by Kate Kisset
“He was such a sweet boy when he used to come over and play with Jess.” Her mom’s green eyes twinkled. “Always had a smile on his face. Remember, Daniel?”
Her father nodded. “Good kid.”
Jess sprinkled a little black pepper over his bowl. “He was always smiling, because Danica made out with him every time he came over.”
“Really?” Danica frowned. “Are we going to start this now?”
“Go on, hon, tell us what you were fighting about.” Her mom pressed. “It’s not like we don’t know Luca.”
Danica leveled a glare at Jess for bringing this up. “Okay, bottom line.” She put her spoon down. “I was seriously dating Luca, but I also happened to kiss Michael Santino before Luca and I got together.”
Her dad shrugged. “The older brother?”
“Michael didn’t have any real feelings for me, Dad. It’s a long story, but he only kissed me to make someone else jealous.” Because he’s a player. She looked down into her bowl. And I’m a fool.
He got up from the table and gathered his bowl and spoon. “Oh, mi vida. This is out of my league. Your own telenovela...”
His warm lips touched her forehead before he disappeared into the adjoining family room. “I’ve got the Dodgers to deal with, seventh inning. If you need me, you know where to find me.” He strolled over to his Barcalounger, grabbed the remote, and settled in front of the game with his bowl on his lap. The television volume got louder.
Jess gestured to the door. “Take this outside?”
“Mom, do you mind?” Danica glanced over the messy table. “Can I help with the dishes later?”
“You go on ahead, honey. I’ve got my little assistant here,” her mom said, slipping Luna a piece of carrot under the table.
After Jess grabbed two more Modelos from the fridge, they hightailed it through the family room sliding doors to the small deck just outside the door, and parked in the red Adirondack chairs under the grapevine-covered arbor, just like when they were kids.
Danica turned to Jess. “Tell me everything you know about Luca.”
He spun the beer bottle around in his hands. “I’m not going to violate any guy codes, if that’s what you’re asking for.”
“Family over friends.” She hit the top of her Modelo on the side of the table between them popping the cap off. “This is important.”
“What exactly do you want to know?” Jess looked at her, his mouth a straight line.
“Anything you think would help me, Jess. I’m in love with him.”
“Really?” He held his beer bottle up to the sun, scrutinizing the label as though he’d never seen one before. “After all these years, today is the day you finally decide you’re in love with Luca?”
She rolled her neck, hoping to release a kink. “Whose side are you on, Jess? I’m telling you I love him. I’ve got to find a way to fix this.”
He pulled his keys out of his pants pocket, found a bottle opener, and popped the top off his beer. He hesitated before taking a sip. “I’m reluctant to get into this, Danny. We’re not in high school. He’s my best friend. It’s like walking through an effing minefield.”
“You don’t have to violate any trust or guy secrets or whatever…” Jess didn’t appear to be listening, instead staring off into space. Danica tapped his leg with her foot. “Just tell me this, how would you get him back?” She knew this was a stretch. Jess hadn’t had a serious relationship in years, and was a confirmed player.
“I don’t know if there’s a way, Danny. This was probably the last straw.” He peered over the rim of his bottle, and abruptly put it down on the armrest. “I thought you were crazy about Michael, I thought you’d made a choi—”
“Not fair.” She waved her bottle. “You don’t even know the whole story—”
“You’ve done it before, and I cannot believe you just toyed with Luca again. I wouldn’t have anything to do with you if I were him.” Shaking his head, Jess leaned back in his chair. “I can’t imagine someone dating Matthew or Brandon and then hitting on me.”
“I wasn’t dating Michael.” Dumbfounded, she stared at him. What is it with these guys? She fought to keep her frustration from boiling over.
But Jess barely acknowledged her.
“I’m almost thirty. I’m not fifteen anymore. It’s been years, Jess. Years.” She took several breaths to settle down. “Listen.” She calmly patted her brother’s knee and he finally turned to her. “Luca, as you know, came first, and then I lost track of him. Michael was only an infatuation, a stupid dream I created out of nothing. And as much as you may not believe me, I can promise you, I didn’t make out with him, and I certainly never slept with him. I promise. You can call Michael and ask him if you don’t believe me.” Danica stood up. “Should I get my phone?”
