Chapter Twenty-Four
“How many texts does that make now?”
Cara glanced at her phone in annoyance before pushing it aside. “Four just today,” she sighed wearily. “In total since the wedding? Frankly, I’ve lost count.”
Mirai shook her head in exasperation. “Why in the world haven’t you just blocked him, Cara? That would be a lot easier than just ignoring a constant stream of text messages.”
“Because my phone is so outdated and crappy that it doesn’t have the ability to block calls,” admitted Cara. “And before you tell me that I really need a new phone, I’m already aware. Unfortunately, that’s going to have to wait until I’m finished with school this summer. I shouldn’t have spent so much money on new clothes, I guess.”
“Of course you should have!” scolded Mirai. “I’ve known you for five years now, Cara, and I think you might have bought yourself three or four new things that entire time. You deserved to treat yourself for once. And God knows you didn’t exactly go overboard on what you bought. You’re a much better bargain hunter than I am, that’s for sure.”
Cara grinned. “That’s because my idea of a bargain is spending ten bucks on a new blouse, while yours is paying two hundred for one. But I guess I’m happy with finally having a few new outfits, and clothes that actually fit well for once.”
One of those outfits was the pair of dark wash jeans and cute red and black polka dot knit top that she was wearing this afternoon. Her so-called bargain hunting skills had snagged her both pieces for less than twenty-five dollars combined.
But a new cell phone would cost a whole lot more than that, so she’d resigned herself to waiting patiently until tuition payments were no longer a monthly obligation. She’d thus far resisted pulling out a calendar and marking off the days until she was finally finished with school, but the temptation was growing stronger on a weekly basis.
“That is a cute outfit,” Mirai acknowledged somewhat grudgingly. “And I guess if you really have the patience and the time, you can dig out some decent stuff at Marshall’s.” She checked her own phone, the newest, fully loaded model, of course, and surged to her feet. “Where did the time go anyway? Gotta run, girl, so I can get ready for my hot date tonight.”
Cara arched a brow inquiringly. “Uh, it’s barely two o’clock. What time is he picking you up, for God’s sake?”
Mirai grinned. “Seven. But did I mention that this guy is really, really special? I’m going to try and bully my way into an appointment at the nail salon to get a mani-pedi. And considering how much business I give them, they’d better lay down the red carpet for me. Oh, and if there’s time, I might buy that pair of shoes you and I were looking at after dinner last night.”
“Mir, you do not need those shoes,” scolded Cara. “Have you already forgotten that you promised your dad you wouldn’t max out your credit cards again? Buying those shoes would break that promise in ten seconds.”
“You’re right.” Mirai sighed in resignation. “What would I do without you, Cara? Between encouraging me to go back to school, being my conscience when I’m tempted to spend money on stuff I don’t need, and fixing me brunch, you’re the best girlfriend anyone could wish for. Even if I really, really wanted those shoes!”
Cara laughed and gave her friend an affectionate hug. “You’ll thank me for it when you get your credit card statement in the mail,” she teased. “And have fun on your date tonight. I’m sure you’ll look amazing with or without the new shoes.”
It had been a cold, rainy morning in San Francisco, so Mirai had convinced Cara to attend a barre method class with her on a guest pass, and Cara had returned the favor by whipping up brunch for both of them - a healthy brunch, much to Mirai’s chagrin. Even though Cara had not only reached but surpassed her goal weight, she knew she couldn’t just lapse back into her old eating habits, and was always mindful now of what she ate.
“I guess I don’t need the shoes,” grumbled Mirai. “Better to stay on Daddy’s good side for awhile. Anyway, thanks for brunch and wish me good luck tonight.”
“Have a great time, and be sure to tell me how it went. And - damn! There’s my phone again. He really isn’t getting the hint, is he?”
Ever since their disastrous encounter at Nick and Angela’s wedding last week, Dante had been texting her several times a day, more or less begging for her forgiveness and offering up every excuse in the book for his inexcusable behavior - he’d had too much to drink, he’d been worried about her, he’d acted like an insensitive jerk. Thus far, there hadn’t been a single excuse that Cara had necessarily disagreed with, but that didn’t mean she was prepared to forgive him for the way he’d manhandled her. And the very thought that Dante, drunk or not, had arrogantly assumed that she’d willingly have sex with him in a public place - a place where his girlfriend and Cara’s date were right in the next room, to boot - had enraged her. She was still so angry, in fact, that she refused to acknowledge even a single one of his texts.
