Tuesday Tales – Bite

                                       

        

Pia shook her head so hard, she’d swear she felt her brain shift.  Something didn’t seem right.  It wasn’t like Lisa to hold back information from her.  They had been childhood friends, sharing every milestone in their lives.  While Lisa attended law school, Pia started working.  They shared an apartment, with Pia picking up most of the tab.  They were best friends, sisters.

“Start talking, Lisa.  I know you well enough to know you are holding back something from me.”

“I’m not,” Lisa snapped.  “You would never understand.”

“Why don’t you try me?  You never had any problem talking to me in the past.  Why is it that all of a sudden you are closed lipped?”

Lisa crossed her arms and paced back and forth from the living room to the kitchen.  Pia was on the verge of lashing out at her, but instead bit her lip.  She knew Lisa well enough that if she pushed her over the edge, she would shut down.  But she had to try.

“Talk to me,” Pia said tapping her foot on the floor.  “I want to know the truth.  Don’t play with me.”

“If I tell you, I lost your trust.”

“Please, stop talking in circle,” Pia lashed out.  “What have you done to make me even think that?  Do you realize that because of this situation, I more than likely lost Lorenzo?”

“I’ll go to him, tell him the truth, let him you know you did nothing wrong.”  Lisa sat down on the couch and covered her face with her hands.  “I’m so sorry,” she kept saying between tears.  “I never expected things to get so out of hand.”

“What things?  You’re talking in circles again.”

“Lorenzo really loves you.  I don’t thing he’s going to leave you.”

“I’m married to that scumbag.  He tricked me into marrying him.  Lorenzo will never forgive me.  I know he doesn’t believe me.  The whole story sounds obscure.”

“I promise to talk to him.  Make it right.  He has to believe me.”

Pia took a deep breath.  Her friend sat nervously on the couch, with her left leg shaking up and down.  Right then, she knew her best friend, confidant had betrayed her.  Now she was bound and determined to find out what she did.

“Spit it out, Lisa.  Tell me what you did.  I need to know.”

“Promise me you won’t hate me.”

“I can’t make a promise I might not be able to keep.”

Pia kept her eyes on Lisa.  Her friend was nervous with the look of guilt written all over her face.  She’d patiently wait to hear exactly what Lisa did to deceive her. 

“The whole marriage is a farce,” Lisa dropped here eyes to her lap.  “You were never married to Larry.  It was a con game which was being played on you all these years.”

“What?” she yelled.  “And what is your involvement in this?”

“Do you remember that grant I receive for law school?  The one I didn’t have to pay back.”

“Yes I do.  But what does that have to do with anything?”

“The money came from Larry.  I didn’t have to pay it back if I went along with his plan.”

“Which is?”

“Screwing you over.”

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Cuddle Up With a Contemporary Romance Blog Hop

Welcome to Cuddle Up With A Contemporary Romance Blog Hop this weekend May 18th - 19th.  Sit down, relax and curl up and visit the Secret Cravings Publishing Blog to visit the other awesome Contemporary Romance authors.  Click Here.

 Who wouldn't want a man to bring them countless bouquets of roses?  Nikki Petrino does in my debut novel Roses. 

Who would think their morning walk down at the Staten Island Boardwalk would result in meeting a hot undercover detective, landing them into a sea of trouble?  Brooklyn DeMelli does in The Boardwalk.

The bond of friendship is golden.  Four women's lives are intertwined together.  But would you believe that if one of those friends touch your head, you can get a heads up on the future?  Just ask Madison, Cassie, Fay and their psychic friend, Shari Stafford in Mystical Wonders - Circle of Friends (Book 1).

Can one man be so arrogant and vindictive?  And does candle magic really work? Yes, and Fay Odina can vouch for that in Mystical Wonders - Second Chances (Book 2). 

Tell me how you met your partner, to be eligible to win a copy of your book choice.  

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Tuesday Tales – Picture Prompt

 

Welcome to this weeks edition of Tuesday Tales to the picture prompt above.  This week I'm introducing a new character, Francine Raggalio.  This will be the opening scene of my book "Extra Innings", which will be part of a series.

Francine Raggalio walked passed the row of stores in the quiet town of Rossville looking for six thousand, thirty-nine Hylan Boulevard.   She wasn’t too familiar with the south shore of Staten Island, since she was born and raised on the east shore.  The new development sat in the middle of undeveloped land.  This strip had become one of the up and coming areas on the island.

A few days before, she received a certified letter asking her to attend the reading of a will the following morning.  The attorney was closed lipped about the contents, just saying that Lorraine Matthews had died and she was named in her will.  Francine found this odd, not knowing who Lorraine was.

At the reading of the will, the attorney had her an envelope, which contained the ownership and deed to a retail store that hadn’t been occupied in years.  It seemed that many years previous, Francine had delivered Lorraine’s husband medicine on a weekly basis because neither one of them were able to come to pick it up.  Francine vaguely remembered, since she had done this for many customers, which months later, led to her losing her job.  But to her, she did what she felt needed to be done.

