by SUE FINEMAN
Sliding onto a stool at the island, Catherine listened to Sophia talk about Italian cooking. DeeNae interrupted often to talk about Southern cooking, and after the third such interruption, Jenny snapped. “DeeNae, please be quiet. I want to learn something, but I can’t hear Sophia with you running off at the mouth.”
“Well, I never!”
Catherine and Sophia ended up doing most of the cooking, because Jenny and DeeNae were too busy sniping at each other to accomplish anything. By the time Sophia sent DeeNae and Jenny out to set the table in the informal dining room, Catherine was ready to shoot them both.
Sophia asked Catherine, “Is it always like this?”
“It was worse before the last girl left. I’ve been fighting the urge to crawl under the bed and stay there until it’s over.”
“You won’t do that, because you want my Tony.”
Oh, yes she wanted him. “DeeNae and Jenny want him, too.”
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Tony sat at one end of the table and his mother sat at the other end. The smell of anger was stronger than the smell of garlic, which was a good trick, because Ma put garlic in nearly everything. Jenny and DeeNae sat on either side of him, and Catherine sat between Ma and DeeNae. “It smells good,” he said. “Is it safe to eat?”
“Well, of course it is,” said DeeNae, and that was the last time anyone else could get a word in. Why had he kept her around so long?
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Before the evening session by the fountain, Morgan called all three girls into the library. “Well, ladies, now you know Tony is related to the woman who owns this incredible estate. Does that change anything for you, DeeNae?”
“It’s exciting to think I could come back to this wonderful house again if Tony chooses me, and I love his mother. She’s such a nice lady.” DeeNae ran on and on about how much she was looking forward to meeting the rest of Tony’s family.
“Jenny?” Morgan prompted. “Does it change anything for you?
“Not at all. I love Tony, and I don’t care who he’s related to. This house is wonderful, but it isn’t his, and he doesn’t live here all the time.”
Catherine didn’t wait for the prompt. “I love Tony’s mother, and having a big family is a plus, but what it comes down to is love and compatibility. Could I see myself spending the rest of my life with Tony? Absolutely, because I love him, and I hope he feels the same way about me.”
The three of them stood on the steps beside the fountain. One of them would be going home tonight, and Catherine knew it would be DeeNae. What she didn’t know was which one would be going home on the last show.
She watched Tony walk out with Riley by his side. A man in a tux with a golden retriever should look silly, but for Tony and Riley, it seemed natural. Tony loved that dog.
Catherine stood on the lower of the three steps, with DeeNae behind her and Jenny on the third step. Her shoe was too tight, but she wasn’t going to falter tonight. She wore a black dress with muted red flowers scattered here and there. The fabric skimmed her body, and she could see Tony’s eyes on her. She cocked her head as if asking if he liked what he saw, and his eyes sparkled. DeeNae needed words—a whole dictionary and then some—but Catherine and Tony didn’t always need words. He understood her, and he had to know how much she loved him.
Or did he?
Tony gave his speech about how much he enjoyed spending time with them, and then he called DeeNae’s name. A mournful sound too low to be caught by the microphones came from the girl’s throat. Catherine turned to hug her. Although they’d been fighting all afternoon, Jenny hugged her, too.
Tony said kind words about her, as he’d done about every one he’d sent away except Fawn, and DeeNae walked away, tears streaming down her cheeks.
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After the session outside ended, Tony walked into the library to speak with Morgan. “Are you satisfied with your selection, Tony?”
“DeeNae is pretty, bright, and articulate.” He smiled. “Too articulate. She needs to go back to law school, because an opponent in the courtroom would never have a chance.”
“You’re down to the wire now, with only two women left—Jenny and Catherine. Tomorrow, you’ll spend an entire day with Catherine, and the next day you’ll be with Jenny. And then we’ll give you a day to yourself while you make your final decision.”
Morgan left, and Tony stared at the two portraits remaining on the wall. The man beside the camera motioned to Tony to talk, and he did. “I hate the thought of hurting either one of them, but I can’t choose them both. I hope the final date will help me make the right decision.”
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After DeeNae left, Jenny turned on Catherine. “What do you care if you lose him? Your family is rich and you can have any man you want. I grew up poor, and I’m still poor. I want better for my little girl.”
“Isn’t her father paying child support?”
“How, when he can’t keep a job?”
Catherine stared at her. How would she know that? She’d told everyone that Jessie’s father was out of her life. “Jenny, are you still seeing him?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.
The hell it wasn’t, thought Catherine. “You knew who Tony was before today.”
Jenny picked up her hairbrush. “Mitzi let it slip when I came for a fitting on my costume.”
“Is that why you brought Jessie along?”
Jenny stopped brushing mid-stroke. “Mitzi said it would be all right.”
Catherine shook her head. “I can’t believe you’d use your own daughter as a pawn in a stupid game.”
“She needs a new daddy, one who can afford to buy food and provide a decent place for her to live. Tony’s family is rich.”
“Wrong. Cara Andrews Donatelli is rich. Tony is a carpenter, a man who works with his hands. He’s not rich. If you’d quit tugging at his heart with your little girl and listen, you might learn something about him. All you care about is money.”
