How Deep is Your Love?

by Kathryn Shay

  When the structure—a little city—was completed, the parents, including Mariella and Dr. Dubois, made their way over and took pictures.

  Yvette leaned into her father. “Papa, aren’t you taking photos?”

  He felt in his chest pocket. “I must have left my phone on my desk.”

  Yvette’s lip came out in a pout.

  Still next to him, with Lilliana on the other side, Mari offered, “I’ll take a few and send them to your dad, Yvette.”

  “Can you get one of me and Lilly, then, s’il vous plait?”

  “Oui, bien sûr.”

  Yvette beamed at her response.

  When pictures were taken, the girls held hands on the way out, so Mariella walked behind them, next to Dr. Dubois. “Thanks for saving my hide in there,” he said.

  “No worries.”

  “Your daughter is a doll.”

  “As is yours.”

  In the parking lot, he turned to her. “I’m happy to get to know you some.” He held out his hand.

  She shook. “I feel the same.” But he didn’t let go. He placed his other hand over hers and squeezed. “Enjoy your night.”

  “You, too.”

  As Lilliana climbed into her child’s seat in the back, and Mariella buckled her in, her daughter asked, “Do you like Dr. Dubois?”

  “Yes, of course.” She slid into the front seat and started the engine.

  “He’s sad sometimes.”

  “He is?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, adults get sad, honey.”

  “Like you did when Tata died?”

  Mariella winced at the familiar use of daddy in Southern Italy. And also because she didn’t want Lilliana to see her sad. “I guess.”

  “Dr. Dubois is probably sad because his mama died in the summer.”

  “Maybe. Now, what do you want for dinner?”

  Mariella changed the subject because she didn’t want to pry into anyone else’s life. She hated when others pried into hers, so she’d leave Dr. Dubois his privacy.

  * * *

  On Thursday morning, Brie bubbled into school. Her skin still carried the imprint of Dante’s hands, her lips the feel of his mouth. Hoping to see him this morning, she headed to the teacher’s lounge. Once inside, she slid her mail out of her box, turned...and saw him seated at a table—with a woman.

  One Brie hadn’t seen before. She didn’t work here. He caught sight of Brie and waved her over.

  Her chest tightened as she crossed the room. “This is my coworker, Brie. Brie, this is my friend, Laurie. She’s teaching yoga at the high school today and stopped to see me.”

  How sweet. Gathering her princess dignity around her, Brie gave the woman a nod. “Hello, Laurie.”

  The woman touched Dante’s arm. “I think we’re a bit more than friends. But hello.”

  Brie’s dignity wavered.

  “Want to sit and chat?” he asked Brie.

  “No, thanks. I have some things to do before the kids get here.” She left the two of them together. And at least Laurie thought they were together.

  Like she’d learned so well to do, she pushed the encounter—and Dante—out of her mind, taught her morning content, and when it was time for lunch, she stayed in her room.

  After only a few minutes, Madelyn came in. “What’s wrong?”

  “Um, nothing.”

  “Aren’t you eating today?”

  “No. Not hungry.”

  Madelyn held up a bag. “Are you sure? I had a meeting outside of school and on a whim, stopped and got fast food. I’ll share.”

  “You’re on.”

  The forty-minute break with a friend made Brie feel better, but on her free period, she began to think about Dante again. This was the time of day they’d had coffee.

  He was with another woman today after he’d kissed her last night like he couldn’t get enough of her. Brie wasn’t sure how the dating scene worked anymore, but to her mind, that didn’t sit well. No, it didn’t feel good!

  They’d had one date. They hadn’t even talked about their relationship. It was stupid to be hurt by this.

  Not true. The entire sixteen days she’d been back to school had established something between them.

  I date. No one serious.

  How come? A guy like you?

  Haven’t met the right one. But a girl, now a woman, and I were pretty serious all through high school. She came back to town, so maybe.

  So Laurie was the woman. Was she going to let an old girlfriend snatch Dante back? She admitted she wanted a romantic relationship with him. So, what to do...?

