kismet: His situation is sad, but not hopeless, not yet.
He sure deserves compensation after all he went through.
Max needed to hear that from his own dad.
begonia9508: Thanks!
It really explained a lot to Max when he heard the story his dad shared.
Keep hoping, there’s still time.
CandyliciousLovah: The talk between the Evans men was important and something that needed to be said and heard. It was a big step for both of them.
Roswelllostcause: Thanks! Keep those fingers crossed, there’s still time!
keepsmiling7: That news hasn’t come through, but keep hoping!
The conversation between Max and Philip really opened his eyes and it gave him a new perspective to consider his dad’s actions.
That’s all they can do.
Eva: Cody’s our challenge right now, but there’s still hope for him.
No, any money he might receive can’t replace what he’s lost, but helping him to get back on his feet and give him a fresh start, it could do that very well.
sarammlover: Max has come so far. There was a time he wouldn’t have bothered standing still long enough to hear what his dad had to say. But it explained some things and gave them a new level of understanding between them. Alex may just come out of this with something he never expected. Cody’s hanging tough!
Midnightdreamer: Thanks! Cody’s situation is a tough one and it’s hard for everyone who loves him, but there’s still time for a miracle. The conversation between Philip and Max was something that needed to happen and it bridged yet another gap in their relationship. He does need the encouragement and approval from his dad, it’s something a man needs from his dad.
Parolees often face a great difficulty when entering society again and of course, it leads to a high rate of recidivism. Philip tried so hard to help his older brother, but the one thing that might have made a difference for him was denied him because his father had shut him out.
Alex has a unique perspective and it’s helping him to open up and allow others to help him. He’s smart enough to know what he went through won’t be overcome in a few days and that he’d probably benefit from therapy.
Allowing his son to go to prison just wasn’t an option for Philip, but he wanted Max to learn from his mistakes. He didn’t believe in just buying his son’s freedom, he wanted him to come out stronger and he has.
Lol, we’ll get a glimpse of life with Alex and Isabel. There are more group scenes to come and we will be seeing more of Tony and Ava.
Alien_Friend: Thank you for the great compliment!
It's "funny" what fear can do to you and your life, right?
Cody is one poor kid and sadly there are a lot of kids in this world, who suffer this hard reality. Let's pray for all of them as we do for Cody!
Part 181
Love Is In The Air
Michael slouched down in his seat and dropped his head back as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He shifted to drop his sunglasses back into place and closed his eyes against the reflection of the setting sun as it bounced off of the steel and glass structure across the street. Maria had texted to let him know she was scheduled to be finished on the set around 8pm and he was a few minutes early.
It had been a long day; the kind where the station was buzzing with activity from the second they walked through the door and it was still going strong when the shifts changed. Most of the day hadn’t been bad, just busy and hectic. With two hours left on his shift he’d been filling out his daily reports for the calls they’d been on and just as he’d finished the last one and gotten up to go hand it in they’d been sent out again.
They’d arrived on the scene and there had been cops everywhere. There had been a crowd and quite a few of the people had been shouting obscenities and other angry things at anyone who crossed the line they had formed. They’d been waved in past the yellow tape cordoning off the alley, flanked by two cops, and escorted to the crime scene.
There were several bodies on the filthy ground, tattoos and colors marking them as rival gang members. It wasn’t as shocking as it had been at one time. The real tragedy was the reason they had been called in. There was nothing they could do for the dead and at first glance they’d been confused as to why their assistance was needed. A young woman had been caught in the crossfire and she’d run, trying to save herself.
Officer Eckhart had walked them over to her position and they’d immediately gone to work, trying their damnedest to save her. She had obviously been trying to get out of the alley, running to the opposite end where it opened out onto another street but the bullet she’d caught in the back had stopped her and thrown her up against a dumpster.
She’d regained consciousness, screaming and crying, and as they’d been trying to calm her down and keep her still she’d made a grasping motion at the dumpster. He’d looked up and noticed the trail of blood running down the side, having assumed it was from her impact with the side of the container but his own blood had run cold when she screamed out a name.
It hadn’t been herself she was trying to save, he realized. He’d gotten to his feet and shoved the lid up, mindless of the racket it made as it impacted with the brick wall behind it. He’d stared at the little boy lying amidst the bags of garbage, his body limp. He’d reached for him without hesitation and carefully turned him over as he supported his neck. He’d swallowed hard at the sight of blood covering the upper part of his shirt.
