Market Street

by Anita Hughes

“Actually, I have something to tell you.” James ran his hands through his hair. “Why don’t I get a couple of drinks and we go outside?”

  * * *

  Cassie followed James onto the balcony. It was dark and the sky was lit up with stars. Cassie felt a breeze blow up from the bay and stood under one of the outdoor heat lamps.

  “I’ve missed you.” James handed her a glass of white wine.

  “I missed you too.” Cassie blushed. She turned away and sat on one of the long white sofas that littered the patio.

  “You can’t run away from me.” James sat next to her. “Unless you jump. It’s a long way down.”

  “We said good-bye.” Cassie studied her wineglass. “I don’t want to make it harder for either of us.”

  “I’m glad you’re taking the apartment,” James said slowly. “It already feels like you’re there. It’s not as lonely.”

  “What did you want to tell me?” Cassie felt James’s thigh against hers. She smelled his aftershave and saw his heart beat in his chest.

  “I got a really exciting offer.” James put his wineglass on the coffee table. “A consortium bought an old castle outside of Florence and turned it into a boutique hotel. It’s in the hills overlooking the Arno, surrounded by gardens. They want to turn part of it into a cooking school. They would invite chefs from all over the world and attract a high-end clientele.” James paused and turned to Cassie. “They want me to design it.”

  Cassie froze. She tried to make her mouth form a smile. She imagined James in Tuscany, surrounded by vineyards and olive orchards. She pictured him working in a castle, his sleeves rolled up, his glasses perched on his nose.

  “I’ve seen pictures of the castle.” James’s eyes sparkled. “All the guest rooms face the river and there is a weeping willow in the garden. The interior has been painstakingly refurbished. The salons have stone fireplaces and original molding. The cooking school will open onto a brick patio and guests will be able to sit and enjoy what they cooked.”

  “What about your projects in Chicago?” Cassie asked finally.

  “The firm will assign them to another junior partner. This is a big deal, Cassie. It will be written up in magazines. It means other international jobs.” He squeezed her hand.

  “It sounds very exciting.” Cassie nodded, gulping her wine. “When do you leave?”

  “They want me to start in two weeks. The project will probably take four months.” James grinned. “I’m still pinching myself, I feel like Michelangelo.”

  “You deserve it.” Cassie tried to stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. “Your designs are fantastic.”

  “There’s one more thing.” James held her hand tightly. “They want to grow an organic vegetable garden on the property. The cooking school will use only their own fruits and vegetables, like Alice Waters and her Edible Schoolyard.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Somehow they heard your name and they want you to develop it.”

  “They want me to do what?” Cassie replied stupidly.

  “They want you to oversee the vegetable garden.”

  “Did you give them my name?” Cassie jumped up and walked over to the heat lamp. She felt chilled and couldn’t stop shivering.

  “Of course not.” James shook his head. “They were going to call and discuss the position but I wanted to talk to you first. Fenton’s has a tremendous reputation. It could have been one of your clients or Alice Waters.” James shrugged. “They are keen to have you.”

  “That’s flattering.” Cassie warmed her hands, trying to stop shaking.

  “Will you come? It’s only for four months.” James stood close to her.

  “I can’t leave the store.” Cassie shook her head.

  “Your mother would love it!” James protested. “Think of the exposure for Fenton’s. You’d build an international reputation.”

  “I just signed the lease on your apartment.” Cassie could feel James’s breath on her neck.

  “My mother has been dying to rent a little pied-à-terre in San Francisco.” James put his hand on her back. “She’d jump at it.”

  Cassie walked over to the railing. She watched the lights of Oakland and Berkeley twinkling on the other side of the bay. She saw an airplane drift in and out of the clouds. She felt James put his arm around her. He turned her face to his and kissed her softly on the mouth.

  “I’m going to kiss you until you run out of excuses.” He grinned, releasing her.

  “Italy has terrible Chinese food and hardly any McDonald’s.” Cassie rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Then you’re going to have to teach me how to cook,” James replied.

