Read A Dish Best Served Cold: An Italian Kitchen Mystery (Italian Kitchen Mystery, An) for Free Online Page A

get rid of him,” I said.
    “No.” My grandmother put a restraining hand on his arm. “He sees Frank and he thinks he’s getting some wine. I will speak with him. He’ll listen to me. “
    “Are you sure, Ma?” my dad asked.
    She nodded. “Poor soul.”
    I watched in wonder as my normally harsh and forbidding grandmother suddenly morphed into the Nonna I’d never known. She greeted Pete with a kiss on each cheek and took his hands in hers, speaking quietly to him in Italian. She drew him away from the guests, who’d begun to studiously avoid him, and their relief was palpable. As Nonna talked, she led him out to the parking lot; she disappeared inside the restaurant briefly and returned with a container of food and a bottle of water. He dipped his head, said something to her, and then turned to go. My heart contracted a little as I watched him lurch away.
I hope he has somewhere to sleep tonight
. But he had a meal, at least, and no wine. His shambling figure grew smaller and smaller until he rounded the corner of the restaurant and finally disappeared.

Chapter Four
    F or the next hour or so, dinner service went off without a hitch, and we were beginning to think we might just pull it off. I was also beginning to think that I was indeed being stood up, until my date finally appeared. My face broke into a smile and I waved as he walked toward me. A transplant from New Orleans, Cal had a laconic charm that was one part Southern Accent and two parts Hot Cowboy.
    “Hey, you,” I said.
    “Hey, yourself.” He took both my hands and held out my arms as though we were about to dance. “Well, would ya look at you? Very nice,
cher
.”
    As I looked at Cal’s face, it struck me that eyes said a lot about a person. Tim’s, for instance, were a changeable, stormy gray that pretty much summed up his personality. Cal’s, one the other hand, were a peaceful, woodsy green. I looked into them and was immediately comforted.
    “Wow,” I said. “You’re quite a surprise tonight.”
    “Why? Did you think I wasn’t gonna show up?”
    “Oh no, it’s just that I’m not used to seeing you out of your work clothes—”
Victoria, you did not just say that.
One lift of an eyebrow from Cal was enough to set my cheeks burning. “I mean . . . well, you know what I mean.”
    He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Sadly, I do. You mean I clean up nice, right?”
    “You know you do. And I’ve seen you in dress clothes before. It’s just that tonight you look especially—”
Tasty
was the word that came to mind. But I was still enough of a lady not to say it out loud. “—nice.”
    “I could say the same to you.” He stood close to me, putting his lips to my ear. “I like when you wear your hair up. ’Cause then I get to fantasize about takin’ it down.”
    Despite dropping temperatures and a gusty wind, I was suddenly feeling very hot. But my mother’s voice provided the cold shower I needed.
    “Hello, Cal,” she said coolly. “Thank you for coming.”
    “Don’t you look lovely, tonight, Ms. Rienzi,” Cal said.
    My mother nodded in a queenly manner, but didn’t answer. In my mother’s mind, Cal was a distant second in the Who’s Right for Victoria Sweepstakes. Tim would always be the front-runner. “Victoria, dear,” she said, “don’t you have some work to do?”
    “You sound like Nonna,” I grumbled. “Let me just get Cal a seat, okay?”
    “Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch you later.” He nodded to us. “Ladies.”
    I watched him walk away, admiring the set of his shoulders in that suit. Next to me, my mother was about to let loose on the wisdom of getting involved with Cal. “Not. One. Word,” I warned.
    “You know my feelings on the subject.”
    “Indeed I do, Mother. Need I remind you that Tim is dating Lacey Harrison?”
    She sighed. “No. Is she coming tonight?”
    “Supposedly. But thus far there’s been no sign of her—” I was interrupted by a sound in the distance, a soft