“Tell him to go fuck off and leave you alone,” advised Mirai. “Or threaten to tell his girlfriend about what happened. That should stop the constant texts. Really, Cara, it’s getting kind of pathetic at this point, you know?”
“Yeah, I guess so. And I’m not going to say anything to his girlfriend, even if I knew how to get in touch with her. Dante wouldn’t believe something like that anyway.”
Mirai patted her on the shoulder consolingly. “You’re too soft-hearted, that’s your problem. Now if it was me on the other hand, I’d have emailed the bitch days ago with all of the details. Looking good might be the best revenge, but ratting the cheating bastard out to his girlfriend feels pretty awesome, too.”
Cara’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “He didn’t cheat on Katie,” she mumbled defensively. “I mean, not really. I guess it depends on exactly what one defines as cheating.”
“From the little I know about this witch, she’d probably consider a handshake to be cheating,” remarked Mirai drolly. “And based on what you told me, that bit of hanky panky between you and Dante went a whole lot farther than that. If she had any inkling whatsoever about what happened last week, blood would have been spilled by now. Especially since you cheated her out of catching Angela’s bouquet.”
Cara smiled triumphantly as she recalled that precise moment last week. At first, she hadn’t even wanted to join the half dozen or so other single women gathered around to catch the bride’s bouquet, but then a seriously buzzed Leah had all but shoved her out onto the floor. Katie, who was considerably taller than Cara, had actually got a hand on the bouquet, but at the last second it had tumbled into Cara’s startled grasp. Angela had been thrilled, coming over to give her a hug, and whisper mischievously in her ear, “Thank God it was you! If Katie had caught it instead I would have been seriously pissed. Especially since I’d have had to take my picture with her.”
The bouquet was taking up space in Cara’s small refrigerator right now, the flowers still fresh. She was planning to return the bouquet as a keepsake to Angela on Monday, the day the newlyweds would be back in the office after a brief honeymoon trip to Maui.
“Yeah, she was pretty ticked off about that,” agreed Cara with a wicked grin. “But I mean, come on. That’s just a silly superstition after all. And I can guarantee you that Katie will be a married woman long before I will.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” observed Mirai. “Anyway, you deprived the witch of her moment of glory, so that’s worth something. Look, I’ve got to run. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“You bet. Drive safely.”
Mirai grimaced. “In this neighborhood I always do. And make sure my car alarm is set, too.”
“It’s not that bad, Mir,” scolded Cara. “In fact, almost every house on this block looks a lot better than it did when I first moved here. And the new neighbors who’ve moved in have done a lot to fix their places up.”
“If you say so. And you’re right. This block isn’t too bad. But watch it when you walk past the place on the corner two blocks from here. You know the house I mean, right? Where you make the turn for the bus stop? The guys who hang out there are mega creepy.”
Cara couldn’t suppress a little shudder. She knew exactly what house Mirai was referring to, one of the few remaining in this gradually gentrifying neighborhood that was still dilapidated and in serious need of renovating. The creepy guys seemed to have moved in within the last month or two, and had made leering comments to Cara a few times as she walked home from the bus stop. She’d ignored them, but had clutched the slim canister of pepper spray Angela had given her a little tighter.
“Yeah, I think they might have just moved in with one of their mothers or something. I mean, the place has always been rundown, but I never noticed either of those creeps until fairly recently. Let’s hope they’re only here temporarily.”
“Well, just watch yourself around them,” cautioned Mirai. “God, I’ll be so glad when you finally move out of this place in the fall. We’ll find you somewhere trendy to live. Like the Marina or maybe Mission Bay. Lots of new apartments going up there.”
“We’ll see,” replied Cara diplomatically. “Let me finish school first before you start spending all my money. You’ve already told me I need a new phone and a new place to live. Next thing you’re going to insist I buy a car.”
