by Pamela Yaye
“No, Mom, he’s just like you and me,” Tatiyana said with a laugh. “He’s easygoing, laid-back and ridiculously smart, and once you get to know him you’ll see he’s a great guy.”
“I doubt it. I met him once, and he was a smug, condescending jerk.”
Tatiyana winced, as if she was in physical pain. “Everyone makes mistakes—”
“Yeah, but men like Markos Morretti never change. It’s his way or the highway!”
Jantel appeared, holding Allie in one hand and a plate of fruit in the other. Thrilled to see her sister, and niece, Tatiyana smiled. She took Allie from Jantel and held her close. Tenderly rubbing her back, she stroked and kissed her chubby cheeks. “My sweet baby! I missed you so much. Did you miss me?”
Allie touched her face and giggled when Tatiyana nibbled on her tiny, plump fingers.
“What are you guys arguing about? I could hear you all the way upstairs.”
“Your sister’s secret boyfriend.”
Tatiyana shook her head. “Mom, he’s not a secret. You’ve been so busy going on marathon dates, we haven’t had a chance to talk.”
“You’re dating Markos Morretti,” Jantel said.
It was a statement, not a question, surprising her. “How did you know?”
“It’s obvious. Heck, baby Allie can see it!”
Jantel picked up a piece of cantaloupe, tossed it into her mouth and plopped down on a chair. Fresh faced, in a white lace peasant-style dress her sister looked like the girl-next-door.
“You don’t have to be a genius to put two and two together. You talk about Markos nonstop, and you’re excited to go to work every day.” Her eyes smiled. “Do you love him?”
Yes, with all my heart, and my feelings for him are so strong they scare me!
“Don’t say ‘I love you’ first. It’s bad luck,” Lena advised. “And whatever you do, don’t move in with him. Get him to put a ring on it first.”
“Mom, you’re getting way ahead of yourself,” she said, fixing the pink bows in Allie’s hair. “We’re getting to know each other, not sprinting headfirst to the altar.”
“Really? Could have fooled me. You light up every time you say his name.”
That’s because Markos makes me happier than I’ve ever been. Standing, she put Allie in her activity jumper and turned it on. Lights flashed, music played and her niece giggled.
“I adore Markos, but I’m worried we don’t have what it takes to go the distance,” Tatiyana confessed with a heavy heart.
“You’d make a great couple.”
Touched, Tatiyana smiled at her mom. “So, you two are okay with me dating Markos?”
“It’s your life,” Jantel said with a shrug.
“I know, but I want your support.”
“Why? Who cares what I think?”
“Don’t talk like that,” Lena scolded, swatting Jantel’s arm. “You’re beautiful and smart and your opinion matters to this family.”
Jantel smiled, and seeing the jovial expression on her face warmed Tatiyana’s heart. These days, her sister was a hands-on mom, and Tatiyana was pleased with the progress she’d made in recent weeks.
“Good news, Munchkin! Tatiyana spoke to Markos, and he’s agreed to help you. In fact, you have a meeting with Mayor Glover next week.”
“Really?” Hope sparked in her eyes. “Wow, that’s the best news I’ve had in a long time!”
No! Tatiyana’s mind screamed. Mouth agape, she stared at her mom in disbelief.
“I can finally introduce Allie to her dad,” she said quietly, stroking her daughter’s face. “What date and time is the meeting? I want to write it down on the kitchen calendar.”
Feeling a burning sensation in her chest, Tatiyana picked up her glass and sipped her ice water. It didn’t help. It hurt to breathe, and she couldn’t swallow. She tried to catch her mom’s eye, but Lena was too busy on her cell phone to notice her. “Jantel, the mayor’s out of town, but as soon as he returns from Asia—”
“He’s back!” Lena shouted. “One of my friends on social media just uploaded pictures of the mayor at the Career and Business Symposium. Hey, Markos is there, too!”