“Sit down.”
Danica flopped back into her chair and stared at the fence bordering the neighbor’s property. “Help me, Jess.”
“After you started having random make-out sessions with Luca in junior high, and off and on through high school…”
“No. Mostly off after my freshman year.”
“Well, he was still into you. Major crush.” Jess said evenly. “The whole time, okay? It was actually pretty annoying.” His hand brushed her arm. “Look at me. That time he called you and invited you to his senior prom, I was there. Heard the whole thing, and you turned him down.”
“I can’t believe this is getting worse.” Danica planted her beer on the armrest. And even though she was afraid of what she’d hear next, she prompted him. “Continue, please.”
“What is there to say?” Jess rolled his eyes. “He was upset. I was mad at you myself.”
With her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach, she fiddled with the hem of her tank top. “You remember I had moved and was in college by then, right?”
Jess tapped on the armrest with his fingers. “It was a big deal to him. He didn’t even go.”
“No…” She propped her elbows on her knees and held her face with her hands. “He must’ve had a million other options.” She took another deep breath. “I don’t even remember seeing him when I was in college.”
“Every time there was a chance you’d be home, he made a point of coming over.” She eyed Jess tipping his bottle and taking a leisurely drink and sat up.
“How was I supposed to know that? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“And he planned that prom date for months. Knew what restaurant he’d take you to—couldn’t wait. Even though you hadn’t seen each other, he was sure you’d go to his prom because you guys had been so close.” Jess stretched his neck back, looking up at the sky. “Hell, I even encouraged him to ask you...and you just blew him off.” He turned back to her. “You had other plans or whatever. Like it was nothing. Like he was nothing.”
Jess’s words thwacked against her skull. “Please stop. I can’t take this. I never thought Luca was nothing, and I can’t believe you’d have the audacity to say that.” She rubbed her forehead. “I was distracted. I had a ton of work, and you know I was never the best student. College almost ruined me. Plus, I had two jobs, bartending at night and freelancing at the paper. I imagined Luca would have a far superior time going to his prom with someone else. And he didn’t act like it was big deal—”
Jess leaned forward. “Well he didn’t have fun with anyone else, obviously, because he didn’t go. And it was a big deal, so maybe that’s why he’s exceptionally pissed at you now.”
She sunk into the chair. “It happened so long ago.”
“Then let’s bring it to present day.” Jess braced his elbows on his knees. “The Crushers wanted Luca to use a different name, and what name did he choose?” He raised his eyebrows. “Danny.”
“Oh no…” She clutched his arm. Can this get any worse? “Not because it’s my nickname?”
“Now you’re getting it.” Jess took a sip of beer and smacked his lips. “Luca thought
it would be an inside joke between you two, and you didn’t even recognize him.”
“Crap.”
“Look, it wasn’t that big a deal to him. He knows he’s changed a lot.” He brought the bottle up to his lips and paused. “But the Michael thing? That’s the deal breaker.”
“So what do I do now?”
Jess’s face softened. “I have no idea.”
Chapter Twelve
Bella Villa was dark and quiet when she tiptoed straight to her room. Even though she had an early appointment with her boss in the morning, she wasn’t sleepy. She hoped a bath might calm her down, but she spent an hour in the tub, fighting back tears and reliving the last few weeks with Luca. Everything had been so perfect.
After getting into her pajamas, she rummaged through her closet and found her old contact paper-covered box full of mementos and brought it to her bed. She dug through her old yearbooks, concert stubs, birthday cards, and scrapbooks and discovered that everything she thought was important to save all those years ago...wasn’t.
At the bottom of the box, mixed with high school newspaper clippings, she found a loose photo of him. She held the three by five image under the light of her bedside lamp. Luca was straddling a yellow ten-speed bike.