Mirai grinned. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but that should definitely be on your to-do list. Oh, and once you get your degree and become a big time stockbroker or investment banker, you’ll need at least six to eight designer suits. You’ll have to dress the part, Cara. The right shoes, too, and probably a great watch. Oh, and…”
“And time for you to get ready for your big date,” interrupted Cara, practically shoving her friend out the door. “You’ll never get an appointment at the nail salon if you don’t leave now.”
“Humph,” sniffed Mirai disdainfully. “They wouldn’t dare say no to me. Finding a parking space near the salon is another matter entirely though, so I’ll head out now.”
Cara was still smiling after her BFF drove off, thinking how Mirai could always put her in a good mood, no matter what other drama might be going on in her life. Mirai had certainly helped her survive these last few months after the breakup with Dante, cutting off communication with her father, and now this demoralizing incident at the wedding last week.
She’d been both furious and shaken to the core after the unexpected encounter with Dante at the reception, and had marched back to her table without a backwards glance. Kai had taken one look at her stormy expression, and merely poured her another glass of wine without asking a single question. He’d turned out to be the perfect date, the circumstances of his bisexuality and having a significant other notwithstanding. The only downside, it had seemed, from bringing him to the wedding with her was Dante’s hair-trigger reaction at seeing them together.
Cara had fumed about his behavior off and on for the past week, and was no closer to forgiving him now than she had been six days ago - the day he’d sent the first of what would be dozens of texts apologizing profusely. There was no excuse for what he’d done, she thought angrily, none at all. Who the hell did he think he was anyway - dropping her like a hot potato so he could get back together with the girlfriend who’d kicked him to the curb, only to act like a jealous maniac the first time she showed up with a date of her own. He was like a spoiled little boy, Cara fumed, one who had cast aside a toy he was tired of only to throw a temper tantrum when another child dared to play with it. Well, she wasn’t anyone’s toy, anyone’s property, and Dante Sabattini could go to hell for all she cared. She would never, ever, allow a man to manipulate or use her again, no matter how gorgeous or dreamy or fantastic in bed he might be. And especially not when said man already had a girlfriend.
She had just finished cleaning up the brunch dishes when her phone pinged with yet another incoming text. She was sorely tempted to just power the thing down, but instead found herself reading the latest message from Dante.
“Please just say you forgive me, Cara. I won’t try and give you any more stupid excuses, except to say that my behavior was flat out inexcusable. I acted like a total ass last week, and I’ve been a mess ever since over what happened. So please, please say you forgive me, so that we can maybe find a way to get past this and be friends again. Please?”
Cara huffed impatiently, for she’d already read at least twenty such messages from him, and immediately deleted all of them. But she sensed that Dante wasn’t going to just give this up so easily, so she sighed in resignation as she typed out a brief, terse reply.
“Fine. I forgive you. That doesn’t mean I want to be friends with you, though. So go back to your girlfriend and leave me alone. Please.”
She sent the message, then waited for him to respond. But when half an hour went by without an answer, Cara wasn’t sure if she was relieved or devastated.
“I can always tell when something’s bothering you, Dante. Your face has been an open book since you were old enough to walk. Even when you were three years old and insisted that you hadn’t broken my favorite coffee mug I knew you were lying. So why don’t we stop playing that particular game and talk about what’s on your mind, hmm?”
Dante gave his mother a rueful smile. “And I never could fool you. Or get you to believe my wild stories. Dad, yes. Occasionally I could pull the wool over his eyes. Even Nonna would give me the benefit of the doubt once in awhile. But you? Nah. I think sneaking into a bank vault would be easier than slipping anything past you, Mom.”
Jeannie Sabattini patted her oldest child on the back. “At least I taught you something in thirty-three years. So, tell your mother what’s on your mind. You look like you’ve lost your best friend, your job, and your entire collection of cars all at the same time. And as depressed as you’d be if any of those things happened, you seem even sadder right now.”
“Yeah.” Dante exhaled sharply. “Though I don’t think sad and depressed are exactly the right words to explain what I’m going through. I just - I think I made a huge mistake, Mom, and I’m not sure I can fix it.”
