Page 10

EPILOGUE

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Saturday, April 16, 4:45 p.m.

“He’s beautiful,” Charlotte murmured, looking down at the bundle she carefully held.

Sophie had held on for another fifteen days before going into labor, long enough that the doctor was satisfied that the baby would be fine. Sophie would be fine as well, she’d assured them, but Vito was ever watchful.

The family had come to meet little Harry in shifts, and it was Tino’s turn. He’d insisted Charlotte accompany him, even though she hadn’t thought she should be included.

Tino had been adamant, though. Partly because he wanted her to be a part of his family, as she should have been all along. And partly because he still didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

He was getting better about the second one. But he didn’t think he’d ever forget the sight of that monster putting his gun to Charlotte’s head. That the man had died in the hospital of the wound to his gut didn’t keep Tino awake at night.

But it did keep Charlotte awake. She’d dealt the death blow and she went through periods of relief, pride, and guilt in equal measure.

The pride was well earned. She’d been resourceful and brave, using the items in Hale’s kitchen cupboards to take a madman down. She’d gotten justice for those Hale had wronged.

Philly PD had mourned the two officers Hale had killed to get to Kayla Lewis. Tino had never met them, but Vito said the fallen officers had been good men and good cops.

The inmate who’d killed Charlotte’s stalker had confessed to taking direction from another inmate, one with whom Hale had met at the Memphis prison. Hale had paid a thousand dollars for the stalker’s murder. Tino wasn’t exactly devastated that the man was dead, because it meant that he could never hurt Charlotte again.

Oscar Dupree, the man who’d helped Hale get a job at the Japanese restaurant, had been murdered for his money, and that had puzzled Vito for a while. But then Vito had discovered that Kevin Hale’s inheritance from his mother had been in a trust controlled by the family of the rich, skinny kid that Hale had been protecting in prison. Hale had hired them to manage the trust his mother had left him, selling his parents’ house and buying the blue Victorian.

But the money was all gone. What remained after the house purchase had been taken by the state, who charged inmates for their prison stay. Turned out that fourteen years at fifty bucks a day added up.

That was why Kevin had needed the job at the restaurant to begin with. Had he not bought the blue Victorian with cash, he would have had enough to live comfortably for decades.

Kayla Lewis’s father had been brought out of his induced coma and was making some progress toward recovery. It would be a long road for that family, though. They didn’t blame Charlotte for Hale’s obsession with her, but Charlotte blamed herself.

She’d been cooking like a woman possessed, making sure that the three families impacted by Hale’s shooting spree on her street would not miss a single meal. The rest of the time, she was caring for her aunt, who’d been discharged from the hospital only a few days before. Mrs. J wouldn’t fully recover, but she was in much less pain. Tino and Charlotte had told her a very toned-down version of the story of Kevin Hale, but even that had required doctors to treat Mrs. J for a mild heart attack.

The elderly woman was very excited that Charlotte and Tino were back together, however, and that was what Charlotte had emphasized. She’d moved her aunt into her condo partly because, even with a stair lift, Mrs. J wasn’t able to navigate the stairs alone.

But mostly because Mrs. J didn’t feel like she could live there again, not after having been attacked there. She liked Charlotte’s condo and was already planning on helping Charlotte cook for the neighborhood.

But for now, Mrs. J was taking it easy, mostly watching television and snoozing. Tino had fetched art supplies from her house for her to enjoy when her broken arm was healed.

“Are you and Uncle Tino having kids?”

Tino blinked at the question, asked by Sophie’s oldest. Anna was seven years old and as chatty as her mother, but with the bluntness of her father.

“Anna,” Sophie scolded from the hospital bed. “That’s a private matter, between Charlie and Tino.”

Anna looked confused but apologized to Charlotte.

Charlotte glanced up at Tino before smiling at Anna. “It’s fine. I understand why you’d be curious. But I think, for now, I’d be happy visiting with you and your brothers. Maybe I can come by and we can make dinner for your mom so she can rest. I’ll show you how.”

Anna was more than satisfied with that answer. “Beef bourguignon?” She butchered the pronunciation, making Sophie wince.

Charlotte laughed. “Of course. I’ll show you how. I’ve already made your dinner for tonight, but you can help me make tomorrow night’s dinner.”

Tino fought his own wince at that. Making dinner for Sophie and Vito’s brood would mean going to Vito’s house, which meant another verbal assault from his brother. Vito still hadn’t forgiven him for breaking into Hale’s house.

Tino was okay with that, though. If they’d waited on negotiations, Charlotte might have been dead. Which even Vito accepted, but he was still pissed off.

He’d get over it. Eventually.

“Charlie wiggled out of Anna’s question about kids pretty well,” Vito whispered from beside him, making Tino jump. Vito hadn’t been there when they’d arrived, and he hadn’t heard him approach.

