CH 3

Stevie regained his balance and looked up at Danny in confusion. "Whoa, little D, what's your problem?" He brushed nonexistent dirt off his shoulders and stretched his hands out in front of his body in a defensive manner. "You still mad about before, because I thought we fixed that." His mouth hung open questioningly.

Danny felt embarrassment surge through him. When Stevie had called out over his shoulder to Mindy, and Danny had seen her extricating herself from the tiny car, he'd seen red. It was ridiculous to him now. There wasn't a rational cell in his body that thought Mindy and Stevie were actually together, but for a tiny moment the mere possibility enraged him.

Mindy had made her way up to the steps, looking between Danny and Stevie curiously. Normally she would call Danny out for acting strangely, but she still felt majorly awkward around him. Stevie turned to her. "Mindy, looks like Danny is still annoyed over the whole 'too good for the island' incident." When she didn't have a response he just shrugged. "Whatever, I don't got time for this. I have to see a man about a horse."

He turned to Mindy, ignoring Danny. "Ma says you can come by anytime. She likes having you around." He leaned forward to give her a light peck on the cheek and quickly withdrew, but not before resting the palm of his hand squarely on Mindy's backside, eliciting a little squeak of surprise. "I like having you around." Her eyes widened, filling with indignation. Before she could let the carefully worded insults fly from her mouth, Danny had shoved himself between them, grabbing Stevie by the collar. He dragged his friend across the yard back toward the hatchback.

Mindy stood in shocked silence, staring at the struggling pair of men. It was like watching a schoolyard brawl where neither child was actually making any headway. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up at Danny's mother standing on the top step. "Mindy, darling, why don't you come in with me and have a cup of tea? They can finish they're discussion out here." She looked up, eyeing her son and his childhood friend with slight disinterest. She called out across the yard. "Don't bring any of that in my house, you hear me?"

To Mindy's surprise, both men momentarily stopped and shouted yes in unison, only to resume their ridiculous tussle. She felt like she was dreaming as Mrs. Castellano led her up the steps and into the small house.

Once inside, Mindy distractedly glanced around her. The house was small, for sure, but decidedly homey. The walls were covered in framed photos of the Castellano boys, spanning across a few decades. She stopped at one photo. It was a picture of Danny at his high school graduation. His face was softer, a little rounder, but not much, and there was the biggest smile she'd ever seen plastered across it. She'd never seen him that unreserved. He was clutching his diploma with one hand while the other clasped the shoulder of the woman standing next to him, his mother. Mindy soon forgot the ridiculous situation outside as she became absorbed with taking in the contents of the house.

Mrs. Castellano's approach to decorating was an anything goes kind of thing, bric-a-brac set here and there, but it didn't seem like a mess. Somehow it all fit together. There were silver candlesticks on one bookshelf, while another one had a few old baseball mitts lying on it next to a picture of The Virgin. Mindy was fairly certain she could spend all day just looking at everything.

"Mindy, do you want sugar in your tea or lemon?" Mrs. Castellano's voice called out from somewhere deeper in the house. Mindy snapped back to herself, feeling a bit guilty for her nosy behavior. She followed the hall in the direction of the voice.

The hall ended in a small open kitchen. "Yes, both please." She glanced around at the small space. Again, it felt very warm. A congenial atmosphere surrounded Mindy, momentarily banishing the anxiety she'd been feeling. "You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Castellano."

She stepped into the little kitchen. Danny's mother was standing at the counter, preparing a cup of tea for Mindy. "You're nice, dear. Danny's always trying to get me to move into a bigger place. He seems to think this place isn't good enough. There are memories here though. My boys grew up here." She turned and gestured to the tiny table, smiling sweetly. "Please sit down. We have some things to talk about, I think."

Mindy nodded in acquiescence, sitting at the table. The delicate cup rested in the palm of her hand. It's warmth radiating through her palms. She lifted it and cautiously took a sip. The warm liquid cascaded down the back of her throat, pooling in her stomach, quickly ridding her of the chill she'd been feeling. "I love a hot cup of tea when it's cold outside. It's like a full body hug." She smiled up at the woman across from her.

Mrs. Castellano returned the smile. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here? What makes two doctors leave their responsibilities in the middle of the day, and why is my son scrapping with his childhood friend in my front yard?" She raised her eyebrow and waited for Mindy's explanation.

