Lucy and Chase came down the hall a few minutes later. "Hey, guys, we found Luke out front, so we dragged him in."
Aaron wiped his hands on a cloth, tossed it over his shoulder, and shook hands and kissed everyone. I stayed behind the counter using the tomatoes I was halfway through chopping as an excuse.
"Looking good as always, Cherie," Chase said, leaning over to kiss my cheek.
"Thanks. You scrub up alright yourself."
"You've met Luke, right?" he asked.
"I have. Hi again."
"Hi again." Luke wore black jeans and a white shirt with a line of fancy trim around the inside of the cuffs and buttons. He was carrying wine and sporting a smile.
"Where's Piper?" Lucy asked.
"Work stuff, she'll be here soon. Chase, man, do you want to do drinks while I throw these in the oven?" Aaron asked.
"Dude, I hardly recognize you in your new domesticated state," he teased before popping the cork on a bottle of champagne. “A few short months ago, all you got here was beer and pizza."
"I don't know, I had a few burgers over the years," I interjected.
"Hey, just because I didn't cook for you slobs didn't mean I didn't know how."
"So you're saying until recently we were unworthy?" Chase laughed.
"You're still unworthy."
"Hey," I said, elbowing him.
"You were never unworthy, but you eat so well with the rest of the Italian family, I was your escape to America. Burgers, takeout, and Chinese food."
"True."
"Cherie's family is all Italian, lots of big yummy food. Aaron is her weird cousin who was raised on American food," Lucy explained to Luke.
"Ah, I see," he said.
"Where is your family?" I asked him. That's polite, right?
"Right now they're in California. My parents move a lot. They've been there maybe five years, so I believe they're planning another move right now."
"That's pretty cool," Lucy said. She was like me. She didn't come from a family of travelers or adventurers.
"I guess. It can be confusing though; sometimes I have to stop and remember where they are." I remembered that back in the day. He hadn't been too thrilled about it.
"Where are you based?" Chase asked.
"Well, I have an apartment in New York, but I travel quite a bit for work, too, right now. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
I finished the salad and excused myself to go wash my hands and recover from the fact I was managing to have a relatively normal conversation with Luke even though I was drooling on the inside. When I came back out, Piper was back.
"Pie-pah," I said, mimicking her Australian accent and pulling her in for a big hug.
"Girl, you look amazing and you smell like . . . what is that? It is so good."
"I'll never tell." I winked at her.
"I smell like well . . . nothing good. Give me five, guys. Apologies." She raced up the stairs.
"Is it wrong that I want to sniff you now?" asked Lucy.
"We're all thinking it." Chase laughed.
I looked over at Luke who was definitely thinking it. Well, that was something. I still had some allure.
The conversation was light. The boys talked baseball and football and some other ball. I had never been into sports. I was from Boston, so of course I supported the Red Sox, the Celtics, and the Patriots, but did I care? No, I did not. The conversation was a nice chance for me to sit on a fluffy sofa and watch Luke. He was holding a beer and leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. When someone spoke, his deep blue eyes really watched them. He was really listening. He'd always been good at that, making you feel like the only person in the room. To be fair, back then I usually was the only person in the room.
Finally, Piper emerged looking cute as anything in a black shift and red peek-a-boo shoes. Her long red hair cascaded down her back. She didn't need any other adornment with that striking mane.
Aaron handed her champagne, and she sighed a happy sigh as she took her first sip.
"So, what did I miss?"
By the time we sat at the table, I was feeling relaxed. I should not have let the wine and the friendship lull me. When Luke pulled my chair out for me, my heart did a little flip. When he sat next to me and gave me a huge grin, it did it again.
The others left the room to bring food, and he leaned over after taking the seat beside mine. "You look and smell amazing. You're like a dream."
I was speechless, but when the others returned, I was saved from having to respond.
It was a fun dinner. I avoided too much focus by asking questions of others. A strategy I often used with great success. I was engaged and involved, but I didn't have to reveal too much that way.
That was until Luke turned his attention to me. "So, why did you choose real estate, Cherie?"
I felt all eyes upon me. I had a stock standard answer to this, but I didn't feel like giving it. "I like helping people find homes. It's the biggest decision in most people's lives to buy a home."
"That's true, but how did you get into it in the beginning?"
"Oh, well, while I was at college, I worked at a furniture and electrical store, so I saw the whole buying the contents of the home and I learned I was actually pretty good at sales."
"That would be an understatement," Aaron interjected. When I stared him into silence, he stopped short. "Oh, carry on."
"After college, I got a job in a corporate bank in loans, but while I was good at it, it felt soulless to me. Then, I met an older guy who was a realtor, that's a long story, and he mentored me and I moved in this direction. I've had my business for six years now."
"Interesting," Luke said.
"Well, probably not, but I love my job and I meet lots of cool people, and I feel as if I'm part of an important stage in their lives whether it's selling a much-loved home or finding one. I do some commercial property as well but mostly residential. I prefer it."
"Yeah, and now you need to get some help," Piper interjected. "I know you love controlling your universe, but you need a PA at least. You're wearing yourself out."
