Always Be True Read online

  Tino and Marlene both knew that it wasn’t enough to keep him busy or to give his new life as a civilian any real purpose.

  She gave him one of those looks that made it clear she could see right through to the heart of him. “Jack has more work than he can do on his own now. If you don’t step up to work full-time, he’ll need to hire someone.”

  Again, something Tino already knew. Eventually he might want that, but right now he was happy to simply drift, taking each day as it came. The few occasions when he helped Jack or did the billing only filled his hours with busywork, but it was nothing he could envision doing for the rest of his life.

  When he didn’t respond, his mother looked a bit worried—or maybe exasperated. “Well, it’s something to think about.”

  “I will.”

  Maybe, but more likely not.

  At least she changed the subject. “What did you think of the people you met today?”

  Now that was an interesting question. “They were all friendly and glad to have someone who could be assigned a job and left to his own devices to get it done. They even provided lunch for all the volunteers.”

  “Does it seem like the people in charge of the project know what they’re doing?”

  A tougher question to answer. “I met the project manager. I don’t know how much experience she has, but it’s obvious all the workers really like her.”

  Including him, but that wasn’t because of her organizational skills. “For sure, she doesn’t hesitate to get right in there and work with everyone else.”

  The memory of Natalie biting that sexy lower lip as she guided his saw along the lines he’d drawn had him smiling. Depending on how their date went on Thursday, maybe Saturday he’d let her try out his cordless drill.

  His mother jarred him out of his happy daydream. “You didn’t mention her name.”

  No, he hadn’t, but there was no reason to keep it a secret, even if he didn’t tell his mom that he already had a date with her. “Natalie Kennigan.”

  The look on his mother’s face had Tino sitting up straighter. “What? Does that name mean something to you? Have you met her?”

  Because he did not want to be dating one of his mother’s many acquaintances. She was very active in her church’s outreach programs and had become friends with people of all different ages in the process.

  “I’ve never met her in person, but the local high school got a big technology grant from the same foundation. From what I’ve read in the paper, Natalie Kennigan is more than a project manager for the Waines Foundation. She took over running the whole thing when Cyrus Waines retired. He’s her grandfather.”

  Tino’s good mood disappeared. Suddenly, that obligation Natalie mentioned took on a whole different meaning in his mind. No doubt it was some fancy shindig and involved hanging out with a bunch of people who made more in a year than he had in his entire military career. What was she doing accepting a date with the likes of him? And where the hell was he going to take her that wouldn’t feel like slumming for her? Maybe he should come up with an excuse to cancel, but that would be taking the coward’s way out.

  “Is something wrong?”

  He managed a reassuring smile. “No, everything is fine. I’m just trying to get my head around the idea that the woman I met has that kind of clout.”

  “Why? What was she like?”

  “She was right in the thick of things all day. She helped paint the walls in the gym, served pizza at lunch, and even helped with the cleanup when it was time for everyone to call it a day. No one seemed surprised by what she was doing, so it wasn’t like one of those photo ops you hear so much about.”

  “Well, that’s nice to hear. Too many people think they can fix things just by throwing money at it. It takes boots on the ground to get the job done and have it mean anything.”

  Tino realized that it had gotten dark while they were talking. “I hate to desert you, Mom, but it’s been a long day. I’m going to hit the gym and then turn in.”

  “I’ll probably already be at church when you get up in the morning. Will you be around to eat dinner with me? I could cook a roast with all the fixings.”

  “I would never turn down one of your dinners.” He stood up and stretched. “But if you don’t feel like cooking, I’d be happy to take my best girl out to eat. You can even pick the restaurant.”

  Marlene gave him a quick hug. “I don’t mind cooking, but I wouldn’t mind trying that new barbecue restaurant your brother is always going on about.”

  “Then it’s a date. Maybe I should call Jack and see if he, Caitlyn, and the kid want to meet us there.”

  “That would be nice. It’s been awhile since we’ve all gotten together.”

  “I’ll let you know what he says.”

  “Sounds good.” She opened the back door but then turned back. “And for the record, son, I don’t mind being your date at a family dinner, but maybe you should be looking for a nice woman your own age to fill that role in your life.”

  “Yes, Mother, I’ll get right on that.”

  He managed not to roll his eyes, but just barely. She’d been saying the same thing to him and his brothers since they were all in their early twenties. Now that Jack was happily married, she’d stepped up her efforts on Tino and Mikhail.

  She knew him well enough to know that he hadn’t really meant he’d start looking. “I’m serious, Tino. All Joe and I ever wanted was for all three of our boys to be happy.”

  “I know that, Mom, but right now I have enough on my plate without trying to have a serious relationship with someone.”

  He ignored the image of Natalie’s bright smile that flashed through his mind.

  “As far as I can tell, you don’t have anything on your plate these days.” Marlene held up her hand to cut off his protest. “I know it takes awhile to adjust to civilian life after nearly ten years in the army, but it’s not like you to not have a plan in mind for what comes next. I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I hate seeing you floundering like this.”

