Madison
Madison could walk the distance from her home to the Genoa Java Shop, but today she drove. It was hard to not still be on edge after what had happened. Armed with her favorite espresso drink, she was ready to go back to work for the first time in days. Last evening was her first night in her home after the attack. It took hours of ignoring the usual moans and groans of her home at night before she could settle down and fall asleep. She actually laughed out loud thinking back at the spectacle of Roman bursting through her bathroom door. It seemed comical now. She missed his home. It was consoling being in such a beautiful house that had everything. Madison already missed the home gym, soft bed, and luxurious bath of her guest room and the breathtaking views of the water. Scratch all of it; it was him she missed.
The fashion show as far as Firenza’s part was concerned was all set and it was hard to contain her excitement about the new venue and Valentina’s suggestions. Valentina was a pleasure to work with and they’d already become good friends. How nice it would have been to have her mother share in this part of the planning. Ever since she was old enough to handle things on her own, Connie had left her to do just that.
When Madison left the destruction of the shop on Saturday, she never dreamed they would be open for business again by Wednesday. Whether it was the black card, or the Caponelli name on the card, her dress orders had been shipped overnight. Normally, they could take months to arrive. The thing that took the longest was unpacking, steaming, inventorying, and re-pricing everything.
Stepping into the shop, Madison was speechless except for the holy shit she mumbled to herself. The place looked better than it did before. The display cabinets were all shiny and new. Apparently, Roman had a supplier in Milwaukee that special delivered them on the weekend. How they’d been able to get in when she had the key baffled her. It wasn’t until Roman explained that he’d replaced all the locks both at her home and business that things finally started to settle in.
She should be furious but wasn’t. It was still a little unnerving to know he also held the keys and he had a security detail watching both places on camera, but that was outweighed by her fear of that horrible man coming back. Hopefully, the guy was just some nut job passing through and the destruction was random.
The bell at the front door jingled as it opened and jarred her back to the present. In walked her coworker and friend.
“Stephanie, I’m so glad to see you.” Madison hugged her and then took a step back to get a good look at her. “How are you feeling? You look great.”
“Thanks, but I know it looks bad.” Steph flipped her hair to the side and Madison held back a gasp. Madison hadn’t absorbed at the time how bad it really was. The damage from flying glass had cut a deep line from her cheek bone on down. It was still raw, red, and held together by stitches.
“Once the stitches are out and it’s healed, I’m sure it won’t be noticeable at all.” Madison tried to console her friend, but the cut had been much deeper than they’d thought. When she’d last seen her it was night time, and by the light of day it appeared much worse. The wound was angry, red, and jagged.
“I hope so.” Stephanie tried to shrug it off, but Madison could tell it bothered her.
“I know so.” She hugged her again. “Let’s get the place open and ready for business. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of nosy people coming in just to find out what happened.”
“I still don’t know what happened,” Steph said, perplexed. “Why would someone do that?” She went behind the counter to start up the computer at the register.
“Roman thinks it might be someone sending a message to him. The whole thing seems odd.” She scooped up some veils that were piled on a chair. “We still need a veil rack. I’ve nowhere to hang these.”
The front doorbell chimed again and in walked a man who nearly had to duck to cross the threshold. He had an athletic build with broad shoulders. To go along with his height, his dark hair fell well past his shoulders, and he had an alluring and sexy quality. He was simply dressed in a white shirt, black leather jacket, and jeans. Madison swallowed the lump in her throat, never taking her eyes off him as she headed straight for Stephanie and the silent alarm switch newly installed under the counter.
“May I help you?” Her voice trembled. She was grateful for the extra measures Roman had taken with their safety.
The man approached. “I have your rack.” Madison blinked a few times, confused and leery.
“Um…I beg your pardon?”
The man had a slight accent but she couldn’t tell from where. Her free hand still lingered below the counter, ready to push the button.
“Rack.” His dark brown eyes flashed.
“Rack?” Madison tilted her head to the side.
He pointed to the tulle crowns in her arms. “From Roman. For the veils.” With that, he left and both women glanced at each other.
In no time at all the guy had returned, this time carrying a heavy iron display. Just inside the door, he stopped.
Jumping out of her frightened trance, Madison pointed to where the former rack had stood. With ease, the guy carried her new display rack to the spot she indicated. The headpiece holder was like something she’d never seen before.
“This is really stunning.”
It was made out of handcrafted iron. The bottom began like the roots of a tree and then rose up and split off into branches that would hold the delicate veils. The tips of the branches had crushed black velvet pads to hold the veils in place. Intricate vines and leaves accented different spots. The whole thing had been polished to a brass and black finish which matched perfectly the décor of the store.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” She eagerly hung a few headpieces in place. “Where did it come from?”
“I made it.” A hint of a smile threatened his mouth.
“Really?” She circled the masterpiece. “And you are?”
“Dominic.” The guy was not talkative, but he sure was talented.
“Do you make other things?” The craftsmanship was amazing. Her mind buzzed with ideas of other things they might need made.
“I do iron work, blacksmith stuff, and welding.” At least he seemed to enjoy talking about his work. “Knives, railings, some special orders like this, but knives and swords are what I do best.”
“Is there a big calling for knives and swords?” She almost hated to ask.
“In my line of work there is.” His smile faded and his face was unreadable.
“Um, well. You could probably sell them or take orders. There’s a community arts center in town. You could make good money from the tourists looking for a memento of Genoa.”
The guy didn’t say yes or no. The only thing he seemed to take an interest in was Stephanie. Her friend may not have noticed him glancing her way, but Madison sure did.
“Stephanie has some things of her own there.” She nodded to her friend behind the desk and Steph’s head popped up. “You should go check it out sometime.”
An awkward silence followed until Madison finally spoke. “How much do I owe you for this?”
Dominic stepped back. “Roman paid me.” He turned to leave.
“Uh, are you sure?” Her debt to him was rising by the minute.
“Yes.” He kept going.
“Wait,” she yelled and he finally stopped. Madison stepped behind the counter and came back with a card in her hand. “This is for the Genoa Arts Center. It’s for local artists. I’d really love to see more of what you can make.” It was Madison’s favorite place to visit. It gave her a sense of peace and she was always in awe at something she could not do like draw, paint, or carve. Madison saw the beauty in all things. Dominic glanced at the card with a twisted lip then tucked the card in his pocket and left without another word.
“Well, that was strange but I’m in love with his work.” Madison placed more headpieces on the rack.
“Yeah, maybe you can go buy one of his swords.” Hostility was edged in Stephanie’s voice.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” Madison wondered.
“It’s great, but don’t you get it?” Stephanie came around the front of the cash register. “He’s not some local artisan. If he knows Roman, chances are he actually uses those knives and swords he makes on people.”
Madison opened her mouth to reply at the same time a group of giggling young women strolled in the door.
She whispered, “We’ll talk about this later.”
It irked her that Steph had such a dislike for Roman. She could understand it, but things were different now. Madison was different. The man had been very generous and sweet. Madison was falling hard and she knew that when Stephanie realized it, their friendship was going to take a serious turn.