Ask Mariah by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online Page A

sensitive, passionate. Tony took after her. Frank took after his father. Maybe that's why she worried more about Tony. Sophia knew how much trouble he could get himself into if he wasn't careful. And Tony was never careful.
    Oh, how she missed him. He'd taken off after Angela died, sailing his way around the world, picking up odd jobs, dropping the occasional note home. She knew Vincent was disappointed in Tony, that her husband very much wanted his youngest son to come home and run De Luca's with Frank. Then Vincent could retire, knowing that his sons' futures were secure.
    But Tony didn't want security. He wanted more than that. Sophia remembered feeling that way a very long time ago.
    Now she could feel nothing but pain. As she glanced around Angela's bedroom, as she saw the remnants of her daughter's life, the posters of pop stars on the wall, the school yearbooks in the bookcase, the clothes in the closet, the pain filled her stomach like too much pasta. It got worse every day. She could barely eat anymore. Not even her favorite chianti eased the pressure rising within her. She felt that she might burst at any moment.
    But she couldn't let the words out. She had to stay silent. She had to keep going for the sake of her family, for Vincent and Frank and Tony -- for Michael and the girls.  It had always been that way. No real time for her. No moment when she could cut loose, when she could scream at the injustice of life.
    Not that it would matter. Angela was gone. Sophia pulled out the simple gold cross she wore around her neck and fingered the four points, silently asking again why God had taken her baby away. The answer was always the same -- because she had sinned.
     
    * * *
     
    "I don't think you should tell Sophia about Joanna," Michael said as he parked the car in front of the De Lucas' house in North Beach. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the girls were paying attention, but they were playing with their dolls in the backseat. "It might upset her."
    Tony stared straight ahead for a moment, then turned to Michael with a troubled expression. "I feel like we're in the Twilight Zone."
    "I've been feeling that way all day."
    "Who is this woman? How could she look so much like Angela? It's crazy."
    "Maybe she's a distant relative."
    Tony drummed his fingers restlessly against his thigh. "Do you think it's good for the girls to be with her?"
    "You saw how they reacted to the thought of leaving. It's not like she's Angela's twin. Her hair is much longer. And she doesn't dress the same. There's a resemblance, but I think after awhile they'll begin to see differences between Joanna and Angela." We all will , he added silently.
    "I hope you're right. Because if you're not, I think your problem with the girls just got bigger." Tony turned to the girls. "Hey, midgets, shall we go surprise Grandma?" The girls eagerly agreed, and the four of them made their way into the house.
    The De Luca home was a two-story Victorian with hardwood floors and throw rugs in the entryway, living room, dining room, and hall. The stairs were carpeted in dark blue, with the walls painted a lighter shade of blue. It was a warm, colorful house, filled with antiques and knick knacks that Sophia collected during her weekly trips to secondhand stores and flea markets. Like the De Luca restaurant a few blocks away, the family home invited guests. There were comfortable chairs and sofas to sit on, paintings from Italy, and Sophia's collection of music boxes from around the world.
    "The place looks the same," Tony said. "Home sweet home."
    "Can we get some cookies, Uncle Tony?" Lily asked.
    "Michael?" Tony asked.
    Lily and Rose looked at him inquiringly, but didn't speak. He nodded. For a while he had tried denying them anything they wanted unless they asked for it with words, but that maneuver had turned out to be as big a failure as the rest. Now it seemed pointless to encourage a full- fledged temper tantrum over a few cookies.
    Tony watched the