Jenny didn’t care about Tony, and if he chose her, they’d both end up miserable. Tony wanted a woman to love, and Jenny wanted a better life, one only money could buy.
Jenny’s eyes widened and Catherine turned to see the camera on them. She hoped he’d caught enough, because she wasn’t about to talk to that damn thing tonight.
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Tony went to bed, but he couldn’t sleep that night. After a half hour of tossing and turning, he took Riley out for a walk and found Catherine in the pool, swimming laps. The way she beat at the water, he knew it wasn’t just for exercise. She was trying to work off some of the tension. He stood back, watching and wondering what was going on in the women’s suite.
Only when she pulled herself out of the water and sat on the side of the pool did Catherine acknowledge his presence. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long. What’s wrong?”
“Jenny. First it was Rachel and then Fawn. Today, in the kitchen, she turned on DeeNae.” She wiped her face with the towel. “And tonight she turned on me.”
“Why?”
“Mitzi told her who you were before the show began. She must have done her homework, because she knew you liked kids. That’s why she brought Jessie along.”
He stared at her in stunned disbelief. “Are you sure?”
“Ask Ross, the cameraman. He heard it all. Better yet, ask him to show you. Jessie’s father is still in the picture, but he doesn’t support them the way she wants. She thinks if she marries you she’ll be rich.”
He pulled his shoes off and sat beside her, dangling his feet in the water. “She’s wrong.”
“Tony, I don’t care if you have money or not, and it doesn’t matter to me what you do for a living as long as you’re happy. But I don’t want Jenny turning on you when she finds out you can’t give her the life she wants.”
He stared at her, trying to absorb what she was saying. “Are you being straight with me?” Did Jenny think she’d be rich if she married him?
&nbs
p; “Have I ever lied to you?” She waved her hand. “Aside from the deal about the show?”
He thought about it for several seconds before responding. “You didn’t even lie to me about the show. You said you couldn’t talk about it.”
“I hate lies, Tony. I don’t like deception of any kind, and I felt bad about putting you on the show without letting you know what you were getting into. I actually thought you’d get rid of me first.”
“I thought about it, but by the time I got through the first interviews, I understood. You want men to think backwards, to look at the character of a woman first.”
“Women aren’t just arm candy or a sexy body,” said Catherine. “For some men, that’s all they care about.”
“You’re talking about me.”
“No, Tony—”
“That’s the way I lived, Catherine. If the package wasn’t appealing, I didn’t bother. I’m not proud of that part of my life. If I’d had sense enough to see beyond the package, I never would have dated Melissa.”
They sat in companionable silence for a minute or two before she asked, “Would your decision be easier if I looked like Jenny and had a little girl who needed a new daddy?”
He couldn’t answer.
Long after Catherine went back inside, Tony sat beside the pool with Riley’s head on his lap. Catherine loved him. She hadn’t said the words, but she didn’t have to. He knew.
She’d made her point on the show. Physical appeal wasn’t the most important thing in a relationship, but there was more to Jenny than physical appeal.
Was it enough to give up Catherine’s love?
Chapter Seventeen
After spending a restless night agonizing over his decision, Tony called Nick. “I don’t know what in the hell to do, Nick. I love them both. Jenny is everything I’ve ever dreamed about, but I can’t get Catherine out of my head. I’m crazy about her.”
“What does Aunt Sophia say?”
“She won’t commit to either one, but I know she likes Catherine.”
“Tony, everybody in the family likes Catherine.”
Tony blew out a breath. “She thinks Jenny’s ex is still in the picture. I don’t know if she’d just trying to confuse me or if she knows something I don’t.”
“So check it out. The producer was supposed to have the women investigated before the show. Get the detective’s name and phone number and give him a call. Do it now, before you make the wrong decision.”
“Nick, you’re a genius.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said with a little laugh. “That’s why I married Cara.”
Tony had had never seen Nick happier than he was with Cara and their baby boy. Nick had married the wrong woman the first time. Now he had a great woman in his life. Cara didn’t flaunt her money, and she didn’t make Nick feel any less important because he wasn’t a rich man. She quietly helped the family when there was a need, but she didn’t lavish expensive gifts on them. Cara might have come into the family as a poor little rich girl, but to the Donatelli family, she was simply Nick’s wife and the mother of the youngest Donatelli.
Tony wanted a woman who would take her place in the family as if she’d always belonged. Like Cara had. Catherine had a ton of money, but he couldn’t let that influence his decision. He had a little money saved up, and he was strong and healthy. He liked the kind of work he did, building someone’s new house or making an existing home better. If he had to sit behind a desk all day, he’d go out of his mind. Nick had put him in charge of a crew, and Tony was a good supervisor. His men respected him, and he’d never had a lick of trouble from them.
He wanted the woman he loved to be proud of the work he did, not to be disappointed because he didn’t make more money or because he didn’t own his own company.
Catherine was okay with his profession, but Jenny hadn’t said a word about it. Would she be satisfied with a carpenter husband?
He had to find Henry and get the information he needed. Tony searched the house and found Henry in the study. “Henry, I need to see the detective’s reports on Jenny.”
