How Deep is Your Love?

by Kathryn Shay

“Si, Antonio.” The child skipped away with the bodyguard.

  Renata faced her daughter. “It wasn’t Papá’s choice for me to come or not. I needed to be here for you.”

  “In other words, he didn’t approve.”

  She gave Brie the haughty look she’d used on the girls when they were teens. “My husband does not have say over what I do.”

  “Calla called,” Mariella said. “She told me Connor could have talked to his brothers about getting someone for this, Mamá.”

  “No need.”

  Gabriella sighed. “Is it just you and Antonio?”

  “Two female guards are on their way. Their car got behind in traffic. We’ll all be well protected. One will stay with you at all times, even at school, until this is over. One will stay with Mariella and Lilliana.”

  “What about you and Antonio?”

  “I promised your father he’d remain with me. I would like to stay here, if you have room.”

  “Of course. There’re three bedrooms. You can bunk with me.”

  “Now that’s settled, make us coffee and let’s talk about this Simpson man.”

  “Why would we do that?”

  “Because it seems to me he’s the most likely culprit. Your father thinks so, too.”

  “I don’t want him questioned, Mamá. That would make things so much worse for Sammy.”

  “We’ll have a meeting with Antonio and the female guards when they get here, and determine the best course of action.” Renata said. “All will be well.”

  Which might not be true. But she felt better being with her daughter than thousands of miles away, even if she and her husband had fought heatedly about her plans.

  Chapter 10

  Dante forced himself not to worry when Brie wasn’t in school on Monday. He didn’t ask Madelyn where she was and he tried like hell to put her out of his mind. Mostly, he was functioning on automatic pilot at school.

  He’d been so furious at her accusations that he wanted to smash something, but, as usual, his family came to his aid. So much so, he had to insist they stop fussing over him for a while. He wanted to stay numb.

  On Tuesday, he walked into the teacher’s lounge on his free period to get coffee and shoot the shit with the guys, who’d accepted him after Brie had made it clear she did.

  “Hey, Federico. How’s it going?” The third teacher had become friendly with him.

  “Doin’ fine, Mick. You?”

  “Good.”

  He sat for a while, listening to the men talk about the baseball playoffs, which made his mind drift to Mike Jagielski. And that led him back to Brie. Hell, he couldn’t get away from her.

  “Holy cow, who’s that?” a music teacher asked.

  Dante turned to see Brie had come into the lounge. The woman accompanying her was about her age, with long dark hair and muscles a man would appreciate.

  “Another sister?” someone else asked.

  Dante felt he had to respond. “No, I met all of them.”

  “Ask Brie to introduce me, will you?” a single guy pleaded.

  “Me, too,” they all chimed in.

  The women reached their table, which was by the coffee pot. Dante stood. “Hello, Brie. The guys want an introduction to your friend.”

  Her eyes were bleak as she stood staring at him, then the woman nudged her. “Sorry.” She transferred her gaze to the table. “This is my cousin, Angelina. She came for a visit.”

  “It was a surprise,” Angelina put in. “I plan to observe Gabriella’s sister in the police department. I might want to be a cop.”

  “Can you two sit?” the single guy asked.

  “No, we have to get back to my room.” Brie clearly wanted to get away from him.

  Angelina chimed in with, “Nice to see you all.”

  They grabbed coffee and left in a hurry.

  A guy said, “What’d you’d do to land in the dog house?”

  “The dog house?”

  “You and Brie have been pretty chummy lately. She barely spoke to you.”

  “Yeah. Well, she’s got family here. Besides, we’re friends. Nothing else goin’ on there.”

  They seemed disappointed.

  Join the club. So was he.

  * * *

  Sammy came home from school and heard his parents talking in the kitchen. So he stayed back where they couldn’t see him. This was how he found out what was going on with them.

  “When did you decide this?” his mother asked.

  “After Open House. That I couldn’t go to. I’m doing nothin’ but causing trouble, Ada.”

  “You aren’t why I lost my job.”

  Fuck, his mother lost her job?

  “They said it wasn’t why, but somebody left that sign on our lawn, and then you lost it.”

  Sammy didn’t see the sign.

  “The diner said they don’t need me, Al.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go stay with Larry.”

  “Your brother know you’re coming?”

  “Yeah. He said it was okay. He doesn’t have any family for me to hurt.”

  “What about legal stuff?”

  “I told my probation officer about it. He let the New York police know I’m comin’. I have to register when I get there.”

  “You’ll have the same problems as here.”

  “I’ll be able to work. Larry owns that timber farm out in the boonies. Nobody’ll bother me there. Or you guys.”

  “Al, please, we can make it.”

  “Why should we even try? This isn’t gonna go away. You’re better off without me.”

  A scrape of a chair. Sammy darted into the stairwell so nobody saw him. He could see his father, though. He picked up a duffle bag and walked out of the house.

  “Goodbye, Dad,” Sammy whispered, then went to the kitchen.

  His mother was staring out the window. She wiped her face.

  “Mom?”

  She turned. Her eyes were red and puffy. “You okay?”

