Read Beautiful Life: The Carpino Series for Free Online Page B

popcorn smiling, I look for my target and try my best.  I don’t want to suck at people watching.
    *****
    “I think you won.  The newlywed couple who had sex in the Gap dressing room that got caught and had to be escorted out by the mall cop but snuck back in was pretty funny.  I think that might have really happened, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other,” I say as we walk back to Tony’s car. 
    “You weren’t so bad yourself,” he returns as he opens my door for me.  “The woman who was a past national ping pong champion that went crazy from years of ping pong training and snuck out of the insane asylum just to play ping pong in the sporting goods store was pretty realistic.  She looked like she had a long day, I’m pretty sure she was strung out on sales for real.”
    As I am buckling up, my phone rings.  “Hey, Paige,” I answer.
    “Hey yourself.  Look, we never did junk food and a movie marathon, how about tonight?  I’ll bring the junk food and Gabby’s got a million movies to choose from.  I know she and Jude are in Colorado, we can hang out and you won’t have to be by yourself.  How about it?”
    Honestly.  The Carpinos are the nicest people ever. 
    “That’s Paige?” Tony asks.
    “Yeah,” I answer, back to Tony.
    “Is that my brother?  What are you doing with him?” Paige asks.
    “We’re leaving the mall,” I answer, back to Paige.
    “Tony hates the mall,” she states.
    “What does she want?” Tony interrupts again.
    “She wants to do junk food and movies,” I answer, back to Tony.
    “Did you eat mall food?” Paige asks further.
    “Well, yeah,” I answer, back to Paige.
    “Tell her only if she makes more pumpkin cookies,” Tony says.
    “Tell him I don’t have time to make pumpkin cookies, the batter has to chill,” Paige answers Tony.
    “Should I let you two speak to one another?” I ask both of them simultaneously.
    “NO!” they both say ardently and simultaneously. 
    “Okay,” I sigh.  “Paige, movies sound good, but I’m not hungry.  I’ve had enough junk food to last a year.  Tony will drop me off at Gabby’s, we should be there soon.”
    “Give me the phone,” Tony says with his hand out to me.
    I frown as I hear Paige groan at her brother’s request, “Here, Tony changed his mind.  He wants to talk to you.”
    Tony takes the phone as he navigates our way through the crazy after Thanksgiving traffic, “I’m not dropping her off.  I’m staying for movies, bring whatever junk food you had planned.  And I’ll pay you forty dollars for more pumpkin cookies, but you have to make them tomorrow.”  He pauses and then adds frustratingly so, “Fine.  Fifty.  But I want the whole batch.”
    And then, just like that, he hangs up on his sister without saying goodbye. 
    “Tony, I can’t eat more junk food and I can’t believe you’re going to pay her for pumpkin cookies.”
    “Paige’s idea of junk food isn’t really junk food.  Trust me on this.  You’ll thank me later.”
    “All right, but you really can drop me off.  You don’t need to stay.  You’ve already spent a good chunk of your day with me and it’s your day off,” I say, trying to let him off the hook.
    “I could watch a movie,” he answers.
    “But I feel bad.  You all don’t need to babysit me.  Gabby has an alarm, I’ll be fine.”
    Tony reaches out to grab my hand and firmly but gently, threads our fingers.  “Gem, I said I could watch a movie,” he repeats, softly this time.
    Fine.  If he doesn’t have anything better to do than torture me, so be it.  I pull on my hand only to feel his grip harden, holding it to the console while throwing me a soft smile.  I sigh, lean back in my seat and watch the traffic move as we make our way back to Gabby’s house for more junk food and a movie marathon. 
    All the while letting Tony hold my hand.
    *****
    I can’t move. 
    For two reasons. 
    One:  I’m stuffed.  Tony was right, Paige’s