“You don’t know, mamita, it’ll be more fun to watch you figure it out.”

Then he kissed me, another slow, sweet one (with tongues) that again lasted until I wrapped my arms tight around his waist and melted into him.

Then he was gone.

* * * * *

Ralphie and I went into Art and at eleven thirty Ralphie picked up the phone and dialed.

“Jet, you pretty girl, I’m callin’ in a delivery,” Ralphie said into the phone as I watched in stunned surprise. “Sadie and I will simply expire if we don’t have two of Tex’s specials. Can you send someone over with them? I’d come get them but, see, Double H says I’m in charge of Sadie’s safety during the day. We opened late, we can’t close down just to get coffee and I can’t leave her alone.”

I stood beside Ralphie still staring at him wondering when Hector made Ralphie “in charge” of my “safety” while Ralphie nodded and said in the phone, “Un-hunh, un-hunh,” then, “Oh, ‘Double H’ is Hector, stands for Hispanic Hottie’.” I heard laughter through the receiver, he finished with, “Toodles,” and put the phone down.

Then he turned to me calmly and said, “Daisy’ll be over in ten with two specials.”

At this point, I rewound my life back six weeks.

Six weeks ago, my father was in prison, my days were spent with Ralphie in Art and my nights were spent either at yoga class, a movie (by myself) or curled up with a book in my living room.

I had no excitement except a scary call or a buzz up from one of the Balducci Brothers but that wasn’t good excitement, that was bad excitement.

I was alone and, albeit frightened, my life was my own and my destiny was decided by me. Except for the Balduccis, I was in complete and total control.

Now I was never alone and I made no decisions for myself. When I did, they were circumvented. Ralphie thought he was my bodyguard. Blanca was going to teach me how to cook. Tom thought I was the reunited member of “the whole family”. And Hector was going to put his mouth between my legs that night (and, by the way, the very thought made me shiver).

And then there was the imminent arrival of YoYo the pug who was being delivered tomorrow night.

Instead of reveling in this which I should be doing, I was planning to disappear.

For a second I wondered if I was crazy. Then it hit me that I wasn’t.

First, a lot of people were going out of their way to make me safe and that wasn’t right or fair. They had better things to do and furthermore, they barely knew me.

Second, even though they all appeared to like me no matter who sired me, I’d never forget and I’d always know I was the odd girl out.

Last, because Hector was a good guy (maybe even the best guy ever born), when he found someone, she should not be a Belinda but she should also not be a drug dealer’s daughter.

And she certainly shouldn’t be the tawdry, broken, throw-around toy of the Crazy Balducci Brothers.

I knew I had to ride this out, keep my plans to myself and, when things were all ready, I’d sit down with Ralphie and Buddy and explain. Then I’d sit down with Hector and explain. Then I’d go and let them get back to their normal lives being good people and having nothing more to worry about than their Z Gallerie credit cards (not that Hector had a Z Gallerie credit card, more like Home Depot).

Daisy and Ava showed with the coffees, taking me out of my unhappy thoughts.

They stayed and gabbed.

When I said they “gabbed”, I meant they filled in the gaps as told by the reporters and they shared with Ralphie and I the stories of how Indy got together with Lee. Indy was somehow mixed up with why Terry Wilcox disappeared. I knew Terry; he was a contemporary of my father’s. He was creepy and I was glad he was gone (and my father had been super happy when he disappeared) but I was sorry he made Indy’s life a misery before he left.

Then they told me how Eddie and Jet got together (Jet had nearly been raped too, but, luckily, she was saved at the last minute).

Roxie “popped” around (said she was shopping at 16th Street Mall and she had about a dozen bags to prove her story correct). She found out what we were gabbing about and then she shared how she and Hank got together. She’d been stalked by an ex-boyfriend, he found her at Hank’s house, beat her up and took her for a wild ride across three states before Vance, or Native American Hottie, found her and eventually her ex got his hand shot mostly off (again by Vance) at one of Daisy’s society parties (I’d heard about it, but, obviously, hadn’t been invited).

Then they shared how Vance and Jules (the black-haired lady from the drag show) got together. Jules had gone on a vigilante mission to take down drug dealers (which meant I might not be her most favorite person) and she ended up getting shot twice (something, the girls told me, Hector blamed himself for though I didn’t get it, it seemed an honest, though heart-wrenching, mistake). Vance and Jules were the only other “Hot Bunch” (as Daisy called the Nightingale Men) and Rock Chick couple who were married and they had a newborn baby.

Finally, Ava shared how she and Luke got together. I found out she knew Ren too and I also found out that Ren’s cousin, Dom (who I knew too, but not as well as Ren, Dom used to be kind of a jerk but I’d heard that he’d turned into a rather keen family man). Ava’s story was kind of confusing, had to do with con men and somewhere along the line she’d been violated too. Though not as bad as me, still, did one put degrees on these things? Violation was violation, simple as that.

I already knew about Stella and Mace.

After they were done talking, I was seriously weirded out but I also had food for thought. Mainly because it would seem I wasn’t the first girl to catch the eye of one of the Hot Bunch who caused some significant worry, out-and-out scares and visits to the hospital.

While I was thinking this, Daisy, Ava and Roxie took off to The Market to get us sandwiches.

They came back with Shirleen who was taking her lunch “hour” (an hour that lasted two) and they chipped in to help with the final touches for the opening. I asked Roxie for Jet’s number and called her to warn her about the Reunión de la Familia (because that was the nice thing to do). She muttered some choice words, thanked me in a way that seemed very genuine (and even relieved), we hung up after agreeing to meet up sometime and then I turned to the catering menu.

* * * * *

“You need some pigs in a blanket,” Shirleen advised, casting a critical eye over the menu.

“You don’t have pigs in a blanket at an art opening,” Daisy said to Shirleen.