by SJ McCoy
She blew out a sigh. “I am.” She shook her head. “It was so much easier when I thought he was an asshole.”
Cameron laughed. “What’s the problem? I thought you’d be happy that not only is he good-looking but he’s an amazing guy, too.”
“The problem, my dear Cameron, is that …” She shook her head. What was the problem? Why wasn’t she absolutely thrilled that not only was her fantasy guy turning out to be a great guy but that he was also totally into her? She met Cam’s gaze. “The problem is that there is no problem. There’s nothing to stand in the way of him and me seeing each other, getting to know each other, dating, having a relationship. And that scares me shitless.”
Cam frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’m a coward. I haven’t dated anyone since David.”
“I know, but I thought that was just because you hadn’t met anyone you really liked.”
“I made sure I didn’t meet anyone so that I didn’t have to take any risks. David taught me how much love can hurt. I haven’t been interested in giving it another shot.”
Cam smiled. “You’re not a coward, you’re just a realist. You don’t like to take gambles. You don’t want to risk getting hurt if the potential reward isn’t big enough.”
Mary Ellen stared at him.
“I can see you and Antonio ending up together. I think the potential reward could be huge. Don’t you?”
She thought about it for a few moments. She and Antonio ending up together? Wouldn’t that be something? She hadn’t allowed herself to think about ending up with anyone since David. “I think it’s a bit early to start talking like that.”
Cameron smiled. “Maybe. Then again, maybe not.”
She shook her head at him. “Anyway, what did you want?”
He chuckled. “Nothing, other than to see your reaction to the flowers.”
“You horrible man.” She smiled as she looked at the flowers. “I’m pleasantly surprised. Even though I don’t generally subscribe to the idea of spending gobs of money on pretty things that have been cut and are going to die within a week.”
Cameron laughed. “See, I told you, you’re a realist. Antonio’s making a big romantic gesture, and you’re thinking about the practicalities. Maybe you two won’t be such a good match after all.”
Mary Ellen’s heart sank, and a ball of disappointment settled in her stomach.
Cameron met her gaze. “No. I didn’t mean that at all. I was just curious what your reaction might be when I said it. Now we both have a better idea of how you feel.” He gave her a smug smile. “You’re not fooling me, and I suggest you don’t try fooling yourself. Why don’t you give him a call to thank him for them and then meet me in the conference room? We need to start working on Q3 projections.”
Chapter Ten
Antonio checked his watch. He should have left the office ten minutes ago. He just needed to wrap up the report, then he could hand it over to Daniel.
“Are you still here?”
He blew out a sigh when Daniel stuck his head around the door. “I’m almost finished.”
“Why don’t you go and let me work on it now. You can finish up your conclusions tomorrow. I don’t need them to work on the rest.”
Antonio smiled. “Yeah, I think I will, thanks.”
Daniel smiled. “I’d hate for you to be late and upset Mary Ellen. I have a vested interest in her sticking around. You’ve been so laid back this week, she’s making my life much easier.”
Antonio made a face. “I’m not seeing her tonight. She’s out with the girls, so I’m meeting up with Cam and Grant.”
Daniel smirked. “I never thought I’d see the day. You’re meeting up with the guys because she has other plans?”
Antonio tried to look stern, but he couldn’t pull it off. He chuckled. “Crazy, isn’t it? I’ve seen her every night this week, and I wanted to see her again tonight, but she already had plans with Chelsea and Piper. I tried to get her to bring them to Muse, but they’re eating at Molly’s.”
Daniel shook his head. “It’ll do you good. Keep things fresh. If you see each other every night, the flame might just burn itself out.”
Antonio couldn’t help smiling. “In our case, the flame keeps getting hotter and hotter.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think it’s going to burn itself out?”