"Thanks, Piper, I'll take that under advisement," I said, giving my friend a grin. It was nice to know someone was worried about me. I mean, my family was always at me. You work too hard! When are you settling down? We want grandchildren! But that didn't have much to do with me; it was all about expectation.
"You're at the hardest stage for growing a business actually," Luke interjected. "Lots of people in your situation falter because in order to have staff, you need the work, but you can't do more work without the staff. It's a classic chicken and egg issue."
"Well, thank you, everyone, for this evening's Business 101 class, I appreciate it. May I have more wine please?" I didn't appreciate it. I didn't like anyone having a say in my business but me, even if in this case they were right. In fact, that made it more annoying.
Luke was now sitting next to me on the sofa. It seemed to me he was closer than necessary. I could feel the warmth of his thigh an inch from mine. I knew there had been discussion about how I smelled good, but he was sending wafts of pine and citrus my way and it was not all bad.
"Do you live nearby?" he asked casually as he leaned in to put his coffee cup down on the table. An innocent question, or was it?
"Not really. I still live in . . ."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I figured you'd be downtown."
"Yeah, well, I kind of live with, well not with, my Nona. I live Nona-adjacent."
"Nona-adjacent? Is that a real thing?"
I shrugged. "Probably not. I live in an apartment above her garage. It means she doesn't have to live with my parents. I've already lived with them and I know Nona would hate it, so for now at least, I'm helping her maintain her independence."
"That's very sweet of you."
"I'm a sweet girl."
"I seem to recall," he said and my heart did that blip again.
"Anyway, for this eveni
ng this is my home." I often stayed over at friends' houses in the city.
"And for this week, the Copley is mine."
"Nice digs." I didn't know why he was telling me where he was staying. Was I supposed to read something into it?
"Hotels are pretty much the same—big beds, fluffy robes, breakfast buffets, club sandwiches, and a pool."
"Maybe, but what more could one want?"
"I don't know—a wife, kids, a dog, and a house maybe." He turned his attention back to Chase who was asking him if he would like a lift to the hotel. I was dumbstruck. Did he really just say that? This was getting more and more weird.
Here I was pretending I didn't know the only guy I'd ever been in love with, who may or may not have been flirting with me as if there was still something there. There was for me, but it was probably just lust. I'd been without good loving for quite some time now. Was it mutual?
And did he feel the same?
Oh yeah, and I still didn't know why he'd vanished without as much as a good-bye all those years earlier. My brain was going to explode. I hadn't been this full of secrets and questions since Luke Oberlin had been in town all those years ago.
Chapter 4
Piper and I sat on opposite sofas in our pajamas eating toast. It was a sunny Sunday morning and we were blissfully alone. Aaron had been called in to work for some crisis on a case, and now it was just us. Since her marriage to Aaron, there hadn't been much time for us to talk.
The marriage, which I had arranged as a marriage of convenience so that she wouldn't be thrown out of the country when her visa expired, had turned into true love, as I knew it would. And her chain of pie trucks was simultaneously being turned into a national franchise. Piper had been a very busy girl of late.
"So, how are you coping, Piper? Heady days for you."
"I know. Some days I wake up with Aaron next to me and have to take a moment to orientate myself. Where am I? Oh and that's ohmygod my super-hot and super-adoring husband. It's surreal. Then I go to work and juggle the madness of this deal, and, bam, I'm off-kilter again. It's insane but in a good way."
"I bet. You guys are so great together. I knew you would be."
"I thought there was a bit of sparkle between you and Luke last night. He's cute!"
"He is cute, and he's also based in New York and not really the guy for me."
"How do you know?" She bit down hard on her toast, which she insisted on covering in Vegemite.
"Trust me, I just know."
"Can I give you some advice?"
"Can you be stopped?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I'm not saying Luke is the one for you. But maybe you need to give someone a chance. I took a chance on Aaron and Lucy took a chance on Chase . . ."
"Yeah, but you know what? I had carefully vetted both those guys for you before you even met. I'm the matchmaker and I knew for certain that it would work."
"So matchmaker yourself, honey."
"I would if I could." I'd have a clone of Luke, thank you very much, who wasn't actually Luke, who hadn't broken my heart, and who was local. Done. "So, how is Luke to work with?"
"He's great actually. I was nervous about him coming but the branding and signage and everything he has come up with is not too far from our current look, just kind of tweaked and on a bigger budget. He seems to really get that we have a grassroots feel that we want to keep. I was worried he'd railroad me, but he's a good listener."
"Always was." Shit, I let that slip. "I bit my toast.”
"What?"
"Always was going to be important to stay authentic."
"Yeah exactly."
For someone who was doing so much lying and secret keeping, I was seriously very bad at it.
#
I plunked myself down at my mother's kitchen table. Nona and I had been summoned over for Sunday night dinner. My mother was none too happy that we were both off living independent lives that didn't seem to revolve around our extended family as much as she'd like.
Nona was annoyed because she wanted to go play Bunco at the community center with her friends.
We'd discussed it on the ride over.
"She's so bossy, your mother!" she exclaimed. Still, Nona knew her daughter-in-law meant well, or at least she presumed she did. My mother has been married to my father long enough for my grandmother to no longer argue.
