“I said that you can have this money if you never ask for money again and if you allow me to pray for you right here and right now.”
Still laughing, Craig nodded. “Fine. Yeah, sure. Whatever. Go for it.”
Robin stood next to Barry and watched as Tony got up from behind the desk and walked over to Craig. He stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, then bowed his head. “Father God,” he said, then began a beautiful prayer of petition to God for Craig’s life, for sobriety, for the scales to be removed from his eyes, for discernment, for salvation, for grace – he prayed for twenty minutes and Robin watched in awe and wonder as Craig’s fidgety body stilled. For a while he just sat there staring at the money, but eventually he closed his eyes and bowed his head.
When Tony was done, Craig surged to his feet. “You’s guys, you’re all crazy.” He snatched up the money and shoved it in his pockets. He laughed a mean laugh. “But it was a pleasure doing business with ya.”
As he left the office, he stopped in front of Robin. She didn’t know what she expected to hear from her father’s mouth, but what he said had her gasping in horror. “Tell that pretty little sister of yours I said hi.”
He slammed the door behind him as he left. For a moment, the office was silent, then Barry let out a loud breath. “Well, next time he comes around let me know and we’ll call the police.”
“I can’t believe you just let him take the money like that,” Robin said.
Tony shrugged. “I made a deal with him, and he fulfilled as much of it as he could immediately. I’m like Barry, though. I expect him to be back.” He straightened his tie. “Let’s catch some dinner. What’s the special here tonight, Robin?”
WO hours later, Robin left Tony and Barry at the table to put out a personnel fire in the kitchen. After settling the argument between Casey and a sous chef and soothing the chef’s hurt feelings, she went back to the dining room and stopped short, her heart in her throat, when she saw Craig standing next to Tony’s table. The two men spoke briefly, then Tony nodded and stood. He gestured with his hand and they walked in the direction of Robin’s office with Craig leading the way.
Robin rushed over to Barry. “What just happened?”
Barry looked as confused as Robin felt. “I have no idea. He just asked if he could talk with Tony alone.”
They waited for Tony and Craig to emerge from the office. Customers came and went. Plates came out of the kitchen full and returned empty. The dining room gradually emptied and the staff gradually reset tables and pushed sweepers over the carpet. Still the two men stayed locked away. The kitchen quieted, the last dish was put away, the last knife re-sheathed, and the staff left. Robin and Barry waited.
Sitting in the hallway outside of the office, Robin and Barry played a game of Go-Fish while Robin asked Barry faith based questions, trying to learn as much as she could. Barry was really smart and knew a lot of information right off of the top of his head, and the more questions she asked, the more questions she had.
When the door to the office opened, they surged to their feet. What she saw next had her gaping with her mouth open in surprise. Tony walked out with his arm around Craig’s shoulders. The older man’s tearstained face practically glowed. She hardly recognized him as the same man.
Tony gestured at Barry. “He’ll help you with everything from now on,” Tony said.
Barry put his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s going on, brother?”
“It would seem,” Tony said, “that Craig here suffered from some enormous conviction after leaving here. He took the money to Mr. Mills and on the way back to his apartment, he had a breakdown followed by an epiphany.”
“I was a sinner,” Craig said. “Tony here, he really knows how to pray, and I couldn’t get his words out of my mind.”
Confused, a little nervous, a little happy, Robin gave a small laugh. “Really?” She smiled at Tony. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“So Craig came back and asked to speak to me privately. When we got to your office, he wanted to know more about God and wanted to understand his conviction.”
Tony moved until he could put an arm around Robin’s shoulders. “We prayed for quite some time then Craig came to know Christ.”
Robin gasped in surprise. “What? Seriously? That’s wonderful!”
“The rest of the time was spent worrying about what to do next.”
Tony looked at Craig, who nodded and sighed. “I need to turn myself in.”
Robin gasped. “No!”
Craig nodded. “I do. I murdered two people, and I’ve done some things that I ain’t proud of no more, but I need to pay for them.”
Tony nodded to Barry. “Which is where you come in.”
“Of course.” The giant pulled a business card out of his pants pocket. “Just call me first thing in the morning. We’ll meet and get some things straight before you turn yourself in.” As Craig took the card, Barry gripped it a little tighter so that Craig met his eyes. “I mean it. Don’t go in without me.”
Craig nodded. “I understand.” He pocketed the card and turned toward Robin. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”
Stunned, Robin nodded her head. “I appreciate that, but I really think I just going to have to digest all of this for now.”
“That’s fair, girl. I understand. I’m going to go stay at Tony’s hotel tonight. He gave me a room so that I can stay safe until I meet with Mr. Andersen tomorrow.”
“Barry.”
Craig accepted the correction. “Until I meet with Barry tomorrow.” He turned and hesitated before holding a hand out to Tony. “Thank you.”
Tony took the hand to pull him to a hug. “My pleasure, brother. I will see you tomorrow.”
After Craig left, Robin leaned against the hallway wall. “Wow.”
Tony laughed. “Wow is a word for it, yes.” He laughed some more. “Wow.”