Jeannie took a sip of her coffee, having brewed a fresh pot when Dante had unexpectedly walked in unannounced fifteen minutes ago. She hadn’t expected to see him until tomorrow during his usual Sunday visit. The fact that he was here on a Saturday afternoon, and not getting ready for a date this evening, had made her suspect right off the bat that something was bothering him.
“Is this mistake you made getting back together with Katie?” she asked quietly. “Because forgive me for saying so, but you just haven’t seemed all that happy since you started seeing her again.”
“I know.” Dante took a long drink of his own coffee, choosing his next words carefully. “And I don’t think it’s so much a matter of making a mistake reconciling with Katie as it was breaking things off with the girl I was seeing for awhile last summer. I’m pretty sure I blew it big time with her, Mom. And I only made things worse when I saw her at Nick’s wedding last weekend.”
Jeannie’s surprise was evident on her pretty, still-youthful face. Save for a few wrinkles on her forehead, and the laugh lines around her eyes that she refused to refer to as crow’s feet, she certainly didn’t look old enough to be a grandmother or have four grown children. She was trim and fit, and vain enough to cover up the occasional gray strands that appeared in her chestnut hair. Otherwise, though, she rarely fussed with her appearance, and Dante had never met a female who was as comfortable in her own skin as his mother had always been.
“Okay,” she replied slowly. “I’m not sure where you should start with that little bombshell. Obviously, this is the first I’m hearing about a girl you dated last summer. I assume I’m not the only one you kept that bit of information from?”
He didn’t even try to mask the guilt in his voice. “You’d be correct in that assumption,” he admitted. “I didn’t tell anyone I was seeing her, not the family or any of my friends.”
“Not even Nick?” inquired Jeannie. “I thought he was supposed to be your best friend.”
Dante shuddered. “I especially didn’t tell Nick about this girl. And that’s because she works for him. Well, technically for Angela, but all of that is tied in together these days. And Nick probably would have wrung my neck if he’d ever suspected I was dating her.”
“Why?” asked Jeannie curiously. “Conflict of interest or something like that?”
“Nah. Nick doesn’t give a crap about that sort of thing. But, well, he’s sort of protective of this girl, looks out for her in a way. She’s, uh, sort of on the youngish side, and he sees himself in the big brother role occasionally. The sort of big brother who’d do physical harm to anyone who messed with his little sister.”
Jeannie shook her head in dismay. “How young is youngish, exactly?”
Dante forced himself not to cower a little in fear when he spied the reproachful look on his mother’s face. “She’s, ah, twenty-two. In fact, the first time I took her out last April it was to celebrate her birthday. I felt sorry for her because she doesn’t have any close family, and instead of doing something fun on her birthday she was going to night school. So I invited her out to dinner. It was supposed to be a casual thing, just the one time, and just between friends. But, well, one thing led to another, and we sort of wound up dating for a few months.”
“Hmm.” Jeannie regarded him over the rim of her coffee mug. “I’m guessing that dating really means sleeping with her. And I can understand why you didn’t tell me about her, Dante.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Because if you’d told me you were dating a girl barely out of her teens who happened to be more than a decade younger than you are, I would have wrung your neck and saved Nick the trouble. What were you thinking of, honey?”
“I never meant for things to go that far,” he replied defensively. “At first, it was because I was lonely and still hurting after Katie broke things off, and being with Cara made me happy. And it made her happy, too. She has nothing, Mom. Nothing and nobody, and I guess I just convinced myself that I was making her life a little better for awhile. We kept things casual, low-key. And I didn’t tell you or anyone because I wanted it to remain that way. You know how this family gets when they learn you’re dating someone.”
Jeannie grinned in spite of her irritation. “They’d want to know when the wedding was going to be, and what you’re going to name your kids. Your Nonna would start buying sheets and towels for the girl’s hope chest. So, yes. I understand why you didn’t mention anything, or bring her home to meet everyone. But none of that is a good enough reason for why you got involved with this girl - Cara’s her name? - in the first place. She doesn’t sound like your usual type, Dante. And what’s all this about her not having any family?”