The bullet that had cut through the mother had hit her child as it left her body. She had hidden his body in the dumpster in the hope that he would be spared if they came after her to make sure she didn’t walk away. Thankfully it hadn’t hit any vital organs on either of them and they’d managed to get them to the hospital alive.
He’d called to check on them at the end of his shift and the head nurse had assured him that their vital signs were strong and recovery looked good for both mother and son. Physically they would recover, but he wondered about emotionally. They’d suffered a massive trauma and they’d survived. If they could get past that they’d be able to face anything life threw at them.
He shook those thoughts off and focused on the present. He reached up to rub his face and turned the volume up on the stereo in an effort to stay awake. If he sat there for too long he knew he’d go to sleep and they had plans. It was after 8pm already and the sun would be setting within the next half hour or so. Hopefully Maria’s day had been a good one and they’d been able to wrap up the video as they’d expected.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair and turned his head when movement caught his eye and he got out, hurrying around the truck to meet Maria. She was walking with a guy and she was talking animatedly, hands in constant motion, and her body practically vibrating with energy. He didn’t know who the guy was but the moment she saw him and ran towards him to throw herself in his arms and kiss him he realized it didn’t matter.
“Hey,” she whispered when she finally leaned back.
“Hey yourself,” he grinned. “Good day?”
“Close to perfect,” Maria nodded, excited to finally be able to share the events of this incredible day with her boyfriend. Just then she realized Aiden was still there so she let go of him and turned around to face the other man. “Sorry. Aiden, this is Michael, Michael, this is Aiden. He was very helpful with all kinds of stuff today.”
“Nice to meet you,” the guy said politely with a nod. “She said you work for the NYFD?”
“That’s right,” Michael agreed. He didn’t want to be jealous and he tried his best to not sound like it. Everyone loved Maria – she was an easy going woman and hard to not get along with.
“Cool. Bet it’s been hell these last weeks.”
“Chaos,” he agreed.
“Sound like my job,” Aiden grinned. “Only I have to deal with crazy bitches who’ve sniffed too much hairspray.” He turned to Maria with a wink. “You’re excluded. It was nice to work with someone normal and with no airs for once.” He took a step back, ready to make his escape. “I’ll see you at the promotion party?”
“Sure,” she beamed and waved before turning back to Michael.
“Promotion party?” He lifted one eyebrow and opened the door for her so she could climb into the truck. Once she was in he hurried around to take his place behind the steering wheel again.
“Are you jealous?” She looked at him half amused, half intrigued.
“Nope,” he denied quickly.
He was so lying, she thought but didn’t point it out. “There’ll be a promotion party at Times Square in a few weeks and I get to walk onstage with Usher and the rest of the crew when the vid premiers for the first time.”
The excitement in her voice was back and he felt bad for feeling jealous. There was really no reason to think she’d be happy for any other reason than a well paid job and the possibility of meeting Usher.
“And I got backstage passes for all of you. That’s gonna be fun.” She rested her cheek against the seat and studied him, only now noticing the signs of exhaustion. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” he assured her, changing lanes and stopping at a red light before looking at her. “Why?”
Maria shrugged. “You look tired.”
“Just a long day at work without much time to breathe. But it’s all good. It was a good day in the end. Many lives saved.”
“We could go home. Order some pizza and take a bath?”
He smirked. “Don’t tempt me.”
“I’m serious. If you don’t feel like going out, then-“
“Nah, let’s celebrate your day. I’ve got something I wanna show you.”
“Really?” She smiled. “What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nope, I’m not gonna tell you.”
“Well, I’m gonna know soon enough so you might as well give it up.”
He smirked and shot a look at her as he took a turn. “I have every intention of givin’ it up, but I have somethin’ else in mind before that.”
She smacked his arm even as heat shot through her at his expression. “Alright, I can be patient.”
Michael just snorted at that. “Yeah, okay.” He followed the route he’d already plotted out in his head, fingers tapping on the doorframe in time with the music pouring out of the speakers at a moderate level. “So what was it like on the set?”
“Electric,” she said without hesitation. “There’s so much energy. The director was kind of an ass, but Aiden said the finished product would be worth the insults.”
“The director was a dick?”
