“All right,mio figlio. Let’s do this.”
After a long night of planning, I finally went home, worked out, then showered. I removed the crystal top from the decanter and poured myself a stiff drink and took it with me to the bedroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed and used my free hand to massage my sore shoulder. Aldo had stepped up his game since I had doubled my workouts with him. Not that it had helped my head at all.
As I sipped my drink, something in the floor-length mirror caught my attention. I walked over to the closet door and tugged it open. It was her dark blue silk teddy. It must have fallen from somewhere when the maid was here. Instantly, everything inside stilled. I knew it wasn’t smart, but I held it to my nose and breathed in her scent. Every single nerve in my body fired off at once. Like one big, uncontrollable spasm. It hurt so badly. My heart begged me to go to her.
Reaching back for my phone, I brought up a voice message she’d left a while back. I tapped the speaker button, letting her voice fill the silence.
“Hey, so, I’m sitting here on the pool steps staring up at the sky. The stars are shining, and there are little peepers singing in the bushes next to me.” She sighed like she had something on her mind. “It got me thinking, remember when we used to sneak out to the pond at night? I think I was what, maybe eighteen?”
“Eighteen and a half,” I answered like she was actually on the other end of the call.
“You would do this thing where you’d reach back and pull your t-shirt off with one tug. I’d always sneak a peek at the way your arm muscle would harden, like iron.” She giggled softly. “God, I was so captivated by you. I guess I still am, even after all these years. Only now it’s a sexy suit and one hell of a…what does Wyatt call it? Oh, yes, a five o’clock shadow.” There was a small pause. “Do you think of me when you’re away?”
“Yes,” I closed my eyes, “every damn minute.”
“Well, I suppose I should get dried off. Andrea invited me to join her for a walk. Hurry back. We have so many things to catch up on, and most of them include you and those arms of yours. Goodnight.”
The call ended, and I tossed the scrap of fabric away from me and practically ran out onto the balcony, desperately needing to be far away from it. She was my greatest addiction, one I needed to stay away from for now.
I spent the whole night out there on a lounge chair refusing to allow my heart to rule my head. I stayed hidden with my murky thoughts until the next evening.
* * *
Mama, once again, outdid herself. I couldn’t help being amused. She was such a perfectionist; she left nothing out. The table was set beautifully, music flowed from the speakers embedded in the ground, and little paper lanterns dangled from trees. They cast a soft glow between the branches.
“Wow,” I smiled as Mama came out holding a dish, “you look lovely.”
“Thank you.” She did a little spin to show off the new dress she had bought for tonight’s dinner. “It’s not every day you get to clean house, so to speak.”
“It’s been a long time coming.” I kissed her cheek then sipped my wine, feeling my own body relax a little. I was looking forward to this myself. I noted, as he walked toward us, that Papa had dressed in his best three-piece suit.
“You look sensational, Papa.”
He smiled at me then looked down at his wife, and, for a brief moment, I felt a snap to the heart knowing I’d only looked at one woman that way. “You as well, Elio.”
“Yes,” I looked down at my suit, feeling rather excited myself, “it’s not every day I’d wear my Kiton.” I brushed my hand down the front of the suit Enzo D’Orsi had handmade for me. Enzo was the crème de la crème when it came to making custom suits. He’d fly anywhere in the world if he chose to accept the order. I knew he only made roughly fifty suits a year, and I was very proud of the fact that he had agreed to do one for me.
“It’s lovely, dear.” Mama kissed my cheek then turned as she heard our company arrive. Papa winked at Mama as he made a show of placing a small bag by his chair. Then he took her by the arm, and we all went to greet our dinner guests.
“Everything looks,” Bria, Mariano’s mama, looked around in her usual bored way, “the same.” She cleared her throat then gave an artificial smile. “My, you look quite handsome this evening,” she purred and gave me a sleazy look. I bit my tongue.
“You as well.” I took in her over-the-top leopard print blouse, diamond tiger brooch, bright red lipstick, and teased hair. She looked like someone from one of those American reality shows. I quivered at the thought of being with someone like her. I tore my injured eyes away, only to have them land on her husband’s stomach. It was fighting and winning the battle against the buttons that strained to remain closed on his way too small shirt. His Todd Snyder suit was out of date and badly cut in the first place.
What was wrong with these people? A man’s suit spoke volumes about who he was. Wearing a store-bought suit might have been acceptable to some, but not to a Capri. Call me a snob, but I took great pride in my appearance, and so did my family.
“What’s on the menu tonight?” Roberto asked as he plunked himself into a chair. He pulled the napkin out of his wine glass and tucked it into his shirt. He didn’t even so much as acknowledge my presence or mention the wonderful job Mama had done with the table. I hated how much Mariano took after his father’s mannerisms.
Mama refused to answer him and took her seat as Papa held out her chair. He shook his head, unimpressed, and waited for Donte to pour us some wine. Bria watched him. I was sure curious as to why our chef was waiting on us and not our usual waitstaff. The fewer eyes, the better tonight. We settled into our places, Papa stood and lifted his glass for a toast. Bria rolled her eyes and snorted as she pulled her already lipstick-stained wine glass back from her mouth.
“I’d like to take a moment to say something.” Papa directed his comment at Mama then eyed the table as we all lifted our glasses and looked at him.
“This should be interesting.” Roberto snickered as I slid my steak knife under the table. My hand begged to jab it into his fat thigh.
“Our friendship hasn’t always been easy, Roberto, but when you called me that day to request a meeting and gave me your word that we should join forces, I felt we had something very special. For years now, you have stood by my side, as a loyal friend, and worked closely with me and Andrea. We may not have seen eye to eye, but at the end of the day, just look how things worked out. We asked you here tonight to show you just how much you and your family mean to us. So, if you can take a moment to raise your glasses, let’s send cheers to the future.”
“I would have preferred a trip somewhere, but a dinner it is,” Bria muttered as she took a sip of her wine. Mama shot me a quick glance.