Quiet Wealth, page 13
“There you are!” He leaned down grabbed her face roughly and kissed her cheek twice. He made sure he made a show that she was his to kiss.
“Take a breath, son,” my father warned as my grip on the wine glass came dangerously close to snapping off the stem. “Whatever is going on here will soon show itself, and we will deal with it accordingly.”
“I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“Mama!” Mariano waved his mother to follow us as he led the way outside. “It’s time to feast.”
“Hello, Sienna,” Bria greeted her. “Let’s find out what’s on the menu tonight.”
“I already saw, and it will be amazing.” Sienna made sure Donte heard her compliment.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Bria rolled her eyes toward the kitchen.
My mother opened the back door, and we all headed out to the garden where paper lanterns hung in the trees, their light casting shadows across the beautiful table every time the wind blew the branches.
The rustic wooden table was set to perfection. Long gray napkins folded in half draped over each place setting, and cream dinner plates rested on top. Next to each plate were individual loaves of bread with rosemary twigs on top wrapped in twine. Fresh greenery from our fields was displayed in glass jars with a gorgeous sunflower wedged in each to give the table a pop of color.
“Wow, bello,” Sienna breathed with a sigh as she came out and admired the work that had been done. “Have you ever seen anything so pretty?”
“Yes.” Bria shrugged, and I shot my father a death-look. He rolled his eyes, just as irritated as I was with them all.
Mariano was already seated next to Anna with his napkin on his lap, so I reached forward and pulled out Sienna’s chair.
“Thank you.” She eased into the seat.
I took the seat across from her so I could read her body language. I planned on digging a bit tonight.
Niccola glared at Donatello when he approached from behind us. The capos often joined us for dinner when they could.
“What?” Donatello looked at me, wondering what was wrong.
“The next time,” Niccola pointed his fork at him, “you ask to borrow my car for a date, don’t.”
“It wasn’t for a date.” He brushed him off.
Niccola looked like he might be sick. “Care to explain why your undies were wedged between my back seats?”
My mama snorted and tried to recover quickly. These two were always at each other for something, and then add in Vinni, and the entertainment grew. We were one big family, and we loved each other, but we also gave each other a hard time whenever possible.
“Are you sure they aren’t yours?”
Niccola shot me a look before addressing him. “We all know you are the only one who wears the tight ones that go up on the sides like a woman’s.”
Papa burst out laughing, and the rest joined in.
“First, I like the way they feel. They tuck and hold me in, and second, I lost another pair, so if you don’t mind digging around more, maybe they’re there.”
“Nope.” Niccola tossed his napkin on the table as he stood, making Mama turn red in the face from laughing. “Let’s go, move it. You owe me a full detail cleaning, and you just lost any chance of coming on my next trip.”
“Excuse me.” Donatello kissed Mama on the head and started to race down the hill as Niccola bolted after him.
“Never a dull moment.” Mama grinned at Sienna, who had her hand over her mouth in pure enjoyment.
After the main course was served and most were halfway through their meal, I decided to dive in headfirst to catch Mariano and Sienna off guard.
“You know,” I wiped the corners of my mouth, taking a moment for the chatter to stop, “I never did hear how the two of you met.”
Sienna waited for him to start, but he motioned for her to speak.
“Ah,” she cleared her throat, “I had done an exposé about my life story for Fab Magazine, and I guess Mariano read my article and was inspired by it. A few weeks ago, I got word that one of the owners of Ricco Oil wanted me to tell their story, and here we are.”
“A story?” My father sent a pointed look at Mariano. “Maybe that should have been something you ran by us?”
“I was inspired, Piero.” He leaned his elbows on the table, which showed disrespect to my mama, who had spent the day making sure this dinner was perfect. “I didn’t think showing her the basics of what we did was something you needed to approve.”
“Careful.” I shot a warning his way, and he shrugged, annoyed I had spoken to him that way in front of everyone.
“Mariano.” Sienna, to my surprise, spoke with a warning tone.
“What?” he snapped at her, and I bit the inside of my mouth.
“Maybe we should just enjoy this delicious food and keep things light? The Capris were kind enough to make us this meal, and look at this table.” She smiled at my mother. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you, Sienna.” Mama, always the gracious hostess, smiled back.
“You think we were allowed to have dinner anywhere else but here?” Mariano cursed under his breath.
“Our rules are in place for a reason,” my papa reminded him.
“Regardless, Mariano,” Sienna’s tone had a clip to it, “perhaps this discussion should wait for another time.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s uncomfortable,” she shot back.
“It’s not for me.” Anna giggled as she reached for her bourbon.
Mariano ran a hand through his hair and leaned back.
“It’s simply an ‘on the surface’ story, one which I hope will help Sienna build a name for herself at her company. She won’t be in any danger—”
“Really?” I corrected him.
“That was a simple misunderstanding, Elio.”
“Perhaps, but you did put her in danger, and what was said should never have been said in front of her.”
