“You should have seen them,” she said to Fiona, completely ignoring—or totally oblivious—to the warning in his voice. “They made such an adorable couple. Their children would have been beautiful. Oh, wait! I think I still have some pictures of them on my phone from that time—”
“Ma!”
His mother froze, her hand in her purse. “What? I’m just making conversation.”
“And I’m saying I don’t want to talk about Gina,” Pinto bit out. He hoped it was enough to rein her in, because he didn’t want to make a scene in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
He shot his sister a look of annoyance, because he didn’t appreciate being blindsided with news of his ex, and she mouthed, “Sorry; I didn’t know.”
An awkward silence settled over the table. Stephanie suddenly got interested in what Sadie was coloring in her book, while his mother studied the menu as though she’d be tested on it later. Beneath the table, Fiona reached for Pinto’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“So what kind of work do you do, Fiona?” Stephanie asked in a move to change the subject.
“I’m a teacher; eighth-grade science.”
“Ah.” His mother said it as if that explained some great mystery. “You know what they say: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”
Fiona’s expression suggested she’d heard that one plenty of times before. “I prefer the words of Aristotle: Those who know, do; those that understand, teach. Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Stephen Hawking were all teachers. Being able to pass on skills and knowledge to the next generation is a discipline unto itself.”
“Well, I’m sure it’s nice to get the summers off.” In a clear act of dismissal, she turned her gaze to Pinto. “Gina just got hired by that humongous law firm downtown. You know, the one with the guy who’s on those billboards all over the place. She’s taking the bar exam next month. If I remember right, she said she’s going to specialize in environmental law. Isn’t that great?”
“Fabulous,” he said through gritted teeth.
The waiter returned with their drinks, providing a welcome break in the conversation. He answered a few questions, took their food orders, and disappeared into the crowd.
“So how are things at Wagner’s?” Pinto asked his mother in an effort to steer the conversation away from his ex. When he and his siblings were young, she’d ruled the house with an iron fist as a stay-at-home mom, but after their father died, she’d gotten a job at an insurance office where she’d worked up the ranks from file clerk to office manager.
His mother made a noise. “He’s a pig, but he knows not to mess with me.”
That didn’t surprise him in the least. What his mother lacked in size, she more than made up for in attitude and tenacity. A few years ago, some prick made the mistake of trying to snatch her purse while she was loading groceries into the trunk of her car. After she wrestled it back from the would-be mugger, she chased him down the street while beating him over the head with it. Given the amount of shit she kept in there, it was a wonder the guy didn’t suffer a concussion.
A short time later, the sound of sizzle filled the air, and the waiter arrived with a giant tray filled with plates. He distributed them about the table, somehow managing to remember who ordered what. When the tray was empty, he asked whether anyone needed anything else, promised to return with more refills for their drinks, and headed back for the kitchen.
That was the signal for everyone to shut up and eat. It had been an unwritten rule while growing up in the Pinto household, right along with eat quickly, because with five kids, if you didn’t eat fast, you might not get enough to eat, especially if his younger brother Dominic was at the table. Even now, the guy could eat damn near half his body weight in one sitting.
Following family tradition, Sadie dove into her meal as if she hadn’t eaten in a week, while Stephanie ate a bite of her chicken diablo, deemed it not quite spicy enough, and added a few drops of habanera sauce.
As his mother unwrapped her silverware, she eyed the steaming plate of food in front of Fiona. “That’s an awful lot of food for someone your size.”
“It is, but whatever I can’t finish tonight will be lunch later this week.”
“That’s good. You’re skinny now, but you’re getting to that age when your metabolism starts to slow down. Once that happens…” She puffed her cheeks. “It doesn’t take much to end up with a rear the size of Rhode Island.”
Pinto almost choked on his enchilada. “Ma! What the hell?”
“What? I’m only speaking from experience. If you think that’s bad, just wait until you have kids. Your hips will never be the same. Isn’t that right, Stephanie?”
His sister’s mouth dropped open. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”
While Stephanie and his mother bickered, Pinto caught Fiona’s gaze. “Don’t listen to her, Fi. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
But his words fell on deaf ears. Gone was the woman who’d eaten his lasagna without a care in the world. His mother had driven a stake right into the heart of that mindset. Now she looked concerned that the food on her plate would go straight from her stomach to her ass.
She caught the waiter’s attention and asked, “Can I get a to-go box, please?”
Chapter 11
“Well,thatwasfun.”Fiona didn’t bother to mask the sarcasm in her voice now that they were back in the privacy of Joe’s car. “And here I thought teenagers were vicious.”
