Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux Latrivia Nelson (best selling autobiographies .txt) 📖

myself an Brooks to see it done,” Nicola said sighing. “Man, I forgot how beautiful this place was. It’s so peaceful.”

“Well, you want to get reacquainted? We could go and grab a beer at this great little place over in the art deco district and then who knows. The women will eat us up. Two hot looking twin Italian brothers with money at our disposal. You could very well be my ticket to a little fun this week.” Santo said looking at his watch.

“Sounds good to me.”

Jumping in the silver, drop top Mercedes Benz, the twins were off in the afternoon sun. Driving through the streets of Miami Beach, smoking Cohiba cigars and blaring Afro-Cuban Jazz, Nicola and Santo enjoyed each other’s company for the first time in years.

In a small café across town with old green linoleum floors, small suspended ceiling fans and a vintage juke box playing salsa music packed with Miami natives, Nicola and Santo sat in dark corner booth enjoying classic mojitos and filling each other in on the gaps of their lives they had missed.

Taking a small bowl of chips from the waitress, Nicola sprinkled more salt over his food. “She’s an amazing girl though,” Nicola said laughing referring to Ivy.

“Sounds like it.” Santo took out his cell phone and looked through his missed calls.

“So, how do you like being the CFO of Agosto Corporation?” The thought readily came to Nicola that he could be doing something else with his life with a MBA besides playing cops and robbers.

“I feel like jumping out of a window most days. Pop is always so uptight and political about his money. Don’t fool with him, he’s an uptight Republican. Don’t fool with him, he’s a fake Democrat. Don’t venture with them, they’re not backed by our people. Don’t spend our money there, they don’t accept MasterCard.” Santo laughed. “He’s a hell of man to work for. I have envied you a many day.”

“Me?” Nicola choked on his drink.

“Your job is so fulfilling. You make a difference. You kick ass, and I know the girls go crazy over you.”

“You make a killing.”

“Yeah.” That was something Santo could not complain about. “So, when you go back to Memphis are you going to have a relationship with your Ivy?”

“We already have a relationship. If you mean, am I going to try to steal her away from Grey…no.” He rushed his fingers through his hair and chuckled. “There is too much at risk.”

“But now you can’t lose your friend? Now’s the time to go after her.”

“It’s not my ass that I’m trying to cover. Trina has been through enough. She has already lost Brooks. I don’t want her to lose Ivy too.”

“Yeah, you may be right, but that leaves you screwed. And good guys never finish first.”

“Believe me, I know. After all that has gone down over the last few months, I just want a meaningful relationship. I know it sounds…goofy coming from a guy like me, but I do.”

“A guy like you?” Santo didn’t understand. “What kind of guy are you now?”

“I’m not the kind of guy that deserves Ivy.” Nicola cracked a smile. “But I want to be.”

“Well, I don’t know what the guys are like in Memphis, but in Miami we have our ups and downs with fidelity. A good friend of mine, Vick Donnici’s wife sued him for half of his money in divorce court last month. On top of that he still has child support and alimony to pay. All of it was due to a phone number he forgot to erase from his cell phone.”

“Well, I’m not married. In fact, I’m far from it.”

“Well, I am married. That’s why I’m always careful, because Arin is always looking for signs. She thinks that I’m gonna go out somewhere and get some girl on pregnant on purpose.”

“And will you?” Nicola knew he brother well enough to know that he was capable of such a thing.

“Did you not hear what I said…half. The woman took half of his money!” He grabbed Nicola by the arm jokingly. “There isn’t a piece of grilla in the world worth half of my money. I don’t care if when the donna opened her legs the angels began to sing and gold silk poured from her body. It still wouldn’t be worth half of my money.”

“Gold silk?” Nicola sipped his drink.

“24 karat gold silk…” he looked at Nicola and they both gave a hearty laugh.

“So you’ve stepped out on her?”

“Look, I’m still in love with Arin, but yeah…I step out from time to time. Maybe that’s why I can’t have a kid. It’s sort of like a punishment.”

“I doubt it. If that were the case, I’d never have a kid. Besides, there’s always adoption.”

“In time, we’ll figure something out. At least, you don’t have to worry about it though right. You’ve got two on the way possibly. You just don’t know. I would give anything to be able to say that about Arin.”

“I would give anything to be able to say that in confidence about Ivy.”

**

Trina was lying on the couch watching old reruns of Momma’s Family when the doorbell rang. Getting up from her comforter and dry Captain Crunch cereal, she dragged to the front door in her flannel pajama bottoms. Amazingly, Emerald was on the other side. There was a curious little flutter in her stomach as she opened the door.

“Hey,” she said motioning for him to come in. “Don’t you have a key or something that Ivy gave you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t use it when I know that you’re home,” Emerald said stopping in the entranceway. “I came to see how you were doing.”

“Did you?” Trina lifted her brow. “Or did you come so that I can cook for you again.”

“Both.” Emerald cracked a smile. “Come on, Trina. You cook as well as momma. And I’m starving. Plus, Kakeline won’t talk to me. She wants to be left alone to take the world’s longest nap.