She shrugged. “Nothing serious, he just yelled at everyone all day long.” She looked around, trying to figure out where they were going and coming up empty when he pulled off of the street and into a valet station. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw the sign behind the booth one of the valets was exiting. “Michael, I’m not dressed for this place!” She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a white button-up tank top but these places tended to be pretty swanky.
He glanced at her as he opened the door and handed the keys off to the valet. “Maria, you’re perfect.”
The way he looked at her, his words, the sincerity of his tone, how was a girl supposed to fight all of that? “Perfect for you maybe, but these places have dress codes.”
He just chuckled and walked around the truck, making room for the valet to slide into his seat.
“I love your billboard,” the guy said with a wide grin.
Maria smiled at him. “Thanks.” She automatically accepted Michael’s hand when he opened her door to help her out. She felt completely underdressed as they stepped out of the elevator on the 65th floor. The restaurant was rumored to have the best view of Manhattan in the city and as she peered around the uniformed staff manning the reservation station she could just catch a glimpse of the city as it came to life now that the sun had almost set.
“I’m sorry, sir, we have a dress code,” one of the men said as he approached them.
“We have reservations at nine,” Michael said with a nod.
“I understand that, sir, but – “
“Philippe, the man has a reservation and I’d suggest we honor it,” a man with a distinct, cultured Mediterranean voice said as he came around a corner to join them. He accepted the hand the younger man held out, shaking it enthusiastically. “You’ll find the best table in the house reserved for them.”
“How are you, Mr. D’Alessandro?” Michael asked.
“Alive and well, thanks to you.” He snapped his fingers and reached for two menus when Philippe held them out to him. “Come with me. I have a table for you on the terrace. It’s a beautiful night, there’s a gentle breeze, and the view is breathtaking.” He paused and turned back to them. “Unless you’d prefer an indoor table?”
He glanced at Maria and nodded when she shook her head slightly. “No, no, what you have set up sounds perfect to us.”
“Sir, I can seat them.”
“Philippe, I’ll handle this myself.” He smiled proudly. “Follow me, Mr. Guerin, and I’ll seat you and your young lady.”
Michael winked at her when she just looked confused. He held his arm out to her and she nestled against him, following the man, who she suspected to be the owner, outside.
“Oh my God,” Maria’s tone was hushed when she noticed he was leading them out onto a smaller more private terrace that was secluded from the rest of the restaurant. Only a few tables were set up and each of them came with a breathtaking and heart stopping view of the city. The descending sun was reflected in the skyscrapers around them, leaving streets and windows bathed in a deep orange hue. Soon darkness would fall and she anticipated the totally new view then. “That is beautiful.”
Mr. D’Alessandro smiled and held the chair out for her. “What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a beer,” Michael said, lifting one eyebrow when his girlfriend looked at him with a sort of accusatory expression. “What?”
“Beer?” This was not a restaurant for beer. It screamed of wine and expensive champagne.
The other man chuckled. “Beer is fine. What about you, Miss?”
“I-“ She hesitated. Damn, after a day like today a beer sounded just wonderful, but it really seemed weird.
“She’ll take one too,” Michael said and accepted the menu.
“Hey,” Maria kicked him lightly under the table when they were alone, “I can order for myself.”
“I know. But you didn’t want to be rude by ordering a beer and I know you want one.” He grinned.
She couldn’t stop the giggle. “But it’s so not right. We totally stick out!”
“I don’t care,” he shrugged one shoulder, “and neither should you, RP.”
They focused on the menu for a moment, studying it while their stomachs rumbled with anticipation. “Damn, I’m really hungry, but the prices…”
Michael sighed. “Deluca,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her across the table for a short kiss, “no looking at the prices tonight, alright? Pick what you want, have an appetizer and dessert too if ya want.”
“You’re so generous.” She rolled her eyes, but then a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait, this guy owes you, right? It has to be something like that because you never would’ve been able to make a reservation for THIS kinda table so quickly.”
“Doubts already?”
She chuckled and shook her head as she focused on the menu again. “No, I just know you don’t get last minute reservations at a place like this.”
“Okay, so maybe he said if I ever needed a reservation to give him a call,” he said with a shrug. “I figured today was a day that deserved a celebration with a little bit of fanfare and the reviews for this place are phenomenal. They have a pretty impressive menu too.”