Briefly, he filled his mother in on the basics about Cara - losing her mother while still in high school, then watching helplessly as her worthless father got remarried to his pregnant girlfriend, sold the house, and moved to Florida all within a few months time. Jeannie scowled darkly when she learned that Cara’s father had abruptly cut her off financially with little to no warning, and that she’d been taking care of herself for the past three years.
She gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “I can understand a little bit now why you felt compelled to help this girl,” she acknowledged. “After all, you took on the role of protector and man of the house at a very young age. And you’ve been looking out for me and your siblings ever since. Not to mention a host of other family members, including your grandmother - even though she’d never in a million years admit she needed anyone to look out for her.”
“I guess that’s part of it,” he agreed. “But another part was just because we had a good time together. Cara’s young and sweet and funny, and she just made me feel good about myself again. She’s also mature and independent as hell, and probably the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. She’d insist on cooking me dinner once a week as her way of paying me back for taking her out. And don’t you dare tell her this, but Cara’s scampi and risotto put Nonna’s to shame.”
Jeannie winced. “You’re right. That will remain our little secret. So should I assume that your Cara is Italian?”
“Half. On her father’s side. And unfortunately, she hasn’t been my Cara since I was stupid enough to end things with her back in September,” he lamented.
Jeannie regarded her son thoughtfully. “Coincidentally, the exact same time you started seeing Katie again if my dates are right,” she mused. “So if I’m putting all the pieces of this puzzle together correctly, this means that you broke up with Cara soon after Katie breezed back into town. And I’m going to assume you did that because you thought you were still in love with Katie. You know, Gia told me right after Brandon’s wedding that she had an awful feeling Katie would try to sink her hooks into you again, but I told her she was imagining things. Guess I was wrong, hmm?”
“Yeah.” Dante exhaled tiredly. “I’d sworn up and down that I was finished with Katie, that when she broke my heart I would never be so stupid as to trust her again. But talking to her at Brandon’s wedding, she seemed different - more vulnerable, like what she went through in L.A. really humbled her. And the more we talked over the next few weeks, the more I realized that I’d never completely gotten over her. She was still the one that got away, the one that I truly believed was going to be my one and only. I kept remembering how happy I’d felt during that year we were together, and I guess I wanted to try and recapture that feeling again.”
“Except it hasn’t exactly worked out that way, has it?” guessed Jeannie.
He shook his head. “Not at all. And I keep thinking about why not, about what’s different this time around, why I just don’t feel the same connection between us that I did before.”
“And have you figured that out yet?” inquired his mother.
“I think so. And there are several reasons actually. First, I’m not sure I’ll ever really be able to forgive Katie for breaking up with me for the sake of her career. I mean, I’ve tried like hell to get past that, to not let it have a negative impact on our relationship. But it’s been a few months now since we’ve been back together, and I can’t quite forget about it, can’t let it go,” admitted Dante.
Jeannie shrugged. “That’s understandable, honey. You were head over heels in love with Katie, were all set to pop the question. And for her to come out and admit that she was choosing her acting career over you - well, I’m not sure anyone could really forgive and forget that sort of thing. I know I couldn’t. And most people I know wouldn’t have even given her a second chance. At least you’ve done that much, though God knows why.”
Dante gave his mother a sheepish look. “I was more or less convinced that she’d changed,” he confessed. “I mean, I’d watched a few episodes of that sitcom she was on, and let’s just say her acting skills leave a lot to be desired. So when I met her at the wedding and she seemed so sweet and contrite, I figured there was no possible way she could be acting, that she had to be sincere.”
“And has she been? The few times you’ve brought her to the family doings she was polite but a little distant, the same way she was in the past, so it’s hard for me to tell how things really are between you.”
He hesitated before telling his mother the next part. After all, he could barely admit the truth to himself, much less voice it aloud to another person. But to continue living in denial wasn’t being fair to either himself or Katie.
