Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The severe beige, white and black decor of the Armani Ristorante was the perfect playground for Chanel's partygoers clad in sky-high heels, glossy hair and jewel-toned lips. Inquiring about Martin at the bar, Dani held her breath when she saw a man with dark hair and swarthy skin come out from a back room and make his way toward the bar. Dani caught Martin's attention with a small wave and his face lit up as he came around the bar to stand in front of her.

"Wow. It's been too long." He leaned over so his Spanish-Italian accent was thick in her ear, cutting through the music. "Nice dress." Martin was even more handsome than Dani remembered and the way his gaze dipped into her cleavage made her blush gratefully.

His flirty smile was infectious. She smiled back, feeling at ease suddenly. He hadn't changed, which was nice considering that she was still feeling out of place in the throng of the fashion obsessed. She wasn't used to showing this much skin, even though every dress that walked by was held together by a thin strap or a barely there chain. She shook her hair over her shoulders for a little cover, but Martin swiped one side away with his hand before suggesting they grab a lounge chair to catch up.

Dani and Martin dodged servers in pastel wigs, some stopping him for a quick issue. She remembered when they had both been poor, ambitious cooks taken under Marcello's wing. Now he was the manager of a Michelin-starred restaurant. And she was...she didn't want to think about it anymore.

Toni's look when he showed her the blog said it all. His eyes had accused her of being a fake. Meanwhile, he'd kissed her in the kitchen like a man who'd been trapped in the desert. He hadn't been calling her fake then, had he? That kiss. Martin caught up to her and steered her toward the back of the room, his gaze running over her bare shoulders.

Martin was going to help her forget about that kiss.

Dani scanned the lounge area and did a double take when she saw Toni kissing a lithe blonde.

"Excuse us," she said, quickly turning away. Dani sighed. Would she ever get away from this man? "Let's have a seat over here, Martin." Martin followed closely behind, then stopped.

"Toni! And Ava! You two are back together?" Dani whipped around at Martin's declaration. Did Toni know everyone in this town?

Toni stood and grasped Martin's hand like an old friend. Dani noted that the blonde didn't turn around, taking the opportunity to apply more lipstick.

"You should come find me, Toni," Martin said. "I spoke to Anton, who spoke to Destin, who said I need to speak to you—" Martin poked Toni playfully "—about the Deschamps wine."

"I was coming to you, Martin. Of course we want Deschamps here." Toni slid his gaze to Dani and she responded by putting her hands on her hips. "But you are busy right now," Toni said, gesturing toward her with a flick of his chin, "so I'll find you tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm holding you to that." Martin turned to Dani. "Dani, come meet Toni."

Dani didn't move. "We've met. Buona sera, Toni."

"Buona sera, Chef. You look lovely," Toni said, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Dani raised a brow. Chef? Was that a barb?

Martins gaze darted between the two of them. "You know each other? How?"

"Marcello."

They said simultaneously.

"Ahh yes!" Martin continued. "Dani and I knew each other when she was his sous-chef. I heard he was in the hospital. How is he doing?"

"He's well. I saw him this morning..." Toni said.

"He's better. I saw him this afternoon..." Dani said.

They both started talking and then stopped, silently competing.

Toni cleared his throat and spoke to Dani. "This is my ex-wife, Ava." Ava finally twisted around to give Dani a once-over and a half smile that didn't reach her eyes. Dani looked away, doing her best not to feel self-conscious. She recognized Ava as one of the models that walked in the show and suddenly her designer dress felt like a potato sack. Of course Toni's ex was a model. It was par for the course, right? Hot guy, hot girl. The building blocks of every perfect match. Dani cringed inside.

"Would you like to join us?" Toni suggested, looking out the side of his eye at Dani.

"No!" Ava shouted. "I mean...they seem to have some catching up to do, as do we, darling."

Dani suppressed an eye roll. "We do have some catching up to do, but grazie. There is room over here, Martin. Buona sera, Toni. Ava."

Martin and Dani settled in the open seating and jumped right into old times. Martin was as funny and engaging as she had remembered, but Dani struggled to focus on the gorgeous man that was sitting in front of her. Instead her gaze drifted repeatedly to the couple about ten feet behind him.

Dani watched Ava lean toward Toni suggestively, then saw Toni scoot back a little. If she didn't know better, she'd say he was dodging her advances.

"And then I met Vivian." Dani's gaze slid back to Martin.

"Who is Vivian?"

"My wife."

Dani's smile flickered. Martin wore no ring and she had allowed herself to hope that he might be single. But who was she kidding? Not everyone was as pathetic as she was when it came to relationships.

"That's great. Sounds like you have it all together."

"What about you? I heard you were no longer working with Andre?"

Dani balked. "How did you hear that?"

"We are a small community, Dani. You know that."

Oh God. He'd read the blog, of course he did. "Umm... I'm exploring my options right now."

