A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 7 - Em

Of course, Roberto had to kill the moment. I'm pretty sure Nick was about to kiss my neck. My body warms to new highs that have nothing to do with the hot weather as I think about his lips touching me.

"Thank you so much for coming over to help," Mom says right as Dad enters the house, dropping his briefcase a little loudly.

"This job is a joke," he says and pales when he sees Nick, sitting at the table.

"We were waiting for you for dinner." Mom stands up and gives Dad a kiss on the lips, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. He nods but his posture is still stiff, and he doesn't even loosen his tie.

I bring the dish of spaghetti carbonara to the table and serve everyone before taking my usual spot—next to Nick. Hello, torture.

"Em told me you also went to rehearse today." Mom's voice is almost too enthusiastic, but at least she's making an attempt at conversation.

"I did. But I was distracted," Nick replies, and did I see him glancing at me?

"Why did you decide to stay here this summer?" Mom asks, and Roberto mutters something about Nick not needing to answer.

"Dad wants me to help a bit in the office this summer." Nick doesn't look down, he doesn't avoid the answer in front of my father.

Dad's fork falls on his plate and he clears his throat. "How is your father doing?"

"Good, thank you," Nick says. And then shovels another spoonful of spaghetti in his mouth. The dining room is almost empty of all decorations: the walls are bare except for one picture of Nick's dad and mine together in front of some gala.

"He hasn't called me back."

"Dino." Mom's tone is gentle, but she narrows her eyes into the look—the one that usually shuts my father up in less than a second. She doesn't use that look a lot, but it's effective, and Dad even jokes about it sometimes.

Dad shakes his head and barks a laugh. "What? I'm supposed to shut up?" His voice rises and I've never heard him like that—so bitter. "I'm supposed to say nothing while my best friend screwed me over? I'm supposed to have his son over for dinner like nothing ever happened?" He pounds his fist on the table. "Bullshit!"

Roberto hisses, "No matter what happened, is it Nick's fault?" He leans forward on the table. "Dad, I asked you a question: is it Nick's fault?"

Nick shifts on his seat. "I should go. I'm sorry. I should go."

Mom shakes her head. "No. Don't go." She turns to Dad. "Dino, Rob asked you a question. And I think you know the answer."

Dad stares into his plate of spaghetti. We used to have elaborate meals, we used to have a chef coming once a week for a tasting of some sort. We used to have a maid, we used to be rich, but I never thought being rich was something that defined us, defined who we are.

Dad clears his throat and leans back in his chair. "Nick, please stay." Dad looks up. "I'm sorry. Amanda's right—this has nothing to do with you."

Nick's eyes widen and I'm tempted to sneak my hand underneath the table to offer some support, to let him know that I'm here. "I'm so sorry. My father is..."

"Charles is a businessman, and he did what was needed for his business."

"But you're his friend."

"Business and friendship don't mix. Don't worry, we'll have cigars again soon, once I'm back on my feet. And you're always welcome here. You are Roberto's best friend and you're always there for Em. We appreciate that."

For the first time, the lines around Dad's eyes appear more pronounced. His hand shakes a little as he brings the Diet Coke to his parched lips. His shoulders are slouched; he used to always stand tall. Mom covers his other hand with hers and smiles their special smile. It's the one she usually has for him when he doesn't look, when he helps Roberto with his homework, when he hugs his mom, or when he makes her laugh after a hard day.

My heart warms because no matter what, my mom and dad are here for one another.

And again, I'm tempted to show Nick I'm here for him too.

But Roberto beats me to the punch. "Hey Nico, do you want to go hang out at your place again tonight?"

Nick shifts on his seat. "How about we go to the pinball place tonight? I heard they got the new Avengers pinball!"

Roberto smiles. "You know I rock at pinball. Remember, two years ago in the Hamptons, I kicked your ass."

"Actually, Em kicked both of our records that night," Nick says but doesn't look at me.

Roberto nods. "Let's do it then. You and I. Old-school pinball machines. I'm supposed to meet someone later, but I can postpone. Come on, last night I kicked your ass—maybe tonight you'll get lucky." No one bothers asking me what I want to do. And I can't help feeling a bit left out. When we lost everything, I also lost my so-called friends. Dancing and Nonna's restaurant are my world now.

Maybe I could go back to the studio later and rehearse, or maybe I could see Nonna again and ask if she could finally share the secret to her tiramisu. Learning how to create dishes, how to recreate them, is relaxing. In the restaurant, no one expects me to fail. I don't expect myself to fail.

Nick gently nudges me. "Do you want to join us?"

Roberto smiles. "That's a great idea. I love how she beats you every single time."

I want to go.

But instead of saying yes, I shrug. "Nah. I'll pass this time. I might go dance again tonight. I'm pretty sure no one requested the studio at eight p.m."

"Tomorrow, if you want, we could work on the choreography from the last showcase together."

My heart beats so fast I'm sure everyone at the table hears it. "Sure. That sounds good," I reply.

"Tomorrow at five?"

"Five it is," I answer.

Note to self: don't be too full of hope.

Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying getting to know Em & Nick! I'll be publishing two new chapters every Friday and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. The full novella is already published/available on all e-retailers for only $0.99 in case you don't want to wait for the next chapter :) More information on www.elodienowodazkij.com :)