“Things have been - different,” he acknowledged. “Katie is different. Or maybe she was always that way and I was just too dazzled by her to know any better. But I notice things about her now, that she’s manipulative and needy and throws a fit when she doesn’t get her own way. And even though she’s been insisting for months now that she’s finished with the whole acting scene, she keeps very close tabs on what’s going on there, and stays in touch with her former agent. Plus, all of that talk about finally starting college, getting a degree, having a real career - well, so far that’s all it’s been - talk. She’s only working part time, spends money faster than she makes it, and still relies on her parents for financial support, though she’s mentioned that they keep threatening to cut her off. And in spite of how much she insists that her acting career is a thing of the past, I’m not convinced she’s entirely given up on the idea.”
“Hmm. My guess would be not. She hasn’t moved in with you, has she?”
“No, but not for lack of trying,” replied Dante dryly. “I think she brings up the subject at least every two or three days. And doesn’t understand why I’m not ready to make that sort of commitment just yet, why things are so much different than they were the last time between us.”
Jeannie looked uncertain, as though what she had to say next was something she knew he wouldn’t like. “Honey, have you considered the fact that Katie might be - well, using you I suppose is the most polite way I can phrase it. After all, if her acting career has dried up, if she doesn’t have any other realistic job prospects, and her parents are getting fed up with giving her money, it’s only natural that she’d find some other means to support herself. And I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Dante, but is it at all possible that the main reason Katie reached out to you was because you have money? She’s well aware that not only are you filthy rich, but the most generous person I’ve ever known. And if all of her other prospects have turned into dead ends, becoming Mrs. Dante Sabattini wouldn’t be such a terrible fate for her. Or any woman.”
He clenched his fists tightly, not wanting to admit to his mother that he had in fact considered everything she’d just suggested on multiple occasions. But he hadn’t allowed himself to believe or even suspect that was Katie’s real motivation. Hearing his own mother - the person who’d always taken his part, who’d always supported and encouraged him for his entire life - make those same suggestions, however, gave him cause to reconsider now.
“It’s more than possible, Mom,” he acknowledged reluctantly. “In fact, it’s probably all too true. Which makes me feel like the biggest, most naïve dumbass in the universe.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” consoled Jeannie, taking one of his hands in hers and giving it a squeeze. “I’m positive that Katie has feelings for you, that she cares for you, Dante. Unfortunately, I think she’s the sort of person who will always love herself more, will always put herself before anyone else - even the man she might end up marrying someday. And you’re too good of a man, honey, to settle for someone who doesn’t love you the way you deserved to be loved. You need the love of a good woman, the kind of woman who will love you more than her own life. The kind who’d take a bullet for you. The kind,” she added with a grin, “who’d impress you enough with her cooking that you’d have the guts to compare it to your grandmother’s.”
Dante chuckled. “And you want to know something else about that, Mom? Cara doesn’t even have a real stove in her apartment, just a cooktop and a microwave and a crockpot. But somehow she’d throw together these incredible meals, some of the best food I’ve ever had. Though once again, don’t you dare repeat that to Nonna.”
Jeannie made the sign of the cross. “Not on my life,” she promised. “Even after knowing her for almost forty years, Valentina still scares the crap out of me most of the time. Can I ask you something, honey?”
“You know you can always ask me anything,” he assured his mother. “Especially since I’m a terrible liar. And did I mention that I’ve never once been able to get anything past you?”
“You did. So answer me truthfully, Dante. Is one of the reasons things haven’t been so great with Katie this time around because you care more about this other girl than you’re willing to admit? And what exactly happened between the two of you at Nick’s wedding anyway?”
He gave a slight shudder at the recollection of what a pig he’d been last weekend, and made a silent vow that he would never tell his mother the real truth. “I said some things to her I had no right to say, acted like a jealous control freak when I saw her there with another guy. She got mad – rightly so - and told me to get lost. I’ve been texting her all week trying to apologize, and she finally answered me just before I arrived here, saying that she forgives me but that I need to leave her alone.”
“And that’s upsetting you,” observed Jeannie.
“Yeah.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I guess you could say that. But I understand her reaction, given what a jerk I’ve been to her. I should never have gotten involved with her in the first place, Mom. Cara’s too nice, too sweet, for someone like me. All she ever wanted was to be with me, to enjoy the time we spent together. And she never asked me for a single thing. In fact, she tore up the check I gave her right in front of my face and washed the pieces down the drain.”
“You gave her a check?” asked Jeannie, frowning. “For what?”
