by Sophia Renny
Julia frowned. “So, what are you saying? That I should be happy and content to be single for the rest of my life?”
“If that’s what you want. I certainly am. Personally, I don’t feel that a woman needs to be married in order to feel fulfilled and happy.” Audrey shook her head. “But, no, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m trying to say, as trite as it might sound, is that everything happens for a reason. You may not see it that way right now, but later, maybe years and years later, you’ll realize that the break-up with Joe was a gift, a blessing in disguise.”
Hannah had said something similar a while back during one of Julia’s pity parties. But the words seemed to resonate more strongly when spoken by this woman who had more age and experience to back them up.
Julia attempted a smile. “I get what you’re saying. And I look forward to that day. But, I’m just not that far along in my recovery yet.”
Audrey’s smile was kind. She reached across the table and placed her hand over Julia’s. “You’ll get there. And, in the meantime, you focus on what you love to do. And you gather people around you who are supportive and loving. Who knows? Maybe one of those people will end up being the real true love of your life.”
Chapter Four
Julia woke up on Saturday morning feeling more refreshed and alive than she had in months. After a vigorous workout on her elliptical machine, she washed her hair and then painted her toenails a vibrant shade of hot pink. The color matched her mood. She threw on a pair of khaki capris and a pretty, flowing cotton blouse in multi-shades of autumn orange that seemed to intensify the color of her amber eyes.
She was glad she’d gone with her gut and watched Joe and Tony’s show. She’d faced her lingering doubts and questions head-on. Did she still feel hurt and bitter? Absolutely. But she wasn’t going to allow those feelings to hold her down any longer. Audrey was right; Julia needed to surround herself with the things and the people that she loved in order to find the strength to move on.
Joe had been one of those people. Maybe down the road they could return to the friendship that had been the foundation of their relationship. She knew she’d have to see him at some point. To continue avoiding him and the situation would only put a strain on her friendship with his brother and sister.
Now, with Audrey’s party, she had a concrete date to work towards. There wouldn’t be any surprises. She’d be prepared to meet Joe and Willa together for the first time with confidence and grace.
She was buttering a piece of toast when the doorbell rang. She peered through the peep hole, smiled and opened the door.
Tony braced one hand on the doorjamb and grinned at her. His warm eyes assessed her from her hair to her bare feet and up again. “Don’t you look colorful. I like it.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Come on in.”
She walked towards the kitchen as he closed the door behind him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” she called over her shoulder.
He followed her into the kitchen and leaned one hip against the counter, watching as she spread some strawberry jam on her toast. “I didn’t have any set plans for the day,” he said. “How about you?”
She mimicked his pose, facing him. She took a bite of toast, chewed and swallowed it down, before replying, “Not especially.”
She felt a weird fluttering in her lower abdomen when his eyes briefly dropped to her mouth before lifting to hers again. What was that all about? She searched his expression, but there was nothing there except casual regard.
“Good,” he said. “It’s a beautiful day. Let’s get out in the sunshine.”
“And do what?”
“I have something in mind.” His gaze landed on her blouse. “We might get a little dirty. Do you want to change?”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Not really. You’ll love it. Just don’t want you whining later that I didn’t warn you.”
“I don’t whine.”
He chuckled. “No, you don’t. That’s just one of the things I like about you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as she ate the remainder of her toast. She caught herself wondering what other things he liked about her. Then she gave a mental shake of her head. That was just her needing a boost to her damaged feminine ego. “I’ll bring along another shirt if I need it. Sneakers or sandals?”
“Sandals are fine. Don’t want to hide those pretty toes.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Save your flirting for another girl. You know it won’t work with me.”
Something seemed to shift in his expression. “No? Guess I’ll have to try a little harder then.”
As her brows knitted in a puzzled frown, his features relaxed into an easy smile. “Go get your shoes. And bring a sweater, too. It might be cooler where we’re going.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She heaved a big sigh of consternation as she stomped past him and headed for her bedroom. But it was all in jest. She was looking forward to spending a day outdoors, and Tony was good company.
Since it was a Saturday, he’d been able to park his pickup truck around the corner from her building. He took her elbow in a gentle grip as he helped her climb up into the cab. Through the windshield, she watched him stroll around the front of the truck to the driver’s side. He was wearing tan cargo shorts and a black tee-shirt that molded his chiseled torso like a second skin.
Eye candy, indeed, she thought, recalling Hannah’s words from the other night. She arched her eyebrows at him as he got in the truck, fastened his seatbelt and then turned the key in the ignition. “Whatever happened to that girl you were dating back in April? Dana? Danielle?” she asked casually.
He flicked a curious look at her before he donned his sunglasses and directed his attention to pulling out of the parking space. “Danielle. That fizzled out pretty quickly. She wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier.”
