Tommy Gabrini 4: Dapper Tom Begin Again by Mallory Monroe Read Free Book Online

off later
today.   But I wanted to drop by and wish
you two a very happy anniversary first.   Happy thirty-fifth.   Thirty-five
years.   You guys have been married that
long?   Well one thing’s for sure.”
    “What’s
that?” Cassie asked.
    “You certainly
are not Gabrinis.”
    They
laughed.
    “But
hopefully,” Tommy added, “Sal and Gemma reverse the curse.”
    “We
will,” Sal said confidently.
    “We
heard about Grace’s remarriage,” Cassie said.   “I know that couldn’t be easy for you.”
    “She’s
happy,” Tommy responded.   “That’s what
counts.”
    “How
thoughtful,” Cassie said.  
    “But
anyway,” Sal asked, “where’s my wife?”
    “In
the kitchen,” Rodney said.   “With those
loudmouth friends of hers.   Every time we
throw a party, they come.   Whether
they’re invited or not, they come.”
    “Come
on, Tom,” Sal said.   “Let’s go see
Gemma.   She misses you too.”
    “Oh,
wait,” Tommy said, turning back toward the Joneses.   “I almost forgot.”   He reached into his suit coat pocket and
pulled out a small wrapped gift.
    “Oh,
Tommy,” Cassie said, “you didn’t have to bring a gift!”
    “Oh,
yes you did,” Rodney disputed her, as he gladly accepted the gift.
    Tommy
and Sal laughed as they headed for the kitchen.   But first they had to make their way through one group after another
group after another group.   Sal seemed to
know everybody, and was introducing his brother as if he was showing off a
porcelain doll.   It was easily obvious
that Sal was very proud of his great looking big brother, and his affection was
contagious.   Tommy became an instant hit.
    He
also became an instant Instagram pic on various females’ social media
pages.   Their phones were clicking and
their hashtags were reading, among other, more graphic things: look what I found at Gem’s parents’ party !   
    But
those pics came only after the chatter began.   As soon as Sal began circulating Tommy around the room, the talk
began.   And the ladies had similar
reactions.
    “Girl,
looka there, looka there!” one proclaimed to her group.   “That is a gorgeous man over there!”
    “Now
that’s what I call good looking.    That’s
it.   That’s it right there.”
    “Damn!   That’s a nice sight to behold!”
    “Who
is that?”
    “Who
is he?”
    “Does
anybody know who he is?”
    One
man, Gemma’s longtime friend Marvin, slid over toward one group of ladies and
smiled.   “So what’s the juice this time,
girls?” he asked.   “Who are you gossiping
about this time, and I know you’re gossiping so don’t front?”
    “That
guy over there,” one of the ladies said.   “With the nice hair.   Who is he?”
    “Oh
him?” Marvin responded as if it was no big deal.   He’d met Tommy before.   “That’s Sal’s brother.”
    The
ladies were astonished.   “Sal’s brother?”
one asked.   “Get out! His brother is
better looking than him!   And that’s
saying something because, for a white guy, Sal’s hot.”
    “I’m
saying,” said another.
    “Wonder
if he likes brown sugar the way Sal does?”
    “Brown
sugar down the line honey,” Marvin informed them.   “I heard the only thing a white woman could
do for Tommy Gabrini was get out of his way.”
    They
laughed.
    “He’s
like Tiger Woods on the black hand side,” Marvin added.   “Tiger like’em white, Tommy like’em black.”
    “Um
um um,” said another lady, assessing Tommy shamelessly.   “He certainly has the look.   I’ll bet he’s big too.”
    Marvin
agreed.   “Sal certainly has to be
sizeable or Gemma Jones would have never bothered with him.   Not my Gemma!   So I’d vote yes.   He’s undoubtedly
a big’um.”  
    And
they all laughed again.  
    Tommy,
however, had no clue he was suddenly the hot topic of conversation inside the
Joneses home.   He was too busy meeting
and greeting and making his way into the kitchen.
    Sal
eventually took