He resisted the urge to squirm, much as he had at the age of sixteen when his mother had found an empty six-pack of beer in the backseat of his car. “Just to - well, help her out a little. I told you already that she’s got no one, that her dad is a total loser and never helps her out. I felt guilty, breaking things off with her when she had no one else to depend on. And I thought that it would be a nice gesture to offer her some cash to help with her tuition and other expenses.”
“Jesus.” Jeannie shook her head in disbelief. “Exactly how much cash are we talking about here?”
Dante gulped. “Twenty five grand. But she refused to even consider taking the money.”
“Of course she did. Because she’s a good girl, a nice girl. And I know your heart was in the right place, Dante, but I’m afraid you only insulted her by offering to write her a big fat check. Stupido.” She gave him a smack on the side of his head.
“Ow.” He rubbed his temple. “Hey, I get it. That probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had in my life. But my intentions were good.”
“I’m sure they were,” agreed Jeannie. “That doesn’t mean you should have followed through on them. Let me ask you a question, honey. If you were to present Katie with a check for twenty five thousand dollars right now, what do you think she’d do with it?”
He gave a bitter little laugh. “Deposit it before the ink could dry. And then proceed to spend every penny as fast as she could. You’ve made your point, Mom. But I already knew that Katie and Cara are as different as day and night. There’s never been any doubt in my mind about that.”
“No. But what you do need to decide is what’s right for you at this time in your life. The night or the day.”
The sun was beginning to set on what had been a gloomy, rainy day as Dante gazed out of the kitchen window. “I don’t know what’s right anymore, Mom. Can’t you just tell me what to do?”
Jeannie stood, picking up their empty coffee mugs, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “No, honey. I can’t. After all, you aren’t five years old anymore, are you? But I can tell you this, which is something I’ve told you and your siblings since you were old enough to know better. When in doubt, go where your heart leads you. Unfortunately, you’re the one who’s going to have to figure out where that is.”
“Oh, my, God. You did not just say what I thought you did. I mean, is this some sort of sick joke, Danny? April Fool’s Day isn’t for another two and a half months. And this isn’t the least bit funny, not even a little.”
Dante regarded the outraged, visibly upset woman who sat across the table from him with a sort of tranquil, almost detached sense of calm. “I didn’t mean it to be funny, Katie,” he drawled. “And I also meant what I said a hundred percent. This isn’t working out between us, it was a huge mistake to get back together, and this time it’s really and truly over. In other words, I’m breaking up with you.”
Katie made a sound that was part gasp, part squeal, a sound that was loud enough to make Dante thankful he’d requested a table in the very back of the restaurant. Normally, it wasn’t like Katie to make a scene, but then again men normally didn’t break up with a woman as beautiful and supremely confident of herself as she was.
“You are breaking up with me?” she shrieked incredulously, her voice loud enough now that it carried to several nearby tables, judging from the curious looks they suddenly began receiving. “How dare you! How - how could you! No one has ever broken up with me before, ever! You should be grateful I ever went out with you in the first place, or that I agreed to take you back.”
He stared at her in shock. “Uh, pardon me, Katie, but I believe you’ve got that last part all wrong. I was the one who agreed to give our relationship a second chance, and only after you called and texted me a dozen times a day apologizing for what you’d done, and telling me what a terrible, terrible mistake you’d made. As for being grateful - you know what? At one point in time I probably was grateful that you’d noticed me, had agreed to go out with me. I was crazy about you, Katie, would have given you everything I owned. But when you chose your career over me, I think it broke something inside of me. And I thought I could get past it, thought I could eventually forgive and forget what you’d done. But I’ve tried, really tried, and I find I can’t forget it. Especially since I’m no longer convinced you’re sincere about giving up hopes of an acting career.”
Her beautiful face was a myriad of emotions right about now - surprise, anger, irritation, panic, dismay. Almost desperately, she grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it so tightly that he winced. In a flash, she modulated her tone, changed her tactics, as she gazed at him imploringly.
“Danny, you can’t leave me,” she pleaded prettily. “Think of all we’ve meant to each other, all the wonderful times we’ve had together. And I swear that I’m totally and completely over the whole acting thing. I promised you that when we first got back together, and I would never dream of going back on my word.”
