“An Irish boy?” Antonio dipped his brows at her. “You know Irish boys can’t be trusted, Lucia. They’ll all try to charm the pants off a girl with little intention of helping her pull them back up after they’ve succeeded.”
Lucia put her hands on her hips and smirked. “And you never tried to charm the pants off any of the girls you dated?”
“Well, of course I did, but I’d never leave them bare assed in the end.”
She stared at him for a full five seconds through narrowed eyes before responding. “Right,” she finally said. “I know what you’re doing, and I appreciate your attempt to inject a bit of levity into the situation, but I’m serious, Antonio. What’s your grandfather going to think of me after walking in to find us eating face in the kitchen?”
He took her shoulders in his hands and sighed. “My guess is nothing could have pleased him more.” He drew her against his chest. “For the wrong reason, but pleased him none the less.”
She echoed his sigh. “That old marriage contract.”
“Yep. He probably fell asleep thinking that despite my resistance, despite all the times I told him I’d make my own choices in life, that you and I were never going to meet, fall in love, get married, and that finding us kissing in the kitchen was proof I’d been wrong.”
Lucia stood quietly in his arms, swallowed. His words, although she was certain he didn’t intend them to, dripped into her thoughts like tears, and she felt them in her heart, a sadness, a silent weeping. She loved him. Perhaps, even though she’d never before believed in such a thing herself, he was her destiny.
Antonio cared for her; he cared for her a lot. She knew it. She believed it. She felt it in her heart even though at the moment, it wept silently at the prospect he might not love her, not the way she did him.
Antonio slid a finger under her chin and lifted her face toward his. “Don’t look so serious, love. There’s no need to worry about my grandfather. He adores you, you know, and all your sisters as well. You’d have to do something a lot worse than kiss his grandson to change that.”
He brushed his lips lightly over hers. “And don’t be embarrassed. We’re both adults, not two teenagers who were caught making out in the backseat of a car by their parent. I don’t think my grandfather’s going to try to ground either of us.”
“Let’s hope not. I’m going to have an inn full of guests again this weekend so it won’t do if he tries to confine me to my room.”
“If you’re going to be tied up with guests again for the next few days, let’s not waste anymore time talking about my grandfather. I’d rather spend whatever time we have right now focusing on you and trying to help you satisfy those cravings we were talking about earlier. And after we’ve both had our fill, there’s something we need to talk about.”
“Is it a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I’m hoping you’ll think it’s a good thing.”
She took his hand, led him over to the bed, and slowly started to undress him.
“Make love to me then, Antonio.”
He brought her into the circle of his arms. “Whatever your heart desires.”
“Lucia!” Eliana pounded on her bedroom door and called again. “Luch, you need to come downstairs, quick!”
“What the—?” Lucia scrambled for her clothes.
Antonio did the same. He yanked on his pants and made for the door. “What’s wrong?” he asked, when he pulled it open and Eliana spilled into the room.
She threw her arms in the air. “It’s Mitch. He showed up about ten minutes ago demanding to see Cat. She told him to leave, but he’s drunk and he’s giving her a hard time. I think she’s going to need all of our help to get rid of him.”
Antonio didn’t wait to hear more. He took off, jogging down the hall. Lucia pulled her tee shirt on and she and Eliana followed close on his heels.
WHEN LUCIA AND Eliana got downstairs, Cat and Marcella were standing behind Antonio who’d positioned himself between them and Mitch.
“This is between me and her,” Mitch said, and sneered at Antonio as he tried to push him to the side.
Antonio took hold of the other man’s wrist and held his arm in the air. “She told you to leave. She doesn’t want to see you, doesn’t want to talk to you, and if you don’t do as she says and go now, you can spend the rest of the night sleeping off your drunk in the local jail cell.”
Mitch jerked his arm in an attempt to break Antonio’s hold but failed. He tried to throw a punch but Antonio blocked it and then pushed him up against the front wall.
“You don’t want to go there, Gregory,” Antonio said, his words laced with a threat Mitch would be wise to heed. Antonio had at least three inches over Mitch, and Lucia knew firsthand he was all lean muscle and sinewy strength.
Mitch’s face contorted as he glared at Antonio through narrowed eyes, but he must have realized his disadvantage. He shook off Antonio’s hands and backed toward the door.
“I’ll leave, but this isn’t over.” He shot an angry look at Cat and raised his finger, pointing at her. “You don’t just walk out on me and get away with it. You owe me, Cat.”
“I don’t owe you anything, Mitch,” Cat said, her head high. “Now go.”
Marcella slipped in front of her twin. “Yeah, she owes you nothing, and contrary to what you might think, this isn’t between you and her, it’s between you and us. And between you and us, you don’t stand a chance.”
Before Mitch could retort, Antonio helped him the rest of the way out the door and then closed it in his face.
Marcella wrapped her arms around Cat. Lucia and Eliana rushed to their sides and made it a foursome.
“What a bastard,” Eliana said.
“A total loser,” Marcella chimed in.
“The worst,” Lucia agreed.
“Okay, you can all let go now; I’m starting to sweat,” Cat said.