“All right,” Sienna tossed her napkin next to her plate, “please forgive my bluntness, but I never asked for any of this. I appreciate the opportunity that Mariano was trying to give me, but clearly it wasn’t a wise move to make, and I will not be the reason for an argument. I promise I won’t write the story. Only the start of it has been sent to my boss, and the rest will be deleted. As far as what I heard or didn’t hear, I can promise you it will never be repeated.”
“I think that would be for the best, Sienna.” Papa gave a relieved nod, and she nodded back, understanding there was a lot more to the story. “Thank you.”
“Sienna,” Bria broke the silence, “why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”
“Yes, entertain us in the little time you have left with us,” Anna piped in and hiccupped from her drink.
“Anna,” Mama scolded her, “maybe you should have some water.”
“Well, I was hired right after I finished school and have been working as a journalist ever since.”
I listened to her speak and couldn’t help but notice how vague she kept her story.
“What made you get into that line of work?” Roberto, Mariano’s father asked as he cut into his second serving of dessert. The man was huge and one day soon would keel over if he didn’t stop eating the way he did.
I nudged the pie closer to him.
“It allows me the opportunity to travel, but also allows me access to certain public information that I couldn’t get on my own.”
“Oh, and what sort of things are you looking for?” he asked with dessert falling out of his mouth.
“I’ve spent my life looking for my mama.” She played with the corner of the napkin.
“For someone who seems pretty reserved,” Anna interrupted as she bit the top of a bread stick, “what made you do that article? I mean, that cover was pretty revealing.”
“Doing that story gave me a lot of reach, so I took the opportunity to put myself out there in hopes that she might contact me.” She addressed her politely. “I thought maybe if I put myself out there, she would show herself.”
“Did she?” I found myself engulfed in her story.
“No.” She shook her head, and her gaze fell to the table.
“There’s still time.” Mama tried to give hope.
“Or maybe she wasn’t meant to be found.”
“Well, this seems depressing.” Mariano poured himself more wine and handed her the bottle when he noticed her glass was empty. I reached across the table and took the bottle from her hand and filled her glass.
We retired to the sitting room after dinner, and I noticed Sienna had slipped away.
“Piano room.” Francesco read my mind, and I waited for the right moment to duck out.
I had no idea what I was going to say, but I really wanted to see her. I stopped when I heard my father’s voice.
“The Capris date back to the fifth century here in Italy. We come from strong roots.”
“What does the crest symbolize?”
“As you might know, crows are all about family.” I watched as he pointed to the crest on the wall. “The crow represents family, the crown represents strength, and the shield represents the protection we provide for those loyal to the family. Family, strength, loyalty, and protection.” He caught me watching and kissed her head. “I’ll leave you be now, my dear.” As he turned to leave, she reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, and his face softened. He left and quietly closed the door on his way out.
I watched her admiring our family photos in the semi-dark, one hand wrapped around her stomach and the other on her hip. The reflection from the lamps danced across her slender body, and the way her eyes glinted revealed the depth of her emotion. The wind had picked up and rattled the windows of the house.
“I love your parents so much.” She must have felt me standing there. “Sometimes when I tell people about my past, I lie and pretend they were my parents.” She swiped at her cheek.
“You mean the world to them, too.”
“Please don’t,” she sniffed.
“Don’t what?” I moved a few steps closer.
“Act like I matter.”
“You matter. You always have.”
“Have I?” Heavy tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “I don’t think so.”
Years of painful memories rushed to the surface, and I knew it was time to open the forbidden door that had been under lock and key, guarded by what was left of my soul.
“Tell me something, Elio.” I turned to face him dead-on. “If the one person you trusted with your entire heart used your worst fear against you, would you be as understanding as you want me to be?” I tried to push away the vague memory I had of my mother’s back to me. He closed his eyes, and I slowly turned back to the photos on the wall. Each happy face secretly nipped at my core. The Capris welcomed me into their lives and made me one of their own and just as quickly disappeared without a trace. “I didn’t think so.”
“I never wanted to abandon you.”
“But you did. Any way you spin it, I was left in the dust with only memories that over the years made me question if you were even real.”
“You think it was easy on me? You don’t—”
“No,” I cut him off, “at least you knew why you left me, and you had people to lean on.” Tears burned painful paths down my face. “While I cried for years, wondering what I did wrong to make you leave me.”
“No, Sienna.” The heartache written on his face told me I was getting through to him. Good. “You did nothing wrong.”
“Don’t.” I put more distance between us, and his eyes narrowed in on me. “Unless you can tell me the true reason for leaving.” He opened his mouth but snapped it shut, and so did the door to my heart. “Right.” I shook my head as I walked by him. “We’re finished here.”
“Like hell we are.” He snagged my arm and held me close. “Answer me this, Sienna.” His jaw flexed, and his pupils dilated. My chest fought to keep up with my lungs. “Has anyone ever made you feel whole or right again?”
When I didn’t answer, he finally broke eye contact, and I sagged in his hold.
