Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Bo by Hope Callaghan (summer reading list txt) 📕

A sudden thought occurred to Carlita. “I wonder if Roxy called anyone while she was locked up.”

“Meaning Vito,” Tony guessed.

“Right.”

“I already thought about that,” Vinnie said. “There wasn’t any cell reception on the river. I tried to make a call myself.”

“So, she was basically locked up and dead in the water,” Carlita said.

“Figuratively and then literally,” Tony grimaced.

“Joe just drove off in his rental car. Do you have any idea where he was going?”

“Not a clue.” Vinnie rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s not one to share his plans. My guess is to his hotel or to have a look around the area. Maybe even meet with his local PD contact.”

A customer approached the counter, and Tony excused himself to go help him.

“Are you hungry, Son?” Carlita hadn’t eaten all day. Her stomach was growling, and she hadn’t checked on Ravello’s since the previous morning…before her children arrived, and chaos ensued.

“Starving.”

“The girls won’t be back for a while. Let’s go grab a late lunch at the restaurant.”

It was a short walk from the pawn shop, past the apartments and Carlita’s cozy courtyard to Ravello’s. The lunch crowd was long gone, and there were only a few diners inside.

Vinnie and his mother wandered to a table near the window. The view from the large picture window was of Sandy Sue’s Bar-B-Que construction site.

“You worried about Sandy Sue’s?” Vinnie pulled out his mother’s chair.

“Worried? No. Concerned? Maybe. Having a restaurant directly across the street when I’m already fighting for foot traffic has me a little concerned.”

“Looks like it might not happen anyway.”

“Hello, Mrs. Garlucci.” One of Carlita’s servers approached, a wide smile on her face. “Dining in today?”

“I am.”

The young woman turned to Vinnie, fumbling with the menu before placing it in front of him. “Hello.” Her cheeks turned a tinge of pink as she stared at Carlita’s son.

Vinnie was the spitting image of her late husband with his jet-black curly locks and steely gray eyes. Chiseled was the word that popped into Carlita’s mind when she described his rugged good looks.

Her oldest son had never lacked for girlfriends. During his teen years, it was a regular occurrence for pretty, young girls to show up on Carlita’s doorstep, looking for him. Her other sons had their share of female friends popping in too.

“Melanie, this is my eldest son, Vinnie. He’s in town for the holidays.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said shyly.

“Same here.”

“Is the special the soup and sandwich?” Carlita asked.

“It is. Today’s sandwich is the meatball sub, and the soup is a cup of minestrone.”

“You know what?” Carlita flipped the menu over. “I’m gonna order for both of us. I want to try the broken spaghetti risotto.”

“Good choice. I tried a small dish when I got here. I think it’s my new favorite.”

“And will become one of mine too,” Carlita said. “With a glass of water. please.”

“I’ll have a Coke,” Vinnie flashed Melanie a dazzling smile.

“Coming right up.” The server leaned in close to Vinnie as she retrieved the menus. She did a slow turn and then strutted off.

Carlita watched her walk away. “You haven’t lost your touch,” she teased.

“My touch?”

“With the ladies. They have always fallen all over you.”

“Tony was the ladies’ man. Speaking of Tony, I didn’t want to put him on the spot, but how are he and Shelby doin’?”

“Shelby’s health is stable.” Shortly after Shelby and Tony married, Carlita’s daughter-in-law had been diagnosed with Addison’s Disease. The disease, a potentially fatal gland disorder, was being controlled with medication but left her unable to handle the stresses of her full-time job at the post office.

She had quit and now helped out part-time at the pawn shop as well as the restaurant.

“Mercedes and Sam are gettin’ along, but don’t ask them about marriage. Mercedes will bite your head off.”

“Too late,” Vinnie laughed. “I already got chewed out when I said something to her in front of Sam.”

“For the life of me, I don’t know why she’s so touchy about the topic.”

The conversation shifted to Vinnie and Brittney and their life in New Jersey. Several months back, Vinnie and Vito had sent Brittney to Savannah while a situation had been “neutralized.”

Carlita was certain it had something to do with the “family.” She had never pressed her son for details and had come to the realization she didn’t want to know. It was one less stress in her life. Besides, even if she did know, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her son was an adult.

Despite her vow to butt out of Vinnie’s life unless he specifically asked for help, she could still hear her husband’s words ringing in her ears as he lay dying in the hospital bed, “Get my sons out.”

Carlita had done everything in her power to do just that, even going as far as moving from New York to Savannah and starting a new life for her and her children.

Two out of three wasn’t bad, but she still felt a sense of failure. She had failed Vinnie because, not only had she not been able to convince her eldest son to leave the ‘family,’ he was in deep with them – deeper than her husband had ever been.

Vinnie had literally married into the ‘family.’ And if she dwelled on it, the thought that one day, out of the blue, she would get a phone call her son had been murdered terrified her.

“You look happy, Son. The baby is beautiful. Brittney is a good mother. You have a wonderful home and a good job,” Carlita offered him a sad smile.

“But…” Vinnie prompted.

“You know the ‘but.’”

“I also know the score.” Vinnie leaned back in his chair. “Believe