Maria hummed agreeably as she perused the menu, unable to keep her eyes from straying to the column on the right where the prices were listed.
“And you’re price checking again,” Michael said in a sing-song voice.
“I can’t help it!” She looked up when a waitress came by to drop their drinks off, reaching for it as soon as the woman left them alone when they asked for a few more minutes to decide. She took a drink of her beer, trying to decide if the inflated price made it taste better.
“Yes, it does.” He took a drink of his own beer and nodded. “I can tell what you’re thinkin’ and you can stop it right now. Otherwise we’re gonna drink our expensive beer and tell Mr. D’Alessandro we’re passin’ on what could prove to be the best Italian food in the city.”
“There’s no need to be hasty,” Maria insisted when the scent of something delicious and warm wafted past them on the evening air. “You can’t just dangle food that smells like that in front of a starving woman and then take it away.”
“Good, ‘cause I’m starving too. I swear every time we even started to think we had time to sit down and eat another call came in.” He glanced over the menu, trying to decide between two of the entrees.
“I know what you mean. They put out a spread but I think they must’ve been afraid we were gonna put on weight between takes,” she laughed and then shrugged one shoulder. “I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything heavy anyway, not with all that choreography.”
“So, did you get to meet Usher today?”
“Meet?” She chuckled. “I was practically looking at his semi-dressed body all day long.”
Michael’s gaze shot up. “Did you say semi-dressed?”
The hint of jealousy was back and she smirked behind the menu before looking up. “Well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it since the video’s gonna come out sooner or later. Yeah, the song is about differences – how they can be a problem, how they can influence a relationship and how they can affect your life.”
“Okaaaay,” he stretched the word out.
“The video’s about a couple. He’s black… obviously,” she grinned, “and his girlfriend,” she pointed at herself, “is white. It causes all kinds of trouble with friends and family and it almost destroys them, but in the end they overcome it all and they decide they’d rather be together than give up.”
Only when his hand started to hurt did Michael realize that he was gripping the edge of the table a little too tightly. “You were playin’ his girl,” he stated just to make sure he had it right.
“Yep.”
“And what kinda things….” Ungh, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“I had to kiss him,” she confirmed, biting her bottom lip. Somehow it had seemed to be not that big of a deal this afternoon because it was just a job. But now that she had a look at his face…
It’s her job. It’s her job. He repeated it in his head over and over again, hoping it would calm the storm of jealousy raging in his body.
Okay, now she felt really bad. Maria got out of her seat and went over to sit in his lap, facing him directly. “Hey, it’s just a job, Michael. You risk your life on a daily basis and I have to play a role now and then. I didn’t feel anything an’ ya know, it probably won’t be the last time I have to get close to another guy for a shoot, but I promise you that you have nothing to worry about.” Her small hands wandered over the back of his neck gently while she tipped her head to one side to study him. “Can you understand that?”
He tried to force himself to relax and then nodded. “I get that it’s your job.”
“You trust me, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“But…?” she asked, sensing there was more he had to say.
“That day at the tat studio, that was just a job too.”
Her fingers clenched in his tee shirt. “Michael, that day in the studio, that was me an’ you. If you had been any other guy that wouldn’t have happened.” She bit her bottom lip. “I know we shouldn’t have let things go so far and I wish we’d stopped to think about what we were doin’.”
“You said you didn’t regret it.”
“I regret that you felt manipulated.” She sighed. “We did manipulate the situation, hoping you might finally look at me and see a woman instead of just your best friend, but never in my wildest imagination did that scenario happen. I swear to you, I never expected that to happen.”
“Maria, there’s no denying I felt manipulated but I’ve had time to give the situation some thought and there was fault on both sides.” He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “I know we kinda talked about this a little bit before, but manipulating the situation aside, I’m old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. There are so many reasons why that shouldn’t have happened that day but it’s not like we can go back and change it.”
“No,” she murmured as she studied his expression, “we can’t.”
“And there wasn’t any malicious intent behind it. I can’t really blame everyone for havin’ your back and doin’ whatever they could to push us together.”
“I am sorry, Michael.”
He nodded. “Right or wrong, that day led us here.” He inhaled slowly. “But next time let’s just keep it between us and not drag our friends or my sisters into it.”
“Deal.” She reached up to place her palm against his cheek. “Now, what about what we were talkin’ about earlier? Because I need to know if this’s gonna cause a problem for us.”
