Forever Yours (9 page)

“So what happened?” Sofie asked all bright-eyed.

Sarah sat across the bar on a stool and started telling her about it. She waited until both Eric and Angel had walked away to take their turn at the pool table before pulling out her phone and showing her the photos. Sofie immediately agreed the resemblance between her and her dad was spooky. Then she showed her the photo of Leonardo. “Holy shit,” Sofie whispered, taking the phone from Sarah for a closer look. “Well,
hello.
”

Glancing back at the guys, Sarah was relieved none had noticed. All three brothers were busy laughing at whatever Romero was telling them, and Eric was completely engrossed in making his shot. “This is your brother?” Sofie asked, her words still hushed, then glanced up at Eric and smiled sweetly.

Eric smiled back none the wiser as he turned to watch Angel take his shot.

“So it seems,” Sarah said. “I haven’t talked or heard from him yet, but I got his info. I’ll probably email him this weekend.”

“How exciting,” Sofie said, handing the phone back to Sarah then leaned in and whispered. “Leonardo is
hot,
” she said, staring at the photo some more. “A little scary-looking but . . .
damn
!”

Sarah smiled but made no comment. She glanced down at the photo of Leonardo again and had to agree. He was pretty hunky, and even though she’d just found out a week ago that she even had a brother, it still felt a little icky to be thinking of her brother that way.

Both Sal and Alex left, saying there was somewhere they each had to be, and Romero suggested they all go to Andolini’s to grab some pizza. At first, Angel protested that, with it being a Friday night, Andolini’s would be too packed, but he was outvoted and they headed out.

Since Valerie had asked Sarah earlier to let her know if they’d be hanging out anywhere
without
Alex to let her know, Sarah texted her. She smiled when Valerie texted back a while later that she and her friend were already there and she’d try and save them seats.

As they walked in the Italian restaurant, Sarah immediately recognized the girl Valerie was sitting with. It was her friend Monica, who lived a few houses away from Val. Who she
didn’t
recognize was the guy standing near their table, obviously flirting with them. She was glad now Alex wasn’t with them. She wasn’t joking earlier when she told Valerie she and Alex were ridiculous. Though both pretended to be okay with their open relationship the way it was, neither was any good about hiding their annoyance when hearing about or seeing the other with someone else. In Alex’s case, the few times Valerie had told her about him seeing her with someone else, things had nearly gotten violent.

“Who’s that douche?” Romero asked the moment he spotted the guy with Valerie.

Sarah tensed immediately. She’d forgotten that though Alex wasn’t there Romero being there might be worse. These guys had each other’s backs, and Romero knew better than anyone that while Alex and Valerie were not a couple he would
not
be thrilled about this
douche
hitting on her. Romero started toward them with an evil smirk, and Sarah squeezed Angel’s hand.

“Be cool,” Angel warned.

Romero turned to him with an even bigger smirk. “You know me.”

“Well, shit,” Eric said as they all followed through the crowd behind Romero.

“Hey, Val, you save me a seat?” Romero asked, pointing at the seats next to Valerie.

The playful smile Valerie had been wearing up until she saw Romero fell flat. “Yes,” she said. “Sarah texted me, saying you guys were on your way.”

The guy standing next to Valerie wasn’t smiling anymore, but he wasn’t leaving either. He was typical for Valerie’s taste: tall, well-built, and rugged. The only difference from the guys Valerie usually dated was he was blond.

“Who’s your friend?” Romero asked, straddling the seat next to Valerie.

“Here we go,” Angel muttered as he pulled the chair out for Sarah.

“I’m Tex, who are you?” the guy said with a bit of an attitude.

“Tex?” Romero grinned, and Sarah could see in his eyes Tex’s attitude amused him. “Rhymes with Alex, huh, Val?” Romero glanced back at Valerie with a wink then turned back to Tex. “I’m Romero, Alex’s friend.”

Tex stared at Romero for a moment before asking the inevitable. “Who’s Alex?”

