“No, not at all, Rain. Thank you. I could use some coffee right about now.”He smiled at me warmly.
We settled in and made polite chit chat. We talked about each other’s families and I revealed that I was pregnant. Of course, he asked who the lucky man was. I told him Dominick Kane and he seemed to know of him, but I think that was mainly because his family had helped Dominick’s father purchase properties here and on the mainland.
“So what can I do for you, Rain? Is there a specific area you have in mind?”
“Actually Mr. Campania, there is a specific property I have in mind. I’m interested in purchasing the old vineyard in Anacapri over looking the cliffs.”I stated.
“Yes, I know that property. It’s been abandoned for many many years.”He knew exactly what property I was talking about.
“Will it be difficult to see if it’s for sale or who owns it?”
“I know who owns the property. The former owners actually didn’t leave the property in the shape it’s in today. The lovely family that lived there had another home in Sorrento. They would always go back there during the winter months. The husband had become ill and they had not returned during that time. He had a rough go of it and passed away. His wife refused to sell the property, but had not returned to Anacapri once her husband was gone. The wife had also recently passed away and their children are now the current owners.”
“I’m confused. If the couple had children, why did they leave the property to fall apart? All of the furnishings are still there.”
“Yes, Rain. You’re correct. I think the family had money issues and the taxes weren’t paid for several years. The children cleared up the taxes and continue to keep them current, but there wasn't much money left to renovate the villa. You know the villa was built in the 1920s?”
“I had a feeling it was. It’s so beautiful even in the condition it’s in. Even the pool has tile from that period. The property is very important to me. I can’t explain why I’m drawn to it, but I am and I would love to purchase it. Do you know if they’re willing to sell it or how much they are asking for it?”
“I know several years ago they were looking to sell it for 3.5 million Euros, but with the deterioration and the cost it would take to check the safety of the property and the renovations needed to get it back to the condition it was during it’s glory days, many prospective buyers felt they were asking too much. The buyers would have had to pay top dollar on the property and then spend an extreme amount of money to fix it. Many buyers just stopped inquiring and the house was forgotten.”
I smiled.“Good. That means that they may be willing to negotiate. Plus I won’t have a fight on my hands with anyone else. Can you get me all the details. Here’s my cell number. I really want that property. Anything you can do to make that happen I would greatly appreciate it.”
“I would love to broker this deal for you, Rain. Let me see where the family is at in terms of selling and I will call you next week.”
“Great! Oh, one more thing.”
“Anything, Rain. What do you need from me?”
“I need you to be extremely discreet about this, Mr Campania. I don’t want anyone knowing that I am trying to purchase this house. Not even my family. They’ll think I’m nuts to take on a project like this, but I want it more than you will ever know. Will you help me?”I was concerned what his response would be.
“I won’t say a word to anyone. It will remain our secret. I’ll do the best I can to get you that property. Let me get back to the office and get started.”He smiled at me to give me some assurance that this was between us and only us.
“I appreciate this, Mr. Campania. I look forward to hearing from you.”I said as we stood and said our goodbyes.
I sat back down. I was relieved that he agreed to help me out and of the possibility of becoming the owner of that beautiful property.
I headed back home. It was turning colder. The average temperature in Capri was around 48 to 50 degrees in January. When we arrived it was unseasonably warm at 60 degrees. Today it was definitely much colder. I stopped at the fish market on the way home to pick up some whitefish that I decided to cook with pasta and spinach for dinner.
Everyone was busy tonight, so it was going to be just me and Dominick for dinner. I thought I’d make him a quiet meal at home after the long day he would have had to deal with.
When I arrived home, my dad was seated on one of the chairs in the outdoor room with one of the the New York papers in hand. I hadn’t spoken with him since I walked away from him yesterday. Now was a good a time as any to make a mends.
“Hi, Dad.”I was cautious.
“Hi sweetie. How are you doing today?”
“I’m okay. Dad, I’m so sorry that I spoke to you that way.”
“It’s okay, Rain. I figured out where it was coming from. Tommy showed me the trunk and the letters. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that without me.”
I walked to him as he rose from the chair and I wrapped my arms around him so tight, as if I never wanted to let him go. He did the same. Once we broke our embrace, we went inside and I put the fish in the frig. He sat at the island and I stood across from him. I leaned over and grabbed his hands.
“Dad, can I ask you something?”I said, not looking his way but at our entwined fingers.
“Sure, sweetie. Anything.”
“Did you know mom had feelings for Mr. Kane?”Then our eyes met.
My dad grinned and chuckled in an odd way. Then shook his head slowly.
“I knew they were childhood sweethearts and that it hadn’t worked out for whatever reason, but I had thought it was over once your mom agreed to marry me.”