“Really?” he drawled lazily. With a lightning fast move he grabbed her cell phone where she’d left it sitting by her place setting. For as long as he’d known Katie, she had always kept her phone close at hand, just in case her agent called with a job for her. And when he had recently inquired why she still felt compelled to do that, given that her acting career was supposedly over, she had just laughed dismissively and called it force of habit.
“Give me that phone, Danny!” she shrieked, her normally soft, sweet voice sounding shrill as a fishwife’s right about now. “What the hell do you think you’re doing now?”
“Confirming what I’ve suspected all along,” he replied as he casually continued to scroll through her text messages. “That you’ve never had any intention of giving up hope that you could return to acting one day, provided the right thing came along. Why else would you be texting your old agent on a weekly basis? And don’t bullshit me by claiming it was just to keep in touch. Keeping in touch usually doesn’t involve messages like this one - “Hey, Doug. Just wanted to say hi and see if you’ve got any news for me. Sorry to be a pest but I really think that I’d be perfect for that new summer replacement show we discussed. I could fly down to L.A. on half a day’s notice to audition. Keeping my fingers crossed.” That message sure sounds like you’re still keeping your options open.”
Katie glared at him sullenly. “It was a pointless message anyway. Doug didn’t even reply to me.”
“Ah, but never fear,” he replied in a falsely cheery voice. “Because even though good old Doug is ignoring you, it looks like you’ve set your sights quite a bit higher than your former agent. And didn’t waste much time, either. I mean, considering that you just met Nick’s client at the wedding last weekend, the two of you seem awfully cozy already, given the number of texts you’ve exchanged.”
Katie slammed her fist down on the table, causing the dishes and glasses to rattle precariously, and attracting still more attention from the nearby tables. “Give me that phone, Danny!” she hissed. “You have no right to go through my private messages. No right at all. How dare you!”
He shrugged, blithely unconcerned as he chose a message at random. “Here’s the most recent text from your new friend Archer Wayne - “I must tell you again how wonderful it was to meet you at Nick’s wedding last Saturday. I enjoyed our chat very much. And I’m looking forward to seeing you for lunch again next week. I’ll be making several calls on your behalf before then to some producers and casting agents I know well, and I’m certain they’ll find something suitable for you.” Tell me, Katie, what is the very charming Mr. Wayne expecting in return for these calls he’s making on your behalf? Men like Archer - mega-rich, mega-powerful, mega-arrogant - they’ll want something in return for any favors they hand out. And my guess is that he’ll expect you in return.”
Katie wrinkled her perfect nose in reaction. “That’s disgusting, Danny,” she retorted, though she sounded anything but convincing. “My God, Archer is nearly as old as my father! And he’s just being nice. And supportive, which is more than I can say about you! Now, can you please stop invading my privacy and give me my phone back?”
“Fine.” He slid it back across the table to her. “Frankly, seeing those messages wasn’t all that shocking to me anyway. I knew almost from the beginning that you hadn’t really let go of the idea of resuming your acting career. It was why you procrastinated for so long about starting college. And why you haven’t gotten serious about finding a permanent job.”
“Is that why you’re breaking up with me?” she asked in disbelief. “Because I haven’t found a damned job?”
“No.” He took out his wallet and extracted enough cash to pay for their dinner and leave a generous tip. “I’m breaking up with you because I realized I’m not in love with you any longer. And that I made what might have been the biggest mistake of my life in giving you another chance. Because in doing so I lost the person I was actually in love with.”
Katie was shocked speechless by his rather blunt announcement, and could only watch numbly as he got to his feet.
“I’ll order a car for you from Uber on my way out,” he told her. “It should probably be here in less than five minutes. Take care of yourself, Katie. Who knows? Maybe meeting Archer last week was a stroke of good luck for you. I hope it all works out for you.”
And for the second time in the past eleven months, Dante found himself walking out on the woman he’d always sworn had been the one for him. Only this time he knew the truth - that the one he was really meant to be with was Cara. And that he was going to have to do some serious groveling before she’d even agree to talk to him.