“Alex is—”

“Someone I haven’t heard from in over a week,” Valerie said, interrupting Romero with a glare. “Someone who’s probably out on a date as we speak.”

“When he could be here with you?” Tex asked a little too smug. “This Alex guy sounds like a real idiot if—”

Angel was on his feet instantly, but Romero beat him to it, jumping out of his chair and making the unwavering guy finally flinch. “Calling my friend and his brother,” Romero said, motioning to Angel with his thumb and getting in the guy’s face, “an idiot is real fucking stupid.”

Valerie squeezed in between, trying to hold Romero back as Sarah grabbed the front of Angel’s shirt with both fists. Everyone at the tables around them were on their feet now too in anticipation of a brawl. To Sarah’s relief, old man Andolini pushed his way through the crowd, cursing.

“I didn’t start this,” Romero said when Andolini broke through the crowd.

“Yeah, you never do,” Andolini said, pointing at the door. “Out!” he said loudly. “One week!”

“But—” Romero started to say.

“You no come back for one week!” Andolini persisted loudly. “You argue I make it two!”

Some of the people in the crowd chuckled as Romero reluctantly started toward the door. This wasn’t the first time Romero had been put on time out by Andolini. They all started to walk out with Romero. Sarah knew Angel wouldn’t let Romero take the heat on his own. He had been, after all, defending Alex. Even Valerie and Monica began leaving with them.

Sarah glanced back as Andolini started in on Tex. “I don’t know you but you too. Out! One week.”

“I ain’t going nowhere, old man,” Tex said with a frown. “I didn’t do shit.”

Both Romero and Angel spun around. They’d been coming here for years and had known Andolini for too long. Romero had been getting time out since high school even when it really wasn’t his fault. They always walked out respectfully.

“Who the fuck does this guy—” Valerie stepped in front of Romero again.

Two guys in aprons, who’d rushed out of the kitchen, were already in Tex’s face. “They got it, Romero. Let’s go.”

Andolini held his hand up to the guys in aprons. “Wait until that one’s gone,” he said, pointing at Romero, “before you walk this one out.”

With that, Andolini headed back to the kitchen, assuring everyone things were under control and to relax.

As soon as they were outside, Valerie started in on Romero about embarrassing her, and he protested he hadn’t done a damn thing. “What?” Romero asked, holding his hands up. “The douche insults my friend and I’m supposed to just sit there and let him?” His expression turned into a scolding one, and he shook his head. “You know Alex is not gonna be happy when I tell him about Tex.”

That really lit the fire in Valerie’s already blazing eyes. “You think I care if you—”

“Okay, okay,” Sarah said, worried Valerie might say something rude about Alex as she often did when it was just the two of them and she was venting. She didn’t think Angel but especially Sofia would take too kindly to it. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m still starving.”

“I don’t get pizza from anywhere else but this place,” Romero said as they reached both cars in the parking lot. “How ’bout Chinese? Lucky Dragon?”

“Don’t you need reservations for that place?” Eric asked, walking toward his car.

“Nah,” Romero said, walking around Angel’s car to the back seat. “My uncles know the owner. He’ll get us in right quick.”

“I’m out,” Valerie, who’d been reading something on her phone, said as she and Monica passed Angel’s car. She glanced back. “Isabel got off of work earlier than she thought she would. We’re gonna go meet her somewhere.”

“Don’t go causing any more trouble, Val,” Romero said with a big grin.

Valerie rolled her eyes but to Sarah’s relief didn’t say anything else except to remind Sarah to call her. Curiously, just as they pulled out onto the street with Romero yapping away about the Padres game the night before, Sarah noticed a text come in from Valerie. She clicked on it and read it.