  Tino’s temper slipped loose. “I’ve only been home a few weeks, Mom. Before that, I spent most of my time serving in hell, so why don’t you cut me some slack?”

  He stalked off into the darkness before he said something else he’d regret. At least he didn’t slam the door behind him as he took refuge in the annex. Maybe that workout he’d mentioned would take the edge off. For sure, it was tempting to chuck a few of the weights against the wall, but they’d only just repaired the damage his older brother had caused doing that exact thing.

  After a few reps, he dropped the free weights back down on the rack and dug his cellphone out of his pocket. It would probably mean more if he apologized to his mother in person or at least with an actual phone call. Instead, he sent her a text that was short, if not sweet. Sorry. I’m an idiot. I love you.

  His phone pinged within seconds. It was a testament to how well his mother knew him that she’d been waiting for his message. Her response had him smiling. I love you, too. And BTW, nobody gets to call my son an idiot, not even him.

  He grinned. No one had ever defended him or his brothers more fiercely than she did. Message received. Good night, Mom.

  Feeling better, he wrapped his hands and started punching the heavy bag as he lost himself in the familiar rhythm. He’d keep pounding until he’d burned up the last bit of his energy and all of his frustration. Tomorrow would be soon enough to decide what to do about Natalie Kennigan and those irresistible dimples of hers.

  —

  Natalie set her dinner of fruit, cheese, and crackers within easy reach and checked the temperature of the water before climbing into the tub. Perfect. Exactly the right amount of heat to soothe her aching muscles, especially when she turned on the jets to set the water swirling around her. After tossing in a double handful of her favorite bath salts, she leaned back against the curved edge and closed her eyes.

  It had been a long day, but a good one. They’d made a lot more progre
ss at the site than she’d expected. The sign-up sheet for next Saturday was pretty close to full, so she wouldn’t have to spend time during the week trying to drum up more volunteers. Tino’s name hadn’t been on the list, but she hadn’t wanted to push too hard. It could be that he already had plans for that day.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to accept his invitation to dinner and a movie, but she didn’t regret her decision. She loved her work at the foundation but needed something more in her life. Something fun. No, make that someone fun in her life.

  She couldn’t remember when she’d laughed as much as she had with Tino Gianelli, especially considering how little time she’d actually spent in his company. Those killer brown eyes of his didn’t hurt either. He wore his dark hair on the short side, probably a habit left over from his time in the military. Even so, there was just a hint of wave in it. Nothing like her own corkscrew curls, though.

  He was taller than most of the guys she’d dated, not that she had anything against tall men, per se. But at half an inch over five feet tall, she got tired of looking up at everyone. All things considered, she was willing to make an exception in Tino’s case. There was just something about him she liked. Maybe it was the way he hadn’t treated her like an empty-headed piece of arm candy like her ex-fiancé had sometimes done. Of course, she’d have to see if that was true when they were out on an actual date instead of a few stolen moments in the midst of a work party.

  No doubt it was a girl thing, but she was already fretting about what to wear Thursday night. With her ex, she’d never had that problem, mainly because Benton had never once done anything unexpected. Not only had they grown up in the same social circles, their parents were close friends. Sometimes she thought the two of them had simply drifted into their engagement, because that was what had been expected of them, not just by their folks, but by their friends, as well.

  Her decision to break up with Benton had sent shock waves rippling through their little world. Most of their friends had sided with him, offering Benton their sympathy and their support. From what she could tell, she was the only one who didn’t think her decision to end their engagement was a huge mistake. Too bad. Her only regret was that she’d waited so long.

  But back to Thursday night. Maybe telling Tino to surprise her hadn’t been a smart idea.

  What if she wore a dress and heels, and he showed up in jeans? Or the other way around? Either way, it could prove interesting.

  Her cellphone chimed, signaling that her mother was calling. It was tempting to let it go to voicemail, but her mom would only keep trying.

  Surrendering to the inevitable, she picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to remind you about Friday night.”

  As if Natalie would’ve forgotten. Her mom had been talking about the event for weeks. They were all going to opening night at a local gallery, which would be showcasing an up-and-coming artist whose work her mother really admired. She would undoubtedly expect Natalie to use the foundation’s money to buy at least one painting as a show of support.

  “I’ll be there. It starts at seven, right?”

  “Yes, but you should get there early. We’ve been asked to be part of the receiving line to greet the other guests as they arrive.”

  Great. Another evening of smiling until her face ached while she made endless small talk with people she barely knew.

  “Who are you bringing as an escort?”

  All right. Now she knew the real reason her mother had called. For a second, she considered asking Tino if he’d be interested in going with her. No, that wouldn’t be fair to him, especially when he barely even knew Natalie.

  “I’m coming by myself. In fact, do you want the extra ticket back to give to someone else?”

  Silence.

  It was too much to hope that the call had been disconnected, accidentally or otherwise. No doubt her mother was busy regrouping, looking for another plan of attack to get Natalie to do what she wanted. That wasn’t going to happen, but the woman was nothing if not determined. It would be easy to resent her mother’s attempts to manipulate her if she didn’t know that her mother honestly just wanted Natalie to be happy.

