazed. “It’s actually pretty common, especially among people of English descent. My mom always served it that way.”

Delores raised her eyebrows. “She lives here in Pittsburgh?”

He shook his head as he raised a forkful of green beans. “No. She died some years ago and is buried up in Maine, where she was from. My father died about a year after she did.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Jazz whispered lightly.

Wolf looked at her warmly. “It was a long time ago, but thanks, babe.”

Babe, baby, gah! Jazz’s insides melted every time she heard an endearment from him. It’s not going to last. It’s only for today.

“I think it’s gross,” Ian yelled from the kitchen.

Jazz’s liquid heat froze instantly. “Quit being rude. It’s okay for people to like different things.”

Wolf let out a huge laugh. “Don’t worry about it, Jazz. The kid is entitled to his opinions.”

Liz, however, took her opportunity. “Can’t get much different than Jazzy. Always has her head in the clouds or on the computer. Right, Mom?”

Delores picked up the familiar topic and expanded as she assumed a dramatic air.

“Oh my gawd, all those science fiction space books she read as a kid. If I heard another word about Martians or spaceships that talk, I’d lose my mind.

She’s always dreamin’ of some weird fantasy world and makin’ up stories.

She even tried to build a rocket thing so she could send messages to all the aliens.

All she did was make a big mess and nearly burned the house down when she tried to light it. Got that idea from a book, I bet.”

Jazz closed her eyes as one of her childhood’s most embarrassing moments was revealed in front of Wolf.

That was a major sore spot between her and her mother, as the woman constantly brought them up to company and whoever would listen.

She hoped it would stop there, but Liz, in her true form, added to the mix.

“Yeah, I remember her begging for a library card so she got all her books for free. Stacks of them. You’d think with all that reading she did in college, she’d be doing something big like NASA or something instead of playing on her computer and pouring coffee.”

Delores heaved a martyred sigh. “Four years wasted. All that money she borrowed. It’s a shame. Thank gawd we didn’t pay for any of that. No, after my kids turned eighteen, they were on their own.”