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His hand cupped the back of my head, dragging me toward him. “What else could it possibly be?”
“The stimulating, interesting banter?”
The last thing I saw before his lips met mine was the return of that smile.
He kissed me deeply, but not urgently - giving, not taking, slowly drawing from my lips again and again.
Too soon, he pulled back from me, tracing the pad of his thumb over my lips. “I’m going to go shower, then we’ll have breakfast. I have some work to do afterwards.”
I flinched at the words. I couldn’t help it. Whenever I thought about Dante’s work, morbid thoughts took over.
He frowned at me. “Just some phone calls, Noemi. Everyone on this island is safe.”
“Sorry. I think it will take a while to get used to—”
He stopped touching me and stood up abruptly. “I’m not very hungry. I’ll skip breakfast. I’ll be in Michael’s office after my shower if you need anything.”
The naive girl in me wanted to sit there and wonder what had happened to change his mood so quickly. But I knew. It was another reminder that the island and all the magic it held were temporary. Sighing, I gathered the towels and started walking back to my room. If I hurried, I could have caught up with Dante, but it was clear he wanted to be alone. Oddly, I was okay with that.
If anything had come from our time together, my confidence had grown. At least, where he was concerned. There were issues to face, but he’d given me what I needed. He said it. I held his interest. I used a ploy like my virginity to get his notice, but it was me, my words, my interests, my conversation, that kept his attention. And he had been attentive. It wasn’t a figment of my imagination. This abrupt change this morning was the first incident like it in three days.
This was more than lust and a man taking advantage of a woman’s offer. This was more than just “fucking.” We talked. We listened. And today, we actually laughed and smiled. Maybe facing the changes he had to have felt was more than he was ready for, but Dante couldn’t deny they were there. Island Dante was a different man. I hated that one day, he’d be gone. He hadn’t told me when yet, but sooner rather than later, we were going to get back on board theMary Theresaand wave goodbye to Smuggler’s Island and the memories that would remain there.
The only problem I had was that I wasn’t sure which man would be aboard that yacht with me.
After a quick shower and a solitary breakfast, I needed a distraction from the loneliness that took over in Dante’s absence. I’m not sure how he managed it, but Michael’s island came with a cell phone tower. I hadn’t wanted to try during the last few days while I had Dante’s full attention, but now seemed like the right time to call Willis again.
And like the last two times I tried to reach him, my call went straight to voicemail.
“Hey! It’s me... again. Everything’s still good. I hope you got my messages. We’re about halfway done with our cruise. Should be back in a few days. At this rate, I’ll be home before you call me. Ok. Well, if you do get this, call me back. I’m kind of starting to worry now. Love you.”
It wasn’t like Willis to be so unreachable. Not for me, at least. He had a team of people around him, assistants and interns and people whose jobs I didn’t understand, pulling at him and making sure his time was well choreographed. But he always made time for me. Even if he couldn’t speak right away, he always called me back. We had stayed close over the years. Even after our parents’ deaths, when his career was just starting to climb, he was always there when I needed him. I missed him like crazy when I moved to England, but he came to visit a few times and we video-called weekly.
His political career had taken off like wildfire when I was still in high school and now, he was the incumbent senator from New York, sitting on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. Due to his position, he was also on the Intelligence Committee. When I couldn’t reach him the first time I called, I wasn’t surprised. But after a few days, when the return call never came through, I started to worry and tried again.
This was my third attempt with no results. He always called me back. Late at night after an event. Early in the morning on the train to his office. He found a time and a place, but healwayscalled. I’d been so caught up in my rapture over Dante that I hadn’t been worried until now.
It was funny that with all the craziness I’d dealt with that week, not being able to speak to my brother was the thing that made me the most nervous. I’d try one more time before we left the island. If I hadn’t heard from him by the time I got home, I’d bypass the house in Connecticut and head straight for New York. Someone in his office would know where he was.
I scrolled through my phone until I found a number I’d never had to use before.
“Senator Petrafuso’s office. How may I help you?”
“Jenny? This is Noemi. How are you?”
“Oh, hi! I’m well, thank you. How are you? It’s great to hear your voice. Willis said you were home now?”
Jenny’s words were the reassurance I needed. At least, he knew I was home, and he wasn’t missing in action somewhere. She was his assistant and knew his schedule better than he did.
“I am, yes. Well I’m on vacation now, which is why I’ve been trying to get a hold of him. He hasn’t returned my calls, so I was wondering if everything was okay?”
“Hmmmm. That’s strange. I know he always makes a point of calling you. But there’s nothing to worry about. He’s fine. He’ll be back from Washington this afternoon. I’ll grab his cell phone when he gets here and see if it’s working properly. Maybe he never got your message.”
“I don’t know. I’ve called three times now. It rings and goes to voicemail. Are you sure he’s okay? Is he super busy right now or anything?”
“No more than usual. Don’t stress about it, Noemi. I bet it’s a problem with his phone, that’s all. Listen. I’ll take a good old-fashioned paper message and shove it into his hands as soon as he walks in this afternoon. Okay?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be wonderful. Thank you so much, Jenny.” I didn’t want to leave her the whole spiel, so I kept it brief. “Just tell him I’ve been out of town, but I’ll be back in a few days. I’ll call him again when I get home, but he can call and leave me a message on my cell. I’ll check it as soon as I can. Or he can call me tonight if he’s able to.”
“Got it. I’ll push the last option. There’s no reason why he can’t call you this evening. His calendar’s wide open after six tonight. No, wait. That’s tomorrow. He has a fundraising dinner tonight at the Met. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure he finds the time to call.”
I hung up, breathing a little easier, but still worried. There are some things in life that are steadfast and reliable. Some things could be counted on irrefutably and their presence meant all was right in the world: Willis Petrafuso’s brotherly support was the most consistent thing in my life and I had called him and left three messages with no response.
To borrow a phrase from Dante:what the fuck was going on?