Shocked, Tatiyana plucked the phone out of her mom’s hand and stared at the screen. Sure enough, there were photographs online of Markos with his brother Dante and Mayor Glover. What the hell? Why didn’t Markos tell me the mayor was back in town? Is that why he insisted we leave Palm Springs last night? Because he wanted to meet secretly with the mayor? Pissed, her mind racing from one thought to the next, Tatiyana surged to her feet. “Mom, we’re leaving. Watch Allie,” she said, snatching her cell off the table. “Jantel, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
Tatiyana marched toward the French doors. “The Career and Business Symposium.”
Chapter 24
The upscale steakhouse, located a block away from the Los Angeles Convention Center, had a red-hued interior, a lively bar and more windows than a cathedral. Taking off her sunglasses, Tatiyana scanned the upscale restaurant in search of Markos. In a stroke of good luck, they’d bumped into Izzy, at the Career and Business Symposium, and she’d mentioned Markos was having lunch at Figueroa Bar and Lounge with his friends.
“Hello, ladies,” the female hostess said in greeting. “How many in your party?”
“My boyfriend, Markos Morretti, is having lunch in the private dining room.”
“Yes, Miss, right this way.”
Walking through the restaurant, Tatiyana spotted several celebrities talking, laughing and snapping selfies with their wide-eyed, star-struck fans.
“I can’t do this.” Jantel gripped Tatiyana’s forearm. “I’m not strong enough.”
“Yes, you are. Munchkin, don’t worry. We’re in this together.”
At the end of the corridor, a slim man sat to the right of the door, clutching a plate topped with food.
“They’re with the Morretti group,” the hostess announced.
“Okay, no problem.” He wore a sheepish smile. “Give me a minute to clean up, and I’ll bring you inside the private dining room.”
“Not a problem,” Tatiyana said. “Take as long as you need. We’ll wait right out here.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Licking his fingertips, he marched down the corridor and into the men’s washroom.
Tatiyana gripped the door handle, and turned it. Quietly, they entered the private dining room, and stood flat against the far wall. Oil paintings hung on the alabaster walls, and the air held a savory aroma. Her gaze landed on Markos and love flooded her heart. He was sitting at a round, wooden table with Dante, Mayor Glover and a man with wire-rimmed glasses, and to her surprise they were talking about her sister.
“I hold myself, my administration and my family to the highest ethical and moral standards, and I would never do anything to tarnish my reputation,” Mayor Glover said, his voice strong and convincing. “I don’t know this Jantel woman, and I’m not the father of her child.”
“Are you willing to take a paternity test?” Markos asked.
The man with the wire-rimmed glasses snarled like a pit bull. “A paternity test? Hell, no! He might as well hold a press conference on the courthouse steps and invite his rivals!”
“Kassem, do it,” Dante advised. “If you don’t, this situation could drag on for months.”
“This is ludicrous! I don’t know her, I never slept with her and I won’t allow this strange woman to bully me,” the mayor argued.
In a flash, Jantel marched across the dimly lit room. She spoke with such poise and confidence Tatiyana wanted to cheer.
“I’m Jantel Washington, the strange woman in question,” she announced, raising a hand in the air. “And I’m not leaving here until this matter is resolved.”
&nb
sp; Entering the room, Tatiyana noticed the shell-shocked expression on Markos’s face and swallowed hard. Guilt troubled her conscience, but when she remembered his lies and deception, Tatiyana knew she was doing the right thing for her sister and niece.
Behind her, a male voice shouted, “Wait! Stop!” but Jantel ignored the security guard’s commands and marched up to the table with her hands on her hips, challenging the mayor to take her on.
Utensils dropped, clanging against plates, and mouths sagged open. Quiet descended over the room, and tension polluted the air.
“Tatiyana, what are you doing here?” Markos asked.
“We came to talk to the mayor,” Jantel answered, staring at her one-night stand. “And since you’ve already brought him up to speed about me and Allie, this shouldn’t take long.”