  “Hey.” She looked up from her desk. He stood there—alone—in the doorway. “Can I come in?”

  “Yes, of course. Close the door, would you?”

  “Um, sure.”

  “Get the big chair and pull it over.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sat adjacent to Brie. “How you doing today?”

  “I want a relationship with you.”

  His brows rose at the non-sequitur. “We have a relationship, Brie.”

  “I want to date.”

  “We had a date.”

  “I want to date more.”

  “Good. How about tomorrow night?”

  “No, tonight.”

  “Can’t. I’m having dinner with my mother. I’ll probably give her the third degree about her new male friend.”

  “All right. Tomorrow night. My place.”

  “Don’t you want to go somewhere?”

  “No, I want to stay in. Just me and you, together.”

  “Fine by me.” He arched a brow. “You’re in a pretty weird mood, Brie.”

  “I know.”

  “Why?”

  She lifted her chin in a haughty gesture. “I need to know something first. Are you dating her?”

  “My mother?”

  “No, silly. Laurie.”

  “Um, I had one date with her, at the beginning of the year. She wants more. When she came over this morning—uninvited—I told her no thanks.”

  “Why?”

  “Probably for the same reason you’re acting so weird.”

  She relaxed some.

  “I wanna be more than friends with you, Brie. I’m attracted to you, not Laurie.”

  “That is why I’m in a weird mood. I want that. I thought you did, too. Then I saw...” She left the statement hanging.

  Reaching over, he took her hand. Brought it to his mouth. “Nothing. You saw nothing on my part.”

  “Good.”

  “So, tomorrow night?”

  “Un-huh. Tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 7

  “Good morning.” Madelyn stood in front of the kids who’d assembled in a back room of the library which had space for two classes. “We have a very special treat today. Who knows what a podcast is?”

  One girl raised her hand. “It’s a movie. I saw the Pickles ones.”

  “Yes, it’s a short movie. Ms. Marcello did some with Pickles and his friends before her books came out. Now she’s made a podcast just for you. We’re going to show it on the screen. The message of the podcast is very important. It talks about being kind and supportive to each other. Here she is to tell you more about what she’s brought for you.”

  Alexandra stood from where she sat behind Madelyn. “Hello everybody.” She pointed to a stack of books behind her. “I’ve got the books I promised to bring for you when I was here in the spring. You’ll get them at the end of the school day.

  “But this morning, I’ve got another podcast, which deals with something very serious. Sometimes kids aren’t very nice to each other. It happens in school, on the playground, in the yard of your house. Everybody in this room needs to see the short film so you know what do when other kids aren’t nice to you. Let’s watch.”

  The screen in back of her flickered to life.

  Pickles appears. She’s about five inches high and an inch round. She has big brown eyes and smiles a lot. She’s lying in a chaise l
ounge next to her friend. “Ah, I like that sun. Don’t you, Mizz Lovely Lettuce?”

  Mizz Lovely Lettuce has big green eyes and a curly fan of green behind her. “I like it so we can sit back and grow.” She sighs. “Is Princess Esmerelda coming by today?”

  Pickles: “She comes every day.”

  Silence for a moment.

  Mr. String Bean appears. He’s tall and skinny and wears sunglasses all the time, but now they’re askew. “Come quick! Tater’s in trouble.”

  Pickles and Ms. Lovely stand. They go to the end of the patch. There they find Tater backed up against a tree. He is round and rough with dark eyes.

  Potato Bug stands over him. “Whatsa matter, roly poly? Too scared to push me away?”

  Tater quivers but doesn’t speak.

  Potato Bug moves in closer. “You know what I can do, dontcha?” (His tongue comes out.) “My spit can kill you.”

  Pickles runs over to them. “Stop it!”

  Mr. String Bean comes beside him. “Get away, you bully.”

  Mizz Lovely Lettuce slides in front of Tater and faces down Potato Bug. “Go away.”

