“Any time you’re doing the cooking, there is a happy outcome. See you later.”
Canna went upstairs, to find Claudio awake. “Are you ever going to get up?” she asked as she crawled onto the bed over him.
“Is there any reason why I should get up?”
“Because you’re performing in front of 7,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow and you’re singing a new song. You need to practice.”
“I need to rest for that. I don’t feel as if I’ve been to sleep at all.”
“Tell me about it!”
“Who was on the phone?”
“Lea. We’re going to meet here at midday, the whole Virtuosi group. We are going to discuss the show and Moscow.”
“I still feel creepy about that. I feel sorry for Yuri, even though he is a jerk.”
“That he was. Still…. if everyone is coming for lunch, I need to go shopping.”
Claudio screwed up his face. “Ugh. Saturday morning stores.”
“The Notting Hill farmers market is open today. I will go there instead. You can stay safe in bed if you want. Then I’ll come home and make you pancakes.”
“Guilt pancakes?”
“My new therapist is the man screwing your wife, and I have just made your custody fight harder. I doubt I’ll wipe that away with pancakes.”
“Feel free to try.”
Canna whacked him, and he pulled her closer. “You can’t leave without a kiss.”
Canna gave him a deep kiss and sighed. “You don’t hate me then? For getting you caught up in murders and other miscellaneous dramas?”
“I’m always on your side, whether you are guilty or innocent. You may have a mouth like a hurricane, but not everything is your fault. I’d much rather be on your side than against you.”
“That’s best for your own safety.”
“I have a confession,” he whispered.
“You killed Yuri?”
“No, he’s not worth the energy. It’s about baby Casamiro.”
“Okay…”
“Part of me feels relieved that I may lose custody rights. I should just get a divorce and wash my hands of Veena and the baby. Does that make me a bastard?”
“No, it’s honest. Veena doesn’t want you involved. If you get forced out of your son’s life, it’s because she chose it, not because you didn’t care. That poor kid is going to be fucked up.”
“Why can’t you and me have a baby?”
“Why can’t nobody have a baby?”
Claudio laughed. “Yes, you don’t want a baby. I don’t mind.”
“Sometimes, I don’t like you having a baby with someone else.”
“You said you were okay with it.”
“I have to be okay with it. It ties down our lives.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
Canna shrugged. “Let’s go back to the joking and the kissing.”
“It would be more fun if you weren’t so… dressed.”
Canna sat on his hips, the sensation his morning erection between her legs, and pulled off her warm shirt. “You know, physical contact with another person is great for stress.”
“I love that fact.” Claudio’s hands started on her hips, ran along her scars and tattoos up her body and slipped around her back to the clasp on her bra. “The more contact, the better.”
Claudio’s soft hands tickled her skin just a little as he slipped off her bra. Canna became entangled in the bed, her naked body encompassed in his. Time for shopping grew small as they concentrated their affection on one another.
~~~
The Notting Hill farmers market was in full swing by the time Canna arrived. The trip became a race against time to get everything she needed for the various recipes she had in mind for her friends. Being busy kept her mind off all the recent crises.
As Canna fumbled with her heavy bags, two hands came around her face and covered her eyes. “Guess who.”
The familiar English voice didn’t disguise itself for a moment. “Dane Porter, unhand me at once.”
“Never heard you say that before,” he laughed and let her go. Canna turned around the see Dane’s million-dollar smile. “I hear you’re making me lunch.”
“I am. So don’t hold me up.”
Dane took her heaviest bags, and they headed away from the market in the direction of home. “Wow, it’s been a while since we were at the farmers market together.”
“A very long time.”
“A lot of water has passed under the bridge.”
“That’s true,” Canna said as she swung her shopping bag while they walked.
“I still have a photo of you, on my phone, from the last time we were here.”
“You kept it?”
“It’s a fun photo.”
“Make sure Rebecca doesn’t see it.”
“She doesn’t pry in my things. Don’t worry, I didn’t show anyone the photos of us in Helsinki.”
“Good. Claudio’s still in the dark about that interlude. It would look weird if he found out now.”
“Would Claudio be suspicious of us?”
Canna looked up at Dane, and he had a gigantic smile on his face. “Why should he be jealous?”
Dane shrugged. “If he trusts you, then he wouldn’t be jealous or suspicious.”
“He has every right to be suspicious of me. I have caused everyone a lot of harm and I haven’t earned anyone’s trust or respect.”
“I’m glad you’re off the drugs, Canna.”
“I’m even off the booze and the cigarettes. I feel terrible.”
“All that healthy living harder than you thought, is it?”
“Healthy living doesn’t have the immense highs, but it doesn’t have those powerful lows either. I don’t miss coming down off being high.”
“I don’t miss watching you suffer.”
“You probably don’t miss me fucking you around either.”
Dane shrugged. “At least you’re honest with me now, Canna.”
“Don’t speak too highly of me. I lied to you plenty of times.”
“Danica asked if we were getting back together.”
Canna laughed. “Wow, she got the wrong message.”
“Did she?”
Canna glanced at Dane. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing, nothing. Besides, you’re with Claudio, and I’m with Rebecca.”
