“No! I’m not dating her.” Yet.
Yes, I wanted Val—I wanted her bad—but Christopher was right. Until I knew her whole situation, it would be wise to remain cautious. Then again, I never claimed to be a wise man.
Christopher scratched his chin between his thumb and forefinger contemplatively.
“So, you’re not dating her, but something tells me you really like her. Am I right?”
“Well…” I trailed off, struggling to put my feelings into words. “Honestly, I barely know her, but yeah, I mean… I do really like her—a lot. There’s something between us, and I’d like the opportunity to figure out what that something is. The thing is, she’s skittish, like a nervous puppy or something. It’s not anything she said, more her mannerisms—like she’s always looking over her shoulder. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it half the time.”
Christopher shook his head and leaned against the counter behind the bar.
“Do you know what I think?” he asked.
“What?”
“I think you should forget this girl and go find yourself a nice piece of tail. It’s been too long since you last got laid.”
“When I got laid last is none of your fucking business,” I snapped, and he chuckled.
“Okay, fine, don’t forget about her. How about this? Have you considered that maybe she’s not running from her husband? Maybe she’s in legal trouble. You said it yourself. You barely know her. She could be a criminal or something. Or maybe she’s a scorned bride out for vengeance—perhaps she murdered her husband.”
I pursed my lips and eyed him with annoyance. I was trying to be serious and he was making comparisons to Kill Bill.
“You’ve watched too many Tarantino flicks.”
“It could happen,” he said with a shrug.
“It’s nothing like that, Chris. Do you honestly think I’d refer her to you for employment if I thought she was secretly a hardened criminal? I’m telling you, she’s just a scared girl. I feel this innate need to protect her. It’s weird. The problem is all the unknowns. I don’t know what I need to protect her from.”
Christopher topped off my half-empty glass of Sambuca and pushed a basket of crostini my way. I nodded my thanks for the refill and took a sip. Grabbing a crostini, I bit into it and chewed thoughtfully. Christopher stayed silent, knowing I was trying to work things out in my head. He was good like that. I was frustrated and concerned for so many reasons, but I couldn’t pinpoint what was bothering me the most.
“What are you thinking, brother?” he eventually asked.
“Her behavior reminds me a lot of the women who attend my self-defense class for the first time. They’re jumpy, always looking at the door in case they need to bolt. Val has that look, but there’s more to her. I saw determination—the kind of raw grit you only see in people who’ve truly had enough. She’s fragile yet so strong.” I shook my head and ran a hand over my face. To him, I probably sounded like a head case. “Fuck, man. I don’t even know if I’m making any sense right now.”
“For a girl who you hardly know, she’s managed to get you all twisted up,” My brother-in-law shook his head with a look of complete bewilderment. “Are you sure she’s hiding something? Maybe she’s just a private person.”
“No, I know it’s not that.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“Her name for one thing. She lied to me about it. You see, we never exchanged names during our conversation three years ago. I only knew it because of the sign that was outside the reception hall. Val, the name she’s going by now, isn’t really her name.”
Christopher’s dark brows pushed together in a frown.
“So, what is it then?”
I hesitated again. I’d only called her by name a handful of times and it was a conscious effort. It was going to be tough since I’d been calling her Gianna in my dreams for the better part of three years.
“I don’t want to tell you her real name. If you hire her, I don’t want you using it by mistake and spook her. Hell, even I have a rough time remembering to call her the new name.”
“Fair enough. If she’s trying to hide, I can see how a slip-up like that might cause her to bolt.”
“Thanks for being cool about it. That’s honestly the whole reason I came here tonight. I figured you’d appreciate a heads-up about why things may not add up during your interview with her.”
“I’ll do what I can for her, I promise. Just remember, secrets never stay hidden for long, Derek. If she is hiding something, you need to make sure you can handle the truth when it comes out.”
“I know.”
A quiet settled between us and we finished our Sambuca in silence. The last of the customers in the dining room filtered out and I could hear dishes banging around in the kitchen as the staff cleaned up for the night. When our glasses were empty, I stood to leave. Christopher came around the bar and slapped a hand on my shoulder.
“This bella donna must be something special for you to go through all of this trouble.”
Christopher had no idea. Val could give Monica Bellucci a run for her money. She was captivating, so much so, I found myself paralyzed with want and desire at the mere sight of her. It was ridiculous, really. I’d fantasized about her so much over the past three years, it bordered on obsessive.
“She’s fucking gorgeous, Chris. I’ve never known a more beautiful woman. She’s in my head in ways I can’t begin to explain. I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Merda,” he swore and shook his head. “There’s going to be no dealing with Isabella. She’s going to have a field day with this.”
I groaned at the thought of my sister’s likely interrogation.
“Don’t I know it.”
16
Val (Gianna)
It was a day for firsts. Things had been happening so fast, and I had a serious case of first day jitters. Everything was almost too good to be true, and I had to fight the urge to pinch myself. For the first time in a long time, I felt optimistic about the future. The stars were aligning and opportunities awaited me—and I had Derek Mills to thank for all of it.
After Derek called Christopher over a week ago, I’d interviewed and landed the job at Camilla’s. Christopher and his wife, Isabella, seemed like decent enough people. Isabella was pleasant and extremely efficient, whereas Christopher’s burliness and quick wit reminded me a lot of Teddy. Neither one of them asked too many questions, which I was thankful for, and we’d hit it off right away. I started work later that very same day. Now, I was a week into the job and was excited to get my first official week of pay and felt confident in my ability to afford the self-defense class beyond the free trial period. The first one was this morning.
Dressed in hand-me-down sweats and a tight-fitting tank, I slipped into my Nikes and headed out with a feeling of excited anticipation. When I entered the room where the class was held, there were about a dozen other women sitting on a large mat in the center of the floor, doing various stretches. They looked like they knew what they were doing, which was intimidating. It meant I’d look all the more foolish if I failed. I looked around for the instructor, but it appeared as though he or she hadn’t arrived yet. Following the lead of my classmates, I began to do some stretching of my own.