“So when Tommy showed you the letters you must have been shocked.”
“No, baby. I wasn’t shocked. Over the years I had a feeling that the two of them had still felt something for each other, but they never acted on it and I couldn’t prove it, so I didn’t want to create an issue that wasn’t really there or wasn’t really a problem.”
“Do you think mom had feelings for Mr. Kane and couldn’t let them go because you were sleeping with Theresa.”Shit! I didn’t want to say it like that, but it just spilled out of my mouth naturally.
“Is that what she said in her letter to you? That I was having an affair with Theresa?”My dad smirked.
“She said she could never prove it either and she couldn’t blame you if you were having an affair, but she felt you were with Theresa for many years.”
“Well, she was only partially correct.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I never slept with Theresa back then. Nor did I have an affair with her when I was married to your mother, but I am seeing Theresa now.”
“Ah, I see.”I smiled.
“What are you smiling at?”
“You. I’m happy for you, dad.”
“You are?”He was surprised.
“Yeah, I am. From what mom wrote, you dealt with so much. So much emotion. So many ups and downs. Besides me being sick, you had to deal with mom’s problems as well and raise Raven on your own for much of the time. Then run Kane and Medici. None of that could have been easy for you.”I finally understood.
“It wasn’t easy, but I would do anything for my family.”He was adamant.
“I know.”I whispered.
Just then Tommy and Raven walked in. They froze.
“Are we interrupting something?”Tommy asked.
“We can leave and come back later?”Raven followed.
“No, we’re good.”My dad said, as he winked at me and headed to his room.
“What was that all about?”Raven questioned.
“It was about moving out of the past and into the future.”
“So you and your dad are good now, baby? Tommy asked.
“We’re fine. I’m going to take a nap before Dominick gets back. Oh, and by the way, daddy is sleeping with Theresa.”I smiled, grabbed a pear and left the room. Tommy can deal with Raven’s nex
t up and coming tantrum.
“What the hell! Is he crazy!”She shrieked.
Hmmm…. right on cue. I giggled and headed upstairs to rest.
After I woke up, I checked my phone. It was 4pm. Still now word from Dominick, but I did have a missed call from Mr. Campania. I decided to head downstairs to start dinner. I was getting hungry and I figured either he would be home in time to eat or I’d eat without him and save him his plate for later. I knew he wouldn’t be angry if I started without him because he wanted me to take care of myself and our babies; and I was doing exactly that.
I preheated the oven and phoned the realtor.
“Rain, I’m glad you called. I found out that the family who owns the vineyard are willing to sell. I don’t have all the details or all of the requests for the price, but once I do I’ll will call you sometime next week.”
“Great! I look forward to hearing from you next week then. Oh and Mr. Campania, thank you so much again.”
“Not a problem, Rain. It’s my pleasure. Have a great weekend and say hello to your father from me.”
“I will, thanks again.”I said goodbye and knew full well I wasn’t going to tell my dad I talked to Mr. Campania. Then he would be asking me all sort of questions on why I needed a realtor in Capri.
I placed the fish in the oven and decided to wait to start the water for the pasta until the fish was almost ready. Fresh pasta doesn’t take that long to cook. Everyone had already left the house for their evening out. My dad went to meet clients in Napoli for dinner. Tommy and Raven decided to head to Rome for the weekend. I’m glad Tommy was helping Raven get her mind off of Michael. Things must be pretty bad. They haven’t spoken since she arrived here. I hope everything works out for them. They’ve come this far. It seems a shame to give it all up now.
Anna, Joseph, Mema and Antonio headed into the village for dinner with friends near the port. I was so glad to see everyone connecting and enjoying themselves. Maybe we will finally have some peace in our lives. Just then the front door slammed and Dominick was screaming my name.
“Rain! Rain! Where are you?”He was very anxious.
So much for family peace.
“Dominick, I’m in the kitchen. What’s wrong?”I called out to him so he would come to me.
“I found out that my mother wasn’t an only child. She lied the entire time. She lied about everything.”He was out of breath.
“What? Slow down and take a deep breath.”I was dumbfounded.
“Yes, read this.”He handed me some official papers.
I looked them over and it appeared Elise Polla was born in Palermo, not Rome and she had a younger sister. No name was mentioned. Then he handed me more papers.
“I’m related to Elise, but she’s not my mother. She’s my aunt.”
“Wait! What are you saying? Elise adopted you from her sister?”
“Apparently.”
“Holy shit!”
“My words exactly when Marcello got the information for me.”
“Did Marcello give you the name of your birth mother?”
“He’s working on it. You see back then nothing was on computer. It’s all hand typed, so he has many more records to go through. At least the judiciary was amenable and allowed him to take a look. It was getting late, so we’ll have to pick this up again on Monday.”He explained.
