by Robena Grant
She knelt amongst those stones and said a prayer for the father who had departed without a goodbye, and finally forgave him. She embraced the idea of the stepfather she knew she would soon have. Her heart filled with such love she almost couldn’t breathe.
Dia wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks, and stumbled as she stood. She looked toward the far end of the cemetery thinking of Susan’s loss and prayed that she would find her happiness.
****
The ferry ride across to Italy was interesting. It passed quickly. She’d left Nico and Susan inside holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. She’d explained her need for fresh air and escaped.
The ride was so much smoother than their arrival by sea to Corsica. She smiled at those memories. How long ago that seemed. They certainly had packed a lot of living into one week. She stayed on the upper deck, leaning against the railing, daydreaming.
Susan came out to stand next to her. “Hey.”
Good. This was her chance. She held onto Susan’s arm to prevent any attempt of escape. “Hi. Listen, I didn’t talk with Carlo this morning. I, ah, emailed. I wanted to find out exactly what you had said to him first.”
“Oh. That.” Susan smiled softly. “No problem. I talked to Mom…and Angie.”
“What did you say?”
“The truth.” She blinked hard, her eyes wide and innocent.
Dia wondered which truth, but kept her thoughts to herself.
“I said we’d gone to the beach. The wine and salt air had tired me out. When I got home I lay on the bed intending to email or phone, but I fell into a deep sleep. I forgot my phone needed to be recharged.”
Simple enough, Dia supposed. She shot Susan a narrow-eyed glance, but Nico arrived in time to save her from further questioning.
Dia wouldn’t place Susan in an awkward spot. Later when ashore, after Nico had left, she’d get to the bottom of all this. And then, only then, would she call Carlo.
Nico slid between them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “We are almost to shore.”
In the distance she could just make out the low, dark, bluish haze of a land mass.
Chapter Twenty-Two
They strode along the corso. Nico dragged their suitcases gripping a handle in each hand as they headed toward the car rental agency. Susan chatted gaily about anything and everything. Dia wondered if she was forcing herself to be happy. It had to be hard to part from Nico.
At the car place, Dia stepped back a bit, prepared to give Nico and Susan some space for what she was sure would be a teary-eyed farewell. She’d told him not to come this far, to say goodbye at the dock, but he’d insisted. He said it was “in the plan.” The two stood side by side outside the glass doors holding hands and smiling. No tears. No big passionate kisses, just quiet words.
Huh. How about that? She’d guessed wrong.
Dia motioned to the inside. “I’ll leave you guys out here. Arrange for the car.”
They exchanged a look and then came toward her. “I’m not going,” Susan said. Nico stood by her with a loving expression on his face.
“Wh-what?”
“I’m not going home yet. I called Mom this morning. It’s all been arranged.”
Dia stood stock still…her eyes wide. Finally, she shut her mouth and tried to gain some composure. “What are you…I mean, where are you going?”
“Nico is renting a car. He’s driving me up to Ventimiglia, the town where most of his family came from. Then we’re going along the French Riviera. I’ll fly from Nice to Paris, then on to home. On Saturday.”
“Oh. And Angie...”
“She’s fine.”
Dia frowned, and glanced away.
“Mom said she’s been really good—a few more days won’t make any difference. We really need these days together, so we can see what our next steps should be.”
“That’s good,” Dia said. “Your Dad…and Carlo, what do they think?”
“They don’t know yet. Mom is going to tell them.” Susan bit at her fingernail. “I um…I hoped you could explain to Carlo. He’ll understand more if you tell him. He and David were very close.” She shrugged and reached for Nico’s hand.
“Yes, I know. Best friends.” Dia tilted her head to one side. “Of course I’ll talk to him. But you guys have a special relationship, and I think Carlo deserves at least a phone call from you.”
“I know. You’re right.” She grimaced.