“Why?”
“There are things I want to know, and I’m not sure I’ll get the right answers from her.” Tony glanced around to make sure the camera wasn’t on him. “I want to know if Jenny still has a man in her life. She told me one thing and Catherine another. I want to know the truth, and I want to know how she’s been living. Does she work? Does she live with a guy or what?”
Henry stared at him, and Tony realized that Henry couldn’t believe any man would consider choosing Jenny over Catherine. “I understand Mitzi told some of the girls who you were,” he said. “Is that what this is about?”
“I need to know if she’s interested in me or money.” He’d been dreaming about a woman like Jenny for years, and now that he’d found her, he couldn’t send her away without a good reason.
Henry shook his head. “I’m sorry, Tony. I can’t give you what you want.”
They put him on this stupid show to choose a woman and now they wouldn’t help him learn the truth? To hell with that. “Let me put this another way. Until I get the information I need to make an informed decision, I won’t make a decision.”
Henry threw his pen down on the desk. “We’ve put too much into this show to lose it at the end.”
“Then give me what I need.” He’d put Henry in a tough position, but Tony knew he’d come through.
He had to.
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Catherine dressed in jeans and a T-shirt for her date with Tony. She took a wind breaker along. It could be cool out on the boat. Tony seemed preoccupied on the plane ride, and she knew it was because of Jenny and her birth control pills. Saying anything to him now could make things worse. He might think she was taking unfair advantage by trying to influence his decision, when all she wanted to do was help him make the right decision. She wanted him to be happy with his decision.
She’d die inside if he chose Jenny.
The plane landed in Gig Harbor at noon, and a limo drove Catherine and Tony and the ever-present crew to Nick and Cara’s house. It was a fairly remote location overlooking Puget Sound. The house was striking on the outside, with a lighthouse-like structure on the left corner. It was the first time Catherine had been to this house. She’d always visited with Cara at the estate or in Santa Barbara.
The two cameramen and director followed them inside and down three half-levels to the living and dining rooms. A wall of glass overlooked the water, and a switchback trail led down to the beach about twenty feet below. A beautiful yacht was tied up to the dock.
After greeting their host and hostess, Tony and Catherine sat with Nick and Cara in the sunroom that wrapped around the kitchen and dining areas. The spa gurgled behind them, and little Max slept in a wicker bassinet in the corner. Max had his knees drawn up under him, and his diaper-clad behind stuck up in the air. Catherine wanted to hold him and cuddle him, but even if he wasn’t sleeping, the cameras were present, and the crew had already been instructed not to take his picture.
“This is an awesome house,” said Catherine. It wasn’t a mansion like her home in California. It felt more like a family home, a place big enough to have family dinners, but not big enough to accommodate twenty overnight guests or entertain hundreds of people.
“Tony’s brother designed the house,” said Cara, “and my husband and his cousins built it. Tony did all the finish work. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.”
After a pleasant lunch at the house, Tony and Catherine and the crew stepped on board the Maxine II and shoved away from the dock.
Catherine looked around the main cabin. A beautiful white leather sofa curved around a built-in teak coffee table.
Tony sat in the pilot’s seat and guided the yacht out into Puget Sound. Catherine stood by his side. “My father used to have a yacht, but it was nothing like this. This is awesome. I could live on here.”
“Nick lived on a boat for a couple years way back when. He u
sed to take me and my brothers and the kids in the family out fishing. Sometimes we’d just cruise around.”
The sun broke through the clouds. Lush green hills dotted with homes framed the sparkling water. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.
Catherine pointed out the window on the starboard side. “Is that a whale? Look, there’s another one.”
Tony put the engine on idle, and they drifted and watched the orcas play in Puget Sound. “There’s a baby whale. See.” He put his arm around Catherine’s shoulders and pointed. One cameraman moved to the other side to get a better shot of the baby whale.
Catherine leaned into Tony and whispered, “I’d love to make a baby with you, Tony.”
“Catherine,” he whispered. He gave her such a look of love it brought tears to her eyes. She knew in that moment that if the camera crew wasn’t with them, he’d set the anchor, take her into the V-berth, and make love to her. She’d give him a baby. She’d give him ten if he wanted them.
After cruising around the sound for a couple hours, talking and laughing and enjoying their time together, Tony brought the boat back to the dock. The crew seemed confident that they’d gotten some great shots, so everyone was happy.
On their way back to the plane, the limo stopped at the house Tony shared with his mother. His sister Maria and her four children lived there now.
He held hands with Catherine and showed her through the house, which was kind of small for a big family. “When I was a kid, there were six kids living in this house—seven with Nick—and the basement wasn’t finished. I added the bedroom and bathroom downstairs and finished the playroom a couple years ago.
“After my mother’s stroke, we didn’t want her living alone. After I went to California, she stayed with Nick and Cara, but now that Maria and the kids are here, they keep an eye on her.”
“You take care of your mother?”
“Of course. That’s what family is all about. Taking care of each other.”
Catherine hoped the camera caught that statement, because it defined Tony’s character. He didn’t mooch off his mother. He took care of her because he loved her.
