“See you later, Frankie,” Candi says, not bothering to say anything to my asshole husband before she hustles out the door, closing it behind her.
“What the hell is the meaning of all this?” I ask.
“You lied to me. You paid me lip service and then you went behind my back and did whatever the hell you wanted anyway.” His eyes burn into mine and I swear I see red.
Fuckingwhat? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dante smirks cruelly. “The babymoon?”
My face flushes hot as I suddenly remember the conversation I had with Charlie. I’d thought we’d just been daydreaming, making plans thatmightwork out at some point in the future, maybe, but not ones we’d actually follow through with.
“Shit,” is all I can muster.
“Yeah. Clayton just filled me in on your little plan to sneak off to Montana with your sister. You’re willing to risk your life and that of our baby for afucking spa weekend?”
I rub my temples, shaking my head. “No, Dante. It wasn’t like that—it was just idle conversation. We were daydreaming. I wasn’t planning on actually going. And I certainly never agreed that it would be—”
“Does your sister know that?”
I flip my hands palm up. “Iassumedshe did. I can’t speak for her—”
“You’re just trying to placate me so I’ll let my guard down. You’ll sneak away the second I turn my back. I can’t believe you want me to trust you when this is how you act.”
“You’re impossible!” I throw my hands up. “And you’re jumping to conclusions. I’m not going to stand here trying to defend myself when I’ve done nothing wrong. This conversation is over. I need to go try to salvage the deal you just ruined.”
“I said the deal was off, so it’s off,” Dante says, doubling down.
“Get bent, Bellanti,” I fume, stomping out the door.
I hurry to the parking lot, relieved to find Candi’s car still there. Bending slightly as I approach, I look in the window. She’s sitting behind the wheel, staring straight ahead. She’s not quite crying, but it looks like she’s on the edge of it.
I tap on her window. She jumps and then forces a smile. When I point to the passenger side, she unlocks the door.
Sliding into the car, I take a breath to settle my emotions. “Candi, I am so sorry about that. If it was up to me, this deal would absolutely be done already, but I’ll have to work on him a bit, get things back on track.”
Candi nods, waving me off. “I get it. It’s fine. I just…really needed this deal. God, they’re such assholes sometimes. The whole lot of them.”
I can’t argue with that. “You’re not wrong.”
She subtly blots the corners of her eye. Has business not been good lately? I know her reputation is flawless, and she used to be so busy that she was closed to new clients. But I don’t feel comfortable prying. We’re friends, but not close ones. There’s still a boundary between us.
“Maybe you could talk to Armani and—”
“Ha. I don’t think so.” She looks over at me, her voice bitter. “He won’t do a damned thing without Dante’s permission. Trust me.”
We’re not going to get anywhere with this until I bring Dante around. Leaning over, I give Candi a hug and promise to work on my husband and call her next week with an update. It’s too much money to be turning down just because of a tantrum.
I get out of the car and watch Candi leave, giving her a little wave as she rounds the curve in the drive and heads to the main road.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Charlie as I head back to the office.
“Hey, Frankie.”
“So Dante just ruined your babymoon surprise, thanks to your husband’s mouth.”
“Awww.” Charlie makes an apologetic sound. “I’m so sorry. Clayton’s such a little gossip. He’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.”
I laugh. I hope my sister can’t tell it’s a little forced.