At the end of the five block development was an old building with a metal gate that was covered in graffiti, causing the building to be an eye sore.  Reaching into the envelope, she took out three keys.  She opened the gate and rolled it up to expose a full glass front window.  Opening the door, she walked into the sunlit room, which was fully furnished.  On further investigating, the building turned out to be a restaurant, equipped with a full kitchen.

Francine stood in the middle of the room, shaking her head side to side.  “What the hell am I going to do with this?”



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Tuesday Tales – Laughter

          

By the time Lisa arrived, Pia was totally out of control.  In between blowing her nose and crying, her words were barely recognizable.  They sat on the couch and Pia rested her head on Lisa’s shoulder.

“What am I going to do?” Pia asked when her tears had dried out.

“There is nothing you can do.  You need to give Lorenzo time to sort through things.  I’m sure he was just as shocked as you were.”

Pia sat up and turned sideways on the couch to face Lisa.  “You have to help me.”

“I am.  I brought the paperwork with me to go over.”  Lisa grabbed her briefcase off the floor.  “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you the way I should be.  But this case I am involved in is taking up all my time.”

“Are you still working on the adoption case with the mother who left her baby in the ally to die?”

“Yes.  We had the preliminary hearing the other day, free up my time.  So I did some more research into this bogus marriage.”

“And what did you find out?”

“The seal hasn’t been in use since 1983.  I have a contact in Vegas who is trying to track down where the seal came from.”

Pia stood, crossing her arms tightly against her chest.  “What did you do in Vegas when you went to investigate things last week?  I would think you would have had found out more information by now.”

“I went through the books down at city hall going back to marriages performed on the day you were married.”

“And what did you come up with?” She asked staring down at her.

“That seal wasn’t on any of the other marriage certificates issued on that day.”

Pia gave a sarcastic laugh.  “So I see.”  She uncrossed her arms and pointed at Lisa.  “What do you suppose happened that day?”

“I don’t…”

“What are you hiding Lisa?  What did you find out that you aren’t telling me?”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

“I know you long enough to know when you are lying.  Tell me,” Pia lashed out.

Lisa stood.  She put her head down, not making eye contact with Pia.  After a few minutes of silence, she whispered,  “I cant.”

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Tuesday Tales – Yellow

                                  

Pia took a deep breath.  This was due or die.  Depending on how she answered the questions he was going to ask her, would depend if he walked out her door and out of her life forever.

There was another knock on the door.  This time Pia slowly opened it.  Lorenzo stood there with a bouquet of yellow roses.  Pia stood motionless.  The last thing she expected was for Lorenzo to bring her roses.

He held the roses out and Pia took them.  “Thank you,” she whispered, stepping aside.

Lorenzo walked in, not kissing her like he usually did.  He stood in her living room with his arms crossed.  “I don’t know what to think or what to say.”

“I’m so sorry.  I wanted to tell you.  I was going to tell you tonight at dinner.  I’m just as shocked as you.”

“Shocked?  You’re trying to tell me you’re shocked that you are married?”

Pia looked him in the eyes.  “Yes.”

“Come on Pia.  Do you take me as a fool?”

“No I don’t.  It was all a big mistake.  Larry tricked me.”

Lorenzo rocked back and forth on the heels of his boots, shaking his head back and forth.  Madison felt her heart racing.  He would never believe her.  Who was she kidding?  She wouldn’t believe the story either.

“Explain.” 

Lorenzo’s tone was harsh.  He had never spoken to her in that tone.  Usually his voice was sweet and carrying.  She needed to explain what happened without him hating her.  The thought of losing him, ripped her apart inside.  She loved him.  And just the fact he was standing here in her living room, she hope meant that he had feeling for her too.

“I had gone on a business trip with Larry.  We had two separate rooms.  I swear to you I had no idea.  I tried so hard to remember that night, but I can’t.  I drank too much.  I would stake my life on it Larry slipped something into my drink. I can’t remember a single thing about that night.”

Lorenzo sat down on the couch and crossed his arms.  There was no expression on his face.  Pia didn’t know if he believed her or not.  She wished he said something, anything.  She’d rather him yell at her, and then just sit there with no emotion on his face at all.

Silence filled the room.  Pia didn’t know if she should say something, go sit next to him or offer him something to drink. 

“When did you find out about this assumed marriage?”  he asked.

“Right after you left.  My friend Lisa went to Vegas.  I’m married, but I’m not.  The seal on the certificate is an outdate one.  Lisa thinks he knew someone who rigged the whole thing.”

Lorenzo waved her off.  “This sounds so farfetched.  Yet, I can see in your eyes, that you are distraught over this.  I just don’t know what to make of this.  It all came as a shock.”

“I’m sorry Lorenzo.  I never expected this to happen.”  Tears rolled down her cheeks.  “I love you Lorenzo.  I feel in love with you the night we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge.  I don’t want to lose you.”

“I love you too.”  Lorenzo stood.  “But I need to process all of this.”

“I understand.”  Pia took a step closer to him.  “Where does this leave us?”