  “I speak very little Italian.” Cassie frowned.

  “We’ll learn together. I learned my first words already: ti amo.”

  “What does that mean?” Cassie giggled.

  James kissed her again, pushing her hair behind her ears. “It means ‘I love you.’”

  21.

  Cassie sat at a window table at Fenton’s café, sipping an espresso. She picked up a pack of sugar and then put it back on the table. Italian coffee was so bitter; she had to learn how to drink it black. She glanced at her watch. Alexis was joining her for afternoon tea but she was late.

  Cassie checked her list to see if she had taken care of all her last-minute errands. She had her passport, she sent her attorney her contact information in Florence, and she left a whole notepad of instructions for the assistant manager taking over the emporium.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.” Alexis swooped into the café wearing a bright yellow linen dress and gold espadrilles. She kissed Cassie on the cheek and sat down opposite her, keeping on her Oliver Peoples sunglasses.

  “I love the dress and the sunglasses. You look like Katharine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story.” Cassie put down the espresso cup and blotted her lips with a napkin.

  “Haven’t seen that one.” Alexis put her napkin in her lap. “Your mother was right. Yellow is the color of the summer. I’m seeing it everywhere.” Alexis took off her sunglasses and studied Cassie. “You already look European. I love your hair and that dress is perfect on you.”

  Cassie blushed. She had moved out of Alexis’s house and was staying with her mother until her departure. Diana insisted Cassie visit her stylist and get a more continental hairstyle. Her hair fell to her neck in long smooth layers, and she had wispy bangs covering her forehead. Diana also brought home Fenton’s boxes of dresses and skirts, sweaters, cigarette pants, and short bolero jackets.

  * * *

  “Mother, I don’t need shoes.” Cassie had opened a box of suede Tod’s loafers, Gucci pumps, and Manolo sandals. “I’m going to Italy.”

  “You’re representing Fenton’s.” Diana walked in circles around the pile of boxes in the guest bedroom. “You need to dress like a young sophisticate, not an American schoolgirl.”

  “I have more clothes than Grace Kelly when she departed for Monaco to marry Prince Rainier.” Cassie fingered a black cocktail dress and a lace sundress with spaghetti straps.

  “I’m very proud of you.” Diana tapped her cigarette holder on the mahogany desk. She wore a yellow silk top and harem pants cinched with a red ostrich belt. “This is a huge undertaking. Alice was tickled when I told her. She credits your success with the years you spent volunteering in her garden.”

  “I still feel bad about leaving the emporium,” Cassie replied nervously.

  “Nonsense.” Diana clicked her tongue. “It hums like a machine. Vanessa Getty was on the cover of W this month, eating a Fenton’s heirloom tomato and holding a Princess bag.”

  “Maybe you can visit us.” Cassie studied her mother’s face. Her skin looked pale in the afternoon light and there were new spidery wrinkles around her mouth.

  “Italy in the fall?” Diana mused. “It would be wonderful to visit the Vatican and meet some designers in Milan. If Fenton’s isn’t too busy, I’ll think about it.”

  “James would love t
o see you.” Cassie smiled. “He’s afraid he won’t work fast enough without you whipping him into shape.”

  “James is a fine young man.” Diana walked over to the door. “He reminds me of your father; that thin athletic build. I’m going to have Maria prepare some dishes you can take with you. You don’t want to eat in restaurants every night.”

  “I know how to cook, Mother.” Cassie grinned. “And I’m going to teach James.”

  “I suppose it would be tricky to get them through customs.” Diana frowned. “I’ll have her write up the recipes.”

  * * *

  “Your mother is going to miss you.” Alexis signaled to the waiter. “It’s her way of showing you. I have something to tell you.” She smiled like a Cheshire cat and covered her face with the menu.

  “You’re having a baby?” Cassie leaned forward.

  “Carter’s only been home a week.” Alexis shrugged after she placed her order. “Hermès approved the mini boutique in Fenton’s. I’m going to be surrounded by Birkins!”

