“I’m prepping. Warming up. How else do you expect me to practice for when Kim starts dating?”
“She’s twelve! I’m pretty sure you have a while before Kim starts dating. Oh my God, did Tom say something to you about Luca?”
Benny shook his head too quickly. “No. Not at all. I was just curious about the guy who finally settled you down.”
Her lip curled and a small groan climbed up her throat. “You are a terrible liar! And I’m not settled down. I’m hanging out. Visiting. That’s all.”
He patted her hand that rested on the table. “Tommy’s a little worried about you. I heard about the whole Thanksgiving fiasco.”
She shook her head in annoyance, “Ooo that man-”
“That man loves you like you’re his own daughter.”
She smiled knowing it was true. “Yeah I know.”
After finishing their meal, he placed his napkin on the table. “I’ve gotta get going.”
“It’s going to be a zoo outside. Can you leave first? I’ve been avoiding paparazzi like the plague for the last year,” she grumbled.
“Sorry squirt. They’re gonna wait for you to come out anyway. You might as well get it over with. I’ll give you a ride to your car.” He stood, motioning for her to exit in front of him.
“Shit. I never should’ve stopped to talk to you. What the hell was I thinking?” She begrudgingly stood up. “I’ll follow you.”
“You were thinking, It’s my awesome uncle Benny who I haven’t seen since Tracy’s wedding. I should stop to say hi. Especially since I haven’t come to visit lately! Come on, it’s not that bad outside.”
She only growled in response, following behind Benny and his bodyguard and another man she hadn’t noticed lingering at the front of the bistro. JC shook her hair free from behind her ear, letting the long waves cascade down over part of her face.
The sun had set and the all-too-familiar flashes of the paparazzi camera’s popped like strobe lights. Onlookers yelled out Benny’s name hoping to get a good photo. She bowed her head, staring at the back of his heels until they reached the car.
Benny asked pulling up to her Ford Hybrid, “Is this yours?”
“No. It’s a rental. I’m keeping it for the week, so I can drive it up to Abetone for the shoot tomorrow. I’ll drop it off at the airport when I leave. I kinda like it. Good for the earth as my Momma would say.” JC smiled, “Thanks for lunch. Tell your boy I said he’s delusional. I’m still gonna kick his butt snowboarding. Say hi to Lisa and Kim for me.”
“See you in a few days.”
****
Shoot is on! Be there by 3:00pm! DO NOT BE LATE!
Tossing her phone on the bedside table, JC jumped out of bed and did a little happy dance around the room. She couldn’t wait to leave for Colorado the following morning. It would be late when she returned after filming the commercial in Abetone. JC didn’t want to pack in front of Luca, so she packed her suitcase and tucked it into the corner of the closet.
The shoot went perfectly. JC thought the producer was sheer genius. He filmed everyone in muted colors of black, white or gray against the stark white snow shadowed by precise lighting. They lined the bar with bottles of the red-labeled Vodka, added funky music and a roaring fire. Voila! Fabulous shoot.
It was nearly midnight when she returned to Luca’s. Trudging up the steps to his apartment, she quietly opened the door. JC flipped the third light switch, illuminating the soft lighting under the kitchen cabinets. Dropping her purse to the floor beside the couch, she pulled off her boots and proceeded into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Something at the end of the hall caught her eye and she stopped doing a double take. “Oh shit,” she muttered staring at her suitcase.
“Oh shit is right. Where were you yesterday?” Luca demanded harshly from the darkness of the living room.
JC lurched, startled by the enraged tone of his voice, coming from the chair behind her. “Jesus Luca! You scared the crap out of me! I didn’t even see you sitting there.”
He crossed the room in a few long strides, standing over her aggressively, seizing her by the arm. “I said, where were you yesterday?”
She backed away from him, shuddering at the sight of his dark eyes sunken into the hollows of his pale face. She twisted her arm, attempting to free it from his tightening grip. “Luca, you’re hurting me.”
“I don’t fucking care! I’m gonna ask you one more time. Where were you yesterday?”
JC heartbeat thrashed in her chest as her mind searched over the day before, wondering what on earth could make him so mad. He gripped both her arms, shaking her so violently that her head snapped back smacking against the wall behind her.