* * * *
Ivan Cutter smiled as he lifted the lid on the soup pot and the steam from the creamy contents invaded his nostrils. The aroma of the pancetta blending with the buttery scent of the Havarti cheese made his mouth water, and he grinned when he heard the loud grumble of Samson’s stomach. “Thought you said you weren’t hungry,” he said as he picked up the peppermill and ground just a touch more white pepper into the pot and stirred.
“I wasn’t, but that smells good. You got any bread to go with it?”
The words weren’t even all the way out of his brother’s mouth before Ivan was pulling two big stoneware bowls from the stainless steel shelving against the wall and hollering at one of the chef’s helpers to bring him one of the loaves of Italian bread cooling on a rack.
The clatter of utensils and pots and pans as the kitchen geared up for the arrival of the haughty crowd that packed the dining room at Hermione every afternoon and evening was a musical din he barely noticed. He ladled soup into both bowls and set them on the small table in the corner and then grabbed a crock of softened butter for the bread.
After handing his twin a large spoon, he joined him at the table and grinned as Samson took a long, deep sniff of the soup’s aroma and then dug in. He laughed when Samson let out a groan of pleasure at the first spoonful, closed his eyes, took another, and nodded at Ivan’s inquiring, “Good?”
The two of them ate in a silence broken occasionally by pauses to tear off more bread, which they slathered in butter before continuing. Ivan smiled when Samson tilted the bowl to spoon up the last drops of creamy broth and refilled it for him when he looked ready to start licking the bowl clean.
Midway through the second bowl, Samson glanced up as he spread butter on another piece of bread. “I ran into Cassandra Villalobos this morning.”
Ivan sat back and nodded. “I figured you’d never go back to Divine.”
Samson’s hand landed with a thud on the tabletop, and he dropped his spoon. “How do you know that’s where she is?”
Ivan studied Samson, noting the tension in his shoulders and the crease between his brows. “I’ve known for a while she was there.” At his brother’s arched eyebrow, he continued. “There’s this thing you may have heard of, brother. It’s called Google. Makes finding people easier than it used to be. I looked her up out of curiosity several years ago. And even if it weren’t for the wonderful power of the Internet, I’ve heard about her little place, mostly because of her baked goods. She makes this hazelnut crème-filled cake with cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate shavings that is…”
His mouth watered again as he recalled the cupcake creation a friend had gifted him with recently. Cassie could be working in a five-star restaurant in a big city, but that wasn’t her style.
“You’ve been to see her?”
Ivan shook his head. “If I never see Divine again, it’ll be too soon. And she has her own life.” Why remind himself of what he couldn’t have?
“I would think a soft touch like you would at least go see her. I didn’t realize that’s what she did. She’s not supposed to be there.”
Ivan shook his head. “Far as I could tell, she never left. She worked for her father and grandfather in their restaurant and eventually got married.”
“She broke her promise.”
“What? And we kept ours? You remember how under their thumbs her father and grandfather always kept her. Life happens, man. She has her own successful business, and she’s not at their beck and call anymore. And you’ve had quite a career, as have I. It’s not the specifics of the promise I concerned myself with. It was the spirit of it.”
“She was too good for that damned place. Too good to stay there. She should be on the stage somewhere.”
“You didn’t wonder why you never saw her gracing an album cover?”
“No, but you and I both know she didn’t necessarily want the spotlight. I figured she’d joined a group I’d never heard of.”
“You were afraid to find out. Admit it. You believed she’d go far because you loved her and had to let her go. You wanted the best for her.”
“I doubt she found it in Divine. Hank said she’d divorced.”
It was Ivan’s turn to put down his spoon. “I didn’t know that. Hell, you must’ve had one hell of a reunion with her then.” The spark of envy was uncomfortably familiar, even after thirty years. The only time he’d ever been jealous where his brother was concerned.
“No. She ran.”
“What do you mean ran?”