12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Friday, June 28th
“Freakin’ gorgeous!” Danielle set down her hot glue gun and fished in the pocket of the stained coveralls she’d borrowed from Matteo. Her phone was in there somewhere, beneath a crumpled rag and snippets of cloth. She circled the wedding arch and snapped photos from different angles. For the past two days, she’d helped him encase the metal arbor’s uprights in driftwood and top them with a wooden arch salvaged from a defunct chapel. This afternoon, while Matteo scooped gelato, she draped the structure with tulle in sea-foam green and sky blue, the couple’s favorite colors, and wound the uprights in satin ribbon. Tomorrow, the florist would weave in fresh flowers to complete the perfect backdrop for a beach wedding.
She peeled off the coveralls, then sent the photos to Matteo. His reply came back within seconds.
It’s beautiful, bella! You’re so creative.
Grinning, she removed her bandana and fluffed her squashed hair. Who’da thunk it? The mom who flunked Pinterest had actually mastered a craft project. Brimming with pride, she loaded photos into a group text to her book club friends, but she froze with her finger over the Send button. If she told them, she’d have to explain why she built the thing in the first place. She’d have to explain about Matteo.
She wasn’t ready yet. Maybe after the wedding. She sank onto a stool. Maybe not at all.
At first, she’d enjoyed having a secret, something that was hers alone. But over the past week, as her connection with Matteo deepened, she craved the help of her girlfriends to answer the question that followed her all day and woke her in the middle of the night: Could this be something?
She chewed her lip, staring at the phone. It pinged and flashed Olivia’s number.
Mom, call?
Her belly tightened as she pressed Call Back. Today the kids were at Universal Studios. Had one of them fallen off a ride? Been bitten by a mechanical dinosaur? Gotten sick from too many curly fries?
Olivia’s hushed voice was hard to hear over yelling in the background. “Hey, Mom. We’ve got a problem.”
Adrenaline pushed Danielle to her feet. “What’s going on? Where are you?”
“In the parking lot. We got kicked out of the park.”
“What the—why?”
Noah’s gruff voice broke through. Only ten, he sounded more like a teen every day. “Give me the phone.” Sounds of arguing, then, “Jayden and Brayden tried to steal magic wands from the wizard shop. This huge security guy caught them. It was scary.” But kind of cool, his giddy tone suggested.
Her jaws clenched. “Put your father on the phone.”
“But Mom, he—”
“Now, please.”
More background hubbub, and finally, Jason’s tight voice. “It’s under control, Danielle.”
“Is it?” she snapped. “Pretty shitty example those boys are setting for our kids.”
“I said, I’ve got it handled. Sharla will discipline her boys. I’ll talk with Olivia and Noah.”
“And you’ll make it clear this bullshit behavior is in no way acceptable or even remotely cool?”
His voice dropped to a growl, a tone she recognized all too well. “I said—”
But she was so over bowing to his moods. “I’ve gotta wonder how a high school principal failed to notice those boys were trouble. I’ve gotta wonder about your priorities, Jason, and your judgment.” She strangled the phone. “I’ve gotta wonder if I should interrupt my vacation and come get our kids.”
“Your vacation? Where are you?”
“At the beach house, of course, since your last-minute surprise stuck me with the bill.”
“You went by yourself?” Why did he sound so incredulous? Did he think she’d just mope around Tacoma for two weeks?
She swiped a hand down her face. Okay, she’d nearly done that, but things had changed. She’d changed.
His voice softened. “Well, good. I’m glad you’re able to enjoy it. And I’ll deal with this mess. See you on the sixth.” Not quite an apology, but further parental warfare would only hurt the kids.
Her mood spoiled, she disconnected the call, heaved a weary sigh, and gathered her things. As she drove back to the rental house, the sunshine reached that glorious, golden, early-evening hue. She had barely enough time to shower and finish dinner, now simmering in a Crockpot. Thank the gods Trappers Cove’s little food co-op had all the ingredients: a whole chicken, a good dry red, and fresh herbs. It was her turn to spoil Matteo with a home-cooked meal—and in other, creative ways.
She pulled onto her street and stomped on the brakes. “What the…?”
Someone was lounging on her deck! Three someones, in fact. Cari, Laurie, and Marie popped to their feet and waved, all three wearing neon fabric leis and goofy sunglasses. Paper cups and a half-empty wine bottle sat on the rim of the fire pit.
“Surprise!” They thundered down the steps, arms waving like a middle-aged cheer squad.
Danielle parked in the driveway behind Laurie’s SUV. Cari yanked open the door, pulled Danielle to her feet, and enveloped her in a squishy hug.
“I thought you were all tied up this weekend,” Danielle squeaked.
Marie popped a lei over Danielle’s head. “Our friend needed us. Girls’ party weekend!”
“You have this big house to yourself, so we’re having a slumber party.” Laurie poked neon-pink sunglasses into Danielle’s face. “We brought lots of wine and snacks.”
“And fancy face masks,” Cari added, tugging her up the deck stairs. “Plus a little something special just for you.” She winked, and all three giggled.
Marie dug in her enormous purse and handed over a gift-wrapped box. “Open it!”
“No, she needs wine first.”
Danielle scrubbed both palms down her face and sank into a chair. “Guys, this is really sweet, but—”
Laurie shoved a brimming cup of rosé into her hand. “Drink up! We’re way ahead of you.”
No shit . Stifling a groan, she gulped her wine, opened the package, and pulled out a purple silicone dildo.
“It’s called the Unicorn,” Cari explained. “See, it’s got separate controls for this part and this part.” Leaning over Danielle’s shoulder, she pressed a button, and the gizmo buzzed and writhed. All three friends shrieked with laughter.
