Greater Than Rubies

Chapter 1

Robin Bartlett walked into her church's main fellowship hall and surveyed the crowd. People young and old, fellow congregates, had gathered on that second Sunday afternoon in January to celebrate the engagement of Robin and Antonio “Tony” Viscolli. Everyone brought a covered dish to create a pot luck meal of such amazing amplitude that Robin wondered if the table would bow under the weight.

She could hear the clanging of dishes in the kitchen and started to step in that direction, but Tony slipped his hand into hers and halted her forward progress. She turned and looked at her handsome fiancé in his navy suit, white shirt, and red tie, looking every bit the Italian businessman. He stood barely an inch taller than her almost six feet. She knew she complemented him with her blonde hair and fair skin. This morning she wore a blue sweater dress the color of her eyes, belted at the waist with a silver belt that matched her shoes. No one meeting either one of them would know that they grew up on the streets in the same harsh Boston neighborhood around where this very church stood. “This is your party, cara. Let them bless you. Stay out here and socialize.”

Leaning toward him so that only he could hear her, she whispered, “I’m not very good at that.”

He smiled, a smile that made her heart pitter-patter in her chest and made her fall in love with him all over again. He raised her hand and kissed it just above the ridiculously large oval sapphire and diamond ring on her left hand. “You’ll get better at it. You are positively beautiful and engaging. Everyone is looking forward to visiting with you.”

She had started attending the church just a few months before, but Tony had attended for years. He had entered the church as a desperate, starving teen years before, looking for something to steal and fence. Instead he had heard the Gospel message and ended up dedicating his life to the Creator of the universe.

Tony knew so many people in that room, and Robin knew a select handful. Still, he looked so excited to introduce her around and let her meet the people who mattered the most in his life, she let go of her feelings of insecurity and walked from group to group, table to table, meeting friends and the family members of friends, watching her future husband talk to even the people he didn’t know well with grace and with caring compassion. It was so easy to stand at his side and engage in conversation with everyone. Tony made it easy.

They worked their way through the room to the table of food and filled their plates. Tony, with his gold cufflinks and diamond pinkie ring looked out of place carrying a foam paper plate with a white plastic fork. Robin smiled as she sat in the metal folding chair next to him.

“There is so much food here,” she observed, looking at her plate and thinking she might have overdone it on the little bit here and little bit there strategy. “Everything looks so amazing.”

“I love potluck dinners,” he said. “It’s almost like a treasure hunt.”

Robin laughed and laid her hand on top of his, gently squeezing. “That’s a good way to look at it.”

She dug into her food. She’d felt so nervous about today’s party that she’d been unable to eat breakfast that morning. As she finished the impossibly full plate, she eyed the crowded dessert table and wondered if she dared.

Tony saw her glance and winked. “I’ll go get you something. Chocolate?”

Robin leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I shouldn’t but, yes. Definitely.”

As he walked away, someone gripped her shoulders from behind. Robin turned and found herself in the presence of both of her younger half-sisters, Maxine and Sarah. Maxine had glided up behind her.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Maxine said, setting her purse on the seat next to Robin’s. “Sarah’s church service ran way over.”

At twenty-six, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Robin was the oldest of the three half-sisters. Her father had spent her childhood in prison for trafficking cocaine.

Green-eyed Maxine was three years younger than Robin. Her nameless father had been a warm bed on a drunken night for their addicted mother. Only Maxine’s Native American features and straight black hair gave evidence to which of the many one-night-stands had fathered her. Maxine was currently a junior associate at a Boston advertising agency.

Petite Sarah had honey-colored eyes and wild curly auburn hair. Her father had committed suicide when she was just a baby. Robin remembered him as one of the only nice men who had ever come into her childhood life. Now twenty-years-old, Sarah was in her third year of college and her first year of nursing school.

After a horrible night when their mother and the latest boyfriend had fallen victim to murder, a family had adopted Sarah while Robin and Maxine landed in the foster system. The older sisters had no contact with Sarah until her fifteenth birthday. She now lived with Robin and Maxine while her older sister paid for her college education.

Robin eyed her watch. “That’s okay,” she said, “I’m so happy you could make it.”

“I tried to tell her to skip her parents’ church this morning and just come here, but she had a thing.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses further up her tiny nose. “I teach a Sunday school class, Maxi. I can’t very well just skip that.”

Robin interjected, trying to stop the bickering before it unfolded into a full-blown argument. “It’s cool. You didn’t miss anything important. I’m just so happy you’re here.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the heavy-laden table. “Help yourself to food.”

Maxine pushed away from the table and went behind Robin’s chair, slipping her arms around her older sister’s neck and hugging her. “I’m so excited for you. I just love Tony.”

Robin grinned. “Yeah? Me, too.”

