It's Saturday, time for more of this story.
Chapter 167.
We'd finished our entrees, and Ellie, Petey and the rest of the staff were clearing the plates from the table when we heard a commotion from just outside the party room. Peter Giordano burst through the doors, his face red and his eyes blazing.
Jess put down the plate of pastries she'd just brought in, and faced him. "What do you want?" Her voice was full of anger.
"I didn't come here to talk to you." He strode past her to his son. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I...I work for my sisters. They hired me to serve at the parties they cater." He shook slightly but stood his ground.
I was glad at that moment that Bev had gone off to the ladies room before Giordano arrived.
"Were you spying on Bernini?" Papa Giordano poked Petey in his chest.
"What are you talking about? I work for Jess and Nina on the weekends, and drive a truck for Bernini Fruit early every morning." Petey swallowed. "I have to earn money some way, don't I?"
Mr. Goldman whispered to everyone at our table. "Who is that?"
"Jess, Nina and Petey's father." My eyes were fixed on the scene playing out in front of us all.
Edgar stood. "Leave him to me." He strode to where Peter and Petey confronted each other. "Mr. Giordano, this is a peaceful sweet sixteen party for a lovely young woman. You really don't want to have this discussion here."
"I don't, huh? And who are you to tell me what to do?"
"I'm a guest at this party, and you weren't invited, were you?"
Giordano looked around at the staff and guests. His breathing was slowing and the color draining from his face. He grimaced. "This isn't over yet, not by a long shot. None of you know what or who you're dealing with." He turned and pushed back out through the doors.
Jess and Nina directed the staff to get back to what they were doing. The two of them went around personally to each table, smiles on their faces, and said a few calming words. I explained to Mr. and Mrs. Goldman, "Their father is angry with them. He's starting up a new restaurant and they've refused to offer food from it to their clients." There was no need to tell them what was really going on.
Goldman nodded as if he accepted that explanation.
The meal continued with the wait staff bringing out more platters of pastries to each table. Jess rolled out a cart holding an intricately decorated birthday cake. "Bri, come up and blow out your candles." She lit the one and six as the teen approached.
Bri took a deep breath and blew the two huge candles out. Her friends and parents sang Happy Birthday, mostly off key, and she grinned.
Jess rolled the cake away to cut it, after having Bri sit in a large chair surrounded by a few gaily wrapped presents and lots of large envelopes. I watched as she opened them, curious about what one gave a well-to-do teen girl these days.
The envelopes mainly contained certificates for apps for her computer and tablet, itunes, and ebooks. Jewelry, toiletries and similar items rounded out the gifts. Bri seemed thrilled with everything, and thanked each of her friends.
The music started again. Some of the kids danced, while others stood around in groups chatting a mile a minute. They were at an age where one minute they seemed sophisticated and the next they giggled or horsed around like preteens.
Mrs. Goldman looked on with a grin on her face. "They're having a great time, aren't they?"
"Why not?" I shrugged. "They haven't any cares tonight. Monday will be soon enough to worry about school and whatever concerns high school kids these days."
Mr. Goldman shook his head. "Don't kid yourself, Doctor. Teenagers today are bombarded with things to worry about from the trivial, such as what clothes they should wear, to the same concerns we adults face: wars in the middle east, energy supplies here in the U.S., clean air and water, and the state of the general economy. They're not oblivious to the world around them."
It was the most he'd said all evening. Obviously it was something he'd observed and thought about.
"That's why it's good to see them enjoying themselves tonight." He looked at his daughter, laughing and seemingly carefree, and he smiled.
He was unaware of the drama playing out in his own backyard, the battle between Locarno and Molino to control commerce in this part of the state. Or maybe he wasn't. I'd never asked what he did for a living. Seemingly out of nowhere I asked, "What do you think of Tony Locarno?"
Goldman looked puzzled for less than a minute, but then his smile returned. "He's a good guy. I happen to know him personally. He helped me when some nogoodnik tried to force me out of business."
"Sammy owns the Elite Cleaning shops in Princeton, Trenton and some of the smaller towns nearby." Mrs. Goldman answered my question before I asked it.
I didn't know how much to tell him, so I nodded. "He's done a lot like that, besides supporting some politicians."
"He's tough and all business." Before Goldman could go on, his daughter came over.
"Daddy, thank you so much. This was the best party in the world! Everyone loved the food and the music and everything."
That bode well for Jess' and Nina's catering service. It had been a good party, despite Giordano's intrusion.
The kids began their exodus as parents came to pick them up. Jess, Nina and their crew got to work cleaning up the place, and packing up any remaining food for the Goldmans to take home.