“I just need to let go,” I said, more to myself, and felt my temper lash out. “Maybe Mariano can do that for me.” I instantly regretted the words as they leapt from my tongue. I hated that I wanted him to hurt as much as I did. I didn’t even want Mariano.
“He’s too selfish.” He waved off my comment, which ignited the flames inside me.
“Selfish!” I nearly screamed. “Selfish like leaving without even a note. You broke every single piece of my soul, Elio. God!” I pulled back, feeling my words wash over me. “I’m dust inside, empty, and hollow.” I wailed my pain. “Do you get that? I’m broken, and I hate that I was weak enough to let a man do that to me. Christ, I’m only human…or at least I was.”
He stormed up in front of me, his hands clasping and unclasping at his sides.
“Well, if I broke it,” he boomed, “then I’m the only one who can mend it!” His growl echoed across the marble floor just as his mother stepped into the room.
“Elio,” she said calmly, “your father needs you.”
His shoulders lowered as his intensity slowly subsided. He turned on his heel and left the room.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach and turned away from Andrea.
Her heels clicked as she approached, and I gave in and flew into her arms.
“There’s so much more you need to know, dear, but for now, understand it wasn’t his choice to make. We grabbed the few things that meant the most to us and left.”
I sobbed harder, not having the energy to express how much her words just tipped me over the edge.
“Come on, sweet girl.” She walked me out of the room and away from everyone else and up the stairs. “Let’s give you some privacy.”
She led me to a bedroom that looked over the winery, and as I tucked into a ball on the big, cushioned window seat and stared out the window, the weight of it all exhausted me. She snuggled up next to me and started to run her fingers through my hair.
“Tonight, it’s just you and me, Sienna,” she whispered in her motherly voice. “Get all your tears out. You’ll feel so much better when the sun comes up.”
“I feel like,” I tried to speak calmly, but it took a great amount of effort, “life is punishing me for something, Andrea. What did I do wrong? Am I a bad person and don’t know it?”
“No way, and you did nothing wrong.” She tried to soothe me.
“Then why is it, when I finally let my guard down after all these years and attempted to let someone in, he shows up.” I pulled myself into a smaller ball, hoping I would disappear.
“Maybe it was for a reason.” She brushed my hair back and with her other hand pulled a soft quilt over me. “Maybe someone somewhere knew I needed my daughter back.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling how much I needed her to say that.
She kissed my head and let me cry my heart out until my fight with my heavy eyelids won, and she leaned down and whispered, “Do you still love Elio?”
I dug deep, past all the darkness, pain, and doubt, and gave her the last bit of me I had left tonight.
“Does it matter?” Seconds later, I gave in to sleep.
The effort it took to open my swollen eyes to let the sunlight in was almost unbearable. Three attempts later, I lifted my heavy head and took in my surroundings. There was a note on the night table with my name written on it. I had to blink a few times to clear my vision.
“Mariano stayed the night. No one thought anything about you disappearing early. The bourbon took care of that. Everything you need can be found in the restroom, including a clean dress hanging on the inside of the door. Take your time. We are all home today. Love, Andrea.”
A long shower made me feel better. I let my hair air dry and slipped into the blue dress that was left for me. I didn’t want to know why they had a dress my size hanging around, but her face popped up, and I pushed aside the thought of Elio and Anna together. I passed on the shoes and slipped on my beloved leather heels, impressed with how they looked with the dress.
“Good morning, Sienna,” Francesco greeted me as I walked into the kitchen.
“Francesco.” I kissed his cheek, beyond happy to see my old friend. “How have you been? No, first, how are your children?”
He pulled out his wallet and shared some photos of his grandbabies.
“Look at those sweet little cheeks,” I gushed over how adorable they were. “They have your eyes.”
“They do, don’t they?” he agreed.
Someone came running into the kitchen and almost collided with one of the kitchen staff.
“Sorry!” he apologized as he steadied her by the elbow then whirled around to us.
“Oh, Sienna, have you met Vinni?” Francesco waved between us. “He’s Elio’s cousin.”
“Cousin?” I questioned. “I thought you were the driver?”
He grinned and snagged a pastry off one of the pans the girls were walking by with.
“Not normally, but the boss wanted to make sure you were taken care of.”
“Oh.” I was shocked by that, but I waved my hand, trying to place everyone. “Don’t you have better things to do than cart me around?”
“And miss a chance to drive around a pretty lady?” He smiled.
I smiled back and paused to let his words sink in. “Thank you.”
Donte emerged from the walk-in refrigerator just as Vinni left again, talking about something he had to do.
“Last night was interesting.” Donte gave me a wary look as he set two dozen eggs on the island.
“I went to bed early.”
“That explains why the boss paced the bottom of the stairs for hours.”
I shifted on my stool and glanced at Francesco, who kept very busy and pretended not to listen.
“So?” I spun an egg on the counter. “What happened? Someone fall in the pool or skinny dip?” I held up a hand. “You know what? Given the company that was here last night, don’t answer that.”