CHAPTER 18
OBIN stood with the water lapping at her ankles while her feet slowly sank into the sand. The sun beat hot against her neck, and the wind blew her cotton skirt around her legs. She took the rubber band out of her braid and slowly loosened her hair, wanting to feel the strands blowing in the breeze.
She felt Tony approach before she heard him or saw him. Some radar inside of her perked up and she slowly turned, a smile on her face.
His heart lodged in his throat at the beautiful picture before him. He wanted to just stop and savor the view, to drink in Robin in such a happy, relaxed state, but her warm, welcoming smile beckoned him closer.
“I can’t believe that it’s Christmas Eve,” she said. She ran her hands along her bare arms. Bare arms – in December! “Do we even know what the weather report for Boston is today?”
The second he stood close enough to touch, his arm snaked around her waist. He loved the feel of her against him. “I don’t check the weather there until I have to go back. And I typically avoid it during the winter months.”
Forgetting everything but the bliss surrounding her heart, Robin asked, “Why?”
Tony squeezed her close before releasing her. “I don’t like to be cold.” He gestured to the mammoth house behind him. “I’m like a bird. I fly south for the winter.”
Robin heard a squealing sound of glee and shielded her eyes to look up at the house and see one of the O’Farrell children dive off of the high dive into the pool. They had come to spend Christmas with Tony, and from what Robin could understand, they came every year. An older laugh chased the squeal, and Robin saw Maxine go flying off of the high dive. Obviously, they were engaged in some sort of game of tag.
“It looks like you typically carry a flock with you.”
Tony grinned, appreciating her subtle wit. He turned back to look out over the aquamarine water that stretched out beyond his private beach in the Florida Keys. He pulled her closer so that she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder as they watched a sailboat meander along the horizon.
“Do you row here?”
“Only in my gym.” He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. “I windsurf here.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’ll teach you how tomorrow.” He squeezed her close then pulled away, running the tips of his fingers down her arm until their hands linked. “Want to take a walk?”
“Sure.” She disengaged her feet from the sand and stepped in line with him. “I am so happy that you invited us here. I love it here.”
“I do, too.” He gestured at the water. “God’s design is so perfect. It humbles me when I come here. It’s a place for me to come when I start feeling a little too full of myself, a little too big man on the campus. I come here and I look at this expanse and the gloriousness of perfection and remember that it’s all God, and it’s all about God.”
She stopped and smiled at him. “I love listening to you, especially when you’re talking about God.”
He turned slightly so that he faced her. “What do you like about me speaking?”
Looking at him in his cotton pants and white cotton short sleeved shirt, his skin dark in the sun, his eyes a rich chocolate brown, she felt her heartbeat pick up its rhythm. She suddenly wanted to kiss him, to keep kissing him, to never have to stop. She felt her tongue dart out, lick suddenly dry lips, as those images started popping up in her mind. “Well,” she said, stepping forward so that she could feel the heat from his body. “I love your voice. And I love your passion. And,” she said, feeling more bold than she had ever felt in her entire life, she reached up and put her hands on his shoulders, “I love the love in your voice when you talk about God.”
He put his hands on her hips, feeling the effects of having her standing so close to him, the sunlight turning her hair to golden fire, her eyes bluer than the ocean behind him, wash over him in waves. “You like my voice, cara?”
Grinning she leaned forward and ran her lips along his cheek, feeling for the first time ever, a day’s growth of stubble. “Especially when you say words like cara.”
“Oh?” His mouth went a little dry and his heart’s rhythm increased a bit in tempo. “You like Italian, eh?”
“Yes.” She skimmed her lips over his cheek, down his chin, and along his other cheek. “Very much so.”
He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her back just far enough to cover her lips with his own. He kissed her, drinking her in, tasting her, feeling her seep into his very soul. “How about this?” He said when he could finally bear to break the contact of their mouths. “Te amo con tutto il cuore e con l’anima.”
Robin looked into his eyes and saw the seriousness of whatever he was saying. She tried to pick through the words, find something that sounded familiar so that she could translate it. Did he just …? “Say it again,” she demanded.
“Te amo con tutto il cuore e con l’anima.” She started quaking inside of her stomach. His hands moved from her face down her neck until they rested on her shoulders. “I love you, Robin. With all of my heart and soul.”
The quaking left her stomach and radiated out to her limbs. With shaking hands she cupped his cheeks. “Tony,” she said, trying to talk around the huge smile on her face, around the nervous laughter bubbling up in her throat. “I realized I was in love with you the day of your party, but then Craig came and…” she stopped, not wanting to babble incessantly. “Let me try,” she said.
He cupped her hands with his and pulled them off of his face. Keeping one hand gripped in his, he stepped back a bit while her inexperienced tongue fumbled on the words. “Te amo, con tat, no.” she said, then gasped as he slipped the ring on her finger.
“Con tutto il cuore e con l’anima.” He finished for her. Trapping her eyes with his, he slowly descended until one knee rested on the sandy beach. “Marry me, Robin. Make my life complete.”
“I – I – “ She couldn’t tear her eyes off the sapphire.
