“Of course, pumpkin. If there’s ever anyone significant in my life, you’ll be the first to meet her. I promise.”
“I better be. Listen, I’ve got to head over to the gallery before I’m late, but I’ll see you Sunday, okay?”
Before I can answer, the line has already gone dead. A sigh escapes my chest. I know my daughter is a grown woman but I still really miss the little girl that would hang onto my leg when I had to leave the house. I know I should consider myself lucky and I do. At least she likes spending time with me. Most people her age are out making a life for themselves and feel like cutting off their parents is the place to start. Both Amanda and I raised her to be a strong independent woman and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
I put down my phone and turn back to my dreaded emails, trying to concentrate on them instead of the fact that I get to see Violet on Sunday.
THREE
Violet
“So, you all come here every Sunday for brunch?”
I take a sip of the ice water in front of me and opt to let Bianca answer her mother’s question.
“Dad and I do this most Sundays and Hollie and Violet come sometimes. I thought it would be nice, since you’re in town, that we all got together today.” Bianca smiles at her mom and turns back to her menu, avoiding eye contact. I wonder if Amanda knows that this is all some kind of setup put together by her well intentioned, but meddling, daughter. I don’t really know the details of her divorce from Dante. Maybe she’s enthusiastically hoping to get back together with him. She could be in on this plot just as much as Bianca is. The thought makes my stomach turn slightly but I remain quietly seated at our round, white-clothed table and take another sip.
“What a treat that you ladies could join us.” Amanda’s voice doesn’t quite convey the same appreciative sentiment that she’s touting. When she reaches for her water and elbows me without apology, it’s clear she wishes that Hollie and I would disappear from the table. Either she wants some alone time with Dante and Bianca or she just really doesn’t like Hollie and me. Since we’ve only met a handful of times over the years, I’m going with the former.
“When Bianca asked us to join you, we couldn’t refuse. We’d love to get to know you better, especially if you’re going to be moving here and brunch at the Singing Lark is always a treat,” Hollie adds diplomatically. Her eyes slide to mine and widen ever so slightly, letting me know she’s also picking up Amanda’s displeasure at our presence.
I jump when the waitress suddenly appears at my side, notepad in hand. “Can I get you ladies anything to drink while you wait on the rest of your party?” Before I have time to answer, Hollie rushes out her order.
“Mimosa. Please.” I almost laugh at her slightly desperate need for alcohol but decide that I’m also going to need something to help me get through this meal and quickly add another mimosa to the order.
After the waitress leaves to retrieve our three mimosas and one Bloody Mary—for Amanda—we settle in to wait on Dante. I can’t keep my eyes from darting to the door every time someone walks in, seeking him out. While I know that this meal is going to be a little rough, and most likely awkward, I can’t help the excitement I feel at the prospect of seeing the object of my forbidden crush. I just hope he doesn’t fawn all over Amanda in front of me. That’s really not something high on the list of experiences I’d like today.
With another whoosh of the front door, my eyes divert back to the entrance and my heart skips a beat at the sight of Dante walking in. He’s wearing a pair of jeans that are snug enough to show off his powerful thighs but not so tight as to be uncomfortable. They’re slightly worn at the knees showing that these pants aren’t for fashion, they’re for working. An opened button-down flannel covers his gray tee shirt. Perhaps it’s a nod to the Seattle grunge fashion scene of his youth. His head turns left to right, searching, until his chocolate-brown eyes catch my own. A smile lights his face when he sees me, and I pause to mentally capture this moment. The most handsome man I’ve ever seen is smiling a genuine smile of warmth and welcome at me.
Then his eyes move to my left.
He stops mid-stride and the smile drops from his face the moment he spots Amanda sitting beside me.
“Dad! Over here!” Bianca jumps out of her chair and waves to him enthusiastically. I can see him mentally shake off his surprise at coming face to face with his ex-wife at Sunday brunch and head toward his daughter, wrapping her in a hug.
Beside me, Amanda has also arisen from her chair and made her way around the table to the embracing duo. “Dante,” she says while pulling on his shoulder, effectively removing him from Bianca, “it’s so nice to see you.” She wraps him in a hug that he seems to return reluctantly. I glance over to Hollie and see she hasn’t missed the awkward exchange either. We seem to be the only two picking up on how uncomfortable Dante is in this moment. While I desperately hope that means he doesn’t want her here, I’m not naïve enough to discount the fact that he could just be surprised that she’s here. I’m sure seeing your ex can bring up all sorts of emotions.
“Amanda,” he says, “I didn’t know you were going to be joining us today.” He looks over at his daughter with narrowed eyes, and I can’t blame him for his annoyance. I definitely wouldn’t want to be setup like this either.
“Well, she was in town and I thought it would be fun if we all got together. Isn’t this great?” Bianca interjects, her voice wavering just slightly.
Dante is quick to reassure his daughter. “Absolutely. It’s nice to see you, Amanda. What brings you to our neck of the woods?” he asks while taking the only empty seat at the table. The one that just so happens to be right next to his ex.
She angles her body toward him and leans forward slightly, giving him a glimpse of the cleavage down her shirt.
“I was actually thinking about making a move to Seattle. I thought it might be nice to spend some more time with Bianca... and you too, of course.” Her tone has turned sickeningly sweet, and I get the feeling she wants to move here less for her daughter’s sake and more for her ex-husband’s. It appears Bianca wasn’t totally off base with wanting to orchestrate the reunion of her parents. It’s pretty obvious that her mom is thinking along the same lines. Not that I blame her, I’d be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I was married to Dante Moreno and then let him go. I can understand her wanting to get him back, but I really don’t want to be here for the rekindling of their romance.
“What about your job?” he asks while studying the menu he’s seen a hundred times in the past four years. “I thought things were going well at the office.”
“I’ve been bored lately so I sent out my resume to a few places near downtown. I have an offer to run a doctor’s office here starting next month.”
“Yes, I remember boredom being a problem for you,” he grumbles, almost under his breath, just as the waitress arrives and hands out the much-appreciated alcohol. She takes our food orders, then hurries away to attend to her other tables.
I grab my mimosa and down the entire glass in two gulps. The liquid burns my throat and forces out a sputtering cough.
Dante leans toward me, his forehead furrowed, a look of concern in his eyes. “Be careful, Violet, are you okay?”
Great, now he thinks I’m a kid that can’t handle a single mimosa. This is perfect.