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Chapter Nineteen
-Noemi-
DESPITE MY COAT, MYwhole body shook as I walked back to my house. I knew Dante was emotionally distant, but I had no idea he was that cold-hearted.
He stood there with that remote expression on his face and wanted me to believe that he no longer wanted me. I understood that we were through. I got it. Dante very thoroughly made sure there was no trace left of the inexperienced woman I was. Our agreement had been fulfilled in every way but for him to stand there and insist that the attraction had died along with his willingness to continue the relationship was cruel. We were over, but that didn’t give him the right to treat me like I wasn’t worth a speck of his time. That I wasn’t worth the effort a fake smile would have cost him.
I stopped at the edge of the drive and pivoted to face the white colonial the Calegari’s called home. Why did I not believe him? The words stung; they hurt like hell, but I didn’t believe them. They weren’t convincing. There had to be more. What was I supposed to do now? He returned home and poof, everything was supposed to return to where it was when we’d left?
I shook my head. No. I saw him. I could feel the turmoil in him, no matter what stupidity left his mouth.
I looked back at my Christmas tree, still leaning against the side of the car where I had left it when Dante coldly ignored me. Part of me wanted to drag the poor thing inside and start decorating while the other part wanted to march back into the Calegari home and have it out with Dante.
“I’d let it go for the night if I were you,” Gabriel said as he approached from the side of the house where the kitchen door opened to the driveway.
“I don’t know what to do,” I muttered. Sad. Frightened. Angry. I didn’t know what to feel, let alone what to do next. “Am I supposed to walk away? Pretend nothing happened?”
Gabriel put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. “I wish I had answers for you, Noemi, I really do. Dante is... well, he’s Dante. He’s my brother and I love him, but I don’t know if I always understand him.”
Slowly, we started walking back down the driveway to the sidewalk. Gabriel had been like a brother to me for years. I valued his opinion especially when it came to enigmatic brother.
“I’m asking you for your best advice. What do you think I should do? Walk away? Let it end here?”
“I can’t tell you what I think you should do because we’re not the same kind of person. I can tell you what I’d do,” he said as he let go of me and took hold of the Christmas tree.
“What would you do?”
“I’d fight like hell for the woman I wanted. This thing between the two of you... Noemi, you thought you were hiding your feelings, but we’ve known. We’ve all known for years how you felt about Dante. I know this is more than just a physical connection for you. He knows it, too. He just won’t admit it.”
“Why? If he knew how this would end up, why did he go through with it? What has he told you?”
I rapid-fired questions at him as my mind raced. I didn’t know how much Gabriel knew about our week, but it was obvious that Dante had told him something when he asked Gabriel to send someone to the airport to pick me up. I had no idea what excuses he had given. I never asked.
Gabriel pulled the Christmas tree to his shoulder, and we walked to the back door of my house.
“He didn’t have to tell me much. It was obvious that the two of you left together when you both disappeared that night. Dante left his usual message that gave us no information at all, but he did say he was with you and he told Lilly and Ma not to worry. Then, a week later, he called and told me that you were coming home. He gave me your flight number and said to have someone pick you up at the airport.”
“Like unwanted baggage,” I muttered as I put my key in the lock. Oddly, it turned with no resistance. I must have forgotten to lock it when Gabriel came to pick me up, but I was fairly sure that I had.
“No, not like that.” Gabriel said firmly as he set the tree by the back door. He put his hand on my arm. “He cares about you, Noemi. It’s just that he doesn’t know how to show it.”
“Why is that? I don’t understand how he’s so different from you and Lilly.”
“He’s just wired differently, that’s all. It wasn’t easy being my father’s oldest son. Dante was raised with different expectations than Lilly and I were.”
“Can I say that doesn’t make much sense to me? You were the one who inherited your father’s business.”
“That’s true, but Dante is the head of our family. There are certain expectations that come with that. Dante had a lot of responsibilities growing up and our father was hard on him. It was different for us younger kids.”
My brow furrowed as I was torn between asking nosey questions and trying to put the pieces together on my own. I was afraid that if I started asking too much, I’d reveal too much. Dante said no one in his family knew what he did for a living. They believed his stock market story, but that didn’t make any sense to me either. Lilly may have never given it a second thought, but Gabriel was too smart to not suspect something. Maybe he had doubts and never acted on them. Maybe, since Dante was head of the family, no one questioned him about anything. And was it that upbringing, those responsibilities and expectations Gabriel mentioned, that not only cut Dante off from his emotions, but also turned him into a killer?
It wasn’t likely that I’d get all my answers while standing in the doorway. “Come in out of the cold. Can you help me put the tree in the garage? I have a bucket of water we can put it in.”
We got the tree set up in its temporary home, but I no longer felt like decorating.
“Thank you for your help tonight. And for listening to me whine about your brother,” I said as I walked Gabriel back to the door.
“Anytime, Noemi. You know that. Can I add one thing?”