Tony’s face, always so stoic and guarded, could be read by anyone who saw it. He looked at her with naked need and tender hope. “I love you, cara. I don’t think that there was a moment in my life that made me happier than the day that you came to know Christ, the day that you gave your life over to the Lord. If you would do me the honor of being my wife…” He stopped and closed his eyes. Holding her hand, he ran his thumb over the ring. “Let me love you in every way God commanded a man to love his wife. Let me treasure you, and abide in you, and protect you, and honor you.”
The quaking subsided. Peace flooded her body, warmed her from the inside out. “Yes,” she said through the tears that fell unencumbered down her cheeks. He stood and their eyes came back to even again. She laughed and grabbed him and hugged him. “Yes, of course. Of course I’ll be your wife.”
He wrapped both of his arms around her and hugged her tightly to him, lifting her up from the sand and spinning them both around until he felt the wet surf beneath his feet. As he gently returned her to earth, his lips found hers and they kissed, standing in the sand with the water swirling at their ankles.
THE END
TRANSLATION KEY
amico – friend, buddy
aspetto – be looking forward to; expectation
bello – beautiful
buona sera – good evening
cara – beloved, darling
ciao – hello or good bye
esatto – precisely, exactly
la ringrazio, Dio – thank you, God
mi amante – my female friend of whom I am fond
mi amico – my friend
mi fratello – my brother
mise en place – French culinary term ‘everything in place’
si un piccolo testardo – a little stubborn (pig-headed)
te amo con tutto il cuore e con l’anima – I love you with all of my heart and soul
EXCERPT: GREATER THAN RUBIES
A special excerpt from the FREE eBook Greater Than Rubies.
OBIN nervously fiddled with her ring while she waited for the Inside Boston magazine reporter to arrive. She sat in the conference room adjacent to the office of Tony’s public relations manager, Linda Cross. She still wore the clothes and makeup from the photo shoot that had taken place in a room just down the hall. She’d hoped Tony could be there for the photos, but the magazine had specifically requested only her.
The door opened and Robin’s heart lurched, but Linda entered alone. She was short and stocky, with a thick waist and jet black hair. Thick glasses with square black frames dominated her face. “Don will be in momentarily,” she said. “He’s signing some papers for me right now.” She raised an eyebrow behind her glasses. “No worries, Miss Bartlett. I’ll be here the whole time.”
“I’ve just never done this before.” She licked her lips.
“A year from now, it will be old hat,” Linda assured. Robin wondered if she meant that to intimidate her or make her feel more at ease, because, honestly, she wasn’t feeling better in the wake of that remark.
A tap at the door preceded the entrance of Don Roberts. He was younger than Robin, tall, boy-next-door good looking with straight brown hair and a fake tan. Nothing about him made her feel at ease about this interview.
He shook her hand - again - then sat in the chair adjacent to her. He took a phone out of his pocket, pressed a series of buttons on it, then set it on the table in front of her. She could only assume he’d activated some sort of recording device. “Miss Bartlett, Robin, thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said around a suddenly too-dry mouth.
“Let’s go ahead and cover the basics. Tell us how you met Tony.”
This was the first person outside of church to address Tony as Tony and not Mr. Viscolli. It intrigued Robin. “He, ah, bought a restaurant where I worked.” She cleared her throat. “We met then.”
“When was that?”
“Last fall.”
“And, to add a spice of romance to our story, how did he propose?”
r /> Robin smiled and relaxed, thinking back. “Christmas Eve, on the beach in the Florida Keys.”
“That’s really nice,” Don said. He smiled. “Tony Viscolli is a powerful force in the business world, and not just in the Boston area. He has businesses all over the country and thousands of employees. What do you think drew him to you in particular?”
Uncomfortable, Robin shrugged. “I really couldn’t tell you. You’d have to ask him.”
“But we can probably guess what drew you to him, right?”
Robin put her hands in her lap and laced her fingers, squeezing them tightly. “If you knew his heart, or anything about him personally, you’d not have to ask that question. He is amazing and generous and loving, and I feel so incredibly blessed.”
“Is he?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Is he really all those things? Or simply uninformed?”
Robin felt her eyebrows crease under the thick makeup from the photo shoot. “What?”
“Does he know all there is to know about you?”
Robin shifted her eyes to Linda, who frowned but did not speak. “I beg your pardon?”
Don sat forward and tapped the top of the table with every question. He looked like an anaconda eyeing a mouse. “He knows you were a waitress moonlighting as a bartender. Does he know your father went to prison for drug smuggling and now faces double murder charges? Does he know your mother was an addict who was murdered in a drug deal? Does he know you, yourself, stabbed your foster parent in the back with a buck knife? Does he know you were a fugitive until you turned eighteen and your juvenile crimes were sealed? Does he know about the improprietary manner in which you had your former employer pull strings with city hall to clear your record so you could obtain custody of one of your sisters? How did you convince that retired sailor to help you pull those strings, Miss Bartlett?”
Panic swirled in her brain, freezing her ability to form cohesive thoughts. “I don’t – what are you –?” Robin gasped and looked from Don to Linda. Her heart pounded and she felt sweat break out on her forehead.