Danica squinted, hoping somehow the blurry photo would adjust to digitally clear focus. Luca’s smile and dimpled right cheek were unmistakable. The mischievous glint in his fourteen-year-old blue eyes, partially shadowed by a baseball cap, ripped through her heart.
That empty-hollow feeling crept up again. She laid her head down on her pillow, wishing she’d borrowed Luna for the night and smuggled her into the villa. She needed someone to hold, and Luna seemed to be the only creature in the world who understood she hadn’t meant to hurt Luca, not then, not now, not ever.
Chapter Thirteen
Wiping the sleep from her eyes with one hand, she scrolled her phone messages with the other. Danica re-read all of the texts she’s sent yesterday, begging Luca for forgiveness, but there was no response from him.
She’d stayed in a half-awake-half-asleep state throughout the night, tossing and dreaming that Luca would somehow forgive her. Then she’d flip over on the lump in her stomach, dreading he wouldn’t. The lack of any word from him confirmed the nightmare was ongoing.
After taking a quick bath, she dried off and slathered on green apple lotion, hoping its vibrant fragrance would snap her out of the fog. Then she trudged to her closet and put on a new, never-worn, cream dress to cheer her up. It didn’t work.
She found the dress on sale at Macy’s months ago, and saved it, knowing at some point in her career she would need to pull out all the stops and up her professional fashion game. Slipping into a pair of low-heeled pumps, it suddenly occurred to her to wonder why Mr. Harvey called for a meeting. She’d been so distracted with Luca she hadn’t thought about the timing, but something seemed off. He usually sent a memo notifying the staff a week, or at least a few days, ahead of time. She didn't know Mr. Harvey even knew how to text. The one-line command, Need to speak to you in my office 8 tomorrow morning, made her stomach flip.
Perhaps she’d forgotten some crucial element in one of the baseball articles. Conceivably, Luca could be forced to take one for the team for the benefit of the story. Maybe he would agree to another interview, and she’d finally be able to calmly explain the Michael kisses and apologize face-to-face.
She left the estate by seven so she’d have plenty of time to grab a cappuccino at The Vine Cafe. Cinnamon-scented air wafted over the sidewalk through the doors. After stepping inside and getting in the takeout line, she closed her eyes and inhaled the moment. Everything about Sarah’s charming café exuded cozy warmth. Maybe everything would be okay after all.
“Yo, beautiful, long time no see.” Her eyes flew open. In an instant, Manny’s big, burly arms wrapped around her in a hug smelling of molasses.
“You're looking good, boss man,” she said, pulling away and patting his back. Since Sarah promoted Manny to manager, her friend’s life had been so much easier.
“What about you?” Manny touched her butt with a finger. “Shnizzle, zizzle.” He raised his eyebrows with a grin. “You here to see me?”
He wouldn’t be Manny if he didn’t flirt. Danica poked him in the stomach and peeked around him, scanning for Sarah.
“She’s in the back. Follow me.” Manny maneuvered past the customers and headed to the double swinging doors to the kitchen.
Manny flung the doors open, pointed to Sarah and left the room. She had her hair pulled back in a pink bandana, and was hunched over the pastry table, dabbing frosting on cookies. Sarah looked up. Their eyes met, and she rushed over. There wasn’t a hint of makeup on her luminous face.
"What brings you here?” Sarah threw her arms around her. “Hungry? If you’ve got another six minutes to spare, I’ve got strawberry tarts coming out of the oven.”
Danica ran a hand along the cool marble edge of the table. "I'm too nervous to eat. I need some of your magic java to snap me out of it.”
“Are you seeing Luca?” The excitement in Sarah’s eyes bubbled over. “Oh, thank the lord, you made up!” She wiped her hands on a dish towel
“It’s not that. We haven’t made up and let’s not talk about it or I’ll start crying again.”
Danica saw the disappointment in Sarah’s eyes for a split second before she plastered a cheerful grin on face. “Unfortunately, I have a mano-a-mano with Mr. Harvey this morning.” Danica rolled her eyes. “I've got to be in Napa by eight.”
