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Throwing my car in park, I hop out and walk right up to the men installing new glass front windows. “What’s going on?”
They all turn to look at me, but it’s the one who was leaning against the front of his car looking at his phone that straightens and walks up to me. “Ms. Manzato.”
“You again,” I clip. “What are you all doing here? And I swear to God, if you tell me Vinny sent you, I’m going to strangle him.”
He smiles. “I’ll let him know you said that.”
I cross my arms. “Please do.”
“Mr. Carfano thought you needed new windows to go with your new doors and security system.”
“Did he? That’s a little presumptuous of him. Our windows were just fine.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” I’m lying, though. They were like fifty years old and drafty as hell, but I’m not about to tell him that.
“They’re bullet resistant, too,” he tells me.
“Is that supposed to be a selling point? We don’t need bullet resistant windows. I don’t live in Vinny’s world where that must be a necessity of his everyday life.”
The guy smirks and is about to say something back, but my nonno walks outside and he chooses not to.
“Alexis, good morning.” He smiles, kissing my cheek.
“Morning, nonno.”
“You didn’t tell me we were having work done today.”
“Yes, sorry, there was a last-minute opening with this company and I forgot to tell you. I didn’t realize they were going to come so early, though. I was going to tell you when I got in today.”
“Oh, alright,” he says, watching them work.
“I’ll be inside in a second and we can talk about it. I just want to clarify something with them first.”
“Sure.”
He heads back inside and I turn to the guy. “Tell Vinny I don’t need his help and he knows that. I also don’t need the trouble of lying to my grandfather, because I sure as hell am not telling him the real reason you’re here.”
I walk right inside and sit at the table nonno is currently wiping down.
“I know you’re lying, Alexis. Talk to me.”
“I’m not lying, nonno. I just…” I sigh, folding my fingers in front of me.
“I know we didn’t get any insurance money yet, so what’s going on? Are you gambling again?”
“You act like you weren’t the one who taught me how, and you know it’s how I’ve paid for college.”
“I know, but–”
“No buts. You need the money, and you’re not going to get anything from the insurance company.” I didn’t want to tell him, but I’ve never been good at lying to him. Better yet, I don’t want to lie to him. “We need the improvements and the insurance money isn’t going to come.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have crime coverage. And since Ben more than likely did it, and he was an employee at the time, that’s not covered even if you did.”
The look in his eyes says it all. He feels like he failed.
