Stronger

by Janet Nissenson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  ISBN: 9781543910452

  This one’s dedicated to my mother. I miss you every day, Mom, and still expect the phone to ring every afternoon at two o’clock with a call from you. The passing of time will never dull the memories.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  February – San Francisco

  Dante Sabattini stared in disbelief at the woman seated to his right - the woman he’d fallen in love with soon after they had first met, and the same woman he had believed was the one for him. The woman he was this close to proposing to. In fact, he had casually begun to look at engagement rings for her recently, and had planned to pop the question in just a few more weeks, on the anniversary of their first full year of dating. But it seemed that the woman in question had a very different idea of the direction their relationship was headed.

  “You’re breaking up with me?” he asked incredulously. “Katie - what the hell is this all about? We’ve been together for close to a year now. I thought - no, make that knew - we had something really, really special. So what gives?”

  Katie Carlisle looked distinctly uncomfortable, an expression that rarely if ever appeared on her beautiful, flawless face. She avoided looking directly at Dante, staring down instead at the slim, smooth hands clasped nervously on her lap, and was clearly ill at ease with what she was about to tell him. “I’m moving back to L.A.,” she began in that sweet, high-pitched voice that had always aroused Dante, oftentimes with a single word. “Remember that TV pilot I shot last summer - the one I was so sure was going to get picked up by one of the networks?”

  He nodded, regarding her warily. “I remember very well. It was a sitcom, and you were devastated when none of the networks were interested. What about it? You told me that had turned out to be a total dead end.”

  Katie’s light blue eyes, enormous in her perfect oval of a face, were shining with excitement. “Well, the producers for the show kept shopping it around to different networks, and one of the up and coming cable channels is picking it up after all! Thirteen episodes, in addition to the pilot. Fortunately the rest of the cast is available, too, so we can start filming right away. In fact, I’m flying down to L.A. day after tomorrow to start looking for a place to live, and we start filming in about ten days. Isn’t that the most wonderful news, Danny? My dream of being an actress is finally going to come true after all this time!”

  Dante tried, really tried, to summon up enough enthusiasm to appear convincing as he pulled Katie into an embrace. ‘God, she smells so good,’ he thought with a groan. ‘And feels even better. No way in hell am I letting her get away!’

  Out loud, he told her warmly, “That’s fantastic news, baby. I’m really, really happy for you. But what does that have to do with breaking up with me? Did you think I wouldn’t be supportive or understanding? I know how much this means to you, Katie, how hard you’ve worked to get that big break. And, hey, it’ll suck for sure to have you in L.A. most of the week, but it’s just an hour’s flight from here. We can see each other on the weekends, Skype in between. And I have a ton of clients in southern California so it gives me the perfect excuse to make lots of business trips down that way.”

  Katie’s slender, toned body felt unnaturally stiff in his embrace, and she continued to fidget until he reluctantly withdrew his arms. “Danny,” she protested weakly, “that’s just not going to work. It - it wouldn’t be fair to you for starters. I mean, I know how much you look forward to seeing your family every Sunday, and if you were flying down to L.A. to see me all the time you’d have to skip your visits with them.”

  He shrugged. “So maybe I have to cut down on seeing them quite as often. Or I come down to see you during the week. Besides, didn’t you say it was only thirteen episodes? That’s barely three months time. Does your agent already have something else lined up for you after the series wraps up?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet, anyway. But given that all of this just happened over the last couple of days it’s too soon for anything to have come up. Though Doug is convinced that this is going to be my big break - that once the series airs his phone will start ringing off the hook with offers. And of course we’re all hoping that the series will get picked up for a second season. So if you’re thinking that I’m just going to move back here after we finish filming, that’s not going to happen. I’m planning to stay in L.A. permanently, Danny. Which is why we need to end things between us.”

  Dante fought off the sense of panic that was threatening to overwhelm him, forced himself to remain calm, and resisted the urge to raise his voice and start issuing demands - behaviors that were sometimes second nature to his passionate, hot-tempered Italian personality. Instead, he gently placed his hands on Katie’s shoulders, turning her to face him, and tried to ignore the way she resisted him.

  “Katie,” he began in the suave, persuasive voice that had successfully seduced too many woman to count over the years. “Baby, we do not need to end things between us. Lots of couples have long distance relationships and find ways to make them work. Howie and I have talked about opening another branch of the business, possibly in southern California since we do a lot of business there. I could pursue that idea further, get an office opened up within a few months, and arrange things so that I work out of that location at least half the month.”

  She shook her glossy blonde head stubbornly. “I don’t want you to go to that much trouble, Danny. You’d practically be rearranging your entire life for me. And it’s not - that is, I don’t think - well, you shouldn’t do something that drastic.”

