Chapter Eight
Sabrina Moretti has been one of Katrina’s best friends since childhood. They spent summers together laying on the beach, shopping at the malls, listening to music, horseback riding, and talking about boys. They met one summer, long ago at a sleep away camp, where they shared a cabin and became fast friends. By the time camp was over, Kat learned Sabrina, her brother Antonio, and her mom, Michela, lived in Bradenton, not far from her Grandma. They owned a two story, traditional-style house in east-county and her family owned the stables where Grandma’s prized Arabians were housed. The rest, as they say, is history.
Pulling into the driveway of her best friend’s home, a pang of regret stirs in her gut. She hasn’t been back here since her Grandma’s death. Kat realizes how much she’s missed seeing the house, the stables, and more importantly, the friends who are like family waiting inside. With Grandma gone, walking up to the Moretti’s door is like coming home.
Before Kat can raise her arm to knock, the front door flies open and Bre comes barreling out and football tackles her. Catching her off balance, they both go tumbling backwards and land ass first in the grass. Laughing hysterically, Bre squeals, “You’re really here! I’ve missed you, girl.”
“I’ve missed you too, but did you have to come out the door like a Gator linebacker?” Kat giggles.
They both lay sprawled across the lawn like a couple of nut jobs,when the screen door swings open and a lean, dark-haired man with chiseled features and bright blue eyes comes strolling up to them. With his outstretched hand, he reaches down and pulls Katrina to her feet. Grinning he says, “Great to see you again, Katrina. Did you come all the way from NYC just to roll around in the grass, or would you like to come inside?”
“Oh my gosh, Antonio?”
“I go by Tony now,” he says with a sheepish grin.
“You’ve grown up…and…well, you’re totally hot!”
Turning on the charm and giving her a sly, sexy look, he quips, “So, you think I’m hot huh? Does that mean you’re finally ready to give me a shot?”
“Oh, like you don’t have a million girlfriends lining up to do more than just tell you how hot you are?”
“Okay you two,” Bre chimes in, “stop the flirting or I’m gonna have to grab the hose to cool you both down.”
Grinning like idiots, the three of them link arms and walk inside.
Nothing much has changed since Kat’s last visit to the Moretti household. The place is always welcoming and neat as a pin. The overstuffed furniture is soft and comfortable and gives each room a homey feel. And the smell! As usual, the house smells wonderful. She draws a deep breath into her lungs, it’s obvious that Momma Moretti has been busy all day tending to a rich pot of spaghetti sauce. The tangy smell of tomatoes, garlic, Italian spices, and her secret ingredient, a touch of cinnamon, wafts through the house. Kat’s stomach rumbles at the scent.
“Get in here, Tesorina,” Momma calls out from the kitchen.
Giving Kat a big hug she exclaims, “You’ve been away too long! I’m so happy you’re here. Now come…sit…eat.”
“Sabrina, Antonio, set the table and grab the wine,” Momma orders while placing an extra-large ceramic bowl filled with pasta and meatballs on the table. From out of the oven a tray of fresh, hot, fragrant garlic bread is placed on the table, and from out of the refrigerator, the largest bowl of antipasto salad Kat’s ever seen.
The meal is beyond delicious, and like every meal at the Moretti’s, Kat manages to eat too much.
“God, I’m so full! I’m going to have to work out for a month to work off that spectacular meal.”
“Do not worry about that Bella, you are already too skinny,” Momma says. “So tell us, what’s going on? Why the unplanned visit? How long are you going to stay?”
Trying to avoid the question, Kat stands and begins piling the dirty plates on top of one another. “Let me help with the dishes first.”
“No Bella, leave them and sit. Tell us what’s wrong. Your mother called earlier, looking for you. She said she’s been by your apartment and it appears you’ve left on an unexpected vacation. She wanted to know if we heard from you.”
Clearly embarrassed by her father’s behavior, Katrina tells them what finally brought her to her breaking point and why she left. She conveniently leaves out the part about the weirdness in the cemetery and the dead-on tarot reading that took place the day she left.
“I’ve opened up the house Grandma left me. I will call my mom in a few days and let her know I’m alright. I love her and don’t want her to worry, but I don’t want her to know where I am, as I want to make sure my Dad can’t find me. He will do everything in his power to make me go back to New York, and I don’t want to. I’m ready for a fresh start and to be on my own. I really want to do that here. You guys are more like family to me than my own. Will you help me? Will you please keep my whereabouts to yourselves? I know I’m asking a lot of you. I don’t want you to lie for me, but I’m not ready to face my Dad and deal with his hardball tactics yet.”
Like a chorus, they all chime in at once. “We’re here for you, Kat. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.”
Katrina leaves among a barrage of hugs and kisses. She stops on the way home and picks up groceries, unpacking them before taking Max out for a walk on the beach. For the first time in a long time, she feels like she can breathe. Sitting down in the sand, they watch the sunset.