Pressure Point (Point #2) (7 page)

There are three Baccino brothers: Carlo, Al, and Enzo. Thick as thieves from the day they were born, the Baccino boys live within five city blocks of each other. Between the brothers and their wives, there are five children. The Baccino family, wives, in-laws, cousins, and children meld together into one boisterous, devoted family. Sure, there are squabbles, but they all come from a place of love. The oldest of my cousins are Benito (Ben) and his sister Antonia. Next are the twins, Dominic and Massimo (Max). At the bottom of the cousin totem pole, by two years, is me. Hence the “kid” nickname.

All this background amounts to one thing—after my first night of work, there’s no one who I’d rather grab a celebratory cocktail with than my cousin Max. He’s a firefighter and keeps odd hours. Today, he’s off duty. Out of the whole lot of cousins, I’ve grown closest to him. While I was at school, he visited occasionally, becoming friends with Zoe, too. He’s laidback but still protective at the same time, if that makes sense. Like me, he wants to keep the peace in the family and help whenever he can. Especially with our cousin, Ben.

With Violet lightly gripping my hand, I weave through Red Door, a bar in Lakeview, a north side neighborhood near Max’s fire station and his apartment. It took no less than an eight-hour workday for Violet and I to fall into a familiarity. We gabbed like old friends the whole train ride up north and now that we’re in the boisterous environment, it feels natural for us to link hands to avoid being separated in the mix. The bar’s loud with happy hour goers, young people around our age draining beers because it’s summer in Chicago. There’s no need for a reason to celebrate, other than the warm temperatures.

“Yo! Stella!” I whip around at the sound of Max’s voice and tug my new friend to where my cousin sits at a highboy table in a quieter back corner. Seated around the table with my cousin is one of the best looking guys I’ve ever set eyes on in my life. Sort of looks like Channing Tatum with a more square jaw. Come to think of it, I’ve never met Channing Tatum in person (lame), but the guy sitting with Max is a mirror image, except for closely cut dirty blond hair.

I prefer a man with a leaner build.

Brushing that thought aside, I release Violet’s hand and reach out to hug Max.

“Who’s this?” he asks, devouring my auburn-haired friend instantly. I glance back at her over my shoulder, only to find that she’s eying him with the same intensity. Whoa. The tension between them is palpable.

“Meet my new work best friend, Violet.”

“Pleasure,” my smooth cousin intones when he squeeze Violet’s hand in greeting. The bubbly girl nearly stutters before a confident smile slinks across her face as she introduces herself.

The muscle man introduces himself as Felix, breaking the spell between Violet and Max.

“Felix is a name you don’t hear often,” I comment.

“Like the saint,” he explains with a wicked grin, indicating he’s anything but holy.

“How do you two know each other?” Violet asks without preamble while we wait for a harried waitress to deliver our beers.

“You know, he started following me around two weeks ago when I got placed at his station. Haven’t been able to shake him yet,” Felix tells us.

Max arches a dark eyebrow. Though it’s subtle, Violet shivers next to me. If this girl isn’t smitten, I’m not one hundred percent Italian.

“Rookie, who are you kidding? I was stuck showing him around. Newbie to Chicago.”

“Really? Me, too. Where are you from?” Violet asks eagerly.

Felix shrugs affably at Max and I admire his playfulness. New guy breaking into the firehouse frat isn’t an easy feat. “Bumble, Missouri. They don’t call it the Show Me State for nothing. I showed myself a way out of there. Big city dreams and all that. My town was too small for a firehouse or a gay firefighter.”

The comment doesn’t faze anyone at the table, and I’m glad. Apparently Violet’s as accepting as our family raised Max and me to be, and that openness is a trait that I look for in a best friend.

“Sounds like we came from the same town, but a different state. I’m Illinois born and bred but had to get the heck out of dodge as soon as I realized that I didn’t want to be a preacher’s wife.”

“What kind of wife do you want to be?” Max fires back immediately.

“An independent, she-does-it-all, loving wife, wonderful mother, and considerate friend,” Violet answers without hesitation.

“Dang, do I need to call our brothers? It’s getting fuckin’ hot in here,” Felix declares.

I can’t help the burst of laughter that explodes from my mouth. Violet turns to me, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, I should not be hitting on your cousin when I’m trying to become your bestie.”

I shrug, not bothered by the flirtation. My romantic dreams rear their head again. I’d be thrilled to see Max wind up with a nice girl. Maybe Violet’s it for him? The waitress arrives, shuttling four bottles of fresh beer on the table. I grip the bottle slick with condensation and lift it in toast. “To new friends.”

“To new friends and big cities with lots of hot guys,” Felix adds on.

“You’re perfect,” Violet tells him seriously.

“I know,” Felix deadpans.

We clink our bottles together.

“What do you do at Speck?” Max zeroes in on Violet’s shimmering magnetism, effectively cutting out Felix and me. I can’t say that I blame him; Violet has a presence with a capital p. Warmth radiates off her in soothing waves while, at the same time, she engages you with her full attention. When you speak, she listens to every syllable, and when she speaks, it’s with an enthralling and melodic voice.

“I started working there in February as a receptionist because I needed a job or I’d have to slink home to Mom and Dad. There was no way that was happening, so I took the first job that I found. After a couple of months, it was clear that I could parlay the job into something in my field, event management. I started with the monthly birthday celebration and the chili cook-off, and now I’m planning a Christmas party.”

“Entrepreneurial,” my cousin murmurs. Geez. He hasn’t stopped staring at her.