  The problem was that lately her mother’s idea of what would make Natalie happy wasn’t anywhere close to her own ideas on the subject.

  Here it comes. Drumroll, please.

  Sure enough, the next words out of her mother’s mouth were exactly what Natalie expected. “I’m sure Benton would be glad to act as your escort. His mother happened to mention the other day that he hasn’t shown any interest in dating since you gave his ring back.”

  Meaning that it wasn’t too late for Natalie to come crawling back to him. So not happening. “Mom, sorry, but that ship has sailed. I won’t ask him when I have no interest in getting involved with him again. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of us.”

  On impulse, she added, “Of course, I could always ask Grandpa Cyrus to come with me.”

  Another long silence followed before her mother finally responded. “Come on, Natalie. We both know he wouldn’t enjoy himself.”

  That was true enough. Her suggestion had been more along the lines of a bluff than a real threat. Her mother’s relationship with her father was often a bit problematic these days. Natalie waited to see what more her mother had to say. For now, the heavy silence was back again. Interesting how her mother could convey such disappointment without saying a word. Finally, she said, “I really hate how running the foundation eats up so much of your time. At your age, you should be out having fun.”

  Natalie did have fun, just not the kind her mother would understand. Like when an attractive man gave her lessons in cutting out damaged drywall. Maybe she should admit that she was already seeing someone else, but it was too soon for that. No use in getting her mother’s hopes up—or her own—until she saw how the date went with Tino.

  “Thanks for worrying about me, Mom. Tell Dad hi for me, and I’ll see you both at the gallery.”

  In an attempt to end the call on a happier note, she added, “I’m really looking forward to viewing these paintings you’re so excited about.”

  “You’ll love them. The colors are so vibrant. It’s as if she’s captured the movement of the flowers in the breeze. The first time I saw her work, it stole my breath away.”

  Her enthusiasm rang true. One thing Natalie and her mother had in common was that they never went for half measures. If her mother truly loved a painting, she did everything she could do to help the artist succeed.

  “Well, my dinner is ready, so I need to go. I’ll see you Friday. And it sounds like I should bring my checkbook.”

  Her mom laughed. “You do that, Nat. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  After hanging up, Natalie put the phone on mute. It was unlikely anyone else would call at this hour, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Right now, all she wanted to do was add more hot water to the tub, take her time eating her makeshift dinner, and think about Tino Gianelli’s brown eyes and wicked smile.

  A nice ending to a long day.

  Chapter 3

  The sun was barely up on Monday morning, and Tino was not particularly happy about already being on the clock. At least Jack had already done a coffee run before picking him up in their father’s old truck. Their next stop was the building supply store to get the last few things they needed for the new job.

  They rode in silence, giving Tino a chance to savor the coffee’s rich taste while he waited for the caffeine to kick in. He appreciated the fact that Jack was a man of few words, especially at this hour of the morning. Besides, they’d just had dinner together the evening before. There hadn’t been time for anything new to come up in the interim.

  But evidently he was wrong about that. They hadn’t gone more than three blocks before Jack gave him a sideways glance, the kind that suggested he had something to say but wasn’t sure he should. It was too much to hope that he would listen to what his conscienc
e was telling him.

  “So, Mom said you had a good time helping out at the community center on Saturday.”

  Well, crap. Where was he going to go with this? “It was okay.”

  “Are you going to keep helping them out?”

  Rather than answer the question directly, Tino countered with one of his own. “Did Mom put you up to this?”

  Jack’s noncommittal grunt was answer enough. Damn it, couldn’t she just let it drop? He’d get his act together in due time. “I’ll tell you what I told her. I didn’t commit to going back next Saturday, because I knew you might need my help to finish up this job on time.”

  Another grunt. “And if you didn’t have that as an excuse?”

  Tino gave his brother the look he’d perfected during his years in the military police, the one that warned troublemakers to back off or there would be hell to pay. He should’ve known Jack would be immune. It was almost funny when they both let loose with identical sighs.

  Almost.

  “You know Mom worries. She means well.”

  “I know that. And since Dad’s gone, she’s focusing all of her attention on us.” He took another sip of his coffee. “With you settled and married, I’m the only one handy for her to fuss over. Too bad Mikhail isn’t around to get his fair share of this stuff.”

  An evil thought crossed his mind. “Hey, since he’s back stateside again, maybe I should spring for a plane ticket for Mom to go visit him. Say, for a month or so.”

  Jack laughed. “Our baby brother would kick your ass for even suggesting such a thing.”

  That was probably true, but Tino’s pride had him sneering. “He could try. He’d also kick yours for calling him baby brother all the time.”

  “I calls them as I sees them. He is the youngest even if it’s only by a matter of months.” Jack signaled for a right turn and pulled into the supply store’s parking lot. “He’s also smart enough not to tangle with me. We both know how that would turn out.”