She stayed quiet as he expertly maneuvered the truck through the downtown streets and eventually took the onramp to 95 South. He was a good driver—confident but not overly aggressive. He maintained speed with the flow of traffic as they headed down the busy highway.
“I bet now that the show is out you’re going to collect some fan girls,” she surmised, breaking the comfortable silence.
He grimaced. “Yeah. I hadn’t really thought about that. Veronica wanted me to open a Twitter account. I’m way too busy to spend much time online. I agreed to do a couple live chats on the show’s Facebook page, but that’s it.”
Julia leaned against the side of the door, angling her body so she could watch him as he drove. “Does that page have a lot of fans yet?”
“Thousands. It’s crazy. People are starting to recognize me. Some strange lady asked for my autograph at Stop and Shop last night.”
“Some people might find that flattering.”
He grimaced again. “It’s all right when it’s the locals. Wasn’t expecting girls to be mailing their panties to the office, though.”
Julia gave a shout of laughter. “What? Has that really happened?”
His face turned ruddy with embarrassment. “Sadly, yes. I don’t know why they think I’d find that even remotely tempting. I’ve always been more attracted to the old-fashioned kind of girl.”
He threw a quick glance at her, but she couldn’t read his expression behind his sunglasses. Nevertheless, she felt a curious, fluttery sensation pulse through her veins at the way his voice had lowered a decibel on that last statement. She looked away, forcing her attention on the road before them. She was glad to hear the casualness in her tone when she asked, “Any girl in particular?”
“Maybe.”
She shot him a look. “Really? Who? Do I know her?”
“Maybe.”
She gave a huff of annoyance. “You’re playing close to the vest. That’s not like you. You’ve always told me about your girlfriends before.”
He shrugged. “It’s still too early in the relat
ionship.”
“Would I like her?”
“I think so.” His mouth tilted in a secretive smile. “She’s a lot like you.”
She had no response to that. She returned her gaze to the road, but her focus was inward. His words had stirred a reaction within her similar to the one she’d felt the other night when she’d watched him put his hand on Willa’s back as they’d been walking up the staircase. Now she wondered if it wasn’t resentment she was feeling so much as jealousy. Why should she feel jealous of this mysterious new woman in Tony’s life? Maybe it was just because she’d enjoyed spending so much time with him these past few months. He wouldn’t have as much free time for her anymore once he had a fulltime girlfriend. Yes. That explained it.
“So, how was work this week?” Tony asked, piercing her confused thoughts.
“Hmm? Oh, fine. Busy. You?”
“Same. But not as crazy as it was while we were taping the show. I can breathe a little easier for a while.”
“Has the network picked up the series for next season yet?”
“That won’t be announced for a couple weeks. But Veronica is pretty confident it will be.”
She relaxed a little in her seat as he eased them back into their normal camaraderie. “It’s going to be a whole new life for you,” she observed, returning her gaze to him. “I’m so happy that you and…your brother and sister will finally have financial security. It’s long overdue.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I wrote Joe a check last month for my share of the company. Now I can officially say we’re business partners.”
“Congratulations. But you know that didn’t matter to him. It’s always been your company, too.”
“It mattered to me.” His tone was firm. “Now everything is fair and square.”
She studied his profile. She was struck anew by how much he’d changed from the boy she’d known.
In the early years, when his parents were still living, she’d merely thought of Tony as Joe’s tagalong baby brother. From the moment he could walk, wherever Joe went, Tony wanted to follow. And because Julia was the girl next door and Joe’s best friend, that usually meant Tony was chasing after Julia, too.
She could almost still hear his clear, piping voice as he raced to keep up with her, his little legs pumping furiously. “Wait for me, Julia! Wait for me!”
He’d been a sweet little boy, a born charmer. Since he was almost six years younger, she’d usually made him play the role of the baby or the student or the patient in the “Pretend” games she’d liked to play. He’d always willingly gone along, just happy to be with her and Joe.
But as she’d entered her pre-teen and teenage years, she’d put those games behind her. Her world revolved around her hair and her clothes and boys. She only had vague memories of Tony during those years, flickering images of him kicking a ball in the fenced-in yard between their houses or throwing pebbles at her window and begging her to come out and play with him.
Then came that horrible night when Tony was twelve years old, and the policemen arrived at the Rossetti house with the shocking news that Frank and Sarah Rossetti had lost their lives in a freak accident at an old warehouse Frank had been converting into commercial space. There’d been something wrong with some pre-existing electrical wiring inside one of the walls. The building had caught on fire; the blaze had spread too rapidly for the couple to escape in time.
Julia had been babysitting Sylvie that night. It was February, and Joe had left for college the previous September. Tony had been playing video games in the front room while Julia had been reading Sylvie a bedtime story. It was Tony who’d opened the door to the police officers.
She would never forget the look on his face when she’d walked into the front hallway—the absolute heartbreak and devastation. She’d pulled him into her arms, holding him tight as he’d wailed his grief. His lanky body had shaken with gut-wrenching sobs. He’d buried his head against her neck, his hot tears soaking her skin.