  He leaned over and kissed her, then frowned as she turned her head away. “What the hell, Katie?” he asked in disbelief. “What exactly is going on, anyway? Because I’m more than willing to do whatever I need in order to make things work between us, and all you can do is come up with reasons against it.” A sudden, ugly suspicion popped into his head, causing him to drop his hands and lean away from her. “Is there someone else? Is that it, Katie? Is that why you’re so dead-set against me moving to L.A. part-time or trying to work out arrangements for us to keep seeing each other?”

  “No! No,” she assured him, placing a hand on his chest to calm him down. “I swear, Danny. There’s no one else. But, well, Doug thinks that - that it would be a lot better for my career if I was known to be single, especially since my character on the show is a real party girl.”

  Dante gave a snort of derision. “I think your agent is an idiot. There are plenty of successful actresses who are married or in relationships. Why does he think your
situation is any different?”

  This was clearly a conversation that Katie didn’t want to have, given the way her fidgeting increased and she continued to clasp and unclasp her hands in agitation. “He - he just does, that’s all,” she replied faintly.

  “Well, I think he’s full of shit,” declared Dante bluntly. “You’ve already got the role in the TV show, and once everyone sees what a great actress you are I’m convinced that not only will the show get renewed but you’ll get all sorts of other offers. And I’ll do everything I can to support you, baby. It’ll suck not to see you as often, but we will work this out, Katie. I promise you.”

  Katie gave another small, stubborn shake of her head. “No, Danny. I’m sorry, but it’s got to end between us. I - I don’t want the sort of lifestyle you do. I love L.A., all the excitement and nightlife and energy. And I don’t think I’d ever want to move back to San Francisco. While you have your business here and your family and all your friends. I’m not going to ask you to give that up for me. I guess we just want different things from life, you know?”

  “No, I don’t,” he retorted, beginning to lose patience with her half-baked excuses. “For the third time, we can figure this out, Katie. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but, for Christ’s sake - I’m crazy in love with you, woman! You’re the only woman I’ve ever felt this way about, I’ve been with you longer than anyone else, and, well, I was going to wait for a few more weeks until the anniversary of our first date, but I was planning to ask you to marry me, Katie. To be my wife and spend the rest of your life with me. So I’m sure as hell not willing to just end things between us because you think it won’t be fair to me. Let me be the judge of that, hmm?”

  But rather than look thrilled at his unexpected announcement, the expression on Katie’s face more closely resembled horror. Her blue eyes held a panicked look, and she inched away from him even further on the sofa. “Marry you?” she whispered in disbelief. “My God, Danny, I’m nowhere near ready to get married! To you or anyone! Not only is my career just beginning to take off, but I’m way too young to even think of settling down for years and years yet.”

  Dante flinched visibly at her outburst, shocked by the vehemence of her statement, and was more than a little taken aback by such a reaction from the woman he’d been convinced was his soulmate, his future wife and the mother of his children. “Katie,” he reminded gently, “you’re almost thirty years old. That’s not such an outrageously young age to not be thinking about the future or getting married. I’m thirty-three and practically the last one of my family or friends to get married.”

  “I am not almost thirty!” protested Katie, her high-pitched voice escalating to a near-shriek. “I just turned twenty-nine a few months ago. And I’ve already told you multiple times that my agent tells everyone I’m only twenty-four. But that’s beside the point. I’m sorry, Danny, but getting married just isn’t part of my plan right now. Or for a long time to come.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “How in the hell could I have read you so wrong for almost a year?” he mused as though to himself. “I mean, I know your career means a lot to you, but when your show didn’t get picked up last year you seemed to have resigned yourself to moving on. And while we never actually discussed getting married, we definitely have a connection, Katie. We love each other, for Christ’s sake! And I can’t believe you’re just going to walk away from me as though the last year meant nothing to you.”

  “It’s not that,” assured Katie quietly, her voice sounding a little choked up. “I already told you, Danny - it just wouldn’t be fair to you. I mean, who knows how busy I’ll get, how unpredictable my job might become. What if you flew all the way to L.A. and I couldn’t spend any time with you during your stay because I was filming all day, and doing promotional stuff at night? And let’s face it - you’re an awfully macho guy, and I already know you’d get fed up with that sort of unreliability pretty quick. So it’s just - better this way.”

  “Better for who?” he sneered. “Certainly not for me, baby. So you must be referring to yourself. And now that I think about it, having a boyfriend - not to mention a fiancé - would definitely cramp your style if you’re trying to project the image of a single, fun-loving party girl. I’m surprised that this sleazeball agent of yours isn’t already planning for you to be seen out on the town with a string of hot guys as a way to reinforce that image.”

  It was the expression on Katie’s face that gave her away, and Dante knew that he’d hit the nail on the head with his suspicion. He shook his head in disgust, giving her a scathing look.

