Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Dani?" Toni jerked awake, his head pounding and his gaze blurry. It took him a moment to realize he was on a couch. He scanned the room.

An open bottle of wine and two dirty glasses sat on the coffee table, his suit jacket was draped over a nearby chair, and his phone vibrated then fell onto the floor.

Unable to reach it, he groaned and let his head fall back to the pillow. He'd accidently fallen asleep at Ava's. He jerked back up and checked that he was still wearing pants. He was. Then he rubbed his eyes, trying to remember the events of the night before.

Sophia was abnormally upset but she wouldn't talk about it. And he'd gotten tired. His body had ached with tension and what was supposed to be a quick rest before driving back became a night on the couch.

He still hadn't spoken to Dani. He still didn't know what to say. He rolled half off the couch and grabbed his phone from the floor. His mother had called three times. Then left a text saying Dani had left and he needed to call her.

The second text was from Dani with nothing but the link to a review. He opened the review and groaned again. They would recover, he told himself. Marcello would get better and they could turn it around. But what did that mean for Dani?

He dialed her number, then cut off the call when Ava shuffled by in a long T-shirt.

"Buongiorno, Antonio." She gathered the wine bottle and empty glasses, bending over to reveal the tops of her thighs. She wasn't wearing panties.

Toni practically jumped from the couch and strode into the bathroom. Minutes later he emerged less rumpled and Ava was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Thanks for letting me stay last night. I'm heading back. Tell Sophia I'll call her later."

"No breakfast?"

"No, thank you." He strode down the hall as she called after him.

"Good luck. I'm sorry it didn't go well last night. It was inevitable, really. I mean the kitchen looked a mess when I saw it. Honestly, where did you find her?"

Toni let his hand drop from the doorknob and he walked back into the kitchen.

"What do you mean when you saw it?"

"You know. I just peeked my head in and they were all just standing around."

"Why would you go into the kitchen?"

"Well..." Ava fiddled with her hair. "I was—"

Toni strode toward her slowly, alarm bells ringing in his head. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"Ava, did you do something to the food to get back at me?"

"Toni, I would never. I just... I don't trust that chef. And I was right!"

"Ava, you are messing with the livelihood of us all!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Ava!"

"It was me." The small voice was like a bullet breaking through glass. Toni and Ava stopped and stared at the young lady in her pajamas.

"What did you say?" Toni whispered.

"I put pepper in the food. It was my fault."

Toni couldn't find words. Sophia's face scrunched as tears fell to the floor. Toni ran to her and knelt by her side.

"Cara mia, why would you do that?"

"I thought we would have to open again and Dani would have to stay a little longer. And I know—" Her voice got caught and little huffs came out as she cried harder. "I know you like her, Papá."

Was he hearing this right? His baby sabotaged the restaurant so he and Dani could be together a little longer. His heart filled with joy and pride for his loving daughter. And for the knowledge that Dani wasn't to blame. He needed to tell her.

"I'm sorry, Papá."

"I know. We can fix it." He kissed her on the head. "We'll fix it." Toni looked at Ava, her arms crossed as she leaned against the counter. He assumed she was taking issue with the "I know you like her" comment. And he was tired of hiding it. He turned back to Sophia.

"When you see Dani, you have to apologize. Her reputation was hurt too." Sophia's eyes widened.

"She's gonna hate me."

Toni shook his head. "She won't. I'll make sure of it. I have to go."

Toni reached his car door when his phone vibrated again with his mother's call. He answered the phone intent on giving her an update, but she was in tears.

"Go to the hospital," she commanded. "Now."

"Pneumonia, the doctor said, which is why they were waiting to operate. He wasn't responding to the treatment. And now..." Grace burst into tears and Toni hugged her closer to his side. Ava held Sophia as the four of them stood in the empty room staring at Marcello's empty bed. He went peacefully that morning the doctor assured them.

Toni felt numb. Yesterday morning they had everything and in twenty-four hours his life had changed forever. His uncle was gone, the restaurant was a disaster and he was scared to death that he was losing Dani, as well. He had called her, but she didn't answer. And death wasn't the type of thing you left in a voice mail.

What was he going to do. What the hell was he going to do?

A soft gasp behind him broke his thoughts. Dani's hand was at her mouth, her eyes wide as she fixated on the empty bed. Her head began a slow shake. "No. Please no."

Toni rushed to her and she was in his arms. She clung on to him hard, her body shaking with uncontrollable tears. "How?" she choked out as she pulled back.

"Pneumonia. I called to tell you but you didn't answer."

"I was probably on the train. They called me because they had me down as family from the first night."

"You are family," Toni whispered. "We have to talk."

Dani's gaze shifted to Ava, then back to him. She wriggled from his arms. Her voice sounded cold. "Yes, we do."

They walked down the hall out of earshot. Toni moved closer, letting his hands run over her shoulders, but she stopped him, stepping out of his reach.

