by R. M. Healy
Esther was relieved when she was finally back in her car and on the way back to her apartment the next day. She hadn't gone to Anton's room that night, and he hadn't come downstairs in the early morning before she’d left.
The whole night she'd felt on edge and uncomfortable, so much, so she hadn't had much sleep. Although Esther had time to reflect on a lot of things that had happened that evening.
It seemed to her that a lot of Anton's words were to cause a reaction and make her feel awkward, perhaps even a defense mechanism.
She knew he would be shocked if she really had gone to his room, and he probably wouldn't have known what to do. At 27 years old, Esther knew what she liked sexually.
Would Anton be in good in bed as she’d fantasized? The way his famous ex’s reacted when he dumped them indicated he was. But why didn’t he ever commit?
Was it because of what had happened in the fire, or had this person always been there under the crude remarks and standoffish attitude?
Whatever it was, she didn't have too much time to dwell on it. Anton was going to become her work colleague, and when that time came, she would make sure he was well aware of the boundaries between them.
Her mother had called on her way home, clearly tired and emotional from looking after Esther's father all alone. Esther knew they needed help around the house urgently, and she would have to find someone.
She knew then that she couldn't afford to step away from her job at Romanos.
Paying for her sister's care at the farm, her own apartment, and now helping with her father's healthcare was costing a lot of money.
The refurbishment at Romano's would be a success, but she would have to cut down the number of hours she was volunteering at the hospital. As for Italy, she doubted she would be able to go anytime soon. She also had no interest in taking a percent of the company for free. She would either buy it or start her own business.
But again, she would have to wait before she could decide what to do. She should stay close to her family now more than ever.
The only benefit to keeping herself so busy was that she didn't have much time to sit alone in her apartment and think about things. About the fact her father was dying and that her future was up in the air. And about her feelings for Anton.
That night on the way back from work, her mother called again.
Esther knew her parents had been to the hospital because her mother informed her that her father couldn't drive and they had to get a taxi. She felt guilty she couldn't go, but she hadn't been at work for two days and had a lot to catch up on.
When her mother began talking with a shaky voice, Esther knew that she should have gone.
"Oh Esther, I don't know what I'm going to do," her mother's words were hard to hear over the sniveling sound.
"Do with what? Is dad ok?" Esther said, driving along the freeway as it began to snow again.
"No longer than three months," her mother said, crying quietly into the phone. "I don't want him to die, Esther. He's my husband, my soulmate. I can't live without him," her mother said, pausing between her words to cry more, "What am I going to do?"
"Do you want me to come over?" Esther asked, unsure of how to console her mother when she hadn't even had time to absorb the words.
"No. I'm so sorry to call you like this. I just don't want your dad to see me cry," her mother said, almost whispering.
"You can call me anytime, mom. What has dad said?"
"He has barely spoken. He went to sleep as soon as we came in, so I don't know how he's feeling about the news."
"You know that dad, he will be happy as long as you're by his side," Esther said truthfully. If there was one thing that would help both of her parents, it was each other.
"Just be with him."
"I will. I love you, Esther. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I love you too."
When the call ended, Esther waited till she got off the freeway and pulled over to the side of the road.
As hard as she tried not to cry, the tears fell silently down her cheeks. She put her hands on the steering will and rested her head on them, crying to herself.
It was the first time she'd really cried since her father's diagnosis a few months ago.
They said they couldn't put a date on when he would die, and somehow not knowing made it easier to ignore the fact he had advanced heart failure. Besides a diagnosis, nothing in their lives had changed, and Esther’s father hadn't deteriorated like she expected.
Until now.
But three months was too soon. They'd only just really connected again, and now her father would be taken away from her. And what would her mother do? It was hard for her and Jessica to lose their father, but her mother loved her father more than life itself and always had. He'd looked after her since the day they met.
Esther stayed at the side of the road for half an hour. Alone and crying, thinking about the impending loss of her father. She was determined that this would be the only time she would cry.
She had to remain calm for her family and hide her own fear of what was to come. There was no one's shoulder to cry on.
Anton felt disgusted when he looked at his scars. He hated the sight of them. He’d made sure his burns were covered with fresh bandages. He didn’t need to wear them anymore, but he chose to.
Perhaps this happening to him was karma for what happened to Isabelle all those years ago, he thought angrily. Or maybe it was years of treating everyone, including his own family, like dirt.
It didn't matter. Whatever the reason was, it had happened, and the scars would always be there.
The smart blue suit he wore covered his body, and he wore black leather gloves to hide the thin red puckered flesh on his hand. The cold weather outside provided the perfect cover for him wearing them without provoking questions.
Today was going to be the start of the rest of his life.
He was going to become do what he should have always done and become a part of the family business to help make it a global success.
He would no longer be the playboy model with no responsibility. That was the old him. He'd reflected on his past shallow life and wondered how it ever satisfied him.