  Tater wipes his eyes.

  Potato Bug backs up. “You’re jerks. Nobody likes you. I’m leaving.” He waddles off.

  They all gather around Tater.

  Mizz Lovely Lettuce touches Tater’s head. “Sorry, Tater.”

  Pickles helps Tater get up. “I hate him. I can’t stand this anymore.”

  Pickles: “It happened before?”

  Tater: “Uh-huh.”

  Ms. Lovely Lettuce: “This isn’t right.”

  Tater looks up at Pickles. “What can we do?”

  Pickles: “I know who to ask.”

  The scene darkens then lights up. Princess Esmerelda is standing in front of the garden.

  Princess: “I’m so sorry this has been going on. I’m afraid I didn’t know exactly what to do, so Mamá called a doctor who had lots of advice.”

  Tater wipes his eyes. “There’s nothin’ anybody can do.”

  Princess: “That’s not true, Tater. And when you...” the Princess looks up now at the audience... “And you think that way, bullying keeps going.”

  Pickles: “So how do we stop Potato Bug?”

  Princess: “I have some ways, but it’s only a beginning. Before I show you how to stop this, I have to say that it’s important to treat everyone kindly.”

  Mr. String Bean shakes his head. “But the bullies have to be here to hear that.”

  Princess looks out at the audience. “Oh, I think they’re all hearing us.”

  Tater: “He’s bigger than me.”

  Princess: “Well, don’t let him feel bigger. Walk around with confidence. Don’t slump or stare down. Keep your head high and be aware.”

  The dolls practice the posture.

  The kids in the audience laughed.

  Princess: “But if you do get in trouble, try to leave the situation. Dart around the bully right away. If you act quickly, you could surprise him or her and get away.”

  Mizz Lovely Lettuce: “But what if we can’t get away? Sometimes they yank on my leaves.”

  Princess: “Bullies don’t want to get caught. If you can’t get out of the situation, put your hands up, palms out, like a fence, elbows bent.” She demonstrates. “Yell, ‘Stop, get out of my way, I wanna go.’”

  Tater: “What if we’re alone?”

  Princess: “Keep yelling. Scream. In school especially, someone will come.”

  They all agreed.

  Princess: “One last thing. If you do get bullied, tell an adult in your life, like a teacher or a mom or dad so they can help stop that bad behavior.”

  Mr. String Bean: “Isn’t that tattling?”

  Princess: “No, it’s staying safe.”

  When the video ended, Madelyn stood back up and moved next to Lexy. “What’s going to happen now is you’ll go back to your classroom with your subject area teacher and another who instructs you in Physical Education, music or art. They’ll ask your opinion of what you saw, and give you their feelings about it. Remember, bullying isn’t going to stay in the shadows at Stanton Elementary. We’re going to get hurtful things that happen in our school out in the open so we can stop them.”

  Off to the side, Brie and the other fourth-grade teacher as well as Dante and the named teachers stood. Brie said, “Okay, my kids, come with me and Mr. Federico. We’re heading back to our room.”

  She led the way and Dante followed. They walked in line to her room, and she and Dante stood in the hall while the kids filed in and got seated. Once they settled, Brie said to Dante, “Ready, Mr. Federico?”

  “As I’ll ever be. I hope I do this right.”

  “You will.” She squeezed his arm. “We will. Together.”

  * * *

  Calming her heart—for God’s sake, it was actually fluttering—Brie opened her front door to let Dante into her home. And her life. He wore well-fitting black jeans and a red-and-white-checked shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, baring arms dusted with black hair. The red color highlighted his complexion. “Do I pass muster?” he asked, his voice laced with humor.

  “Sorry, I don’t get to see you dressed.”

  He gave a very male laugh.

  “I mean dressed in clothes. Street clothes.” She raked back her hair, which she’d washed and dried and left down. “Hell, I’m embarrassing myself.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I changed outfits three times.”

  “Ha.”