“I don’t.” He managed to stop himself from voicing the thought about an eternal flame that came to mind. It sounded crazy enough to him, he could imagine what Daniel would think. He shut down his computer. “I just emailed you everything I’ve got so far. I’ll get on the rest in the morning. I might not be seeing Mary Ellen, but I don’t want to make Cam and Grant mad by being too late.”
“They won’t get mad; they’re used to it.”
Antonio nodded. They were. He wasn’t known for his punctuality, but he was working on that. It had never mattered before, but now he wanted to be known as a reliable kind of guy—the kind who Mary Ellen could take seriously.
“See you tomorrow.”
When he reached Muse, Rodney greeted him with a smile. “Your guests have arrived. I’ve seated them at your table. Though I will confess, I was a little surprised to see them.”
Antonio smiled. “If it were up to me, I’d be having dinner with Mary Ellen, but she’s out with the girls.”
Rodney nodded. “It might do you good.”
Antonio scowled. Why did Rodney and Daniel think he needed to cool it with Mary Ellen? He wished he could spend every minute with her. “With Mary Ellen, her presence makes my heart grow fonder. I don’t want her absence.”
Rodney raised an eyebrow. “I simply meant that an evening in the company of Cameron and Grant might do you good. Considering the recent developments in both of their lives.” Antonio stared at him for a moment, but Rodney simply smiled. “Would you like me to walk you to your table?”
Antonio chuckled. “No. I might be acting clueless at the moment, but I think I can still find my way out there.”
“Very well.” Rodney gave him one of his enigmatic smiles and turned to greet a couple who were just arriving.
Antonio bit the inside of his lip as he made his way out to the terrace. Was Rodney right? Should he be seeking advice from Cam and Grant—since they were both engaged now? He sucked in a deep breath. Was that what he was aiming for with Mary Ellen? It might be a crazy thought, considering they’d only been seeing each other for a week but was it really so crazy? He knew her, she knew him. They still had a lot to learn about each other—and about how they got along together, but so far, everything he learned about her made him fall for her more, and it seemed she was finding the same with him. She was still wary, but she was relaxing with him, and she seemed more into him every day. To say she was falling for him might be a little premature—but a guy could hope.
Cam looked up as he approached the table. “There you are. To what do we owe the honor? Ten minutes late is as good as early by your standards.”
Antonio rolled his eyes. “What can I say? I’m working on being punctual.”
Grant grinned at him as he sat down. “Let me guess, Mary Ellen’s whipping you into shape already?”
“No.” He closed his eyes, trying not to picture her with a whip, dressed in leather and fishnets and …
“Are you okay?” Cam gave him a puzzled look.
He grinned. “Yeah, sorry. I seem to get lost in my head at the mere mention of her name these days.”
“Are you shitting us … or not?” asked Grant. “I can’t figure this out. You seem totally besotted, and that’s so out of character for you that I’m struggling to buy it.”
Cameron chuckled. “That’s pretty much what Mary Ellen said.”
Antonio swung around to look at him. “She did? Why? When?”
“Calm down. That was on Monday when you sent her the flowers. I was prying because you’re both acting so out of character I wanted to know wh
at the deal was.”
“And what is the deal?”
Cam shrugged. “I was only joking. I don’t know any more than you do.”
“But you said she’s struggling to buy it, like him.” He nodded at Grant.
“She didn’t say that in so many words.” Cameron was starting to look uncomfortable. “It’s not my place to say anything. But if you think about it, it’s hard for everyone to believe the transformation you’ve undergone in the last week.”
Antonio nodded. He could see that. It felt completely natural to him that he should leave behind the life he’d been living and start something new with Mary Ellen, but then he knew how bored he’d been getting with his old life. No one else knew how empty it had all started to feel. “I suppose.”
Grant nodded. “And from what Chelsea’s said, it must be even harder for Mary Ellen to believe than anyone else.”
“Why? What did Chelsea say?”
Grant shrugged. “Just about that David guy. He was supposedly Mr. Dependable, and he dumped her and humiliated her out of the blue. She’s going to be wary of anyone after that, and sorry to say it, bro, but she’d have to be doubly wary of someone like you.”
