Book 1 excerpt
A New Assignment
“I hope we will find something for our purpose here and soon,” Mario Tuzzini exclaimed. He sat across from his ward, Angieline Tuzzini, a cup of coffee in his hand.
“My eyes and ears haven’t picked up anything yet.” Angie shrugged her shoulders from the side of the table where she enjoyed scrambled eggs.
“The longer we stay, the longer people will have to recognize us. That will make it easier to find us in the future,” Mario told her.
Angie was enjoying a hot chocolate on this cold morning, in the bed and breakfast where they rented a room. “What do you expect? Everywhere we pull one of our schemes it is bound to make people think of us. It’s not like we keep low profiles during our ‘work’.”
“I would prefer that they didn’t get so close to us,” he insisted. “We will be hunted if people get into our business, and we won’t be able to do any of this anymore.”
“I’ve been with you for twelve years and you still think of me as a little girl.” She frowned.
“I suppose that at twenty, you are a grown woman,” Mario conceded.
For a girl of twenty, she was uncommonly wise, perhaps losing her mother when she was quite young had shaped her into what she was now, a quiet, caring, intelligent young woman. But, the presence of Mario in her early life could also be a reason.
“And I would have to say that you are right. Now let me do my job and quit treating me like a baby.”
“All right…I get it. What are you planning for us today?” Mario queried with a glance into her green eyes.
“I will look into our project,” Angie answered with her hot chocolate midway to her red lips.
“Have you given thought to what it is that you would like to do this time?” he asked.
“It’s December, I’m sure something will come up,” she responded. “People are more giving at this time of year, and we’re good at helping them put it to good use.”
“It does look like it will be a bitter Christmas,” Mario looked outside the window at the big crop of snowflakes drifting down to join the pile of white snow on the ground. “Angie, we’ve been here two days, what do you think about Canopy City?”
He turned on the radio next to the green sofa where he sat and waited for her answer while the radio warmed up.
“This town is suffering from the recession like many small towns we have seen before,” Angie answered.
“Nothing new though. We have pulled through before with less. I’m confident that we’ll be successful here too.”
Book 2 excerpt
The Departure
“It may be that I feel more like a humbug than a merry ho, ho, ho, at this moment, but the Depression and Christ¬mas don’t add up in my head, Angie.”
“Oh, James, what is the matter? I thought you liked Christ¬mas.” Angie Tuzzini ran to his arms and he held her in silencefor a moment.
“Well, I guess I have to cope. After all, Christmas is only once a year.”
She didn’t understand why would he feel this way. Eve¬rything had felt right the night before. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year, silly.”
“We are in a depression, Angie…. How can you be so cheery on this cold December morning?”
Could it have something to do with the telegram he had received the night before? He hadn’t mentioned it to her aftershe gave it to him.
“Christmas has magic, James, or have you forgotten so soon our last year’s Christmas project?”
James let her go and walked toward the small window of the Grand Hotel where they had stayed for the past month.
“How could I? That is when we almost didn’t become a couple.”
Yes, she had almost lost him to the secrets of her and Mario’s life. The sadness of that time came back to Angie’s heart. She had to focus on James’ chocolate eyes before she could send the memory away.
“But we did. Let’s focus in all the projects we have done since then…, instead of all this dark talk.”
His soft, pale skin showed little pink spots. It was a sign that he had a plan, though he didn’t know how to approach and tell her.
“You truly are my sunshine, Angie, and it is hard for me to tell you this...”
“What is wrong, James? Is everything all right with your family?”
James had a mother and three stepbrothers with her new husband. Although she had never met them, he had men¬tioned them to her.
“Yes, they are…. I just sent them the Christmas money yesterday.”
If it was not his family, then it must be his job as a report¬er, but what about it had him so down?
He turned toward her, though his dark curls were all she could see, as his head bowed to the floor. Sadness emanatedfrom him and somehow her breath caught in her throat.
“There are some countries that seem to be making … changes to their policies and great numbers of men are beingcalled to action. They are restless and I need to go find out why.”
“You need to go and find out … why? And how do you know this?” Her eyes closed without permission and a cool hand touched her back. His story felt wrong.
“As reporter, I have sources in many places, Angie, you know this. However, our government has asked me to go and investigate for them.”
“The government? James, why don’t they send their experts?”
“I have the best cover to get in and ask questions as a news correspondent.”
He didn’t understand her apprehension. Why couldn’t he? Her heart contracted and she didn’t know why. No, this really spelled… what?
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous, James?”
“All my assignments could be dangerous, Angie. It comes with my profession.”
He wasn’t taking her apprehensions seriously enough, or...
