They ate in the front room with dinner served on the coffee table. When they were all done, Taylor cleared the table and Joey brought out the cards. Grace leaned against Sal. “I’m so stuffed,” she whispered.

“Me too.”

“Have you ever played hold ‘em’, Sal?” Joey asked as he shuffled the cards.

“I’ve played a little.”

Taylor brought out a silver poker chip suitcase and started counting stacks of chips. “Don’t get obnoxious, Joey,” he warned, as he continued to count.

Joey stared at him while shuffling the cards with one hand. The cards moved through his fingers almost magically. “Whatever do you mean, Taylor?”

Gracie laughed. “You’re such a show off.”

As expected, Joey was the hands down star player, beating them all several times. Taylor had made another batch of Sangria and Grace was getting giggly again.

Joey passed out another round of cards. “Did Grace tell you about the time we went to Vegas?”

“No, Joey!” Grace laughed, holding her cards in front of her face.

“It’s okay, honey.” Joey peered over his cards. “Now we know. Never mix what Gracie drinks.”

Gracie covered her face with the cards and groaned. “Don’t tell him!”

“What?” Sal’s curiosity had piqued.

“Let’s just say.” Joey added another three chips to the pot. “We know Gracie’s talents are in the kitchen, not on stage singing Pat Benatar.”

“Try screeching,” Taylor laughed.

Grace fell back onto the sofa laughing. “You encouraged me!”

“I said sing a ballad, sweetie.” Joey’s eyebrows lifted. “Not ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot.’”

“No, it was ‘See me if you’re best off!” Taylor sang loudly. “You’d think she’d sing something she at least knew the words to the chorus.”

Gracie buried her face in the cushions of the sofa, laughing uncontrollably. Sal had never seen her like this but it was nice to see a different side of her.

“In her defense, Sal.” Joey patted Grace’s leg. “At that point she wouldn’t have known the words to Happy Birthday.”

“So why’d you let me get up there?” Grace sat up, wiping tears of laughter away.

“Let you?” Joey stared at her like she was crazy. “I wasn’t about to tackle you.” He turned to Sal. “Gracie should come with a warning label. ‘Alcohol may cause her to believe she can sing.’”

Grace fell into another fit of laughter. She threw her cards in. “I’m out! Joey, I can’t believe you told him!” She wiped more tears away.

By the time the night was over, Sal was convinced these two were nothing more than true friends who cared deeply for not only Grace, but Rose as well. He understood now why Grace was so close to them. They were fun to be around and there was no doubt how sincere their feelings for her were.

Joey and Taylor walked them all the way out to Sal’s car. “Sal, I have to say something to you,” Joey declared once at his car.

“Joey, don’t start,” Taylor warned.

Joey lifted an eyebrow. “Taylor, she’s our girl and I’m just looking out.” He turned back to Sal. “I have never seen her so happy.” His face fell into the same grimace it had when he’d teared up earlier.

“Here we go,” Taylor said, putting his arm around Joey’s shoulder.

Grace brought her hand to her mouth. Sal pulled her to him and hugged her.

“I just wanna say,” Joey continued, “she means everything to us and we’re so glad she’s found someone that obviously makes her so happy. Please don’t ever hurt my baby girl.”

Sal took a deep breath, feeling a jolt of guilt in the pit of his stomach. “She means everything to me, too, Joe.” He kissed the top of Grace’s head. “I’ll do my best to do right by her.”

Grace dozed off on the ride home. Sal glanced in the mirror. “You mind spending the night at my place, Rose? There’s a bed in one of the extra bedrooms.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” she smiled.

“This way Grace doesn’t have to deal with stairs tonight.”

Rose giggled. “Good idea.”

Sal smiled and touched Grace’s cheek. More memories of his night in Vegas had come to him. The only thing he’d learned from them was that Melissa had been the one that walked him out of the bar. He still hadn’t heard a peep from her since she showed up at his place. He could only pray now things stayed that way.

~*~

Graduating from a small culinary school was nothing like doing so from a big college. The graduating class was less than fifty, but all Grace cared about was that she was finally done.

Sal filmed the entire ceremony, while her mother didn’t even try to hide her boredom, yawning obnoxiously several times then shaking her head as if it was near impossible to stay awake. Grace was a little surprised she’d actually showed up, but after the ceremony she found out why.

Sal drove them to the Marina where he surprised Grace with a dinner cruise exclusively for her and their friends and family. Everyone was there including Joey and Taylor. Grace was surprised even Sal’s parents made it. It was overwhelming.

Her mother was never one to pass up a free meal or in this case a very elegant dinner cruise. Grace knew Sal had paid for it all. She knew for sure her mother hadn’t. She was even more glad her step-dad hadn’t been in town for it.