He frowned but let her move from him regardless of how awful it felt.

"Did you get my text?"

"I did. I read the review—"

"I think as long as you make a big splash about replacing me, you'll be fine. I don't know what happened, Toni, but as chef I was responsible. There isn't much more I can say—"

"It was Sophia."

"What was Sophia?"

"Sophia spiked the food. She thought you would stay longer if the restaurant didn't open."

Dani blinked with realization, and then her shoulders slumped with relief. "I've been racking my brain, Toni. It feels good just to know what happened."

"I know what you mean."

Dani's face lit up, then it fell. "I almost said Marcello will understand." Her lip trembled. He wanted to kiss her tears away, but she had a determined look on her face to say more.

"I'm going home in two days. I have an editorial with my mother tomorrow. Then we are heading home."

"Back to New York?"

"I was thinking of trying California. LA needs chefs too."

"What if I need you?"

"You don't need me. You need a chef with a reputation for excellence. Not a ghost chef with a trail of disasters behind her."

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

"I thought you slept with Ava last night." She put her hand up at his instant protests. "I know you didn't but I also know you aren't looking to get seriously involved and honestly neither am I. I don't know where I'm going to end up. I have to focus on me first and a temporary fling won't let me do that."

Toni held his tongue. He watched her face as she spoke. He wanted to touch the soft skin of her cheek and kiss her full lips. Even as she told him she was leaving. She was always leaving, he knew that and once again he let his heart run him into a wall.

Because of Ava, he had taken a break from dating, but that was before he realized he couldn't keep his hands from Dani. She had everything he wanted in a woman, save one. Stability. It was important to him, and her plans didn't feel stable at all.

"So you no longer want us to see each other."

"It sounds so formal when you say it like that. I'm saying my leaving might be for the best."

They blinked at each other for a moment, but Toni didn't get a chance to respond. Sophia tapped Dani on the shoulder and confessed. His little girl was so brave, he thought as Dani hugged her and told her everything was fine.

They watched Sophia run back into the room, then turned to each other, unable to ignore the pull between them any longer. Dani cried as their mouths fused in one long last kiss. They clutched each other hard, wishes on their lips and promises in the strokes of their tongues.

Dani pulled back first and looked at him long and hard. "Goodbye, Toni." And on that whisper, she was gone.

"What do you mean she's gone? Gone where?"

Grace glared at him the next day when Toni headed back to his mother's for a lunch. His mother was distraught for many reasons and he gritted his teeth against the anger she was directing toward him. Not that it wasn't warranted. He'd been struggling with the thought of her leaving. Her words made him feel like he'd lost his heart, leaving only a functional shell.

"Back to the States. She leaves tomorrow I think."

"Then she's still here. Go get her." His mother paced, her eyes flashing. "Why would you let her go?"

He was asking himself that too.

"She doesn't want to stay, Ma!"

"Did you tell her you love her?"

"Oh my God..." Toni looked at his mother like she was crazy, but her eyes only held anguish. He lowered his voice and hung his head. "No."

Grace cursed under her breath.

"I'm not sure she feels the same."

"How will you know unless you put it out there?" She hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks. A knock on the front door sent Grace into the other room, while Toni stared out the window at the restaurant. All night he wished he could have redone their talk in the hospital. Over and over he asked himself if he had told her he loved her, would she have agreed to stay?

Antonio turned as footsteps came toward the kitchen and Grace entered, followed by an older gentleman in a suit. Grace introduced them.

"Antonio, this is Signore Russo, Marcello's lawyer. It seems he changed his will days before he passed away." The men shook hands and the three of them took a seat at the table. The lawyer was slow in his delivery, pulling out stacks of papers with Marcello's signature, explaining the reason he had come to his mother's home.

"It's fortunate I have you both here," he started, fumbling for his glasses. Toni's mother looked at him from out of the side of her eye when he started reading a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo, which he said in a monotone that had Toni almost asleep. "To my loving sister and executor of my estate, I leave my home and possessions to do with as you please and one-third of my restaurant Via Carciofo. To my loving nephew I leave my wine cellar and one-third of my restaurant Via Carciofo."

Toni and his mother gave each other a look as Signore Russo passed around papers to be signed. After gathering the documents, he put them back in his briefcase and shut the top.

"Grazie,"Signore Russo said as he stood and turned to leave.

"Wait," Toni said after he jumped from his seat. "Who has the last third?"

The old man fixed his glasses on his nose. "I am unable to give you that information."

Grace came forward. "But they will be our partner. How can you not tell us?"

"I must find them and tell them first. If I can find them." The latter he said under his breath as he labored toward the front door. Toni was following him close behind and stopped him one last time at the door.

"Signore, I may be able to help you find this man. Then you could go home and relax, huh?"

Russo narrowed his gaze and looked around to see who was listening. Then he leaned toward Toni. "It's a woman."

A thankful smile spread wide across Toni's face. "I know where she is."