"You got that right, Nona. Now remember our story. I check on you every morning before work and every afternoon after work."
"I don't need checking on."
"I know that, and you know that, but if they think I'm not doing it, Mom is going to start doing it, okay?"
"Sì. You're right." I watched her shake her head in a resigned fashion. "I'm an adult, you know."
"Me, too, not that anyone in this family seems to have noticed."
She reached over and patted my thigh. "I noticed, cara, and I appreciate you helping me. Just remember, if you want to move closer to your job, you do that. I'll be fine."
"I don't plan to do that right now, but if I did, you'd be the first to know."
My mother had more pots bubbling on her stove than usual. She's very excited because everybody was coming. The truth was my mother missed the days when she had four kids living at home driving her crazy. She loved the chaos. Life was too quiet for her, so she had to create her own madness.
"You’re busy, busy at work, Cherie?"
I nodded and stole biscotti from the plate on the table. "Yes, busiest week ever. Lots of sales and some new listings. Business is booming."
"Good. Good. Any of these clients potential husbands?"
"Mom, sheesh, give me a break!"
My dad leaned down and kissed my head. "Julia Cortina is pregnant with her third; your mother is feeling competitive."
"Mom, I'm not having babies just so you can boast to Mrs. Cortina that you have more grandchildren than she does."
"I didn't say babies. Get married first, and then we'll talk babies."
"Leave her alone, Maria, or she will stop visiting us," Dad said.
"Worse, I might bring home a guy who isn't Italian!"
"That doesn't bother me so much anymore," my mother declared. The room fell silent. This was like the pope reversing a ruling. My father, Nona, and I were all speechless.
"I'm sorry, can you please repeat that? I'm not sure I heard you."
"I've just been thinking lately that maybe there's a nice guy out there for you who is not Italian. Look at Piper and Aaron, opposites, you know."
"Yeah, Ma, I know. This would have been a great thing to consider ten years ago." I wanted to say twelve but refrained. “I might have been married five times over if the Italian rule had been waived earlier."
Part of me was thrilled, but another part of me was mad as hell. I mean, imagine if I hadn't had to sneak around with Luke back then? Who knows what might have happened? Okay, he probably still would have dumped me, but we'll never know for sure, will we.
"What do you think, Dad?"
"I just want you to be happy, principessa. I don't want you to marry some unworthy putz, and they're all unworthy. On the other hand, I don't want you to be alone. I'm kind of torn. It's a Dad thing." He pulled the top off a beer and was about to take a swig when my mother thrust a glass at him. No bottles or cans in the house.
"Thanks, Daddy. Nona?"
"I no care who you marry. You're a smart girl. I think like your father. I think there's someone out there not far away waiting. I can see him, in my visions." My Nona claimed to have visions. We claimed not to believe her, though I'm pretty sure we all secretly did.
"Well, I'm glad to know he's out there. Now, all he needs to do is show up."
She shook her head at me. "He showed up and he left. He's shown up again."
Did she know? Had she really had a vision?
My brother Tony and his brood arrived. I'd have to save those questions for another time.
On the drive home, my Nona was nodding off. Probably this was not
the night to discuss her visions or lack thereof. I made sure she was inside and the house was lit up like a Christmas tree before making my way upstairs. As always during Sunday dinner, I had hidden my phone in my bag and left it on silent.
I grabbed a bottle of water and pulled it out of my bag. There was a text from an unknown number.
Luke.
It was nice to see you last night. I hope we can have a drink and catch up while I'm in town.
And another.
I wish we'd had phones like these when we dated. Would have made it all so much easier.
Yep. The lack of technology had made arranging our secret assignations hard, but somehow they were all that much sweeter for the effort.
I suppose I could manage a drink at some stage. Let me look at my calendar tomorrow and I'll get back to you.
Great. Sweet dreams.
Sweet dreams. I hadn't slept properly since I'd laid eyes on the guy, and I didn't think tonight's sleep was going to find me any more easily than it had been. I needed to talk to someone. That's how I worked through my problems. There wasn't anyone I could talk to tonight.
I turned on the television and channel-surfed until a Real Housewives marathon came on. An hour of that usually cured me of any desire I had to be married, or indeed a housewife of any sort, or for that matter a reality TV star, or for that matter any flirtations I might have considered with plastic surgery. It was a universal panacea.
I guessed I nodded off because I woke up at 3 a.m. sprawled across the couch. Sleep was sleep, and I'd take it. I broke my own never sleep in your makeup rule and headed straight to bed. Life was already a mess, a bit of smudged mascara wasn't going to make or break anything.
Chapter 5
The busy week before morphed into another. That was good. Busy meant I didn't have time to think. And when I did come up for air, it proved I didn't need a cute guy with piercing blue eyes to be fulfilled. I was an independent career woman. I'd set out to break the mold of the Italian housewife and I had. I was a successful thirty-year-old woman, and I had nothing to apologize for and no one to please but myself.
Any Way You Fight It: An Upper Crust Novel (Upper Crust Series Book 3) Page 3