“You and I were a short story, not a saga.”
“Are you and Claudio a saga?”
“Yep, with twists and turns on every page. How are things with you and Rebecca? Where is she? Not a farmers market shopper?”
“She went home to unpack after Moscow. We’re doing okay. I can’t break up with her for not believing in gay marriage… can I?”
“Depends on how much you love her. People need to decide what the deal-breakers are in relationships. Your sister isn’t going to be any less gay any time soon, and the whole IVF scenario with you and Eerika…”
“I haven’t decided if I will help my sister have a baby.”
“Rebecca may want to have your baby.”
“I don’t want her to have my baby. I’m not ready for that.”
“Sounds as if you and Rebecca are treading very carefully around each other right now.”
“We are, but it’s okay. I want to keep things casual, and I think she knows that.”
“I hope so.”
“How are you, Canna? Your friend, Yuri, is dead.”
“He’s not my friend, he’s my business partner. I don’t know what will happen.”
“I have a few concerns.”
“That’s why we’re meeting at my place.” They had turned onto Pembridge Crescent. “Thanks for walking me home.”
“I have the feeling you don’t need a male companion to accompany you anywhere.”
“I’m not sure. Giancarlo comes in handy, but he is home in Milan.”
“Where’s Claudio?”
“I’m giving him some space.”
Dane chuckled. “Is he driving you crazy already? You have been in London, what… a week?”
“I’m used to being on my own. When I was married I still lived my own life. Claudio and I don’t need to be joined at the hip for every single activity.”
They stopped outside Canna’s townhouse, and she watched Dane look up at the place and at Claudio’s car out the front. “I bet you’re not going to invite me in from lemon sugar pancakes this time.”
“The pancakes are for Claudio now, though he prefers croissants.”
“You feed baritones now, instead of tenors.”
“You know how it is; tenors are the centre of attention, but the baritones take the girls home.”
Dane laughed. “That sounds like every production I have ever performed.”
“I’m sure you took plenty of ladies home.”
“Probably too many.”
“No such thing!” Canna glanced at her plastic Mickey Mouse watch. “I’ll see you in about an hour?”
Dane gave her bags back. “It will be weird to be back in the house.”
“For me, it was a bit like being back at the scene of so many crimes.” Nights spent tangled up with Dane in the bedroom or playing crazy and erotic games on the couch, and now she shared the house with Claudio. “Guess what! We are painting a nursery in the spare bedroom.”
“Wow, that is weird! A few months ago, it was a rented house where we went to enjoy some very singleton-type activities, and now you’re playing house with my former best friend and his baby.”
“Don’t even get me started. It’s not what I want.”
Dane watched Canna climb the stairs, and he smiled to himself. He didn’t need to do anything to take Canna away from Claudio. Circumstance would take care of everything.
~~~
Everyone in Virtuosi made their way to Canna’s place in pairs. Erik and Holly went outside to take a look at Canna’s motorbike. Lea sat in the living room with Claudio while they talked about Veena. Henri couldn’t keep away from the snacks Canna had prepared in the kitchen, and Rebecca joined him. Dane wandered around the house, thinking of the times when he was there as Canna’s lover.
Canna stood with Henri and Rebecca and watched Erik and Holly out the kitchen window. She heard Erik call out Henri’s name. “Hey, Henri, Erik wants you outside.”
“Huh?” Henri mumbled with a mouthful of cheese. “Oh, okay.” He grabbed a few more pieces of parmigiano and headed out the back door.
Rebecca smiled at Canna. “Thanks for lunch,” she said.
“Rebecca, we used to be friends. This has been difficult as hell between you and I. Can we work it out?”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
“Do you think there is something going on between me and Dane?”
“No, no I don’t,” Rebecca said, defensive. “But the way I see it, when you break up with someone, you don’t go on to be friends. You broke up because you don’t make a good pair. It’s like Dane sees you and forgets how bloody miserable you made him. It took a lot of time for Dane to get himself back together.”
“Dane and I have worked through it, bit by bit. I wasn’t okay after the whole break-up incident either. I’m sure you don’t see me as a threat…”
“No, no threat,” she said sarcastically. “You’re just beautiful, and intelligent, and rich and charming, and my boyfriend once proposed to you. No, no threat at all!”
“Rebecca, I’m sorry! I don’t know what to say! I don’t want Dane. He doesn’t want me. You saw Dane whack me in the face until I bled. I sat on the floor of a Parisian restaurant while he spat his blood on me. In that instant, the love between us died. Every member of Virtuosi had a black eye to prove it. I’m here because I love Claudio, and I loved him even when I loved Dane.”
“Now I love Dane, he’s the one…”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I want to hold onto him.”
“My presence won’t harm that. In fact, it might help. Dane might take one look at the mistakes he made with me and realise how much he loves having a healthy, normal lover in his life.”
“And what about Claudio?”
“We’re perfect for each other. We’re equally messed up.”
Rebecca laughed, and Canna joined her. “Go into the living room with your darling Dane. I will fetch the others, and we can start this meeting.”