As soon as Maxine let her go, Sarah hugged her. “Me, three. And, I’m thankful that you’re back in my life. I was thinking about it this morning, about all those years I didn’t even know you existed. I wish I’d grown up with you like Maxi did. You are amazing and I just love you so much.”

Robin had never heard anything like that from Sarah before. Emotion, raw and real, swamped her and her eyes burned with tears. She pushed away from the table and pulled Sarah into her arms. “I’m glad you don’t remember,” she said, resting her cheek on top of her youngest sister’s head. “I’m glad you’re saved from that, and I’m so happy you live with me now. It helps make up for lost time.”

As Sarah followed Maxine to the buffet tables, Tony returned with a too-large slice of chocolate cake. “Your cake, my love,” he announced with flare.

He looked at her face and a frown immediately appeared between his brows. “Why are you crying?”

Robin took his face in her hands. “Because God has blessed me with such love in abundance. I don’t even know how to begin to thank Him.”

Tony put a hand on top of hers. “We’ll work together for Him and serve Him. That’s how.”

Not caring how many hundreds of eyes might be watching, Robin leaned forward and kissed him, just a quick brush of her lips on his. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Maxine returned with a plate piled high with food, followed by Sarah who had a bit of salad and some steamed broccoli on her plate. As Sarah sat down, she said, “Not many options for the herbivores among us,” she said with a smile. “Pot luck suppers at churches are always full of meat and cheese.”

Maxine took a bite of a chicken leg. “Ah. That’s the good stuff,” she said with a smile. She pointed the leg at Robin and Tony, who sat back down across from them. “Have you two set a date in stone yet?”

Robin grinned the silly grin that kept spreading across her face ever since Tony put the ring on her finger. “April twenty-first is about the soonest it can possibly be.”

Tony rubbed the back of her neck. “Robin suggested we just elope, but I convinced her that I was worth a church wedding.”

With a fork laden with potato salad, Maxine said, “You don’t want to elope. There’s no fun in that. I know I’ll never elope.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Wiggling his eyebrows, Tony said, “It could be fun.”

Sarah swallowed a laugh and covered her mouth. “Tony!”

Barry Anderson, former professional football player turned corporate lawyer, walked up to Tony, wool ski cap covering his ears and leather gloves on his large hands. He slapped Tony on the back. “My friend, congratulations.”

Tony smiled and stood, shamelessly hugging Barry. “Barry, mi fratello!” He turned and faced the table. “Barry, my dearest brother, I would like to introduce you to Maxine Bartlett and Sarah Thomas, Robin’s sisters.” The two best friends could not have more different appearances. Barry stood a few inches shy of seven feet with icy blue eyes, blond hair, a thin blond goatee, and a body that gave evidence to his extensive workout regimen compared to Tony who stood at just six feet with dark coloring and a strong lean body strengthened by rowing. And yet they considered themselves brothers as if they’d been born to the same parents.

Sarah was closest, and reached forward to shake Barry’s hand. He slipped the glove off of his right hand and gripped her petite hand, swamping it. Maxine, her eyes uncharacteristically wide, made no move to rise or shake his hand. She just said, “Nice to meet you.”

“I should have realized Robin’s sisters would be just as lovely and beautiful as Robin. It is very much my honor to finally meet you both.” Barry nodded to each of them and looked them straight in the eye as he greeted them. Then he turned back to Tony. “Sorry I’m late. The flight out was delayed almost two hours.”

“That big storm?” Tony inquired.

“Yeah. The snow has really been picking up. We passed 12 or 15 foot drifts on the way to the airport. I guess it’s a good thing we made it out at all.”

Tony nodded. “How was Christmas in the Alps?”

Barry’s lips thinned. “Same thing every year.”

“You should really think about Florida next year.” Tony chided. “You could water ski off the Keys instead of making snow angels.”

Barry kept his face blank. “Maybe next year.” He pulled his ski cap off and gestured to the buffet table. “I’m going to get something to eat. That little plate they give you on the airline is never enough for me.”

As he walked away, Maxine leaned in to Robin and said in a low voice, “Do you know who that is? That is the Barry Anderson.”

“Yeah, that’s Barry. I told you about him helping my dad.”

Maxine lightly thumped her sister on the forehead with her flat open palm. “No. That is Barry ‘The Bear’ Anderson. Like, that is really, really him. Don’t you remember him playing? Remember the Super Bowl that year? Are you really that out of it?”

“Yes. And I remember telling you that he used to play sports and he’s a lawyer, now.” Robin said, feeling a little confused.

Maxine grinned. “Play sports. You are so cute. You said he was a big guy and a lawyer and drank Shirley Temples. I was imagining fat Elvis meets Perry Mason meets Freddie Mercury. You never said anything about him being that Barry Anderson. You know I had the biggest crush on him when he was in the League. And he is still the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my life.” She put her hand on her chest. “Oh my gosh. I can barely breathe.”