In hindsight, he knew it never really had. He'd been running from his own guilt for many years and avoiding building any meaningful relationships with anyone.
Using a mask of arrogance and cockiness to hide the hate he felt for himself. Never letting anyone get too close to him after the person closest to him died because of him. Even keeping his own family at a distance.
For years he'd convinced himself that they must have secretly resented him for his sister's death.
But since the accident, they'd done nothing but care for him patiently and be there for him, showing their love without needing to say it. Now he was going to make himself a worthy son. One they could be proud of.
He'd already applied to finish the chef course he'd never completed when he left high school and had been accepted onto the course.
Doing that, paired with working alongside Essie, who he knew was an astute businesswoman, would help him become the man he wanted to be.
Being the person he wanted to be also meant no longer pursuing on nightstands with women he barely knew. Not that he would ever want anyone to see his body again. Without the bandages, he was a monster.
He had no intention to show that part of himself to anyone ever again.
Five women that he'd dated in the past had already attempted to take advantage of the press attention he'd gotten. Desperate to use the situation to raise their own profiles by asking to come and see him or meet him for dinner.
He had no interest in that. What he did have an interest in was Essie.
Smart, beautiful, intelligent, and sexy, she was irresistible. She always had been.
He knew it was wrong, the way he spoke to her, but in the past, Anton knew she'd never had any interest in him, so he saw it as harmless flirting.
Until recently.
/> It was ironic after all these years that now she'd started to look at him in the way he had always hoped she would. Had she have come to his room two nights previous, he had no idea what he'd have done. He guessed he'd never know.
Because now they'd be working together, and he knew it was time to stop with the bullshit.
He wasn't the same man he was just a couple of months ago, and Essie wasn't like any woman he'd ever met before. Anton knew if she saw what he was hiding from his past and the scars across his body, that she wouldn't even look at him with those lustful eyes again.
And he would hate himself that little bit more.
Chapter Eleven
Esther had spent most of her morning at her parent's house. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing that her father hadn't once mentioned his hospital appointment. If he wanted to talk about it, she assumed he would have bought it up. But since he hadn't, she didn't want to force the conversation on him.
In the afternoon, on her way to Romano's, Jae called asking to meet up for a coffee with her whenever she was next available, and she said yes, knowing why he'd asked. He wanted to know about her father, and she would have to tell him.
Pushing it to the back of her mind, she walked into work and was relieved to see she had made it there before Anthony and Anton.
She hadn't had much time to think about the meeting or much else, and she'd almost forgotten about it until Anthony had texted her. Her mouth felt as if it was burning when she drank the coffee, but she'd barely slept last night, and if she didn't drink it now, she would probably end up falling asleep before the meeting started.
Regardless of how tired she was, when Anton walked in wearing a smart business suit and his dark hair slicked back, she was completely aware of his sex appeal.
"Essie, are you well?" Anthony questioned as she stood to greet them both. Anton politely nodded at her and turned away to pull out his seat, not seeming too interested in her.
She suspected it was because his father was beside him, and he wasn't willing to behave like a perverse jackass in front of him.
"Yes, thank you, are you?" she said, walking around to the other side of the desk, letting Anthony take the seat to face her and Anton.
"I am, thanks," he took the seat as Esther and Anton sat on their chairs beside each other.
She glanced at Anton and was surprised when he didn't even look at her and crossed his legs away from her. Although she was no expert in body language, it seemed as if Anton had lost all interest in her.
"I have shown Anton your plans for the refurbishment, and he knows that you are leading this, and he will only be shadowing you during this whole process. I am happy to help should you need it, but I doubt that will be necessary."
Esther nodded. She always kept Anthony consulted in these kinds of things once they were off the ground, but he was right. She rarely needed guidance.
"Although I understand that there may be complications, I would like the restaurant to be back up and running in minimal time and the cost to stay at what you've projected."
Nodding, Esther couldn't help but glance at Anton again, who was looking through the paperwork she'd prepared for the project.
"I called and confirmed with the company who originally helped me with the designs, and they confirmed the contractors are available, so I already told them we want them here the day after New Year to start working."
"Fantastic. Anton will be joining you at every stage. In fact, whatever you do at work, I want him to be with you. Tonight, he and I shall be flying out to Italy for two days to look at potential properties I've shortlisted for the new restaurant."
Esther doubted she would be going to Italy any time in the next few months with everything that was going on at home, but she would rather talk to Anthony about that privately without Anton, so it looked like she would have to wait until the new year.
"During the project in Italy, I will need you both to support each other. Anton has been brushing up on his Italian and has been to my hometown a few times when he was a child. He is familiar with the area to some extent."
Anton leaned back, looking at his father without so much glancing at Esther. She was annoyed at herself for being bothered that he wasn't paying her any attention when she should have been focused on the topic at hand.