“No kids,” Tino whispered back. “We talked about it already.”

Vito’s brows went up. “Already?”

Tino kept his voice so quiet that no one could overhear. “She wanted to make sure I understood her limitations. Even if we weren’t forty-two, her attacker stabbed her in her abdomen. The damage was so severe that she can’t have kids.” He’d seen the scars when they’d made love but hadn’t realized what they meant. “She said she needed me to be certain I was okay with a future different than the one we’d envisioned as teenagers. Or that I’d envisioned, anyway.”

Vito nodded, understanding because Tino had shared—with Charlotte’s permission—the reasons she’d had for leaving him back then.

“Did she ever remember how Hale knew about the dream house?” Vito asked, still in a whisper.

“She didn’t. Sonya did.” Cliff’s wife had been able to provide a key piece of information that Charlotte hadn’t remembered. “Sonya and Charlie were friends back then. Not best friends like Cliff and me, but they talked. Sonya remembered Charlie telling her about the blue Victorian with the picket fence about a month before graduation. She said, looking back, she could see that Charlie felt trapped, but she didn’t realize it at the time.”

“You were all only eighteen.”

“I know,” Tino said, but he could now see how very little he’d listened to Charlotte back then. How he’d just assumed she’d wanted the same things he did. And, even though Charlotte could have and should have said something, he mourned his own teenage stupidity.

“Anyway,” Tino murmured, “it was over lunch, and Sonya remembers ‘the creepy kid’ hanging around their table. Hale was always following Charlie and sitting close to wherever she was. Sonya thinks that Kevin overheard them talking about it, about the lives they’d live after graduation.”

“So...you interested in buying a blue Victorian? I hear it’s going for cheap.”

Tino threw his brother a dirty look. “Not funny, V.”

“That’s what you get for risking your life by going into Hale’s house, you asshole.” Vito had returned to normal volume, which was a mistake.

“Vito!” Sophie scolded from the bed. “Children.”

Anna’s expression was identical to her mother’s as she turned to face Vito. “Yes, Daddy, children.” Gently she covered the newborn’s ears with her hands. “No swearing in front of the baby.”

“I promise,” Vito said soberly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Tino muttered.

“No, I’m really not.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at them both as she gave the baby back to Sophie. “We’re going to let you rest. Don’t worry, Tino and I will take Anna home. I’ve got dinner all made, and we’ll make sure everyone eats.”

Sophie smiled up at Charlotte. “Thank you, Charlie.”

Charlotte smiled back. She liked it when they called her Charlie, and Tino made it a point to do so every time he called her name. It was a tie to their past, a small way for them to regain what they’d once had.

But Tino figured what they had now was better.

Vito kissed Charlotte on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of my bunch. My dad is home with Michael.” Vito’s son had already fallen in love with Charlotte. “They’re both looking forward to your cooking.”

“I like your dad,” Charlotte said. “I always did. We’ll take care of him, too.”

That she was taking care of everyone but herself was evident, but she’d told Tino that this was what she needed right now. To be useful. It helped keep the dark thoughts at bay.

So Tino would take care of her while she cared for others.

They set off down the hospital hallway toward the elevator, Anna skipping ahead of them.

“I talked to my investment manager today,” Charlotte said conversationally. “Dottie wants to sell her house and pool our money together. I don’t want to take her money, but selling her house will let me take care of her. My investment guy says that with that money added to the settlement I got from the newspaper who leaked my address, I don’t really have to work for a while.”

Tino stared at her. “First, that’s amazing. Second, does this mean you won’t be reviewing restaurants for the foreseeable future?”

“Yes, that’s what it means. But I think I’d decided to stop anyway. My heart hasn’t been in it for a while. If I’m too scared to give a negative review, I’m pretty much done. My therapist says I don’t have to prove to myself that I can do it. That I proved enough to myself by taking down Kevin Hale. With your help, of course.”

Tino agreed with her therapist. He’d been worried about her drawing the attention of the wrong person with a negative review. “But you’ll be bored senseless within a week.”

“I know. So I looked into volunteer opportunities. Specifically teaching cooking classes at the youth center. I can set my own hours, and once Dottie’s more mobile, she can come with me. She misses teenagers, believe it or not.”

He smiled. “She’ll always be a teacher in her heart.”

“Exactly. I’m pretty excited about the idea, too.”

She looked it, her eyes alight with an anticipation he hadn’t seen since they’d been reunited.

“You’ll need a taste tester for your curriculum,” Tino said, making her grin.

“You volunteering?”

“Absolutely.” He pushed the button for the elevator. “Are you happy, Charlie?”

Her grin became a sweet smile. “I am. Thank you for asking.”

“I didn’t before, but I’m paying attention now.”

“I think we’re going to be okay.”

He tipped her chin up and kissed her. “I think you’re right.”