“You have to, Susan,” Dia said gently. “Especially after his worry last night and—”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Nico is coming to the States next month to meet everyone. We’ll announce our engagement then.”
“Oh.” Dia felt a rush of heat. So soon?
While on one hand she was thrilled, on the other she knew what Carlo’s reaction would be. Yet, she couldn’t deny the obvious connection these two had.
“Yes. It’s right,” Nico said. “I am so honored.” He leaned down and whispered something to Susan. “I will go. Rent two cars. You talk.”
“Sorry, Dia,” Susan said, as Nico walked away. “I know it’s sudden.”
“Well, it’s not like I didn’t see the signs.” Dia laughed.
Susan blushed. “I am so in love I can’t stand it.” Then she laughed. “But you know I didn’t really decide until the middle of the night.”
“It’s fine. It’ll all work out.” Or it won’t.
Nico came back and handed her the car key. “They have your information from the pre-booking. All is good to return the car in Rome. I prepaid.”
“Oh, thank you. Have a great time,” Dia said.
“And a safe journey for you.” Nico gave her a huge bear hug. “Grazie, princess, for bringing my Susan.” He kissed her once on each cheek. “Your Carlo will be very happy to see you.”
Dia hugged Susan. “Have a great time, and a good flight home.”
“Thanks, I’ll email you.”
Sure she would, but not this week. Dia smiled.
“You’ll talk to Carlo?” Susan whispered.
“Absolutely. Don’t worry. I’ll speak highly of Nico.”
They hugged one more time, and then Dia made her way to the rental car. Rome couldn’t get here soon enough. She was ready to go home. But whether she’d place that call from the airport or wait until they met face to face had not yet been decided.
****
At the Rome airport, Dia’s cell phone rang. It had to be Carlo. Her heart raced and her mouth went dry as she thought about not answering. But she couldn’t do that. She owed him an explanation.
“Dia, I’ve been trying to get you for a day.”
“Almost. But see here’s the thing…”
“Look, that doesn’t matter. At least not any more,” Carlo said, brusquely. “You don’t have to explain. Mom told me all about the ridiculousness of Susan’s plans. You have to stop her. Shake some sense into her if you have to. I mean Susan and Mom are in this romantic place—Well, I don’t know what the hell it is with either of them.”
“Calm down. It’s going to be okay.”
“Calm down? She’s running off with some guy she met a week ago!” Carlo yelled so loudly she had to hold the phone away from her ear. “And speaking of that, how come you gave me no warning of what was happening?”
What the hell?
Dia moved the phone further from her ear. He yelled. Yelled at her! Her blood heated and perspiration popped out around her hairline and across her upper lip. Fear had a stranglehold on her stomach. What was happening?
“Well?”
Dia cleared her throat, reminding herself not to lose her temper. If Carlo wanted to be an ass, well so-be-it. “It wasn’t my business to say anything. I knew they were attracted to each other from the beginning.”
She hesitated for a moment, but Susan had asked her to explain. She pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “They’d been emailing before Susan arrived in Italy.”
“What? How come?”
> “I have no idea how it started. But somehow I think Susan Googled him or found him on Facebook.”
“Facebook?”
“Yes. But seriously, I thought it might be a harmless summer fling.”
“Fling? A harmless fling?”
Geez. Would he repeat every second word she uttered? Dia’s anger rose, and she swallowed hard. “Yes. Susan is an adult. She knows what she’s doing.”
“She’s been hurt terribly. She’s been alone so long. She’s vulnerable—”
“No, Carlo. She isn’t. Susan is warm and open to embracing life and love again. You need to back off and let her have that chance.”
He was silent for a moment. Dia imagined she could hear him breathing and snorting like an old bull pawing at the earth before taking another charge.
“I should fly over there and drag her home.”
Dia’s stomach tightened a little more. She pulled in another deep breath and let it out slowly. Her hands were trembling with suppressed anger. Any minute now she’d erupt. Her chest tightened and so did her fists.