I was going to tell you over pizza tonight until Romero ruined that! >.< My friend commented on a post in FB where Dana posted a link to her stupid blog. Just to be nosy, I clicked on it, and the bitch actually has a widget counting down the days down until the SD-HI game. Not a big deal, right? Except the photo she posted on the widget is an old one from way back of her and Angel with their arms wrapped around each other. No arguing with him! But maybe you warn him before the game she might be up to something. Enjoy your Chinese food. I so had a craving for Andolini’s tonight. Grrr!!

Chapter 7

Angel

The moment the girls walked away to the ladies’ room Angel saw that annoyingly smug smirk spread across Romero’s face as he sat back in the booth. Clearly, he’d been waiting for them to leave so he could say something.

“What?” Angel said, sitting back feeling stuffed.

Thanks to Romero’s scene at Andolini’s delaying their dinner, by the time they’d gotten their food, they’d all been so starved everyone ate way too fast.

“I hear Syd’s back.”

Angel rolled his eyes, cracking his fortune cookie open and pulling the fortune out. “Yeah, so?”

Eric watched Angel curiously. The only one he’d told so far was Alex. Romero had been joining Alex during his workouts a lot lately. No doubt this was something they’d discussed.

“So he dumped the girl he’s been with since high school and switched schools to be closer to Sarah?”

Glancing back to make sure Sarah wasn’t on her way back yet, Angel turned back to Romero with a frown. “Who said all that? He’s going to ESU. That’s in Los Angeles, not here.”

“Close enough.” Romero shook his head with that same expression Alex wore the day he told him about it. “Shit. I don’t know, man. I’m thinking Alex has a point. Maybe you do need to have a one on one with this guy. You know let ’im know you’re on to him.”

“On to what?” Angel asked.

“Yeah,” Eric said with a chuckle. “So he transferred to So Cal. It’s still over two hours away. What’s Angel supposed to be
on
to?”

Thank you!

Angel didn’t say it, but he was glad someone didn’t instantly believe what he’d felt in his gut from the moment he found out about Sarah’s male best friend way back in high school. He knew he was biased, and that’s why it was so impossible to believe the guy couldn’t have any feelings for Sarah beyond friendship. But Alex and Romero seemed so damn sure about it, and they didn’t even know all the details: Sarah kept in touch with him regularly. She told the dude everything and vice versa. Most importantly, he’d dumped his girlfriend
for
Sarah. He’d left that part out when he mentioned to Alex that Syd and his girl had broken up. He and Romero already made Angel feel like a big enough chump when it came to this.

Romero grabbed a couple of the crunchy noodles from the bowl in the middle of the table and stuck them in his mouth, shaking his head. “I’m telling you. I know what I’m talkin’ about here—”

“What do you mean you know what you’re talking about?” Angel asked, beginning to lose his patience. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having with Romero of all people. “You don’t have a chick. You’ve never had one.”

Eric laughed, and Romero shot him a look. “I’ve had plenty of chicks.”

“Not girlfriends,” Eric pointed out. “All those different girls you screw around with don’t count.” Eric nudged Angel. “Personally, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You and Sarah are solid. Have been for years. Don’t let this guy get in your head.”

“All right.” Romero pointed at Eric. “So if Sof had a guy friend she’d known all her life and was this close to”—he lifted a brow as Eric’s expression started to go hard—“you’d be okay with that?”

“If she assured me they were nothing more than friends, yes,” Eric said, but he’d lost some conviction, and Angel had a feeling he knew why.

There was someone Sofia had known all her life and recently they’d had some major issues with him, but that was completely different from Sarah and Syd. Sofia didn’t even talk to Brandon anymore. Fortunately, that conversation was cut short when the girls got back.

Everyone except Romero was surprised by how little the bill came to. “I told you the owner knows my uncles.” He smiled, laying his portion of the reduced bill on the table. “He always hooks us up.”

After dinner, Romero announced with a smirk he had a several stops to make before the night was over. Then he pulled out his wallet, smiling as wickedly as only Romero could and announced his
soldier
had enough
helmets
for what he had planned. Yeah, Angel would be taking relationship advice from this hopeless romantic.