"Good dinner," Wilson said.
"That's all you can say?" I reacted to him the way he usually reacted to me. "Nothing about Giordano's interruption, or the great time the kids had, meaning they'll rush home to tell their parents to use Jess and Nina for their parties, or anything else that's happened in, oh, say, the last seven hours?"
"But the food was good." Cheryl looked puzzled by my response. She hadn't spent the afternoon barricaded in the office or trying to plan our next move.
Edgar put his hands on her arms. "Honey, what Dr. House means is that the food wasn't the only thing that was good about this party." His eyes locked with mine before he went back to explaining the situation to her. "We had a busy afternoon before this and there are still things we have to do."
"You're still going to bodyguard them?" she asked.
He nodded. "Something like that. Why don't you head on home and I'll call you later, okay?"
She smiled at him. "Sure, Edgar." She kissed him and left.
"Now what?" Jess joined us, and I put an arm around her. It felt natural.
"Now we go home. You finished here?"
She nodded.
We went out to our assorted cars. Edgar sat in the backseat of our. As Jess buckled up, she smiled. "It went better than I expected."
"The Goldmans seemed pleased."
"They gave us a huge tip. Guess they were in a good mood because their daughter got the party she wanted." She leaned back and closed her eyes.
"Somebody's tired."
"Better believe it. Our staff performed very well, but it was still lots of hard work."
"Edgar, you're quiet back there." I glanced at his face in the rear-view mirror.
"I was thinking about what I could do at the fruit company if I applied for the job Petey's giving up."
"So? What did you come up with?"
"The key might be to become Bernini's new best buddy." Edgar grinned. "He has to confide in someone, and I don't see that person being Giordano. I'll see what I can learn from him about Molino's plans. When he's coming to town, things like that."
"Alright. That could help."
"He's a big guy, right? A thug? Wonder if he works out." I could just make out the twinkle in Edgar's eyes.
"And meanwhile, I still have a bone to pick with my father. The nerve, showing up at our opening night!" Jess sounded furious, but was she calm enough to think through how she'd approach him?
I switched my attention partially to her, but kept one eye on the road. "Don't do anything rash."
"Hey, you know me. I think I know just what to say to him."
I was able to park close to the condo and the three of us got out.
"Once I get the job at Bernini's I probably shouldn't continue to stay here." Edgar practically ran up the step to the front door.
"I think we can handle things from here, but I am grateful for your help. How's the leg?" I turned the key and opened the door.
"Feeling better by the minute. It was only a graze." He sighed. "Well, I'm bushed. I'll be off to bed."
"Good idea." Jess headed directly for our bedroom. She looked as exhausted as I felt. "I'm so tired, but it's a good tired, know what I mean?"
"It was an interesting day."
"I'll say. Let's hope we won't have anything like that again." She went into the bathroom.
I stripped off my clothes, probably incapable of standing up long enough to shower. Slipping between the sheets, I was asleep before Jess returned.
###
In the morning, I woke with my usual aches and a few more thrown in for good measure. I hadn't done anything very physical the day before, so I wondered why.
Jess stirred next to me. Her arm reached out to rest on my chest. "Morning," she murmured.
"Morning, yourself."
"I am so glad I don't have anything to do today. Can we just laze around the condo?"
"Suits me." Of course, there was more than laze around that I wanted to do, but for now, I wanted to rest my head on my pillow and snuggle with my girl.
Sounds and smells drifted in from the kitchen. Pans rattling, someone whistling off-key, a faint sizzle followed by the odors of fresh coffee and frying bacon.
"Guess our visitor is more wide awake than we are." Jess started to pull away.
I pulled her back. "Where are you going?"
"To shower and dress." She smirked at me. "We can always come back to bed after Edgar's gone.
My desires warred with the tantalizing breakfast awaiting me in the kitchen. Food won. "I'll join you. Maybe a shower will wake me."
The hot water revived me a bit and so did the touch of Jess' hands as she soaped me well and proper. We dried each other, then dressed.
Edgar grinned at us when we entered the kitchen. "Sleep well?"
"Ever thought about getting a job as a chef or a butler or something?" I dug into my heaping plate of scrambled eggs, laced with cheese, and then munched on a rasher of bacon. The coffee was hot and strong, just what I needed.
"Let's see how this truck driver gig works out. Who knows? When Bernini goes under, I could take over the business and use it for the betterment of humanity."
I chuckled. "Who ever heard of a civic-minded produce trucking company?"
"Why not? Although I guess we'd have to ship only organic fruits and vegetables." He frowned and joined us at the table. "I'll have to think about it."