“How frustrating for you to have to wait when you’re so close to getting the answers you've been looking for.”
“I know, but I’ve waited this long, baby. What’s another two days.”He sounded exhausted.
I walked around the kitchen island and wrapped my arms around him. He held me tight and sighed deeply. It sounded like frustrated relief.
“Dinner will be ready soon? Are you hungry?”I asked.
“I didn’t think I was, but now that I’m here with you and I’m settling down; I’m starving.”He sounded so tired.
“I have an idea. You always take care of me. Now it’s my turn. Go upstairs and take a hot shower and I’ll get dinner finished. When you come down, we’ll sit by the fireplace and and have our meal in peace and quiet.”
“Isn’t your family eating with us?”He asked and looked around, curious to where everyone else was.
“No. Everyone is out for the evening. We have the house all to ourselves.”I stated.
“I hate to admit it, but I’m so happy everyone is out tonight. I really need this break with you.”He let out a deep exhale.
“Go and take that shower before the fish is overcooked.”I looked up at him and kissed his mouth.
“I love you, baby.”He looked lost. My heart hurt for him.
“I love you more. Now go.”I gave him a smile of reassurance.
The fish was almost baked to perfection, so I turned down the heat and removed the pasta from the boiling water. I place the drained pasta in the sautépan with butter, salt, pepper, lemon and fresh spinach leaves. Once the spinach slightly cooked down, I placed the pasta sautéon our plates and placed the fish fillets on top. I placed the meal, the bread, water for me and a bottle of wine for Dominick on a tray and carried it to the family room. I arranged pillows on the floor between the fire place and the coffee table. This way we could eat comfortably and enjoy each other’s company with no outside interference.
Dominick came in wearing low slung sweats, a long sleeve thermal t-shirt and wet tousled hair. He looked refreshed, but I knew that deep inside he was spent. He needed a break and I intended on making the weekend as relaxing as possible. No pressure, no arguments. Whatever he needed, I was more than prepared to give that to him.
He sat down and took in the food that was placed in front of him, as I poured him a big glass of white wine. He thanked me and dug right in. We ate quietly. We seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Yesterday after my mother’s letter and now after Dominick’s family discovery in Palermo. I’m glad that we as a couple were in a good place. I don’t know that if we were at odds how any of this news would have affected us. I was grateful that was not the case.
After dinner and some delicious chocolate cheesecake for dessert, I cleaned up and Dominick said he was going to head up to bed. He normally helps me, but I knew he needed to rest, so I when he asked, I refused and said I wouldn’t be long and would come up as soon as I was done. He was satisfied with that. He kissed my mouth and headed upstairs.
Later when I reach my bedroom I saw that he was sound asleep. I covered him gently with the quilt. Then I went into the bathroom, got cleaned up and climbed into bed without disturbing my sleeping prince. He always knew when I came to him. As soon as I climbed in bed he wrapped his arm around my waste from behind, pulled me to him and buried his face in the curve of my neck and smiled. I could feel him relax further, but not go to sleep.
He grabbed my panties and slid them down in the back. His fingers rain over my ass and found their way between my legs.
“Hmmm, I need to fuck you now, baby.”His voice was dirty and sexy. I loved it.
“Take me, Dominick.”I wanted his cock buried deep inside me.
He groaned as I felt him enter me. I took in a sharp breath. He stilled as he filled me fully. I pressed my ass into him. He reached around the front of me and his hand found it’s way into my panties to touch my wet core. This made me push back on him even more. I wanted to get some relief. I didn’t want to come yet, but this was so intense, I didn’t how long I could hold out.
“Rain, I love you. I need this. I need you. Come for me, baby.”He words broke me. I came hard as screamed out Dominick’s name.
“That’s it, Rain. Feel me. You’re all mine.”Dominick came hard as he brought me back slowly to our present moment.
He held me so tight I could barely breathe. He needed this and he needed to come hard and fast. He was hurt today and my body was the one to make the hurt disappear. I would do anything to take away his pain if I could. I knew he would do the same for me. It seemed that our pasts had collided and now all we could do was protect each other. That
wasn’t hard for either one of us. The hard part was going be how help Dominick to move forward. He was quick to anger. I needed to help him to not reach that point. It wasn’t healthy. Dominick needed to heal from his mother’s deceit, not seek revenge. I knew it would be hard to convince him, but I had to try.
I really hope if he does find his mother’s sister, his birth mother and that she has a good explanation as to why she had to give him up almost forty years ago. I know Dominick needs the truth. I just hope the truth helps him and makes him better and doesn’t destroy him in the process of his search.
Identity: …………..People aren’t always who you believe them to be (Miss Taken Identity Series Book 2) Page 20
