Antonello shrugged to avoid saying that he remembered everything about their time together. Those years were some of the happiest he’d ever had. Chase grabbed some napkins, and once Ricky chose raspberry and chocolate, they sat down at one of the tables outside the door, watching as half the tourist world walked past.
“This is part of what I love about living here,” Antonello said as he waved to family friends as they walked arm in arm down the street the way they had every evening for decades. “There’s the familiar mixed with the ever-changing. It’s like going to the museums here and seeing things that have been around for centuries, and yet a few miles away from the river are galleries featuring new artists with new ways of expressing themselves. It’s all right here.” He sat back.
“I never thought of it that way.” Chase lightly wiped Ricky’s fingers with a napkin. Then he set the napkin aside and finished his gelato. “Everything I’ve seen of the city is so vibrant, but historic and….”
“That may be true. My family has a long history here, and part of what we do is steeped in that, like the necklace that Ricky picked out this afternoon. Those designs have been around for hundreds of years. Some of them date to the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent. But underneath those designs are modern methods for manipulating the metals. And then on top of that we’ve builta whole new business that fully exists in the modern world, but like everything else rests on the foundations laid hundreds of years ago.” He finished his gelato and put the cup in the trash.
“Daddy,” Ricky said, pulling their attention.
“Was that good?” Chase asked, and Ricky nodded. Chase wiped his hands again and gave Ricky a clean napkin to wipe his face. “Are you happy?”
Ricky turned, looking around, and then pointed. “Can we go up there now?”
Antonello chuckled as Chase rolled his eyes.
“Not now,” Chase said gently. “You and I are going to be here for a while, and there will be plenty of time for us to do everything. Okay?” He shifted Ricky onto his lap as he finished his gelato. Then Chase and Ricky got up, with Ricky holding Chase’s hand.
“We should get home. I’m sure you have things you need to do, and I have plenty that I have to do before Monday. We can go through the detailed specifications for the part to make sure everything is exactly as it should be before we begin any sort of production.”
In an instant, Antonello was reminded that his relationship with Chase was strictly business. Anything more was foolish, and he needed to keep that in mind. “Have a great rest of the weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.” Antonello stayed seated as Chase and Ricky walked back toward the Duomo.
“Ciao, bello, Mr. Nello,” Ricky cried as he turned around. Antonello waved, and Ricky returned it before continuing away with Chase. It was so easy to get sucked into the past and feelings he should have buried a long time ago. Still, as much as he told himself that he wasn’t going to do it, Antonello watched them go, then finally stood to throw away the last of the trash once they had turned the corner and were out of sight. He debated going home, but he headed to the office instead. He had nothing elseto do, and if Chase was determined to be uber-prepared, he was damned well going to do the same.
Chapter 5
CHASE CLOSEDRicky’s bedroom door, breathing a sigh of relief. Sunday had been rainy, so he and Ricky spent most of the day at home. In the afternoon, during a break between storm bands, they had returned to the jewelry store to purchase the necklace. Antonello hadn’t been there, much to Chase’s relief, but he had kept his promise and made sure they got a very good price. Ricky had been thrilled that he was able to get something special for Grandma, and he practically danced all the way home.
“Is it a surprise?” Ricky asked. “Can I tell her?”
“Let’s wait until her birthday, okay?” He put his finger over his lips, and Ricky did the same, though Chase was pretty sure he would spill the beans the next time he talked to Grandma, and that was okay. It was still worth a shot.
Chase returned to the living room and put on a movie and was just settling to watch when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and answered it. “Hey, Mom,” he said softly, pausing the movie. “What’s up?” He had debated telling his mother his suspicion that Antonello was Ricky’s father, but decided there was no need to upset her, especially since he didn’t have a way to prove it, and if he were wrong, then she’d get upset about nothing.
“Are you and Ricky okay? I haven’t heard from you, and….” It had only been a day, but his mom was probably still getting used to the idea of them being here.
“Everything is fine here so far. I’ve met with the people I’m going to work with.” Something was bothering her; he could tell by her tone of voice.
“And it’s him, isn’t it? You’re stuck working with him.” The vehemence in her voice took Chase off guard, but it probably shouldn’t have. “I found some of the photo albums….” Chase stifled a groan. He could just imagine his mother sitting on the sofa looking at pictures of Elaine, getting sadder and angrier by the second. “I hate that man. He hurt her so much, and then she….”
“Are you drinking?” The tinkling of ice in the glass gave it away. His mother loved her whiskey sours, and he wondered how many she’d had before calling.
“Mind your own business.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “This is my job, and I have to be here. And I know you aren’t happy that they designated Antonello as their lead on the project.”
She grew quiet for a second. “I should come over there and….” Now her words were slurring. That was all Chase needed—a half-drunk call from his mother. He was the one working with Antonello for the next five months, and he knew he could do it, regardless of the old feelings that threatened to reignite every damned time he saw him. Not that it mattered. They would work together and that was all. Period.
“You need to calm down, please. I’m just working with him. It’s a professional relationship. I made that very clear up front. So you can stop worrying. And please, put the photo albums away and your glass in the sink.” It was only five in the evening there, and she was already sloshed. “Maybe you should lie down for a little while.” And sober up—though he kept that part to himself. He didn’t need a blow-up the size of a Vesuvius eruption.
“I’m not drunk, I’m….” She sniffled lightly. “You’re all gone, and it’s going to be months until I see my grandson again.” She was drinking again, the ice-on-the-glass sound as clear as a bell.
“He’s in bed now, but we’ll Facetime you later in the week so the two of you can see each other and talk. I promise.”
“He’s going to forget me,” she said. Mom was passing slightly drunk and was well on her way to maudlin.
“No, he isn’t.” Chase checked the time. “It’s getting late here, and I need to be in the office in the morning and ready to hit the ground running. My boss is going to want a report as soon as he comes into the office at about two Florence time, which gives me just six hours to get together what he’s going to want to hear.” And of course he was going to expect a week’s worth of work in that time because that was the kind of dick boss he was. “We’ll call you during the week.” He told her goodbye and waited until she hung up before ending the call on his side.
Jesus. He sighed. He was starting to feel like a juggler, balancing his boss, Antonello, his mother, and the largest ball of all, his suspicion that Antonello might be Ricky’s father. There was nothing he could do about his boss, other than do his job. His mother—well, she was who she was. And as far as Antonello was concerned, keeping to a strictly professional relationship would kill two birds with one stone. It would make sure those residual feelings stayed in their damned box, and it would keep Ricky and Antonello apart and his suspicions about Ricky’s parentage out of mind.