  “What a coup.” Cassie smiled. “My mother has wanted a Hermès boutique for decades. She’ll be thrilled.”

  “I was just in her office. We’re going to Emerald to celebrate. We’ll probably sit around talking about you.” Alexis grinned.

  “Have you told Carter about Fenton’s?” Cassie nibbled a slice of German chocolate cake.

  “I told him the day he landed.” Alexis scooped whipped cream with her fork. “I decided you can’t have lies in a marriage, even if they’re lily white.”

  “How did he take it?” Cassie ate another bite of cake.

  “At first he was furious, but he started reading blogs that said I am one of San Francisco’s most powerful women under forty. He saw my Facebook fan page and how many followers I have on Twitter. San Francisco magazine is doing its cover story on us next month: San Francisco’s new it couple. He’s so happy he can’t get enough of me. We have sex all night; I can hardly walk in the morning. He promised me a baby.”

  “Really!” Cassie’s eyes sparkled.

  “A baby Birkin. The latest model: twenty-five-inch, ostrich skin, twenty-four-karat gold hardware. He’s going to pull some strings so we jump ahead on the wait list.”

  “Who said a girl can’t have everything?” Cassie sipped her espresso.

  “Have you talked to Aidan?” Alexis took a bite of chocolate cake.

  “I called him and told him I would be out of the country for four months.” Cassie shrugged. “The divorce should be final when I get back. He thanked me for letting Isabel work at Fenton’s.”

  “Isabel has amazing fashion sense for a teenager.” Alexis nodded. “I’m thinking of adding some lines by young designers, like Ashley Olsen. And she’s a very hard worker. I’m going to offer her the position part-time in the fall.”

  “I did a little research on the consortium that owns the castle,” Cassie said slowly, looking directly at Alexis. “A familiar name appeared: Princess Giselle.”

  “Giselle may have suggested your name for the position but the board had to vote.” Alexis didn’t blink. “You’ve put Fenton’s on the map in the food world.” She paused and finished her coffee. “You’re not angry, are you?”

  “Angry that I get paid to spend four months in Tuscany creating a vegetable garden and living in a castle with James?” Cassie grinned. “But what happened to being completely honest?”

  “Not telling you something doesn’t constitute as lying,” Alexis replied innocently.

  “I’m going to miss you.” Cassie smiled, looking out the window at the tourists milling around Union Square.

  “While you’re zipping through the hills of Tuscany on the back of a Vespa? You’ll be back before you know it.” Alexis pushed the chocolate cake away and fiddled with the pearl choker around her neck. “You know what would be great?”

  “What?” Cassie asked.

  “If in a year from now we are sitting here pregnant. We could wear Gwyneth Paltrow’s new line of maternity dresses and shop for Bugaboos and those darling onesies by Petit Bateau.”

  “James and I aren’t even married,” Cassie protested.

  “He’ll pop the question the minute you’re free.” Alexis shrugged. “He’s like the prince in the fairy tales we read when we were children. He finally found his fair maiden.”

  Cassie put down her fork and looked out the window. She saw couples walking arm in arm, peering into department store windows. She watched women pushing strollers and balancing cups of coffee. She saw a mother hold a little boy’s hand as they crossed the street.

  She turned to Alexis and smiled. “Yes, it would be great.”

  Acknowledgments

  I am thrilled and grateful to work with such a stellar team. Melissa Flashman is the smartest agent any author could wish for. My brilliant editor at St. Martin’s Press, Hilary Teeman, her assistant, Sarah Jae-Jones, and Audrey Campbell, my wonderful publicist, have made getting this novel out there a dream. Thank you also to Jennifer Weis and Mollie Traver, and to Elsie Lyons for her beautiful cover design.

  A special thank-you to my dear friends who share the Southern California sunshine: Kristina and Larry Dodge, Jerry Rubenstein, Karla DeLovio, Toni Stein, Jessica Edward, Cathie Lawler, and Darla Magana.

  And a huge thank-you to my amazing family: my husband, Thomas, and my children Alex, Andrew, Heather, Madeleine, and Thomas.