The group gathered around the living room, some on the couches and armchairs, others on the plush white carpet. Canna stood by the fireplace and watched everyone stare at her. “I don’t know where to start,” she said.
“Can I start by saying that it’s fucking bizarre that we went to play at a party and the host ended up dead!” Erik said.
“Not just dead, but murdered,” Holly added.
“I think it’s awful. The whole evening was a complete success,” Henri said.
“But,” Rebecca added, “Yuri was rude the whole time we were there. No wonder someone wanted to kill him.”
“Yuri is… was… an abrasive man. He gave people the wrong impression about him,” Canna replied.
“When we were sailing in Malta, he was polite, if not a little sexist,” Claudio said. “But people have secrets. Some people are hard to understand.”
“Do they know who killed him?” Lea asked.
Canna shook her head. “I don’t think so. There are plenty of suspects.”
“One of the party guests must have killed him, ” Dane said. “We sung to both the victim and the murderer that night.”
“Shit, I didn’t think of that,” Erik said.
“I’m sorry about Yuri being dead, and all that,” Lea said, “but we have issues regarding Virtuosi to consider. We are looking for all the media coverage we can get at the moment, and being the ‘murder party’ entertainment isn’t what I had in mind!”
Canna nodded. “Virtuosi have been in the news, on TV, online and newspapers. You’re getting more well-known by the day. This epic performance tomorrow, maybe that is all the media need to know.”
“Can I be selfish?” Henri asked. “We went to that party to raise enough money to produce our next album. Now that the host is dead, does that mean we don’t get paid?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Dane said.
“Oh shit,” Erik added.
“You will still be paid,” Canna said. “You don’t need to worry. Your one million Euros will only be a small invoice to pay for the overall cost of that party.”
“But I never presented the invoice,” Lea said. “How can I charge the family now, after their son is dead?”
“Email the invoice to me, and I will deal with that, I promise.” Canna would pay the invoice. Virtuosi would have the money to make their album, and they wouldn’t know that she had donated it. They could still believe that they earned the money, if that made them happy. “I will make sure the money is with you next week, I promise.”
“Will we be interviewed by the police?” Henri asked. “Are we in trouble next time we go to Russia?”
“Let’s hope not,” Dane joked.
“No, you don’t need to worry. I hear that Yuri and his family had a lot of enemies,” Canna said, in an attempt to reassure her friends.
“Maybe it’s a mafia killing,” Erik joked. “They sent a message to the family by killing their son. There are so many witnesses and suspects, but they still get away with the crime because people are scared.”
“Maybe it was one of those murder mystery parties, but the guy playing the killer took it too literally,” Henri joked.
“Maybe Yuri made a pact with the devil, and it was time to pay up,” Dane joked.
“Maybe he was being a mouthy son-of-a-bitch, and someone couldn’t take his attitude anymore,” Canna snapped. “Sorry,” she added.
“No, we’re going on about how this affects us when your partner is dead,” Dane said. “Apologies.”
“It leaves my company is a bit of a state.”
Claudio sat silent the w
hole time. Canna noticed he didn’t take his eyes off her. “As awful as this murder is, we don’t need to dwell on it,” he said in his distinctive deep voice. “Hundreds of people were there, and all of them need to get over this, just like we do.”
“I agree,” Canna said. “We need to look after ourselves. Tomorrow, the Royal Albert Hall is open for your classiest performance yet. We will send your voices and faces to the world with this DVD, and then you can make your new CD. Going onstage tomorrow will show how professional you are.”
“We need to look after ourselves,” Claudio repeated.
“Cool,” Henri said. “Can we eat now?”
“Sure.”
“What would we do without you, Canna?” Dane asked. “You have only been back with Virtuosi a few weeks and the whole project has undergone an upheaval.”
Canna smiled as the group went into the kitchen for their lunch. She had brought her friends too close to her real life as the Countess. It was time for damage control.
CHAPTER 27
LONDON
Claudio had a slight tingle on his skin, a slight flutter in his stomach. It came to him every time he went to perform. He rested his head on the back of the couch and put his feet up on his glass coffee table. No matter how many times he did his breathing exercises to prepare his body for the performance, the tingle of excitement and nerves persisted. He loved the sensation; if he didn’t get nervous and excited before taking to the stage, there wouldn’t be any point in continuing to entertain audiences.
Claudio opened his eyes and cleared his throat. His vocal cords were open and warm, perfect for their dress rehearsal. He glanced down at his watch; it was almost time to leave for the landmark music theatre and begin preparations.
“You know,” he heard Canna’s voice somewhere behind him, “it’s downright annoying that I need to get dressed for the evening now, and work while dressed in my best clothes, while you can turn up to the venue and get ready there.”
Claudio turned around to see Canna come down the stairs. He couldn’t contain the warm, sincere smile that spread over his face. “Wow!”
Canna wore a classic sleeveless white dress that covered from her collarbone to her feet. The delicate flowing fabric hid her high heels. She had been to the hairdresser earlier, and her blonde tips were gone. Her now all-black curls were perfectly straight and tied into an off-centre ponytail that draped forward over her shoulder.
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