  “You aren’t. You’re upset because he left.”

  A sad expression on her face. “You’re growing up too fast because of all this. Okay, I’m upset because he left.”

  “Why, Mom?”

  “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

  He hated that line. He walked out on his mother, too. He went to his bedroom, wondering if life was going to be better now.

  * * *

  It had been hard to get her equilibrium back, but Brie and Angelina went to yoga class after school, and Brie was meeting Mamá for dinner tonight. “What will you guys do at the restaurant?” she asked Angelina as they drove to Mitchell’s, a swanky place her mother had chosen.

  “Whatever Antonio has planned. I am not hard to please.”

  “Have I thanked you for putting your life on hold for me?”

  She smiled at Brie. “Princess Gabriella, this is a wonderful opportunity for me. It is hard in our country for a female bodyguard to succeed. The law only recently allowed us in the job.”

  Thanks to Papá. “Well, good, I’m glad you’ll benefit from helping us, at least.”

  They reached Mitchell’s, and after Angelina parked, she reached over and took her gun from the glove compartment. As she got out, she stuck it in her back waistband under the jacket she wore. The stark reminder made fear skitter through Brie.

  They walked inside and the host greeted them. “Ms. Gentileschi?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your mother is waiting for you.”

  In the restaurant proper, she found the queen easily, as the establishment was only one big room. At the table behind her but far enough away for privacy, Antonio rose when they approached. He pulled out a chair for Brie and then sat down at the other table with Angelina.

  Leaning over, she kissed both her mother’s cheeks. “Hello, Mamá.”

  “Darling.” She scrutinized Brie’s face. “You have had a hard day.”

  “It was okay.”

  A tuxedoed waiter brought a bo
ttle of wine. “Thank you, Georges.” He poured some of the ruby liquid.

  They picked up their glasses and clinked. “To better days,” her mother toasted.

  “Yes, to better days.” Though right now, Brie was having trouble believing that her life would ever be normal.

  “It was a hard day because...?” Mamá asked point-blank.

  “I saw Dante. I feel so bad.”

  “I think Francesca made a poor calculation. You can see why he’s upset, can’t you?”

  “We insulted him.”

  “I think you broke his heart.”

  Brie felt her face blanch.

  “I’m sorry, mi amore, but somebody has to see things clearly here. What matters is how you’re going to make this up to him.”

  Her brows rose. “I’m not. He said he never wanted to see me again. And besides, with none of this settled, we couldn’t even move on.”

  “It’s important to state out loud what you want to happen.”

  Brie sipped the wine then set it down. “I want to never have been stalked. Never have even considered Dante could be involved.” She picked up the menu. “Can we order some food and not talk about this?”

  They agreed on Beef Wellington for two, salads and bread. Adhering to Brie’s request, Mamá asked her about her classes, yoga and the other girls. Conversation finally got easy.

  They’d eaten early, but people were starting to fill the place. A young woman came up to the table. “Hello, Brie.” She gave a slight bow to the queen. “Your Highness.”

  “You’re Maggie Marino.” Renata reached out her hand. “Hello, dear.”

  “Maggie, how good to see you.” Brie stood and hugged her. “Are you here alone?”

  “No, I’m meeting my creative writing teacher.”

  Mamá said, “Education should be personal.” Which was her mother’s philosophy for the famous Marcello school system.

  “I won a prize in a writing contest that was a pretty big deal. She said we would splurge here.” The girl faced Brie. “I can’t wait to shadow you next semester, Brie.”

  “Is your family well?” the queen asked.

  A grin bloomed on Maggie’s pretty face. “We have a three-month-old baby.” She rolled her eyes. “He pees all over everybody, but we still love him.”

  “I heard baby boys do that,” her mother said tactfully.

  “He’s so much fun.”

  “Maggie?” A woman approached the table. She was tall, slender and lovely. She gave Maggie a warm smile. But she wouldn’t have one for Brie when she noticed who she was.

  “Hello.” Maggie turned to the women. “This is Queen Renata Gentileschi and her daughter Brie.”

  Contrary to the usual reaction of pleasure and surprise, the teacher’s expression hardened.

  “This is Dr. Federico,” Maggie continued.

  “Brie and I have met.” To the queen, she said, “Hello, Your Highness.” The woman turned away quickly, and Maggie followed with a confused expression on her face.

  “Why was that woman so rude to us?” Brie’s mother asked.

  “Because she’s Dante’s mother.”

  * * *

  Dante twirled Laurie around the dance floor at the only hotspot in Brightwood, Louie’s Pub. When Laurie had called to ask him out, he’d thought maybe a date would occupy his mind. They’d come here for old time’s sake. She’d suggested the place when they ate dinner at a restaurant down the street. He donned a pleasant expression and kept time with the music, which right now was a 60s classic, but his heart, as they say, wasn’t in it. The dance finally ended.

  “Whew!” He took her hand and led her to their table. “I’m getting too old for this.”

  “We’re only thirty-two.”

  “I feel a hundred and two.”

  Laurie’s eyes darkened as they sat. “You seem tired tonight. More than that. Kinda sad.”