“Well, that would make for a lovely picture, wouldn’t it?”
She heard him tapping. He was probably sitting at his desk rapping his knuckles against it. Love is stupid. Yesterday she’d imagined she was in love with him, and now today she didn’t “get” him at all. He acted like a total stranger. A cold, angry stranger, and she’d reciprocated in like. But she couldn’t stop herself, or get control of her feelings.
“Do you think I care how it looks?” he asked. “I’ve a good mind to do that. Just fly over there.”
Anger welled up inside her. She hoped Susan hadn’t bothered to call him, because she didn’t need his negativity and controlling attitude at this point in her relationship with Nico. “You’d be a fool, Carlo. You’re being way too controlling and macho, and…you know, this is why I’ve shied away from Italian men.”
“Tell me again, why. I’ve forgotten.”
His tone had turned icy cold, and Dia’s shoulders stiffened. Heat rose in her chest. The words exploded out of her. “Too much macho bullshit, posturing, and control, and…and you need to simmer down.”
“I’ll simmer down when I’m damn good and ready.”
“You know what, I’m done here. Don’t call back. They’re ready to board us…goodbye, Carlo. I’ll call when I get home.”
Her hands shook as she closed the cell phone. Tears blurred her vision. She’d lost her cool. She’d gone into white-hot angry mode. That rarely happened, and she hardly ever raised her voice or jumped to take the bait. She slipped on sunglasses and hurried to the ladies’ room. She’d disconnected so fast she hadn’t even heard if he’d bothered to say goodbye.
****
Carlo had tried to work, but he’d finally given up and gone home. He made dinner but had no appetite. He watched TV without hearing. And sleep, what was that? He’d tossed and turned so much he finally gave up and went to the computer in the early hours of the morning.
He sat at his desk, folded his arms, and lowered his head onto them. All he could think about was the stupid conversation with Dia. It had been worse than the one he’d had with her in her mother’s kitchen.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Did love make a fool of you like this? He’d vowed he’d never again lose his temper, but he had. Not more than two weeks later. He’d been a total ass and a control freak, just like Dia said. He’d put on his Italian superman cape and gone into full “I’ll save you” mode. Except nobody had needed saving. Not even his sister.
What was it about his personality that made him think he had to protect every woman who came into his sight? It was a damn sickness. It had only gotten worse after David was killed.
He shook his head. He’d always seen his color blindness as less than manly. Lots of the boys had made fun of him. And he hadn’t been a strong kid either, too tall and wiry. Being the protector had made him feel inwardly strong and brave, instead of a gangly giraffe. Helping all the little girls solve their problems—that had been his M.O. He’d even managed to shake off the negativity he got from the other boys for being a girl lover, until they started to like them themselves. Then they admired his skills.
He flexed his upper arm. When he’d been able to develop some muscle and work at doing that, he’d become more athletic. He’d forgotten those earlier protective habits. He supposed they had never vacated his response mechanism. He looked around the condo. He’d planned such a warm and loving homecoming for Dia. And now this had to happen. Dia was a strong woman. She knew what she wanted in a man, and she’d told him enough times to drop that over-protective stuff.
Truth was, now that he’d had time to think, he was happy for Susan. She’d found someone again. The thing that made him nervous was nobody but Susan knew the man she’d fallen in love with, except for Frank, of course. And there was Angie to think about. Susan and Nico lived on opposite sides of the world. Would the man use her and leave her flat? Would her heart be broken again? And if so, how would she pick up the pieces?
While he knew it wasn’t his problem, his memory shot back to those awful days of holding his sister and letting her cry until her eyes had been like empty dried out cavities. The dark lines underneath them, the pallor of her skin, the loss of appetite and the resultant weight loss had been devastating. It was like a piece of his sister had died right along with her husband.