“You already made the decision, didn’t you?”
“I have.”
“That is why you are talking so negatively this morning. You wanted a reason for me to let you go and approve of whatyou are going to do.”
“Angie, you aren’t fair. I have done what you and Mario wanted for a year, I believe it’s my turn to do as I want, don’t you?”
“What we wanted? I thought you wanted to do it with us?”
“I did it because I love you, not because I love what you do.”
She sat heavily on the pale blue velvet chair nearest to her.
“This past year I thought we were destined to be together, that I had found my soul mate. And all along, you did it for me, not because you believe in what we do.”
“You believe in it, that was enough for me.”
She had been played for a fool. The silence grew thick while the hands of the tower clock down the street refused to move.
“James, when will you be back?” She stood and went to him, to make the sensation of distance growing between them disappear.
“I don’t know. Angie, our country needs me and I want to do my duty. This is more important than what you do or us.”
“Really? It is more important than us?”
“As you said, this is a dangerous assignment. I won’t let you waste your time waiting for me.”
No, that wasn’t the answer she wanted or expected from his lips. He was willing to let her go for this project. Why hadn’t she seen it before?
“Just like that and it is all over?”
“I set you free, for your own good, Angie. If, when I return, you are still free, I’ll find you and we’ll talk then.”
“I see. You have it all planned out and didn’t even think to include me in your decisions.” A cold fire started in her heart and engulfed her whole body. She took her arms and wrapped them about herself in an effort to stop it.
“This is something I need to do. Your opinion wasn’t needed.”
“When you are a couple, there isn’t a mine or yours, it’s always ours, James.”
“I’m sorry, Angie. This is important to me and I will do it.”
Book 3 excerpt
“Who are you?”
Angie’s heart stopped as she turned to face the biggest fear she had ever had…, Mr. Tuzzini Sr. staring back at her.
“It’s you…. How dare you enter my house? You aren’t welcome in my home…, get out. You stole my son and I will never forgive you for that. Get out.”
Angie’s heart broke in two and her eyes swam in unshed tears. She ran out at the same time that Beth and Nadinerushed into the room.
“Mr. Tuzzini, what have you done?” Nadine’s voice sounded far away as Angie hurried to wait for her ride out¬side. Then a set of arms took her in an embrace.
They felt familiar, and she thought Mario must be there. She cried so hard that she couldn’t see a thing. When she felttucked in the safest arms she could be and knew she had been carried outside by the change of temperature, she thought Mario would take her away from there to a safe place and she calmed down.
“He is wrong, Angie. You are the most thoughtful person I have ever met and what he said is just a sick man comingback to life.” The voice, though soothing, didn’t belong to Mario. She opened her eyes to find Scott’s face inches from hers. “Please don’t cry, he didn’t mean it. He doesn’t know all you have done for him.”
“It isn’t that, Scott. He opened a wound too deep to be cared for with just a few consoling words. I need to get out of here, now!”
“Please don’t go, or at least let me come with you.”
“That is out of the question, Scott. I know you care for me, and I can’t deal with that at the moment. I need time toheal on my own, or I will never be able to come back at all.”
“Where will you be, Angie? May I write to you…, please.”
“In Greentown, but I don’t know how long I’ll stay there. I will contact Mario as soon as I’m settled…. I promise.”
“Does he know you are leaving, Angie? Did he know his father would treat you so foully?”
“There isn’t a way we could have guessed how his father would react to me, Scott. But now I know. I can’t stay. Pleaseunderstand that one day I will tell you all. I just can’t right now. He broke my heart and what I have to tell you will finish the job. I can’t handle it right now.”
Book 4 excerpt
“Mario, do you remember what you did in Angie’s mother situation?” His shoulders tensed and his hands clenched tighteron the wheel. “I…” She couldn’t continue as the thought that Mario might kill their doctor made her heart split in two. She needed to know what Mario had on his mind. That possible answer was eating her from the inside out.
“No, my sweet Beth. I will never take the law in my hands again.” He reached for her hand. “If I learned anything with that experience it’s that it didn’t a change a thing. I was misera¬ble without Tanya and she existed without her past to help her cope. Besides, Tom told me that we are all humans and bound to make mistakes, and that to forgive is a commandment.”
“Thank you. I’m afraid I did worry too much about it and I didn’t know what to do.”
“Please, sweetheart, never keep your questions from me. Next time, ask me at the first chance. It won’t do to have you worry without a cause. Besides, I did promise never to lie to you, remember…? I mean it.”