Antonio didn’t bother to ask what he meant by that. He knew what he was, or at least who he’d been. He could never be called Mr. Dependable. He was more love ‘em and leave ‘em, Mr. Good Time—for a short time. He blew out a sigh and looked at Cameron.
“Don’t look like that.” Cameron smiled at him. “She’s totally into you, you’re just going to have to earn her trust, it’s going to take time.”
Antonio threw his hands in the air in irritation. “I don’t want it to take time. I want her to know, I want to show her, to prove to her that I’m for real, that we’re for real.”
The others looked at him in stunned silence.
“So, you’re serious about her, then?” asked Grant with a chuckle.
Antonio gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah. More serious than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.”
“Take it slowly, then.” Cameron looked serious. “You can throw your hands in the air all you like, and you can go all passionate and impatient Italian on us, but if you’re that serious, you’re going to have to consider what works for Mary Ellen, not just what works for you.”
Antonio stared at him for a long moment. The way he saw it, he could propose to her this weekend. That was what he wanted, and surely that would convince her that he was serious. But Cameron was probably right. She would probably be more comfortable with a more conventional approach. They'd date for a while. Meet each other’s families, get engaged, plan a wedding. He shook his head. He still liked his idea better.
The server came to take their order and saved him from explaining what he was thinking. He knew Cam would try to talk him down and Grant wouldn’t approve either.
~ ~ ~
“Hey, ladies. I’m sorry I’m so late.” Piper slid into the booth to sit beside Chelsea. “How are we?”
“Doing great, thanks. How about you?” asked Mary Ellen.
“I’m okay. It’s been a long week.”
“I’ll bet,” said Mary Ellen. “I don’t envy you having to fly the sales guys around. I mean, Connor and Lyle are fun, but they’re exhausting after a while.”
“And we all know Cam gets jealous about it,” said Chelsea with a smile.
“Aww.” Piper looked so happy. “I still find it hard to believe that he gets jealous. I mean, I don’t have a jealous bone in my body, but you’d think if either of us was going to get that way, it’d be me. I’m so lucky.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “I hope when the two of you get married, you’ll finally get over that. He’s just as lucky as you are. You each found your perfect match.” She grinned. “Just like Grant and I have found ours.”
Mary Ellen nodded. She was so happy for her friends.
Piper turned to her. “And is it true about you and Antonio?”
“Is what true?” Mary Ellen stalled for time. She wanted to know what Piper meant.
Chelsea laughed. “Everyone knows you’ve seen each other every night this week. We’ve all heard the rumors about him parading you around town in your underwear. What Piper and the rest of us want to know is—is it for real?”
Mary Ellen shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly parading around town, I just—”
“Nice try,” said Chelsea. “You know what I mean. I wasn’t asking if the rumor was for real. I was asking if the two of you are for real. It sounds like the perfect whirlwind romance.”
Mary Ellen smiled. She couldn’t help it. “Honestly? It feels like the perfect whirlwind romance.” She sighed. “But how can it be? He’s the way he is—he might whirl his way onto someone else next week. And I’m the way I am. I’m still a practical, down-to-earth midwestern girl at heart. I’m not one to be swept off my feet in a whirlwind.”
“I don’t see why not if it’s what you want,” said Piper.
“Damn, I thought you’d be the one to back me up.”
Piper gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I’m living a happy whirlwind of my own.”
Chelsea grinned. “You already know I’m not going to back you up. I say be brave, let that practical heart of yours ride the whirlwind and see where you land.”
Mary Ellen made a face. “I’d love to but knowing my luck, I’ll land right on my ass in a world of hurt.”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t see that happening.”
“What do you know? You haven’t even been here this week.”
She laughed. “Perhaps not, but I’ve talked to Cam every night, and I’ve been getting blow-by-blow accounts about it.”
