Page 17 of Her UnBearable Protector

At least not around her parents. Giovanni and Seraphina were proud people, they met challenges head on. Problems were fixed, not cried over. So Natale learned not to disappoint them, finding ways to mourn or struggle in the quiet of her room, and if tears were required, she would shed them in the shower where no one could hear how weak she was.

When the soft knock at the door reached her ears, she swept the back of her hand over her eyes, dashing both the water and tears away.

“Not now, Mr. Orsino.” She struggled to steady her voice so he wouldn't know what she was doing. “Please, I just need-”

The door opened in a rush. “Girl, you need a good ol’ romp in the hay or one of those bath wands for a massage.”

Natale pulled the curtain aside and gaped at her friend. “What are you doing here?”

Ericka held up a scarf and a brown paper bag. “I came to tell you that you left your scarf at work, and then on the way I stopped and got you something from the drug store.”

Narrowing her gaze at her friend, Natale shook her head. “Let me finish my shower and I’ll be out in a minute.” Ericka waved her free hand at her. “No need to rush. I'll just step outside and sit with the other hot guy.”

Natale’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Who is outside?”

Ericka fanned herself. “Not that I need a name to jump on that, but he introduced himself as Valerio.”

“Oh, one of Salvatore’s brothers.” She closed the curtain and grabbed for her body wash.

“Well, I’d like their parents’ home address so I can send them a thank you card. Those are some impressive genes.” Ericka laughed, always entertaining them both. “I’ll see you outside.”

Scrubbing the back of her neck, Natale paused for a moment. “Hey, Ericka?”

She heard the soft squeak of the door before Ericka’s voice reached her. “Yes, my bestest friend in the world?”

“That isn’t my scarf.”

A long sigh made its way through the sound of the water coursing from the showerhead.

“I know, I had to come up with some kind of excuse to come over and check out the hotness you’ve got holed up with you.”

Grabbing a face towel off the shelf, Natale pulled back the curtain and whipped it at Ericka, the towel landed smack on her shoulder and dripped water down the front of her blouse.

Ericka stared back in disbelief. “You wench!”

“You started it,” Natale shot back. “Now go outside and flirt so I can finish and get dressed.”

* * *

Ericka stayed through dinner, enjoying a glass of wine with Natale while Salvatore cooked. And Natale laughed as she bore up under Ericka’s constant double entendres. It wasn’t until Natale practically pushed Ericka out the front door near the midnight hour that her friend stole a glance at the side table in the hallway.

Natale followed her gaze and picked up the paper bag. “You never did tell me what you brought.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Ericka gave her a slow smile. “Just a few things I thought you might want to have on hand.” Impulsive as always, Ericka rushed at Natale and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Look, I know I’ve been giving you hell all night, joking about things. But I’ve been watching the two of you and, girl,” she blew a low whistle, “you two could power the building on looks alone.”

“No,” Natale shook her head, “that’s just wishful thinking, Ericka. You see what he looks like.” She couldn’t keep the longing out of her voice. Just as she couldn’t smooth out the pinch at the corners of her mouth. “Men like him and women like-”

Ericka shook her and Natale’s teeth snapped together. “You stop that right now.” She blinked back the light haze from the wine. “You are the most amazing person that I know and you have a man who sees that. And-” she pushed on before Natale could interrupt her, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you and I would give my right arm, okay, maybe my left arm since I’m right handed. But seriously, you deserve to give this a try.”

“The show-”

“Will be a success! You and I have been over this a thousand times since you came up with the concept and then a thousand times more after Mr. D gave you the go ahead. You’re going to make Bellezza a huge success, but you have to ask yourself what you’re doing for you. There is a life outside the workroom, sweetie. But you’re going to have to take a chance at it.” She pressed a kiss to each of Natale’s cheeks and whispered into her ear. “And the stuff in the bag? You can thank me later.”

When the door closed, Natale was still standing there in a daze. The click of the lock sliding into place shook her awake and she set the alarm like Uberto had taught her to do. Once that was done, she picked up the paper bag that Ericka had left for her.

She recognized the stamp on the side of the bag as the mark of the corner bodega market and wondered if there had been any pastries left when Ericka had walked in. She was hoping for an éclair or a bear claw. Either one would make her day after the clash with Caprice in the workroom.

Opening the top of the bag she peered in at the contents and hung her head. “What was she thinking?”

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