Mindy's eyes widened. Oh, dear. She looked away, tracing the flower pattern on the saucer with the tip of her finger. Had Danny told his mother what had happened? And why was Danny fighting with Stevie again? It didn't make any sense to her.

She glanced back up, a bit nervously this time. "I really have no idea what's going on with Stevie and Danny. I mean, Steven is, uh, a little much to take sometimes, but I think he's fairly harmless. As far as the rest of it goes... What exactly has Danny told you?"

"Oh, you know how he is. He hasn't said much, but I know when something big is going on." Mrs. Castellano's eyes sparkled.

Mindy shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the heavy coat she wore suddenly becoming a bit too warm. She sighed. "There is." She didn't exactly know how to broach this subject, especially not with his mother, but she felt compelled to say something, to let her know that she would never hurt Danny. "Did you know that Danny is my best friend? I don't even know really when it happened. I used to think that 'best friend' wasn't really a single person, but rather a level of friendship, but now I can't think of anyone that I hold in the same regard as Danny."

Mindy swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd been casting around in her mind for something reassuring to say, and that's what she'd come up with, but it wasn't until she'd spoken the words that she really knew how true they were. Danny was her best friend. He was the first person she called when she had news she was bursting to tell. He was the first person she looked for in the morning when she got to the office. At some point she'd discovered a new tier of friendship that she'd never had before. She still loved Gwen, Maggie and Alex the same, but Danny was on a whole different level.

She sat in stunned silence for a second, trying to decipher the meaning of her epiphany. "I care about him, and I think he cares about me. Sometimes I'm not sure. I irritate him a lot." She sipped more of her tea, hoping it still had the same calming effect as before. Nope.

Mrs. C smiled. "Oh, honey, I know you irritate him. Do you know how many times I hear your name when he calls me? Mindy did this. Mindy did that. Can you believe that Mindy." She laughed. "I think you push his buttons more than anyone he's ever known."

Mindy frowned. Well, now she was really confused. Why would Danny want to be with her if he felt that way? On the other hand, he talked about her with his mom? She tapped her foot on the floor, trying to distract herself from the strange feeling in her chest. What kind of game was he playing?

Mrs. Castellano observed a quick succession of emotions chase across Mindy's face. The last little bit of reservation she'd had about the young woman faded away.

Mindy didn't notice the softening of her features or the knowing look in her eye. Instead she focused on the table in front of her. "I know Danny finds me annoying." She pulled at the bracelet on her wrist distractedly. "I mean. I get it. I know I'm selfish and self-absorbed, and there are times when even I can't believe how much reality tv I watch." The words picked up speed. "And I make him go places and do things he doesn't like. Once, I made him do hot yoga. Isn't that the worst thing you've ever heard? I mean, you're his mother, you know how he sweats. I suppose I would find me annoying too."

"And yet he still likes you. Strange, isn't it?" Mrs. Castellano rose from her seat and took her cup and saucer to the sink, leaving Mindy at the table, stewing in her own thoughts.

"Why do you say that? The liking part, not the strange part." Mindy hadn't meant to ask the question. It just spilled from her lips, surprising her with a note of hopefulness. She liked Danny. She thought he was her best friend, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe there wasn't another level of friendship above 'best friend.' Maybe it was something else.

"Well, dear, I hear it in his voice when he talks about you. There's this underlying tone of affection. Danny's not one to hang around people he doesn't like. He's not a masochist."

Mindy got up and joined her, putting her own dishes into the sink. "I think I might have hurt him though." Mindy didn't understand why she was saying these things. She didn't know Danny's mother. They were complete strangers. If you'd asked her to pick out Danny's mother in a police lineup because she'd robbed a deli, Mindy would have had no idea. So why was she confessing this?

His mother sighed and turned to face Mindy. "Danny is an adult. As much as I want him to be happy, I'm not going to tell you what you should do. In the long run, no matter what happens, he'll be ok. He's had practice with these things."

Mindy's chest constricted as she tried to breathe in. Oh, Danny. It really was unfair sometimes. "That's the thing. I don't like that. I don't like that people have left him. That they've betrayed him. I don't like that I could do that to him. And I could. I'm not a perfect person. I mess things up all the time. Do you know how many people I've dated? Recently, too."

Mindy felt a gentle hand on her arm. "The mere fact that you're thinking about all of that tells me that you would never do what Christina did, and that if things somehow didn't work, it wouldn't be for lack of trying."