Mary Ellen had to smile. She loved that they cared about her, even if they were less cautious about her and Antonio than she was. “Anyway. I thought this was a girl’s night. We’re not here to talk about men.”
“No,” said Chelsea. “We’re here to talk about what’s going on in each other’s lives. I’m busy at work, happy with my man and all’s well. Piper’s had a tough week flying people around, but is still happily besotted with my brother, even if she is dreading the big wedding, which is looming.”
Mary Ellen shot a look at Piper who nodded. “It’s all good, just a bit daunting. I can’t wait for us to be married, but the wedding’s so big and …” She shuddered.
“I’ve told her she should back it off. It’s not like Cam cares. He's just doing what he thinks is right because he thinks you,” Chelsea looked at Piper, “are good with it.”
Piper sighed. “And I am. I’m just a little nervous. That’s all, and I really don’t want to talk about it. I want to forget about it tonight.”
“See?” Chelsea turned to Mary Ellen. “We’ve covered what’s going on in our lives. All that’s left is to talk about what’s going on in yours, and that happens to be the one and only Antonio Di Giovanni.” She smiled sweetly. “So where does it go from here?”
“Can’t we just date and see where it goes? Why does it have to go anywhere?”
“Because he’s besotted with you, and because you’ve pined for him for years, and because you make such a great couple. That’s why.”
Mary Ellen chuckled. There was no arguing with Chelsea sometimes. “Okay. Well, as for where we’re going; this weekend we’re going away.”
“Ooh. Where’s he taking you?”
“I don’t know. It’s a surprise.”
“That’s so romantic.” Piper smiled at her. “I have to tell you, I have high hopes for the two of you.”
Molly came to check on their drinks. “What are we talking about?”
Mary Ellen rolled her eyes. “They’re interrogating me about Antonio.”
Molly smiled. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
She nodded. “I am. He’s a good guy.”
“He is.” Molly’s smiled faded. “If the two of you are going to get serious, you should maybe pin him down about where
he plans to live.”
Mary Ellen gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
Chelsea jumped in before Molly had chance to answer. “I don’t think he ever plans to go back to Sicily.”
Molly nodded. “I just think you should know what his plans are.” She turned around and went back into the kitchen.
“What was that all about?” asked Piper.
Chelsea shrugged. “She has her reasons.”
“What reasons?” Mary Ellen was intrigued. It wasn’t like Molly to be short.
Chelsea shrugged. “Not my place to say.”
“Fair enough.” She couldn’t argue with that, but she decided she’d pull Molly aside soon and ask her just what she’d meant. Molly might have her own reasons for bringing it up, but she’d planted a doubt in Mary Ellen’s mind. She’d had a great time with Antonio this last week. She was starting to believe that the two of them might have a good thing going, but she was still wary. She didn’t want to let herself fall for the guy if there was any possibility of him upping and going back to Sicily.
Piper was watching her. “I hope you’re not looking for excuses to stop seeing him. He’s hardly likely to just leave everything he’s built here, is he? He runs the family winery.”
Mary Ellen nodded. “I know; I’m just wary still. I’ve been dumped out of the blue once before. I don’t want to set myself up for it to happen again.”
Chelsea smiled at her. “I don’t see that happening. I know Antonio’s history doesn’t make him look like a good bet for anything long-term, but he’s nothing if not loyal. He’s never made a commitment to a woman because when he does make a commitment, it’s important to him. It looks to me like he wants to make one with you.”
Mary Ellen blew out a sigh. “It does look that way, doesn’t it? And if I’m honest, I love the idea, but for one thing, it’s all a bit premature. We've only been seeing each other a week, and for another thing, I have trouble trusting, even with a man who makes a commitment. I’ve seen how easily they can be broken.”
Chelsea shook her head. “You can’t compare Antonio to David. That’s not fair. That’s like saying you’re not going to drink wine anymore because you had one bad bottle.”