“Excuse me, but do you two need a room?” Felix interrupts.

I cover my giggle with my palm and Violet lets out a trickle of laughter. “Please, he hasn’t even taken me on a date yet.”

“We’ll have to rectify that. Friday?” Max asks.

Violet’s eyes go all dreamy as she accepts the invitation. They exchange numbers and I turn my attention to Felix, not bothering to smother my grin. Max has been playing the field since the day that he hit puberty, never tying himself to one girl. To see someone capture his attention makes me glad. Like everyone else in my family, I want to see them happy.

“And how was your first day on the job?” Felix asks, obviously having been told from Max about Speck.

“Intimidating, but I hear that’s the way these things are supposed to go.”

“Someone messing with you?” my cousin, broken from the Violent-induced trance, reappears in the conversation.

Rolling my eyes at his overprotective tendencies, I respond, “No, you big dope. There’s a ton to learn about the platform and I have to spend two weeks in customer service learning about technical support. I listened in on some calls today and the users are brutal, pretty snappy with the reps.” The thought of confrontation with an irate customer sends a shiver through my shoulders. Arguing is not my strong suit. I’d make a horrible litigator.

“Don’t let her downplay it. I heard the evil tyrant, Katya, say something positive about you,” Violet says.

“Really?” I’m shocked. “When? How? We talked for less than ten minutes and then she dismissed me.”

“Pause. Who is Katya? I’m behind,” Felix interrupts.

“Here’s the CliffsNotes version. I’m an account manager at Speck, a technology logistics company. Katya is my boss’s boss and she’s kind of terrifying in that impressive kick butt kind of way. She runs all account management at Speck. Today, Colin, my boss, brought me to meet her, and I thought that I was less than a speck under her microscope lens. Pun intended.”

All of Violet’s gleaming white teeth show when she grins at my synopsis. “True. A perk of being a receptionist is overhearing conversations. When Katya left today to fly back to the Big Apple, she mentioned to your boss that he made a good hire.” She lifts her hands in mock surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

I ball up the damp cocktail napkin next to my beer and toss it at Violet. “Okay, I’m insecure. I get it.”

Her face softens with my self-deprecation. “No, I don’t mean it that way at all. You’ve impressed the boss lady on the first day, and I thought you should know that I’m not the only one who can tell you’re going to be a rock star at Speck.”

With those endearing words, I swear that Max and I then realize Violet’s one to hold onto. For me, she’ll fit as the best friend she mentioned and for him…she’s an unstoppable force barreling straight into his waiting arms.

Jealousy stabs at my stomach as I watch them make eyes across the table. The nagging voice won’t hush in my mind. The same question plays on repeat in my mind like a bad one-hit wonder: when will I find someone to look at me that way?

Four years later

From the start of my career at Speck, I saved whatever extra pennies I had. Finally, I’ve scrounged enough for a down payment on a little piece of real estate. Sure, my one-bedroom condo isn’t too far from my parent’s restaurant or townhouse (less than ten minutes by car, but who’s counting?), but it is all mine. All seven hundred and three square feet belong to me.

With an almighty huff, I collapse backward on my brand spanking new queen mattress. Next to me, Zoe lets out a low groan. “That took longer than I thought,” she mutters.

“That’s because you are a good friend and insisted on spending the entire day helping me organize and make runs to the store,” I remind her.

“Oh, yeah. I am a really good friend.”

“The best friend,” I confirm. “Especially after you finished your first week of school. How does it feel to be a diploma-carrying Master
and
employed at Clarkes Elementary School?”

Zoe rolls onto her side to face me. She crooks her elbow and props her cheek on an open palm. “You’re supposed to be scared when you leave the safety of school and go off into the big bad world, but I’m just excited. Working with kids is what I was born to do.”

I smile fondly at my friend then let my eyes shut contentedly. “Better than that, you’re finally home and you get to meet Violet. I can’t believe that she’s been in my life this long and you two haven’t met. My two best friends need to become best friends; it’s against the laws of nature for you to be running parallel tracks in my life.”

“It’s my fault; I hardly came back from school, and when I did, Blake wanted to travel,” Zoe sighs.

At the sound of his name, my stomach pinches unnecessarily.
Stupid, stupid girl still wanting a guy who will never want you.
I had tried unsuccessfully to stop thinking about him. Just when I thought I was crushing on someone else, a reminder of Blake would pop up. Sometimes I’d come across him on the celebrity gossip websites, and other times, Max would force me to watch a sports news show and his name would appear or even one of the teams his family owns. Even when I casually dated other guys, I could never escape him. Wanting him, thinking about him—it’s absolutely pathetic.

Firmly, I push Blake out of my mind to continue my conversation with his sister. Time didn’t change their relationship, and I still refuse to be another friend who uses Zoe to get to her brother. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll rectify the situation next weekend. Violet and Max are out of town now anyway.”

“Are they serious?” Zoe falls onto her back.

“Tighter than a knot in a necklace chain,” I confirm as my eyes are starting to feel heavy. “It won’t be long until they’re engaged.”

“Mmm,” Zoe mumbles, sounding as tired as I feel.

“Never seen my cousin so at peace.”

Fighting drowsiness, Zoe speaks again. “How’s your work? We’ve been talking about my job obsessively ever since I got the offer a couple months ago.”

A large yawn escapes my lips. “Things are good at work, but…” I trail off, not wanting to complain. I’m grateful to have a job that’s decent when many of my friends from college are looking for something steady or a job that makes them happy.