Laurie clapped her on the shoulder. “Meet your new boyfriend.”
Boyfriend! Panic seized her, and she fumbled for her phone. She had to warn Matteo.
Cari whistled. “Ooh là là. Who’s this?”
She whirled to find him at the gate, clutching a bouquet and a bottle of wine. He shot her a quizzical look, then flashed a dazzling smile, climbed the stairs, and kissed her cheek. “Friends of yours?” he whispered.
She nodded.
“Were you expecting them?” She shook her head.
“Well then.” He set down his load and wound his arm around her waist.
She gulped. “Guys, meet Matteo.”
For a long, silent moment, the three women goggled at him. Finally, Cari cleared her throat and approached, hand extended. “Pleased to meet you, Matteo.” She nudged Danielle with her elbow. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Dani.”
Matteo shook hands with each friend in turn, his wide smile strained and tight.
“Would you excuse us a minute, ladies?” He took her hand and pulled her toward the sidewalk. “You want to scrap tonight?” he asked, his voice low.
“No!” She gripped his forearm. “They were worried about me, all alone in this big house. They came to cheer me up.”
“You didn’t tell them about us.” His eyes narrowed. “You ashamed of me, bella?”
She cupped his jaw in both hands. “No, I swear. I just—wanted more time. Just the two of us, you know? When we’re together, I can forget about what came before and what comes next.”
He regarded her for a long moment, breathing hard through flared nostrils. Then his eyes closed, and his brow smoothed. “Okay, I promised not to pressure you. But I do think about what comes next, bella. I think about it all the time.” The corner of his mouth hitched in a wry smile. “Now, you gonna feed me, or what?”
Danielle pushed back from the dining table. Thank God she’d bought the biggest chicken in the meat case. Supplemented with roasted potatoes, salad, and lots of bread, her coq au vin stretched to feed five, barely. In the kitchen, Matteo hummed as he washed dishes—the clatter and splash a thoughtful cover for their dissection of his finer points.
“Oh my God, Dani, he’s adorable,” Marie squeaked and squeezed Danielle’s wrist.
Only half-listening to her friends’ chatter, Danielle watched him through the open doorway, the smooth shifting of his muscles beneath his chambray shirt, the way his worn jeans cupped his ass.
“…tell your kids?” Laurie asked.
She shook her lust-addled head. “Sorry, what?”
“When will you tell them?”
She reached for a cookie, stalling.
“Dani, you have to tell them.”
She dropped her head into her hands. “I know, but I don’t want to be like Jason.”
Cari snorted. “How could you possibly compare yourself to that schmuck?”
She quickly related that afternoon’s phone call. “Three times, now, he’s introduced them to his squeeze du jour. They always break up as soon as the kids start to feel comfortable with her. It’s not fair to them. They need at least one stable parent.”
“So, keeping secrets equals protecting your kids?” Laurie nabbed a cookie with pink icing and sprinkles. “Or are you just protecting yourself?”
Danielle groaned and slumped onto the table. “There’s no way this can last. He’s so damned young.”
Cari snorted. “He doesn’t seem to care about your age.”
“For now.”
Marie snatched the last jam-filled cookie. “Try listening to him instead of listening to your fear. Just because stupid-ass Jason left you doesn’t mean every guy’s gonna leave you.”
The clatter in the kitchen stopped, replaced by approaching footsteps. Danielle bolted upright.
Matteo gently gripped her shoulder. “Well, ladies, I think I’d better leave. It was a pleasure meeting you all. I hope to see you again soon. Bella, will you see me out?”
She followed him to the deck.
He twined a lock of her hair around his finger. “So, did I pass inspection?”
“You got an A-plus.” She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thanks for being so understanding.” Another kiss, longer and deeper. “Do you really want to go?”
He chuckled against her temple. “Of course I don’t. Only eight more days until you kick me to the curb. But you should spend time with your friends.” He flashed a devilish grin and squeezed her ass with both hands. “Maybe they’ll talk you into giving me a chance.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Maybe they’ll talk me out of it.”
“It’s a calculated risk.” He kissed her again, deep and slow and sweet. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at three.”
For a moment she blinked up at him, her mind blanked by his kiss, his heat, his delectable, distracting, muscly maleness.
His smile twitched with suppressed laughter. “The wedding?”
“Oh, right. Can’t miss that.” She gave him a lingering goodnight kiss before reluctantly letting him go.
Back inside, she faced her giddy girlfriends, huddled over the dining table. “So, um…”
They popped to their feet and, squeeing like middle schoolers, trotted over to envelop her in a squishy group hug.
“He is so freakin’ cute!”
“I’m so jealous, Dani.”
“What’s he like in bed?”
Without giving her a chance to answer, they tugged her into the living room, where a pile of shopping bags covered the coffee table. Marie reached into one and pulled out a handful of shiny foil packets. “Okay, first the face masks and chocolate martinis, then we grill Dani about her boy toy.”
Cari unpacked the bottles. “And you’d better talk fast, because we’re leaving right after breakfast.”
Danielle protested, “First, he’s not a toy. Second, I thought you were spending the weekend.” The three friends exchanged a meaningful look.
“Well, you’ve got the wedding,” Marie started.
“And my sitter has a thing tomorrow,” Laurie added.
Cari poured vodka into a cocktail shaker, followed by a slug of cream. “Cut the crap, you guys.” She added a generous splash of chocolate liqueur. “Dani, we came to keep you company. But you already have company. And we’re proud of you.” She shook the mixture with ice and poured it into tumblers. “Here’s to you, Dani, and your sweet young thing.”
They clinked.
Danielle sipped and winced. “Holy cow, that’s strong.” She held up her glass for another toast. “Here’s to the best friends a girl could have. And I call dibs on the rose petal mask.”