They gave her some room and Lucia took one of her hands. “You all right?”
Cat nodded. “I’m fine, and thanks.” She glanced around at everyone. “Thanks for having my back. I probably could have handled him, but it might have taken a lot longer and gotten much nastier.”
She looked at Antonio. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Antonio, but I’m glad you were here. I don’t think Mitch wanted to risk what you might have done to his pretty face if he didn’t take your advice and leave.”
“No need to apologize. It was my pleasure to push the scum out the door.”
“What’s all the commotion?”
Everyone turned toward the hallway to see Antonio’s grandfather standing in the opening.
“Nothing to worry about,” Cat said, walking over to where he stood. “I’m sorry if we woke you. It was just someone who needed directions. Antonio took care of him.”
Vincenzo nodded and let Cat steer him back down the hall.
“Well, I guess the excitement’s over for now,” Antonio said.
“Yeah.” Marcella sniffed. “But just to be on the safe side we might want to start locking the front door when we don’t have guests in case Mitch gets the stupid idea he wants to talk to Cat again.”
After Eliana and Marcella went back upstairs, Lucia wrapped her arms around Antonio’s waist and laid her head against his chest. He held her close, kissed the top of her head.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Umm hmm. I’m not the one with a drunken jerk of an ex-boyfriend showing up on my doorstep and ranting at me.”
“Do you think Cat’s all right?”
“She will be. She’s strong, and we’ll all make sure Mitch doesn’t get near her again.”
She leaned back and looked up at him. “Would you be upset if we didn’t finish what we started before Mitch showed up?”
“You want to go see your sister?”
“Yeah. I know she’s going to be fine, but I don’t want her to be alone right now.”
Antonio hugged her tight and then turned her around and gave her a gentle push. �
��Go. Go be a sister.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, I’ll just go finish that pint of Chunky Monkey and catch up with you tomorrow.”
Lucia smiled softly, grateful for his understanding. When she got upstairs, she tapped lightly on Cat’s door, and getting no answer, opened it quietly and poked her head inside.
Caterina was in the middle of the bed. Eliana lay next to her on one side and Marcella on the other.
Lucia slipped into the room, shut the door with a gentle click, and walked across the floor. Pulling back the comforter, she slid in next to Marcella and draped her arm over her side, adding her hand to the pile of three resting on Cat’s stomach, and closed her eyes.
All architecture is shelter, all great
architecture is the design of space that
contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates
the persons in that space.
Philip Johnson
Lucia had just finished checking in a couple who got their dates wrong and arrived a day early, when Marcella blew in through the front door and rushed over to the reception desk.
Marcella looked anxious, but the harvest was upon them, her sister’s most frenetic time of year.
“I need a huge favor. El’s off somewhere and I don’t want to bother Cat, so you’re it.”
“What’s up?” Lucia asked. Marcella was usually the quiet sister, low key, the even-keeled, not given to histrionics. Until the harvest hit—then look out anyone or anything that threatened it in any way.
“I need more pickers, tomorrow. I need them. The Brix is at 23 percent, right where I want it, but we have to pick tomorrow! I’ve got them all lined up, but I need to let them know tomorrow’s the day, not next week. With this week’s heat we’re a couple of days earlier than I thought we’d be, but it’s time.
“Okay, calm down, honey. I can get the calls out to let them know. Where’s your contact list?”
“Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you. I know you’re busy today, so I owe you.” She ran around behind the desk and started punching keys on the computer, brought up a file. “Okay, just go down the list here. We’re going to need whoever can make it, which should be most of them as they knew we’d be picking soon.” She gave Lucia a quick hug. “You’re the best.”
“It’s just a few phone calls, Marcella. And by the way, you were already out there when I came down this morning, and this is the first time I’ve seen you all day. I hope you took time to eat something. We don’t want a repeat of last year when you passed out during harvest because you hadn’t eaten for two days.”
“I’m fine. I had a banana this morning.”
Lucia shook her head. “At what, six o’clock? It’s almost two now. You need more than a banana to hold you over, especially out there in that heat all day.”
“I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll get something later, promise.”
“Not good enough. Cat’s upstairs. I’m going to text her before I start making these calls and have her fix a sandwich to bring out to you.”
“I told you, I don’t want to bother Cat.”
“You know Cat wouldn’t like it if she thought we were coddling her. She’d want to be bothered, so I’ll bother her and know she’ll be happy to make you a sandwich.”
Marcella huffed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, but I have to get out there now.” She darted for the door.
Lucia dashed off a text to Cat.
“I was about to come down and make something for myself when I got your message,” Cat said when she walked into reception a few minutes later. “Did you eat yet?”
“No, but I had more than a banana eight hours ago.”
Cat shook her head. “She gets like this every harvest. It’s a good thing we’re all living back here now, or we’d come for a visit one day and find her lying out in one of the fields dead from starvation and heat exhaustion.”
Lucia cringed.
“I’ll make us all something. It’s just as easy to put three sandwiches together as it is one.”