“Yes, you did, my love. I’m so sorry, I felt so helpless. I couldn’t tell what was wrong with me, and I was too embar¬rassed to have you check me out. If I had, our baby might be alive now.” Her shoulders shook and Mario stopped the car to hold her in his arms. The morning was sunny, though her thoughts felt cold and sad.
“I don’t think so, sweetheart. Though, I understand it’s a step of the mourning process to blame oneself. I too blamed myself for not being in tune enough to have noticed your dis¬comfort.”
“You did? You must be right, Mario. It would have never occurred to me to blame you.”
“Nor do I blame you, my dearest Beth.”
His lips over hers let her know that it might take time, yet they would be all right together.
After a comfortable silence, “Mario,” said Beth, “Tom told me that when we look too much at our insides, we can’t seemuch other than despair. But when we look all about us, we can always find someone who is having a worse time than us. That is what helps us go through our trials, focusing on others.”
They both sat with their thoughts for a moment.
“I know it to be true, my husband. When mother passed, helping the people of Osage is what kept me going. When thehospital in Osage wouldn’t permit me to stay, I moved to Jere after I heard they had closed the clinic there. It would havebeen too painful with too many things to remind me of mother back in Charleston.”
“Beth, would you like to take a walk in that park? I see a small pond there.”
“The sunshine would do us both good.” Though, she al¬ready knew he was her sunbeam.
They got down and, hand in hand, walked up the path to the pond in silence without hurry. Not many souls were there,since at eleven in the morning most people would be otherwise occupied.
“Beth, before we left, I asked an investigator to look into your doctor.”
Beth stopped as cold blood rushed to her chest. She didn’t like what the silence did in her mind so she stated, “I thought you said…”
“I did and I promise I won’t do anything wrong, sweet¬heart. I was curious if this was neglect or a human error. I’ll be all right with either, I assure you. Although, if he has caused this pain to others, I’ll ask the investigator to make a report to the medical authorities. If it was an error, I, want to see if we can help so no one else has to go through this as we did.”
“Thank you, Mario. I can live with that.”
“I didn’t want to have a secret from you.”
--The books are all about an Italian billionaire who didn’t lose his money on Black Tuesday.
--He invested in diamonds, salt mines, train bonds and cash which he kept mostly in the vault in the basement of his mansion in Saint Louis.
--Mario loved his fiancé, Tanya, fiercely and was devastated when she couldn’t remember him after they saved her from a kidnapper.
--He devoted his life to being her neighbor and secretly gave her money for her and the baby’s care.
--She died five years later in his arms. She did remember him just before she died and asked him to care for their daughter.
--He took it to heart and Angie was the blessing that kept him going crazy in those dark days.
--He adopted Angieline who was five-years-old at that time. She became Angieline Tuzzini-Moore. (Angie)
--Mario keep a candle burning for Tanya until Angie was in her early twenties.
--Their Santa adventures started at Angie’s age twelve when she told him that Santa didn’t exist.
--They started in soup kitchens, giving gifts to the poor for the whole month of December.
---A few years later, she wanted to do it all year long, so he quit his law firm and traveled the country helping the needy, under assumed names.
--They accumulated more than ten years of these experiences by the time Black Tuesday came about.
-- By then, they graduated to helping small towns when the depression hit them the worst.
--These projects have netted a close relationship between the two and their love has deepened.
--Angie gets to pick the projects and how to go about them.
--The beauty of their work is that they use very little, to none, of their own money. They believe in teaching people how to fish not in giving them a fish each day.
--They spread cheer and Christmas spirit wherever they go, and at the same time, bless their lives with pure love.
--Things get complicated when a reporter falls in love with Angie and their past could crash her chance to love.
--Later, things with Mario’s father, whom he hasn’t seen for fifteen years, get pretty bad and he almost dies before Angie comes to the rescue.
--Angie is scared of meeting he who will be her grandfather, because he wanted Tanya’s baby dead. This is what caused the rift between Mario and his parents for all those years.
--Angie, meanwhile, finds a young man who adores her, but after her beau was gone, she finds it hard to trust in love.
--Instead, she finds two projects to do on her own, helping a Mormon family and returning the engagement ring back to her ex-fiancé’s mom.
--Alone for the first time, she finds work at the Charleston Hospital as a nurse and plays cupid, a pastime she is very good at.
--Mario chooses to take his wife back to Saint Louis and Angie feels homesick for the first time.
--Angie joins her father in Saint Louis and they work together on a new project transforming a warehouse into an apartment building for twelve homeless families.
--Mario and Beth are devastated by a tragic event in their lives and find joy in helping others.
--While on that project, Mario’s father meets Aileen feel attracted to each other.
This sounds like a great series!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie. I appreciate you.
DeleteThank you for the post of my books. You are a star...
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