Saying it aloud to Martin made her feel like a failure, not just in her career, but in life. She saw him frown and lean in to ask more questions but over his shoulder she glimpsed her mother taking selfies with fans. She abruptly stood. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but there is my mother. Come say hi. She'd love to see you."

Dani quickly quit the couch, staring straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with Toni. She made it to the bar when she felt a hand on her arm. Whipping around, her gaze dropped to the hand, then lifted to the serious look in Toni's eyes.

"We need to talk."

"No we don't." Dani tugged her arm back and he gently released her. Her eyes flashed and he found himself intrigued by how naturally beautiful she looked in just lipstick and mascara.

"I want to apologize. It wasn't personal."

"Saying I would bring negative press is personal." She angrily flipped the heavy tresses of her hair to one shoulder exposing the plunging neckline and an expanse of skin that looked like silk.

Toni sighed. "You have to understand how much my family and I have riding on this venture. Ten years of investment is a lot of money. We won't even begin to recoup some in the first few years."

Someone shifted at the bar, allowing Toni to slip in beside Dani. Holding up two fingers, he signaled the bartender and called out something by name.

"Noted, Toni. So whom have you secured to helm your investment until Marcello takes over?"

"We spoke on the phone a few hours ago. I've suggested a few people, but Marcello has been uncooperative."

"Meaning he didn't like your choices."

Toni smiled sheepishly. "No. He didn't." They paused when two glasses of red wine appeared on the bar. "But he assured me he knows someone who will do it. He just hasn't told me who."

Toni slid a glass toward Dani and with a light swish, brought it to her nose. Toni did the same.

"Maybe he's avoiding telling you because you'll object and call them negative."

"I never said you were negative."

Toni watched Dani take a sip, and took his own.

"Mmm. That's very nice. What is it?"

"It's the Dolcetto Marcello was talking about." He liked her chuckle and his gaze focused on her lips when she took another sip.

She nodded slowly. "He was right. I'll have to remember this wine when I head to the villa next week. I'm staying with your mother, I believe."

Her challenging gaze caught his over the rim of her glass. Marcello had refused to tell him who his choice was and now he knew why. His reservations still stood, but he no longer had the urge to fight her. If anything, he admitted that he was happy to know he would see her again. Toni lowered his head as if thinking, then flicked his gaze to hers. "Does it feel good to thwart me?"

"Yes. It does." She smiled.

Toni couldn't help the slow smile that spread across his face. He held up his glass and motioned for her to do the same.

"A toast to our new chef."

"Temporary chef," Dani corrected.

"What are we toasting?" Ava appeared with her hands on her hips, staring daggers at Dani. Toni felt his stomach twist. Ava was unpredictable when it came to other women.

"Dani is going to be our new chef at the villa."

Ava cocked her hip and didn't smile. "Ohhh, you're the one that took over the other night? Sophia mentioned a ‘Danny.' I thought you were a man."

"No, just me."

Ava raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, giving Dani a deliberate once-over—intimidation tactics that Toni had seen before. He had to get Ava away before she insulted Dani outright.

"It must be hard to be around all of that food, no?" Ava said with deliberate disdain.

"Ava," Toni warned. Her insinuation was subtle, but direct. Dani straightened her back and glared at Ava, but refused to engage by taking a sip of her wine.

A commanding voice came from the side.

"Well, if you ate anything, Ava, you'd know that my daughter is one of the best chefs in New York. Speaking of, Ava, have you gained a little weight?" Toni watched in awe as Francesca Watts gracefully sidled next to Dani and kissed her on both cheeks.

Ava shrank. Dani suppressed a smile. And Toni couldn't stop blinking. Daughter? His gaze darted between the two. He saw it then. The eyes and the high cheekbones were the same.

"Mother, this is Toni. I told you about him."

"Oh my." Francesca leaned in. "So you're the young man who kidnapped my daughter last night." She held out her fingers, which Toni brought to his lips. When he looked up, he caught Dani's eye roll, and then her head turned to cover it up.

"Guilty, signora. Your daughter was our savior last night."

The foursome paused briefly when a server presented a plate of mushroom and cheese croquettes.

"Ladies first," Toni offered.

"We have a photo shoot tomorrow," Francesca said just as Ava reached for a bite. A silent look passed between the two models, before Ava lowered her outstretched hand. "And Danica doesn't eat after ten."

Dani's gaze touched his, then hit the floor.

Ava huffed away.

"I'll see you at the shoot tomorrow, darling," Dani's mother called after Ava, who briefly turned with a snarl.

"Are you coming?" Ava snapped at Toni.

"In un minuto,"Toni nodded, relieved when Ava sat with a group at a table.

"Odd girl," Francesca said.

"Mother," Dani warned. "That's Toni's ex-wife."

Toni almost chuckled at the questioning look on Francesca's face. It reminded him of how his own mother had looked the day he'd announced they were engaged.