“I’m not sure.  I need to think.  Figure things out.”  Lorenzo walked toward the front door.  “Good night Pia.”

Lorenzo closed the door behind him.  Pia ran to the door but stopped herself from opening it.  Leaning her back against the door, she slid to the floor with her tears flowing.  She covered her face. The love of her life had just walked out of her life.

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Tuesday Tales – Travel

           

Pia paced back and forth across the room.  She didn’t have a clue what she was going to say to Lorenzo.  The best way to handle the situation would be to tell him the truth, which would definitely be hard to believe.  How do you explain to someone that you were married and don’t remember saying I do.

Pia could imagine Lorenzo traveling down Hylan Boulevard to her house not knowing what to expect.  Confused, and totally disgusted with her.  What she couldn’t understand was why he was giving her a chance to explain.  If the situation had been reversed, she would have dismissed him on the spot.

Glancing at her watch, she had less than a half hour before he arrived, providing he didn’t hit any traffic.  Picking up her landline, she dialed Lisa, hoping she had found something out.

“Hey, feel like grabbing a drink?” Lisa asked.

“No thanks.  Lorenzo is on his way over. For some strange reason he’s giving me a chance to explain.”

“Oh.”

Pia heard surprise in Lisa’s voice.  Strange.  “Do you think that’s a bad sign?” she asked rubbing her forehead.

“No.  I’m just surprised, that’s all.  But happy,” her voice picked up, “that he’s giving you a second chance.”

“Are you busy?”  Pia asked.  I the background it sounded like someone was breathing in the phone while she spoke.

“Would I have asked you if you wanted to get a drink if I were?”

“You’re right.”  Pia sat on the couch and immediately her right leg started shaking uncontrollably.

“If it’s not too late, call me when he leaves.  I’ll treat you to a margarita.”

“I will.  Hey before we hang up, did you find out anything else on the marriage certificate?”

 “No.  I’m waiting for my source to get back to me.  Hopefully I’ll have some answers for you tomorrow.”

“Thanks Lisa.”

“Catch you later.”

Pia hung up the phone.  She crossed her legs to stop herself from shaking. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her.  Falling in love with Lorenzo was the last thing she expected to do.  Now she would have to fight for her life, her relationship with him.  Somehow she had to make him understand that this marriage was a complete farce, a set up with Larry having an ulterior motive.

Lifting her bright pink shirt off the couch, she stood and put the shirt on over her white tank top, tying it at the waist.  Checking herself in the mirror above her couch, she frowned.  Her hair was in disarray and her make up faded.  Maybe she had a few minutes to tidy up.

Just as she was about to walk into the bathroom, the doorbell rang.  Pia took a deep breath on the opposite side of the front door.  Slowly she opened the door.

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Tuesday Tales – Chocolate

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“Wife?”  That was Lorenzo’s last word to her.  And the look on his face was one she’d never forget either.

Lorenzo didn’t give her a chance to explain.   He looked at her as the smile on his face faded.  Pia tried her best to avoid eye contact, but when their eyes met, Lorenzo shook his head in disgust.  Pia knew he had read right through her.   “Bastard,” had turned out to be her only word to Larry.

Pia sat in the middle of her bed hugging the scrapbook she had made for Lorenzo.  This had turned into a complete disaster.  She had called Lorenzo at least a dozen times on his cell phone, and used her blocked landline to call him the other times.  When she called cell to cell, she knew he purposely rejected the phone call.  Why wouldn’t he give her a chance to explain? 

“Damn you, Larry.”  Pia rocked back and forth on the bed.  She was going to tell

Lorenzo during dinner what had transpired while he was away.  Lorenzo would never forgive her, let her believe she had just found out what had happened in the past. 

Pia had called Lisa, begging her to come over.  Lisa had promised to come later on after court.  Slamming the scrapbook down on the bed, she stumbled off, walking into the kitchen.  Comfort food.  That is exactly what she needed.

After opening and losing the refrigerator, freezer and kitchen cabinets, she went with the seven layer dark chocolate layer cake in the freezer.  At least the dark chocolate was good for you.

Opening the box, she took the butcher knife and cut a piece of frozen cake.  What the hell.  When you buy an ice-cream cake, the cake part is always frozen.  Sliding the oversized piece onto a navy blue dessert plate, she returned to her bed and plopped down in the middle with the plate of her lap.

Earlier she had called Nevada asking them questions about the seals and they told her a seal is a seal, new or old.  This put her right over the edge.  Digging her fork into the cake she struggled to cut a piece off.  She got a forkful, stuffed it into her mouth and immediately got the brain freeze sensation. 

A half a cake and two hours later, she picked up her cell phone and called Lorenzo’s landline.  When it went into voicemail, she made the decision to leave him a detailed message of what had happened.  At least then, she would feel at peace that he knew the truth of what had happened.

“Hi Lorenzo.  I’m sorry about earlier.  I just wish you would have given me a chance to explain.”  Pia sighed.  “I just found out I was married too.  I know this all sounds ridiculous, somewhere out there, but…”

“I’ll be there in an hour…” With that the phone went dead in her hand.

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