  Discussion Questions

  1. After Aidan tells Cassie that Molly seduced him, Cassie decides to give their marriage another chance. Do you agree with her decision? Is a one-night stand different from an affair, or would you react the same in both situations?

  2. Alexis defends her love of sex and shopping by saying that girls need to have fun. Do you agree with her, or do you think she is compensating for things missing in her marriage?

  3. Alexis seems to have it all—money, a beautiful house, a successful husband—but she is still searching for something that fulfills her. Should she be happy with her life as it is, or do you understand her need to work outside of the home?

  4. Cassie is hesitant to manage the food emporium at Fenton’s because she doesn’t think Aidan would approve. Do you think she puts too much value on Aidan’s feelings, or is compromise an important aspect of a marriage?

  5. While Cassie is staying with Alexis, Aidan comes to visit and Cassie realizes she can’t trust him. Is that attitude self-defeating? If she is going to give the marriage another chance, should she trust him or is she correct to have reservations?

  6. Do you think Alexis and Carter’s marriage is kept fresh and exciting because he is constantly traveling, or do you think it creates a distance between them? Would you consider marrying a man who travels all the time?

  7. Do you think Cassie is too dependent on praise from her mother? Do you think it stems from being neglected as a child, or is it just a healthy respect for a woman who has had much success creating a fabulous department store?

  8. Do you think Cassie and James belong together? How would you characterize their relationship?

  9. Describe the friendship between Alexis and Cassie. Does one support the other more, or are they equal?

  10. Do you have any sympathy for Aidan, who is getting older and working in a field where he is surrounded by bright young people? Or is what he’s done completely reprehensible?

  11. How big a part does San Francisco play in the novel? Can you imagine the novel being set in any other city?

  12. Alexis believes it is all right to tell little white lies in her marriage. Do you agree or disagree?

  13. How do you feel about James’ refusal to start another long-distance relationship? Does it make sense given his experience with Emily, or should he love Cassie enough to endure anything to be together?

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  Available Summer 2013

  Copyright
© 2013 by Anita Hughes

  Hallie stood in the arrivals terminal of Milan’s airport, waiting for her luggage. It seemed like days since she boarded the plane in San Francisco. Francesca had driven her to the airport, ladening her with pastries for Portia and Sophia and a selection of baby clothes for Marcus’s wife, Angelica.

  “Tell Marcus to call the minute the baby arrives,” Francesca had said as she hugged Hallie at the security check-in. “And give Angelica lots of hugs. At least I have one child whose life isn’t full of drama.”

  “I can’t believe Marcus is going to be a father,” Hallie agreed, picturing a dark-haired baby with round fists and feet. Marcus managed the Tesoro business interests in Milan, and his wife was newly pregnant.

  “Tell Angelica to save the clothes for you.” Francesca squeezed Hallie’s hand. “In a couple of years you’ll need them.”

  “I hope so,” Hallie said, blinking away tears. She refused to let Peter take her to the airport, and he barely glanced up from his laptop when she lugged her suitcase to the door. She put her bag in her mother’s Volkswagen and hugged the cake box against her chest.

  * * *

  Hallie watched her bag come off the carousel. Portia wanted to meet her in Milan but Hallie insisted she could get to Lake Como by herself. Suddenly she felt tired and alone. The Italian men and women resembled film stars with their glossy black hair and smooth olive skin.

  Until Hallie landed in Rome, she had felt chic and sophisticated. She wore yellow Kate Spade capris with a matching hoodie and flat Tory Burch sandals. She carried a cavernous Michael Kors tote and wore white Oliver Peoples sunglasses.

  But stepping off the plane in Rome, Hallie felt like a teenager crashing her first adult cocktail party. The women wore pencil-thin skirts and carried Gucci clutches. Their skin glowed as if they had emerged from a spa instead of an international flight.

  Milan was worse. Hallie saw bright silk dresses that belonged on a runway and four-inch stilettos encrusted with jewels. The men wore shirts open to the waist and leather loafers without socks.