"Well, I can't talk. You haven't lived your life if you haven't made a dozen mistakes."

"Oh my God, Mother."

Toni laughed. "It's all right. I find the frankness refreshing."

Francesca winked and touched Toni's arm in apology. "Forgive my American charm. And how is Marcello? The poor dear. I sent flowers to the hospital, the least I could do for taking care of Dani while I worked all those years. He was like a second father."

"Or a first father, since Dad had gone back to Sweden."

"Oh, Danica." Francesca frowned. "Your father is a creative soul." Then she turned to Toni "They're hard to pin down, which makes then so exciting I guess."

"You should visit Marcello," Danica admonished, giving him the impression they'd spoken of the subject before.

"And if I wrap early tomorrow I will. Case closed." She turned to Toni. "Now tell me about this restaurant that will be taking up my daughter's time."

"Speaking of time," Dani interrupted, "we should go. You need your rest."

"You go. Toni and I are going to have one more drink." Mother and daughter stared each other down for a moment before Dani's gaze shifted to Toni's.

After the loaded moment passed, Dani set her empty glass on the bar. "Good night, then." With a bland smile, Dani quickly moved through the bar and quit the hotel. Toni watched, fighting the urge to go after her.

When his attention came back to Francesca, she was staring at him with a half-cocked smile and an outstretched glass of whiskey. "Now, you and I have some business to discuss."

Toni froze as she pinned him with her heavily lashed gaze. This can't be good.

"Who does that woman think she is?" Ava jammed the keys into the lock of her front door and stomped inside. It was after midnight, and Ava had griped about Dani's mother the entire ride home. Toni lifted his gaze to the dark second-story window of Sophia's bedroom, and then he crossed the threshold and softly closed the door behind him.

The neighbor's daughter appeared in the foyer with her things, waiting for her payment. Toni hesitated a second to see if Ava would reappear, then gave the poor girl a wad of bills. He found Ava barefoot in the kitchen with a bottle of wine in her hand banging through the cupboards.

"Shhh! Sophia's asleep." He frowned at her erratic behavior. "What are you looking for?"

"The opener."

"You're opening a bottle now? It's after midnight and you have a shoot tomorrow."

She twisted the corkscrew into the top, then tugged it out. "You sound like my mother. I just need one more drink to put me to sleep. And you, my love, are gonna have one with me."

He ignored the pet name. Toni didn't want another drink; he wanted to run screaming. Toni frowned as Ava poured them both a glass. "Did you check on Sophia?"

"No," she simply said.

Toni closed his eyes in frustration, then kicked off his shoes and quietly climbed the stairs. He softly opened his daughter's bedroom door and smiled at the chaos her sheets had gone through since she was a toddler. He headed back downstairs and found Ava lounging in the living room, her glass of wine to her lips.

"She's asleep," Toni said. Another glass was waiting on the coffee table. "I'm going to head out."

"Your drink!" she called after him.

"You drink it, Ava. I'm tired."

Toni barely opened the front door when Ava shoved herself against it, blocking his way out.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't you ever think about us?" The sultry tone in her voice made alarm bells go off in his head.

"Not for a long time."

"Well, what if I told you I still loved you?"

"I'd say, what about your new boyfriend?"

"We broke up." He could have predicted that.

"I see."

She slid her body against his then and pursed her lips on his mouth. Startled, he gently closed his hands around her shoulders and peeled her body from his, and then he slowly pulled his head back and gazed into her eyes. Her cherry-red lips were soft and her small breasts teased his chest. There should have been a spark or a flutter of something he felt for her long ago. Nothing. He felt nothing. And by the darkening of her eyes, she suspected as much.

"Are you in love with that chef?"

Toni balked. "Why would you say that."

"Sophia can't stop talking about her and you couldn't leave her side all night!"

"That is ridiculous. I owe her a debt. I told you what she did for us."

"Then what is it? I heard you've been seeing that teacher at school. Is it true?"

"I saw her a few times," he said with a heavy sigh.

Ava jerked back. "Think about Sophia!" Toni didn't like rising to the anger in a woman's voice, but Ava's shrill tone always sent him over the edge.

"She is all I think about. Are you thinking about her when you are out all night with new boyfriends every six weeks?" he snapped, then regretted it instantly.

Ava burst into tears and Toni wanted to hit something.

"How did we get here?" she said in between sobs. Toni worried Sophia would come down and see her mother crying. He grabbed Ava and hugged her close.

"Please, let's talk about this when you aren't a little drunk. We are doing well raising our daughter, I don't want to ruin it."

"We could be a family again," she half whispered.

Could they? Would that be best for Sophia? Ava's glassy gaze pleaded with him, making him feel like a bad guy. He wasn't the one who was coming home drunk when Sophia was a baby. He wasn't the one who cheated.

The air between them got thinner. If she could finally change, could there be a chance?