“It’s about time he gave you a promotion,” Sarah tugged the hem of Danica’s dress. “Let me get you the coffee so you don’t have to wait in line. Cap?” She bolted through the doors to the front of the cafe. Danica hurried to keep up with her. Sarah had more energy at seven in the morning than anyone she knew, besides Juliet, or Lulu.
Over the clamoring buzz of conversation and rattling dishes, Sarah checked the scribbles on the side of a cup waiting on the counter, obviously designated for someone else. She waved at the barista, pointed to the cardboard container and handed it to Danica.
Smiling, Sarah put her hands on her hips. “All set now?”
“Perfect, thank you.” Danica planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Text me when the meeting’s over, okay?”
“You got it.” Danica made her way to the front door. “Have a great day.”
Crisp blue sky without a cloud beckoned her over the rolling hills to Napa Valley. The vineyards, almost at the peak of their growing season, woke up for her. Laden with heavy grapes, the bright green vines glistened in the sun.
Her eyes wandered to the di Rosa Art Preserve, and she caught sight of her favorite little cutout sheep. One of about twenty, and part of an art installation, he stood stiffly, off by himself, gazing down from the grass-covered hill, looking as if she’d surprised him in the middle of a munch. She wondered why he had to be set off like that, all alone. Each morning she stole a glimpse while zooming to work, hoping the view would change, and he’d have a little companion.
It took her less than thirty minutes to pull into the Napa Sun parking lot. After turning off the ignition, she touched up her lips in the rearview mirror with her new Kiss Me or Kill Me gloss and got out of the car. After hitting the key fob and locking the doors, she marched to the entrance of the building.
Pausing for a moment, she gathered her thoughts before entering. Marietta didn’t look up from the reception desk, and Danica didn’t linger.
She strode past her desk in the reporter’s area, patted the vintage printing press in the corner for good luck, and headed straight to Mr. Harvey’s minuscule office. The door was open. Mr. Harvey’s bald spot shone under the florescent light as he shuffled papers on his cluttered desk.
She poked her head in the door. “I'm here a little early, do you have time?”
He looked up and grinned, flashing that little gap between his two front teeth. “I a
lways have time for you.”
She approached the chair in front of his desk
“No, let's take a walk.” Getting up, he plopped the papers in his hand onto a mountainous pile, and they left the room.
Danica tried to think of something to say. They’d never taken a walk before. She’d never seen his face in natural light, or in any other setting. Even the holiday party was held at the office.
They paraded through the communal room, and Danica’s stomach flipped uneasily. None of her coworkers were on the phone, or even looking at their desks. All eyes were on her and Mr. Harvey. She tried making eye contact with Jerry from the sales department. They’d gone out to lunch a few times. He’d always been friendly, but today he wouldn’t look at her.
“Napa Java for coffee?” Mr. Harvey opened the front door for her.
She nodded as they left the building, feeling the warm sun wash over her. “Sure. I could go for another cup.”
Heading toward Main Street, they passed a woman setting up a floral arrangement in front of a boutique who said, “Good Morning.” But other than to return her greeting, she and Mr. Harvey walked in silence.
“This feels ominous,” Danica muttered at Napa Java’s entrance.
Mr. Harvey opened the door. She nodded a thank-you and entered in front of him. The rich smell of coffee rushed over her, making her mouth water, and lifting her spirits. Empire of the Sun’s Walking on a Dream played in the background, behind the excited chatter of the small space. Everyone seemed to be smiling in a happy buzz. She wondered if the shop was delivering caffeine through the air ducts.
Standing next to Mr. Harvey, she rubbed the sweat off her palms onto the side of her dress and peeked at his stern profile. His thin, straight nose pointed toward the counter. He put his hands in his pockets and tapped his foot, watching the barista foam milk. With their orders finally secured, they headed back out the door into the sun again, and strolled in the general direction of the Napa Sun.