  “Something happened to me that I don’t want to talk about.”

  “Okay.”

  “How’s the job?”

  “Great. I’ve got a full load of classes, thanks to Suzie’s success. Most of the clientele stayed at the studio with me.”

  “That’s great.”

  She talked about the myriad responsibilities of owning a small business: keeping the books, making sure the place was clean and ready each day and paying expenses. Finally, she said, “Dante, you went somewhere. Did you even hear what I said?”

  “You talked about the finances.”

  “Come on, let’s leave. It’s ten anyway, and I have an early class tomorrow.”

  Once in the car—she drove—he knew what he needed to do. “I’m sorry I wasn’t very good company tonight.”

  She pulled into his driveway and, with the motor running, turned to him. “That would have been okay. If you’d talked about why. Instead, you...brooded.” She shook her head. “That’s not the you I remember.”

  “I guess I am different.”

  Leaning over, she kissed him on the mouth, giving him ample time to participate. “Your turn to call me, Dante. But only if you have your head on straight. I got a feeling this is about another woman.” As he got out, he heard her say, “Lucky girl.”

  * * *

  On the familiar sofa, Brie faced Linda who sat in her regular chair. Her therapist eyed her carefully. “I was surprised to get your call. This is sooner than six months, Brie.”

  “Something happened.” She fidgeted with the strap of the purse that lay beside her. “I started sleeping with Dante.”

  “Usually, sex makes people happy.”

  “It did, until I blew up our relationship. He got possessive and I criticized him for it. Actually, I harped on his behavior.”

  “So he broke your relationship off?”

  “Not then. Not until my sisters and I accused him of stalking me.”

  “How on earth did that happen?”

  Brie described their fights. The odd things that happened to her. How she and the girls saw the movie. “Hell, saying the words aloud make what we did sound even more stupid.”

  “Let’s tackle the possessiveness first. You fought very hard to get back on your emotional feet, Brie. Maybe you overcompensated some with Dante, but I’m hard-pressed to think that ruined your relationship.”

  “He’s pretty mad.”

  “Men get mad to cover up the fact that they’re saddened.”

  “Not this time. He’s mad, too. I’d be mad if I were him, Lin.”

  “Have you talked to him about what happened since then?”

  “I was thinking about trying to. Then I met his mother out, and she was incredibly rude. I figured he must be even more angry than I realized.” She watched Linda. “I care about him a lot. I thought I was falling in love with him.”

  “Thought?”

  “I guess I’m confused about everything.” She leaned forward in the seat. “This time I need more than talk, Lin. I need some advice.”

  “Okay. Here’s my opinion. You have a decision to make. Decide if you want him. If you can’t decide, you aren’t in love with him. If you do decide yes, for God sakes, tell him.”

  “I want to.”

  “Then decide. Move on, Brie, one way or another.”

  * * *

  News that Al Simpson had moved to upstate New York came unofficially from Sammy at the beginning of the following week. Officially, Brie found out from Francesca, who’d had an alert out on him for any news, and the information had popped up in the system. Wondering if Dante knew, Brie walked into school. He was standing by her room when she arrived. A sense of incredible loss came over her at the sight of him. “Hi.”

  “Hi. Can I talk to you?”

  “Of course.”

  Inside her classroom, she set her book bag down and faced him.

  “Do you know about Sammy?” he asked with no preliminaries.

  “We got official word this morning.”

  He jammed his hands in his pockets. “So, did you send your bodyguards home?”r />
  She cocked her head.

  “My mother told me about the man who was with you at Mitchell’s. You spoke about him, Antonio, before.”

  “I see.”

  “She said she was rude to you.”

  “She had the right. My mother would have treated you

  like shit, too. Anyway, Antonio and Angelina are still here. She’s in the car to take a phone call. I think she has a boyfriend.”

  He plopped his hands on his hips. “So are they not done with this because I’m still on the suspect list?”

  “Nobody really thought you were, Dante. My sisters and I got carried away.”

  “You got carried away?” His dark eyes flared fire. “You ruined my life, then you have the nerve to brush it off with a glib statement like that?”

  “Did I ruin your life?”

  “What?”

  “Did I ruin your life, Dante? Because if I did, give me a chance to fix things between us.”

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  “No.”

  Her eyes widened—in surprise.

  “Aren’t princesses used to the word?”

  “Not very much.”

  “It’s still no.”

  Reaching out, she grasped his arm. His muscles leapt at her touch. “I want to be with you.”

  His face and shoulders sagged, and his eyes got bleak. “You know, Brie, I’m a stupid ass. I’d give you another chance if I could. But I can’t. I don’t trust you. If you did this to me again, I’m not sure I’d ever recover.”

  God, that hurt. But she only nodded. He watched her for a few seconds more, then turned and left her bereft.

  * * *

  Dante made the right decision. He knew he did. So why was he so unhappy? Sick of his thoughts and feelings, he decided to work out on the weights on his free period. Sweat some of this gloom out. He needed the release.

  He was halfway through raising barbells when he heard, “Mr. Federico?” The bar clanked as he set it down then sat up on the bench.