They’d all worried she would never rebound. Angie had been her healer. That little girl brought such joy to her mother. She was the healing link for the entire family. He turned off the TV. Dia was right. It wasn’t his business. He had to trust his sister to make the right decision for herself and her little girl. Everything else would fall into place. If she decided to move to Corsica, he and his parents would visit. It wasn’t the end of the world. It was in some ways a new beginning.
Now how to make it all up to Dia? How to convince her that his had been a knee-jerk reaction, based on fear? And that yes, he was a hot-blooded and passionate Italian. One who really, really liked and respected women, especially when they were strong-minded. He had to convince her that with a sweet, sane thinker like her in his life, she would temper that side of him. They were made to be together. The phone rang, and he looked around for his cell phone before realizing it was the house line.
It might be Dia.
He hurried to the desk and snatched up the receiver. His mother spoke in short bursts, interrupted by tears and sniffles. She asked if he was sitting. He eased into the desk chair. Something had to be wrong. Angie?
“Mom, slow down. Take a deep breath. Now tell me slowly, what’s wrong?”
“Susan…” She started to cry again.
“Mom. Put Dad on the phone.”
“It’s okay. He’s taken Angie outside. Susan had an accident, car accident.”
“No!” His heart pounded, but he forced himself to be calm. “How bad? Where?”
“She’s in a hospital in Genoa. She’s unconscious. Nico called. He’s okay.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll leave immediately, or as soon as I can get a flight. Give me all the details that you have. Nico’s number. The hospital. Everything.”
“Okay, darling, I hoped you’d say that. I know you’ve been looking forward to Dia coming home, but…”
“She’ll understand. I’ll leave a message for her to call for details.”
“Good. Dad and I will fly over as soon as we can, with Angie, of course.”
That started a whole new bout of tears and nose-blowing on the other end of the phone. Carlo felt a surge of adrenaline and wanted to rush to secure a plane ticket. But he had to stay put a few more minutes, and reach out across the wire to his mother.
“How bad is it? Did you speak to a doctor?”
“Not yet. Nico is arranging that.”
Damn, Nico. Why wasn’t he the one who’s unconscious? Carlo was shocked at his thought and tried to take it back. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone. He was feeling so an
tsy because he needed answers. Part of him wanted to run to his parents’ place and wait for that news from the doctor. The other part said, just go. Go to Italy. He refocused on what his mother was saying.
“We’ll have a few things to organize, but I’m thinking maybe we’ll leave tomorrow. Being just one person you’ll have more of a chance of getting a last minute seat.”
“Yeah, I’ll go out and be on standby if I have to. Absolutely. Stay strong, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, Carlo.”
“Now give me the information you have.” He grabbed a pen and wrote as his mother spoke. “Okay. Got it. I’ll let you know what I find out. Oh, and once you settle down, can you give Rosetta a call and explain to her and Frank? You know, just in case I have to make a mad dash, and can’t contact Dia.”
“Of course, you’re right. They would like to know.”
Carlo put down the handset and sat for a moment in stunned silence. The tick of the clock on the wall behind him sounded loud and ominous. He pushed away the dark thoughts, found a credit card, and called the airline.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dia watched a couple of movies, played a few video games, and tried to read a book. There was no way she could sleep on the plane, even though she was exhausted. Yet she couldn’t keep her thoughts on anything. Furious with Carlo, and embarrassed about her actions, she replayed their argument time and again. It had soured what should have been an amazing vacation.
Now, looking back on it, the trip to ask a stupid gate a question had been ridiculous. She could have bought a new car with that money. Well, at least a half a car. She choked back a half-sob half-laugh. Refusing to cry in a public place, she practiced some deep breathing, repositioned herself in the tiny seat, and gave thanks again that she had a spare seat between herself and the woman who dozed with her head pressed up against the window.
Carlo’s and her relationship might be over, but she wouldn’t walk away. Some things were worth fighting for. She needed to ask him why he reacted as he did, and she needed to hear him say what they’d had was or was not over. She sat up straight and opened her eyes.