Lucia looked thoughtful. “Antonio had to go out earlier, and I just realized his nonno probably hasn’t had lunch either, and he doesn’t have a car to go get himself anything. Do you—”
“Done,” Cat said before Lucia could finish.
“Thanks.” Lucia smiled appreciatively. “And when you take Marcella’s out to her, make sure she eats it if you have to stand over her until she takes the last bite.”
The afternoon flew by. Pickers were scheduled, brochures were stocked, fresh flowers picked to refresh the arrangements in the library and lobby, and since guests had already started arriving for the weekend, Lucia set out complimentary cookies and lemonade on the refreshment bar.
Antonio had been out since mid-morning. He’d told her when he left that he was going to run a few errands after his meeting but hoped to get back to the inn in time to get in a couple of hours work before dinner. She glanced at her watch. Unless he was planning a late dinner, she didn’t think he was going to get much work in.
Lucia looked up and there he was, standing over her, his beautiful eyes locked on her, so deep, so sexy, so blue—eyes she never tired of looking into.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself. You were deep in thought.”
“I was thinking about you…and that you weren’t going to get much done today if you were gone much longer.” She set aside the to-do list she’d been working her way through and pushed up out of her chair, came around to the other side of the desk, and gave him a quick kiss.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, started to pull her in, but she put her hands on his chest and stepped back, avoiding the temptation. “Guests already in residence,” she said by way of explanation.
“I guess that means no sleepovers until next week.” He angled his head and watched her a moment, and then said, “If you’re not too tired after last night, do you want to get together for a glass of wine on the terrace after your charges are settled in for the night?”
“That’d be nice. Maybe we can have a late dinner...raid the kitchen again, or order pizza.”
“Sounds good. I should try to get in a little work. My meeting this morning went well; I think there’s a good chance they may offer me the job.”
Lucia crossed her fingers in the air. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. By the way, have you seen my grandfather today?”
“Not to talk to. He came down this morning for some fruit and cereal, and then went for a walk. He was gone for a couple of hours. I was starting to worry and thought about sending someone to look for him, but he came back on his own, looking fine and fit.”
Antonio chuckled. “He’s used to doing a lot of walking. Back home he walks into the village several times a week, a couple of miles each way. For his age, he’s very hardy.”
“It’s probably because he stays so active. In any case, Cat made him a sandwich for lunch and took it up to him since he doesn’t have a car to get out on his own, but you’ll need to see to his dinner.”
“Thanks for looking out for him. I’ll see what he’s hungry for and pick it up before we get together later.”
Lucia sat down and looked up at him. “Why don’t you see if he’d like to join us on the terrace instead,” she suggested. “I know it’s not what you had in mind, but he’s been alone all day, and I’m sure he’d enjoy the company.”
Antonio cocked his head, regarded her, and she wondered at the emotion she saw in his beautiful eyes.
“You’ve a soft heart, Lucia. Are you sure you want to spend the evening with him, especially after last night?”
“I do. It was embarrassing, but as you said, we’re all adults, so I’m not going to avoid him because of it. Besides, I like your grandfather. He’s delightful, and tells a good story, and in some ways he’s kind of like family. My grandfather would have wanted us to make him welcome.”
“You have. And I think he’ll be delighted.” He looked around the lobby and seeing no one wit
hin sight, came around the desk, leaned down and kissed her, short, but sweet it was.
“Thank you,” he said, and left her sitting there to watch him walk away, a smile on her lips and feeling surprisingly happy with herself considering she’d just given up an evening alone with Antonio.
ELIANA MADE IT a foursome. Lucia got out a large platter and they arranged some Grana Padano, Gouda, some Brie and biscuits, some prosciutto and fruit. They warmed one of the loaves of crusty Italian bread Caterina had baked the day before.
Antonio worked beside them, cutting thin slices of soppressata and summer sausage, then the bread, although not nearly as thin.
Vincenzo wanted to help, to be a part of the preparing together, so Eliana got out four wine glasses, gave him a key, and left him to the opening and the pouring, telling him he had the most important job of them all, as they could all do with a glass and wasn’t it time they had one.
They took everything out to the terrace. The sun had already dropped behind the Blue Ridge, but the sky still held on to some color, pinks blushed with purple and blue that faded into grey before giving itself over to a night filled with stars.
Vincenzo raised his glass. “Salute.”
“Salute,” they all echoed and chinked glasses.
“What’s this?” Caterina walked through the solarium’s open French doors out onto the terrace.
“An impromptu celebration,” Lucia said. “I didn’t expect you home until later. Is everything okay?”
“Katie started to get a migraine so we cut the evening short. We hadn’t ordered dinner yet, so I told her we’d get together next week sometime and that she should go home and rest before it got too bad. I know too well how fast one can turn vicious.”
“Sorry to hear about Katie. Since you’re here, though, you can join us.” Eliana pulled a chair over from one of the other tables and slid it in between her and Lucia.
Cat sidled in. “What are we celebrating?”
Lucia wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “A beautiful night. Good food, friends, and family. And wine, which you will need some of.”
Lucia (The Bonaveras) Page 21