“You tricked me!” Glowering, the security guard folded his bony arms. “Mayor Glover, do you want me to escort them out? I have pepper spray in my pocket, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Ha! Tatiyana thought, patting her purse. So do I, security boy!
“No, everything’s fine. Please return to your post.”
The security guard quickly exited the room.
“I’m Christopher Nelson, the mayor’s chief of staff,” the man with the glasses said, straightening his pin-striped tie. “It’s obvious you’re upset, Miss, but this isn’t the time or the place to have this discussion. Let’s set up a time to meet in the New Year—”
“No,” Tatiyana answered. “This meeting is long overdue. We’ll talk now.”
Markos reached for her, but Tatiyana pushed his hands away.
“Baby, please, lower your voice. You’re yelling.”
Eyes wide, the mayor and his chief of staff shared a bewildered look, and Tatiyana realized they didn’t know who she was. Markos didn’t tell his friends about her? Why not?
“Ms. Washington, I’m not trying to be mean, but I don’t recall meeting you at my bachelor party,” the mayor confessed. “And I never forget a face.”
“We did. We spent the night together.”
The mayor shook his head.
“Yes, we did. You came up behind me as I was leaving the master bathroom and fondled me through my dress.” Casting her eyes to the hardwood floor, Jantel fiddled with the silver ring on her index finger. “We had sex twice on your bed—”
“That never happened. You’re confusing me with someone else.”
“No, I’m not. It was you. You asked me to call you mayor. You said it turned you on.”
“This is bullshit!” Christopher raged, surging to his feet. “Kassem, let’s go. We have better things to do with our time than argue with these two.”
Tatiyana wanted to lunge across the table at the mayor’s chief of staff but she didn’t want to cause a bigger scene for her sister or for Markos.
The mayor stood. “This conversation is over.”
The men headed for the door, but Jantel slid in front of the mayor, thwarting his escape. Raising her voice, she revealed intimate details about the night they spent together. “You have a scorpion tattoo on your left shoulder, and numbers tattooed across your chest...” Frowning, she broke off speaking. “It’s 113...no...213...no, 313. Yeah, 313!”
The mayor stopped abruptly. “What did you say?”
“You have the numbers 313 tattooed on your chest.”
Markos, the mayor and Dante spoke in unison. “Chris!”
“What?” He coughed into his fist.
“What do you mean ‘what?’ You slept with her and pretended to be me?”
“Hell, no, Kassem! She’s lying. Lots of men have the same tattoos as me. Big friggin’ deal. It’s her word against mine. Nobody will ever believe her.”
Tatiyana wanted to punch Mr. Nelson in the face for insulting her sister, but she governed her temper and clasped Jantel’s hand instead. Was it possible her sister had been tricked? That she’d slept with Mr. Nelson and not the mayor?
“Kassem, I swear on my grandmother’s grave. I didn’t touch her.”
“I want both of you to take a paternity test,” Jantel announced. “My daughter is having heart surgery next month, and I want Allie to meet her father before her operation.”
Chris spoke through clenched teeth. “And if we don’t?”
“I’ll hold a press conference at the courthouse tomorrow morning.”
“Very well,” the mayor said in a solemn voice. “We’ll do it.”
Once Markos made the arrangements, the mayor and his chief of staff left the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me Allie was sick?” Markos asked, his features dark with sadness.
Tatiyana rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. You never had any intention of helping us. Doing so would have ruined your political aspirations, so you pretended to love me, thinking I’d be easy to manipulate and control.”
“That’s not true. We both made mistakes, but I never meant to hurt you—”
“You’re right,” she conceded, interrupting him. “I got what I deserved. I deceived you about who I was, and you betrayed my trust. Now, we’re even. We can go our separate ways and pretend the last couple months never happened.”
Markos protested, arguing she was wrong, but Tatiyana didn’t believe him. A sob rose in her throat, and her voice faltered, but she conquered her emotions. “Markos, we’re through.”
