Kate visibly stilled. Keira swallowed.

“Vi’s girls, Ben, Kate and Keira,” Cal told him.

“Heard about them too,” Benny said, aiming his smile and hand at both in turn. Kate gulped as she took his hand. When Keira did, her eyes rolled back into her head.

I looked at Cal and he was grinning at them.

“Shoulda warned you, Benny’s a lady-killer,” Cal told the girls and both their eyes fluttered to him.

“I didn’t think anyone could be hotter than you, Joe,” Keira whispered, forgetting she hated Cal for a second, forgetting everything in the presence of Benny.

“Ben, you’re killin’ me,” Cal murmured but there was a timbre of suppressed laughter in his voice, “lost my position.”

“Sucks, but you’re used to it,” Benny returned on a grin.

Cal shook his head and Benny looked at me.

“Dad’s got your pie in the oven,” he informed me then his eyes went to Cal. “Freakin’ kitchen’s crazed. He’s got my kids in a tizzy. He’s been retired from the kitchen a year and I just got them settled, it took that long. Now he’s taken over, fifteen minutes back to drill sergeant and the place is pandemonium, boys are droppin’ shit, burnin’ shit, nuts.”

“Kick his ass out,” Cal advised.

“You try to kick Vinnie’s ass out when he’s got an apron around his waist,” Benny replied then looked at Keira and Kate and, for some reason, asked, “Your Mom do somethin’ good, somethin’ better than anyone else you know?”

“Her garden,” Keira chimed in instantly.

“Her seafood risotto,” Kate told him the second Keira’s last word was uttered.

“Her pork chops and spiced rice,” Keira put in.

“Her chocolate chunk cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting,” Kate added.

“When we were kids, she told the best bedtime stories,” Keira went on. “All my friends wanted to stay over at my house because of Mom’s bedtime stories. She was famous for them.”

Benny’s eyes slid to me and I felt Cal’s on me too. I also felt my face get hot.

There was silence then Benny murmured, “All that sounds good.”

“The best,” Keira agreed and I watched as Benny forced, with visible effort, his eyes back to the girls.

“Makes my point asinine. Was gonna tell you, she tries to teach you that stuff, you should run the other way.” He looked back to me. “But, thinkin’, that shit, you should let her,” Benny told them, his eyes still on me and I felt my face get hotter.

“I’m guessin’ Uncle Vinnie shared the secret of his pies,” Cal saved me by remarking and Benny’s dark brown eyes released me from their magnetic hold and he looked to his cousin.

“Yeah. He taught me, said he wanted to retire from the kitchen. Now he’s ordered a new sign, gets installed next week. Vinnie and Benny’s Pizzeria. Screwed now, cugino, my name’s gonna be on the building, I’m f**kin’ stuck.”

I couldn’t tell if this was a complaint or considered an honor and Benny didn’t let on which one it was.

“Mom doesn’t like it when we hear the f-word,” Keira butted in before I could figure it out or Cal could comment then I watched her face get pink and she looked at the table.

“Good Mom’s usually don’t,” Benny told her then leaned in and noted, “but bet you hear it all the time at school.”

Keira looked at him and nodded.

“Bet you say it too,” Benny teased, Keira bit her lip, avoided my eyes, in fact, she avoided everyone’s eyes and she looked so hilariously guilty, Benny burst out laughing.

So did Cal

And so did I.

On the day of my brother’s funeral.

Then again, if Sam got a look at Keira’s face, he would have laughed too.

“How’d you two meet?” Benny asked, sitting back, settling in, ready to stay awhile even though his kitchen was pandemonium. He stretched an arm along the back of the booth which stretched his tight tee across his chest and his ripped bicep, his arm spanning both girls and both girls’ eyes shot to me, their faces set to identical looks of joy.

“Violet’s my neighbor,” Cal answered and Benny threw his head back and burst out laughing again.

When he finished, he shook his head, eyes on Cal. “Jesus. Only you could have the beautiful mother of two beautiful girls f**kin’ move right next door. Shit.” Benny looked to me again and said, “You got a sister, Vi, she’s lookin’ for a place, the one next door to me’s for sale.”

I smiled at him, feeling his compliment settle deep but informed him, “I don’t have a sister. Just a brother.”

The humor faded from his face as the smile faded from mine and, like his Dad, his eyes got soft, his expression turned gentle and he murmured, “Cara.”

I bit my lip. He’d heard about that too.

Then I watched in fascination as his head turned and he looked at my girls. Then his hand curled and he slid the backs of his fingers along the now-reminded-of-her-grief Keira’s jaw. Then his arm curled around Kate and he pulled her into his side for an affectionate squeeze before his arm went back to settle on the booth.

Yes, Cal’s family was cool.

In fact, they could be the coolest.

My mind was taken from this when I started to uncross my legs and, when I did, Cal’s hand came back. It curled around my inner thigh and pulled my leg up and over his, where he dropped it on his thigh.

Vulnerable, tired and one breadstick not cutting through my hunger, I forgot myself, my head turned to him and I snapped, “Why do you keep doin’ that?”

His head turned to me and his eyes leveled on mine. “You aren’t puttin’ your foot on the floor.”

“Why not?”

“Buddy, can’t believe I gotta remind you, but your foot is injured.”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

“Then you don’t need to ask why it shouldn’t be on the floor.”

“Yes, I do,” I was still snapping.

His head dipped so his face was close to mine. “Aunt Theresa keeps a clean place, still, not takin’ any chances and I don’t want your injured foot on what could be a dirty floor.”

This was thoughtful and nice which pissed me off, pissed me off enough to lose it and forget my vow to remember, forever and always, that Joe was gone. In fact, Joe never really existed, he was a figment of my imagination and it was Cal who remained.