  At her invitation, he stepped up and inside and leaned forward to hug her. “Hi.”

  God, there it was again, the feel of him against her...the muscles, the hard planes, the firm clasp of his arm around her back. For a moment, she savored the contact, then moved away. “Hi.” She took his hand. “Come on out to the back. I was just finishing dinner prep.”

  They crossed through the living room to the dining space that was part of the kitchen. He sniffed. “Hmm, that smells good.”

  The scents of garlic, oregano, salt and peppers in the marinara sauce filled the air, along with fresh dough recently baked. “I made calzones.”

  “You made calzones. My family usually buys them. They’re complicated.”

  “I told you, I like to cook. I made the dough earlier in the week, and stuffed it when I got home. They’re cooked, but need about fifteen more minutes.”

  “Stuffed it with?”

  “Ricotta, of course, with mozzarella and salami. A little red pepper and parsley.”

  “Yum.”

  “Grab the goblets off the table and I’ll get you something to drink.”

  From the table, set with a checkered cloth and red napkins, he retrieved the glasses. “Pretty.” The stem was teal blue, and the bowl decorated with a tree sprig with different colored leaves.

  “It’s Murano glass.” The Venetian island. “Mamá bought a set for all of us on a trip she took with Papá.”

  “I wish I’d traveled more in Italy when I was there.”

  “It’s a lovely country. We live in rolling hills and valleys that are green most of the time. Want to sit outside again?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Should I put the calzones in?”

  “Are we in a hurry?”

  “No. I’ve got all night.”

  The words zinged between them. He said, “Don’t blush. I know that wasn’t an invitation to stay over.”

  They walked outside and took chairs adjacent to each other at the table they’d occupied the other night. The sun was low on the horizon. After she sat, she asked, “What if it was, Dante?”

  “What if what was?”

  “An invitation.”

  “Is that what you were thinking for tonight?” Reaching over, he slid his hand to her neck. “’Cuz if it is, I’ve been thinking about that, too.”

  She nodded.

  Leaning closer, he kissed her nose. Then her mouth, a soft claim with the promise of more. They both sat back.

  She sipp
ed the dry cabernet. “It’s cooler out tonight.”

  “Yeah. You never know what’s going to happen in early September. Lexy was great yesterday.”

  “She was. Reynolds Publishing brought in a psychologist to give the information on bullying. I think they’re going to professionally market the podcast to schools.”

  “Worth the money, I’d say.”

  “Lexy and Ryder won’t charge for them. It’ll be free to all organizations. And advertised in the back of the rest of Pickles books.”

  He chuckled. “Your family is incredible.”

  Again, she tasted the wine. “I want to know more about yours.”

  “I told you Mom has a boyfriend.”

  “The first since your dad died?”

  “No, but she confessed last night the relationship’s been going on since last winter.” Dante shook his head. “I told her not to jump into anything.”

  “Ah. Eight months isn’t enough of a courtship?”

  “I...are you thinking about us?”

  Brie frowned. “In what way?”

  “We’ve only gotten to know each other in the past three weeks. Maybe it’s not enough of a courtship to...”

  “Maybe it is, Dante.”

  He put down his glass. “You’re teasing the hell out of me, sweetheart.”

  Pushing back her chair, she set her glass down, stood and angled herself onto his lap. “Well,” she said, lowering her head. “Let’s see if I can clear that up.”

  * * *

  Her lips grazed his, back and forth, back and forth, gentle and inviting. She probed his lips until they opened. Then she explored him. She tasted sweet and sinful. He met her urgency with his own tongue. They let the kiss overtake them. He cupped her face and nipped at her mouth. She groaned. God! His hands brushed down the sides of her, stopped on her breasts and covered them. They were full, heavy, female. He kneaded them, shaped them and this time, the moaning sound was his. But soon that wasn’t enough. He nuzzled his face in her chest, then drew back. Before they did more, he said, “Hold on a sec, Brie.”

  She leaned away. “Why?”

  “You know where this is leading, right?”