"And you, Esther, have all of the business knowledge. So this is going to require the two of you to work closely together on the project. During the refurbishment of this place, I want you to begin a search for contractors and employees. You will also need to fly out there at some point in February to get it all started."
"I look forward to joining the business," Anton said as they began to stand.
"Any questions before we leave, Esther?" Anthony said, smiling broadly at her.
She didn't have any she cared to express in front of Anton.
"No. I hope you have a good couple of days in Italy.”
"Great. I think you will love Italy, even with being there for business more than pleasure,” Anton commented, walking toward the door. "Have a happy new year, Esther.”
Esther didn’t miss that he’d called her by her full name, not Essie as he usually did. His father wished her goodbye and followed Anton out the door, leaving her even more overwhelmed with everything that was going on than before she had spoken to Anthony.
She knew she had to accept working with Anton on the project at Romanos for the next couple of months. Keeping her distance would be fine in the States. But if she went to Italy, she knew it would be more difficult. She would be dependant on his knowledge of the town, the language, and the people.
The fact he had shown no interest in her made her feel angry. Why the sudden lack of interest? Why did she even care if he was or wasn't interested?
As she thought about such a trivial thing, she began to feel guilty. Her father was dying, and she was worried about if Anton Romano had glanced her way or not. But the guilt didn't stop her from thinking about him for the rest of the day.
The next few days went by so fast that Esther hadn't had any time to sit down and relax. She'd found a fantastic nurse who was around the same age as her, and he got along with her father exceptionally well.
He was a tall, broad man meaning he was more than capable of helping her father in the few hours a day Esther had requested he be there.
It would have been far too difficult for her mother to bathe and put her husband into bed because even though her father was half the size he was the year before, he was bigger than her petite mother. Any time off that Esther had now was spent at home doing her mother's chores, so her mother had more time to sit and enjoy her husband's last few weeks.
No one wanted to talk about it, but they all knew it. Jessica was struggling to be around her father, so Esther only drove her to the house twice a week, as Jessica wanted.
The only positive news she had lately was about Kimberly in the hospital. Her social worker was more than happy to take Luca and Lucy's contact details and see what she could do to set up some kind of meeting between the three of them.
Strangely, Esther hadn't heard anything from Anton until that morning on her way to the restaurant. He'd text her a simple message, only telling her what time he would be there and nothing more.
When she'd been doing her mother's shopping, she saw a photo of him on the front of a magazine.
He showed his perfect teeth while smiling at the crowd to the left of him with a stunning brunette on his arm standing on a red carpet. On closer inspection, she noticed it was an old photo. Esther wasn't sure if the headline was correct. However, she thought it unlikely.
Demi Delore says YES, she and Anton Romano are back together!
Anton had only been hitting on Esther a couple of weeks ago, but that hadn't stopped him before. Yet Esther knew he'd been in Italy for several days, and before that, he'd been home with his family.
Not only that, but Rosa hadn't mentioned him dating anyone when she'd last spoken to the woman. Whether
it was true or not, it was nothing to do with Esther anyway. So that day, she ignored the magazines and continued with her mom's shopping.
Now it was the first day of the refurbishment, and that was one of the only things that were distracting Esther from her problems. Her job had been an escape when she was struggling with her failing marriage, and now she would use it to try and ignore the fact that her father dying was out of her control.
When she got there, she was surprised to see Anton talking to Frank outside of the restaurant, the older and chubbier man who was managing the contractors.
As she got out of her car and walked across the parking lot, she immediately regretted wearing stilettos on such an icy day.
Both men looked over, and she didn't miss the fact that Anton had quickly looked her up and down before nodding politely and turning back to Frank.
Stupidly, she began to walk quickly and lost her balance on the slippery graveled floor. She screamed loudly as she fell forward, and her head impacted the concrete. She felt dizzy, and the pain was so sharp she closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered was warm hands cupping her face as she felt unable to stay awake.
Chapter Twelve
Anton heard a car door shut and seen Essie getting out of her small electric black car. With her wages, she could have afforded a sports car if she wanted one, but Essie was always one to favor practicality over vanity.
Her long black coat showed off her slim hourglass figure, as did the black tights she wore. One thing that wasn’t practical was the high heels she wore on such a frosty day. She frowned as she looked over at Anton, and he tried not to smirk. She looked even more attractive when she was angry.
Everything about her looked stern and clean-cut, from how she had her dark hair tied back to the briefcase she carried with her. All it made Anton want to do was strip her of those stuffy clothes and undo her hair from the tight bun on her head and see the woman behind the mask.
He'd had many fantasies about seeing her without any clothes on and utterly free in front of him, none of her uptight bullshit. But instead of letting his sexual fantasies cloud his mind, he turned to the greying man in front of him to continue discussing the business.