Robin’s eyes widened and she laughed a shocked laugh. “You are incorrigible.”

Maxine winked and went back to her plate.

Tony’s lips thinned as he stood again. “Good afternoon, Jacqui.”

A tall redhead with porcelain smooth skin sailed toward their table, draped in a full length mink coat. “Antonio, what a pleasure to see you,” she said, air kissing within inches of both of his cheeks.

“Ladies, I’d like you to meet Barry’s wife, Jacqueline Anderson. Jacqui, this is Sarah Thomas, Maxine Bartlett, and my beautiful bride to be, Robin Bartlett.”

She waved a hand toward Robin. “You are such a darling. Bartlett. Bartlett? Now, are your people any relation to the Chesapeake Bartletts?”

Maxine dryly interjected, “I seriously doubt it.”

Jacqueline took that in. “Hmm. Well, it is just so very nice to meet you in person.” Robin stood next to Tony and held her hand out. Jacqueline slipped off her gloves. Robin thought her long manicured nails made her hands look like she’d never worked a day in her life. The women briefly squeezed hands and Tony gestured to the buffet line. “Barry’s fixing himself a plate. Would you care to eat?”

A quick look of disgust crossed her face as she surveyed either her husband or the selections on his plate. “Ugh. Church food. Not the slightest bit interested.” She put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I’m afraid I can’t stay, Antonio. I just had to pop in and say ‘hi.’ My curiosity was positively killing me as to who finally landed the most eligible bachelor I know and snagged you right out from under the noses of Boston society!”

At the conclusion of this announcement, Jacqueline Anderson actually looked Robin up and down from head to toe as if inspecting a Dickensian orphan or a horse of questionable pedigree. “I’m so looking forward to the wedding. The papers are already talking about how it’s going to be the event of the year.” She nodded toward Barry, who had stopped on his way back to the table to talk to Peter O’Farrell. “Be a dear and tell Barry I’ll see him later. I simply must go, now.”

She swirled away, leaving the cloying smell of expensive French perfume in her wake. Robin slowly sat as she watched her mink clad departure for a second, then her eyes skimmed over Barry, who’d barely glanced at his wife’s retreating back before continuing his conversation with Peter. She looked at Tony. “What was that?”

Tony lifted his red plastic cup. “That, cara, was Jacqui Anderson, in all her glory, being just as nice as she is humanly able.”

With an astonished tone, she asked, “And – Antonio?”

Tony actually grit his teeth. “It doesn’t bother me, but that fact doesn’t seem to stop her from trying to make it bother me.”

Maxine set her fork down. “Wow.”

Tony patted the back of Robin’s hand. “She will be extremely helpful in the wedding planning. She is a master at events. Just … don’t let her bully you.”

Maxine wasn’t done. “You know what? I’ll say that backwards. Wow. There.”

Robin took a bite of her cake, letting the chocolate frosting sing in her mouth before slowly chewing it and swallowing. She washed down that bite with a sip from a cup of really bad coffee in a white Styrofoam cup. “What did she mean by ‘the event of the year?’ She made this sound like it was going to be the next Royal Wedding.”

Tony waved his hand in a dismissive manner as Barry set his plate next to him. “Don’t let that bother you, cara.”

“I think the event of the year is exactly what it should be,” Sarah said dreamily. “Imagine what we could do!”

Maxine leaned forward and put her hand on top of Robin’s. “It’s okay, Robin. We’ll help you. We’ll get a really good wedding planner and it’ll be a breeze. I even have an old design instructor from college who opened her business last year. I helped her with some initial advertising. I’ll call her and see if we can meet.”

Suddenly nervous, Robin licked her lips. “I’m not sure. Why can’t we just elope?”

Tony laughed. “Because, cara, I want to show you off to the world.” He turned to Barry. “You free in the morning? I have some things to go over with you.”

Barry nodded around a mouth full of cauliflower casserole. “I have you blocked off until noon. After that, you’re buying me lunch. I’ve been out of the office for two weeks. I’ll go in at seven and make sure I don’t have any major fires to put out before I come over.”

Tony nodded as he looked at his watch. “Nine is good.” He snapped his fingers and turned to Robin. “I know what I forgot to tell you.”

“What?”

“You need to go ahead and get your passport application turned in. It takes several weeks, and I don’t want to delay our honeymoon.”

Her mouth felt a little dry as she contemplated, suddenly, all of the details she’d need to handle in the next four months. She barely heard him. “Passport?”

“Yes. To go to Italy. Remember?”

Mind whirling, wishing she had a pencil and a paper to take notes, she nodded. “Right, Italy.”

He frowned. “You okay?”

She shook her head and nodded. “Just a little overwhelmed. I need to remember where my birth certificate is, too.”

Tony took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Relax, my love. All will be fine. I promise.”