  “Jesus, Katie,” he muttered. “It’s all true, isn’t it? You’re breaking up with me, refusing to even compromise on how we could make a long-distance relationship work, all because your asshole of an agent thinks it would be better for your career to date other guys? You’re throwing away everything we’ve had together for the past year, not to mention our future, on the chance - a slim one at that - it will help your career?”

  Katie’s blue eyes were shimmering with tears now, and the hand she placed on his chest was trembling. “Don’t be mad,” she pleaded. “It’s nothing to do with you, Danny, honest. You’ve been wonderful to me, spoiled me rotten, and you’re the nicest guy I’ve ever dated. But I can’t be what you want, Danny. Can’t give you what you need. I knew from the first time we met that you were an old-fashioned kind of guy, that sooner than later you’d want to get married and have kids. And I thought for a few months that maybe I wanted that, too. That my career was going nowhere, that I was probably being stupid and unrealistic to think I’d ever get my break.”

  “But now that you have, all of a sudden settling down is the last thing you want,” finished Dante sarcastically. “Yeah, baby, you’ve made that pretty fucking clear. Now that your luck has changed and Hollywood is calling, it’s bye-bye Dante, forget about this last year, and have a nice life. Well, I get the message loud and clear, Katie. But here’s my message for you, sweetheart - lose my number, okay? Forget you ever knew me. Because I sure as hell plan on following my own advice where you’re concerned.”

  And before Katie could utter a single word of protest, Dante surged to his feet and stormed out of her apartment, slamming the door behind him for good measure and not bothering to spare even a single backwards glance.

  Chapter Two

  April

  Nick Manning glared in annoyance at the man seated across from him as they waited for their lunch to be served. “Jesus, will you snap the fuck out of it already, Dan? It’s been over two months, for Christ’s sake! When was the last time you ever mooned over a woman for this long? Correction - when have you ever mooned over any woman for even a day?”

  Dante sighed, taking a sip from the glass of Pinot Noir he’d ordered to accompany his meal. “Never,” he admitted reluctantly. “But then I’ve never had a relationship that lasted more than a couple of months, much less almost a year. And there’s never been anyone who could hold a candle to Katie. She’s - special, Nick. And I was so sure she was the one. It’s going to take a long time to get over her.”

  Nick made a sound of disgust, refilling his glass from the bottle of Pellegrino water he’d ordered. “Why? Because she stabbed you in the back and chose her career over you? A career, by the way, that’s gone nowhere for ten years until now. I’m willing to bet this sitcom of hers is going to bomb, and that Katie will come running back and beg you to forgive her in that sweet little girl voice. Did I ever tell you how annoying that voice of hers is?”

  Despite his bad case of the doldrums, Dante couldn’t help grinning at his friend’s unabashed candor. “A few times, yeah. You aren’t exactly known for holding back, Nick. And you’ve made it pretty obvious that you didn’t like Katie very much.”

  Nick shrugged. “She was okay. I mean, she seemed to make you happy, and that’s really all that matters, right? Except now, of course, when you’re starting to embarrass yourself by the way you keep mooning o
ver her. Even Angela told me you need to snap out of it. And this is coming from a woman who was in a funk for over two years after I broke up with her.”

  Dante took a slice of sourdough bread from the basket, then dunked it into the mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar he’d poured into a small dish. “You treated Angela like shit when you were together,” he commented matter-of-factly. “I was speechless when I learned she actually agreed to give you another chance. And I hope you say a prayer of thanks every single day that she decided to take your sorry ass back.”

  A smirk crossed Nick’s darkly handsome features. “I’ll leave the praying up to you, Catholic school boy. But I make sure to let my woman know how much she means to me on a regular basis, and that I still have a lot to make up for. You don’t have to remind me how much of an asshole I was to her. But frankly, Katie didn’t always treat you very well either.”

  Dante’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously. “What the hell do you mean by that? Except for the way she broke up with me two months ago, my relationship with Katie was just about perfect.”

  “If you say so,” drawled Nick. “And, hey, you know the old saying - ‘no one knows what goes on behind closed doors’. But from what I could see your sweet little Katie knew exactly how to play you, Dan. Did you ever bother to total up how much you spent on her over the last year? Between the four-star restaurants, the exotic vacations, and an entire designer wardrobe, I’m betting it was a pretty penny. Oh, and I forgot about the brand new car you bought her for Christmas. I’m just assuming she didn’t return that to you when she flitted off to Hollywood to quote unquote ‘pursue her dream’?”

  Dante could feel his cheeks grow warm, and he fidgeted awkwardly in his chair. “No,” he acknowledged sullenly. “And why would she? The car was a gift, like all the other things I gave her. Things that any man with the means would give to the woman he loved. And I resent your implication that Katie was just using me for material gain. She wasn’t like that, Nick.”