“What about Palm Springs? What about the plans we made for the future?”
“It meant nothing,” she lied, dodging his gaze.
“It meant something to me.”
Her heart turned to stone. “If it did, you wouldn’t have lied to me.”
“Tatiyana, baby, please, don’t do this. Let’s go somewhere and talk...”
Jantel tugged at her arm, seizing her attention. “I want to go home. I need to see Allie.”
“Me, too.” Giving her sister a one-arm hug, she leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Munchkin, I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”
Jantel smiled through her tears. “I love you, too.”
As the women left the room, Tatiyana heard Markos shout her name, but she continued through the corridor, walking hand in hand with her sister. Her emotions were all over the place, impossible to make sense of. Tatiyana was happy for Jantel, but broken inside, shattered by Markos’s deception, and feared she’d never be whole again.
Chapter 25
“Wow, look at the jungle gym!” Matteo jumped out of Markos’s SUV, and took off running across Van Nuys Park giggling with delight. “The last one to the sandbox is a rotten egg!”
Laughing, Markos took off his seat belt and stepped out of the car. The October sky was overcast, threatening rain, but the park was filled with families and teens.
“I’ve lived in LA for years, and I know the city like the back of my hand, but I’ve never been to this park,” Jordana confessed, slamming the passenger-side door. “Markos, you’re right. This is a great spot for our family barbecue.”
“Babe, Markos didn’t bring us down here for family time. He’s looking for Tatiyana.”
Glaring at his brother, he gave him a shot in the chest. “Dante, shut up.”
“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Frowning, Jordana glanced from her husband to her brother-in-law. “Markos, I’m confused. I thought you and Tatiyana were cool. You gave her a glowing job reference for Center of Hope and you helped her kid sister, as well.”
“Yeah, but he hasn’t seen her since she stormed out of Figuerora Bar and Lounge last Sunday afternoon, and it’s killing him inside.”
“Dante, zip it. I’m not a puppet. I can speak for myself.”
“Hey, don’t get mad at me because you screwed up. I told you to be honest with Tatiyana and to forgive her
for her past mistakes, but you didn’t listen.”
Sick of hearing his brother run his mouth, Markos opened the trunk, grabbed the picnic basket and shoved it into Dante’s arms. “Go make yourself useful. Find a picnic table, unload the food and fire up the grill.”
Dante gave Jordana a kiss, then strode off, whistling a tune.
Yawning, Markos sank onto the trunk and rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t slept since his argument with Tatiyana. Still couldn’t get her accusation out of his mind. Never for a minute did he think she’d leave him, but she had, and his life was empty without her.
What am I going to do when she starts work at Center of Hope? Tatiyana was a spark, a light, and although he was happy she’d gotten the Program Director position at the center he was going to miss seeing her around the office every day. Yesterday, Izzy had invited him to join them for drinks at a downtown pub to celebrate Tatiyana’s new job. He’d declined, lied about having motions to proof, but spent hours at his desk looking at pictures on his cell of their romantic weekends in Tampa and Palm Springs.
“Are you okay?” Jordana asked quietly, her features touched with concern.
Nodding absently, he glanced around the park, searching for Tatiyana. A cool breeze was blowing, but his palms were damp, and sweat drenched his button-down shirt. Markos couldn’t remember ever being this nervous, not even the first time he’d argued a case in court, but he recognized what was at stake—everything. If Tatiyana rejected him again, Markos didn’t know what he’d do. He was miserable without her, and he’d do anything to have her back in his life. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m a Morretti. Can’t keep me down for long.”
“Markos, drop the act. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Pensively, he stared up at the sky.
“Talk to me. I want to help.”
“I’m scared I’ve lost Tatiyana forever,” he blurted out.
“Then do whatever it takes to win her back.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“The next time you see her, put aside your ego and speak from the heart. Tell Tatiyana how much she means to you, and how much you need her. Markos, prove to her she’s your one and only.”