He was quiet for a few minutes as he thought about her question. “I’m never gonna like you kissin’ other guys or bein’ all over ‘em, even though it’s just business, but I do understand from time to time that’ll be required for the jobs they send you out on. Understanding it’s one thing, but I can’t make any promises about how I’ll feel seein’ it because it’ll be uncomfortable as hell.”
“Yeah, you don’t wanna see the person you’re with or wanna be with kissing someone else I guess.” She smiled a little sadly and it was obvious to him that her thoughts had shifted to Courtney.
Hell, how had she felt watching him and his ex together while she was aware of her feelings for him? And that wasn’t just a job he had been paid for. It had been real – or so he had thought for a while. “Yeah, guess you can understand pretty well,” he gave her a little nudge with his leg and pulled her closer. “But that’s in the past.”
Maria nodded. “If I have a say in the bookings I get, I promise you I won’t jump on the ones that require that kinda activity.”
He snorted. “I doubt you’ll have much of a choice, but I can’t say I wouldn’t be glad.” He didn’t want to influence her career in a bad way either. “Let’s just always talk about it openly. We’ll figure it out.”
“Sounds good,” she leaned in and kissed him. “And just for the record. No other man would be able to cause this kinda feeling in me with a simple kiss.”
He brought his hand to the back of her neck when she tried to lean back again. His lips roamed over hers gently, softly biting the sensitive flesh and then soothing it with the tip of his tongue. No other woman had ever made him feel like this either. With Maria it was more than just sexual attraction. They had everything and she made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. Like he was complete with her. “So Usher can’t kiss?” he teased when he finally ended the kiss. From the corner of his eye he saw the waitress passing by, but she made a u-turn when she saw them in the completely private moment.
“I doubt he put much effort into it,” she grinned, “but I wouldn’t have paid attention anyway.”
“Good answer,” he nodded.
“So,” Maria leaned back and grabbed the menu, “I think we should make a decision.”
“Yep,” he used one hand to hide the pricelist from her and nodded at the list of delicious sounding entrees, “now pick your treat, Deluca.”
“The house salad of course…”
“Of course,” he started to mutter but before he could get any further her forefinger against his lips silenced him.
“Hmm… manicotti… lasagna… spaghetti and meatballs… chicken parmesan… so many things to choose from.”
Michael gently nipped the tip of her finger. “Spaghetti Bolognaise looks good too.”
Her eyes wandered over the menu and her mouth watered. “It all looks so good, even their steak menu’s making me hungry.”
“Well, I’m ordering the spaghetti bolognaise so have at it.” He chuckled when he could see her still debating. “We can always share if you go for the carnivore’s feast.”
“Alright, I think that sounds good.”
“And for an appetizer? Whatcha wanna bet I can guess what you want?” He just smirked when she ignored him. “Toasted ravioli to go with that salad, extra marinara for dipping.”
She made a face at him. “You think you know everything, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “I know my girl.”
She turned her head to look at him and that brief flare of annoyance she’d felt a moment ago dissipated in a flash. “I think we’re ready to order.”
“Then go back to your seat before we need to cut dinner short and get to dessert already.” He nodded his chin at her unoccupied seat with a smirk.
She laughed and kissed him once more before going back to her own seat. “You’re not getting outta dinner that easily, buddy.”
“Even though it’s hella expensive?” he teased.
“After all the convincing you’ve been doing the last ten minutes?” She shook her head. “No way.”
“Good,” he waved at the waitress when she shot a testing look at them again.
“That poor woman’s gonna deserve a really good tip after the workout we’ve given her just to get our order,” Maria commented when the waitress had taken their order and disappeared back inside again.
Based on the pricelist a big fat tip should already be included, he thought, amused, but didn’t say anything because he was glad Maria had finally accepted an expensive dinner from him. “It’s her job an’ I’ll bet more than a few of the snobs around here give her a lot bigger headaches.”
“That’s probably true.” She’d done her share of waitressing in high school so she was well aware of the headaches and hassles customers could give wait staff.
Michael leaned back in his seat. He knew he should pay attention to the incredible view of Manhattan at night, but all he could focus on was Maria. She had a certain glow today, something she used to have whenever she was happy and it rarely appeared lately.
Boy Kyle really has bad timing.