Memories of the ensuing days and months were still enveloped in a fog. Joe had dropped out of school and become the legal guardian of his brother and sister as well as the owner of Rossetti Construction—a role he’d never wanted. Julia and her mother had stepped in to cook and clean for the family. Julia had been working fulltime at her parents’ business by that point, but she and her mother had arranged their hours so that Diane was available to help the Rossetti’s in the morning—fixing lunches and making sure Sylvie and Tony got to school on time—while Julia returned home in time to keep an eye on them afterschool and fix their dinner.
Although Julia and Joe had dated casually in high school, their relationship hadn’t evolved into a sexual one yet. They’d shared a few experimental make-out sessions in their teens, but neither had been willing or eager to push things further. Her mother had advised Julia that it was best for Joe to start college without a girlfriend. “It’s tough to manage a long distance relationship,” she’d said. “Let him enjoy his college years freely. You two are meant to be. He’ll come back to you when all is said and done.”
Worry for her best friend had kept Julia waiting long into the night for Joe to come home from work. He’d been thrown into a business that was constantly in a state of flux, dependent on the economy and the housing market. The company had been hovering on insolvency, and the insurance money collected from the fire had barely covered the bills. Joe put in long, backbreaking hours to keep things afloat. Julia had waited for him to come home each night—most nights he hadn’t returned until well past midnight. She’d greeted him with a warm dinner and comforting hugs.
One night, not too long after the accident, those hugs had led to something more. Joe had taken her to his bedroom and made love to her. They’d both been virgins.
It was shortly after that when Tony’s attitude towards her had abruptly changed. There’d been a bittersweet interlude where he’d been extremely affectionate towards her. He’d let her hug him when he came home from school or ruffle his hair as he sat at the kitchen table doing his homework while she prepared dinner.
But that had all changed almost overnight. He became cold and hostile, avoided her touches, even refused to look at her. When she’d asked him what was wrong, he’d said, “Stop acting like you’re my mother and that this is your house. You’re not my mother, and you never will be.”
No. She’d never viewed herself as a mother figure in his life. Not even as a sister, really. Their relationship had been rocky throughout his teenage years. After Nick had literally knocked some sense into Tony, she’d enjoyed one peaceful summer with the Rossetti family before Tony had left for college. She’d only seen him sporadically during those four years, and that hadn’t changed much when he’d started working at Rossetti Construction fulltime.
Her relationship with Joe had been on-again, off-again over the years. In their late twenties, they’d stopped dating for almost three years and saw other people. But even when they weren’t officially dating, she’d still been convinced that she and Joe would end up together. Although she’d moved into her own place by then, she’d made a point to visit the Rossetti clan on a weekly basis, joining them, along with her parents, for family cookouts and celebrations.
Tony had been there, too, usually with one attractive girl or another—his flavor of the month, Julia had teased. She and Tony had eased into a friendship that consisted of playful banter, good-natured ribbing, and mock flirtatiousness. He was the life of the party, whatever the occasion, and he doled out his charm to every woman who happened to be in the room.
But she’d laughingly reminded him that his charm was wasted on her. Her heart was set on Joe; Tony would just have to find some other bird to lure down from the tree…
“What are you thinking about?” he asked her now, tugging her from her reverie.
She shook her head out of the clouds and sat up straighter in her seat. “Nothing in particular.”
“Looked like some deep thoughts were going on in there,” he fis
hed.
“Just thinking about work. Oh! I meant to tell you. Your friend Audrey came by my office yesterday afternoon.”
“Audrey King?” He sounded startled. “What did she want?”
“She’s launching a new jewelry line. She’s asked me to plan a party to kick things off.”
“Really? Well, that’s great.” He gave her a quick look before returning his focus to the road. “Tell me about it.”
She outlined the details, her enthusiasm growing as she shared her preliminary ideas of transforming Audrey’s factory in Pawtucket into an underwater world, in keeping with Audrey’s ocean-themed designs.
Tony beamed at her. “That sounds amazing, Julia. You always have the coolest ideas.”
She glowed. “Thanks! It helps that I’ll have a decent budget to work with. Audrey isn’t sparing any costs.”
“Will you need help with anything?”
“Maybe. She suggested you might come with me to take a look at the space. She’s thinking of having some display counters put in.”
“She did, huh?” There was something curious in his tone, but his next words were casual. “Yeah, I could do that. I think I have next Wednesday afternoon free if that works for you.”
“I’ll check my calendar when we get back to my place.”
Her stomach growled, startling them both.
He laughed softly. “Hungry?”
“Famished. I only had a piece of toast for breakfast before you yanked me out the door.”
He smirked. “Hang tight. We’ll get you fed soon.”
She hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going. “Did we just pass North Kingstown?”