Page 23 of A Perfect Pairing
“Exactly,” she muttered. And, yes, the blanket would make a good gift—if she could ever get it done. Ms. Ida’s had been fairly crowded, so there were a good thirty or forty people who knew the truth. And she didn’t even want to think about how Antonio felt.
As if reading her mind, Terri asked as she finished her last row and spread the blanket on the floor, “Have you talked to Antonio since it happened yesterday?”
“No. We’re finally able to deal with each other without the past creeping in, and I have no idea how he’s going to react. It’s still a little awkward at times, as if we’re both afraid of messing up the truce of sorts we have going.” Though she hoped it wouldn’t happen, Natasha could see him reverting back to the silent, annoyed man he’d been at the beginning. Antonio had never liked having his business spread and made a concerted effort to keep a low profile. He had only tolerated the attention that came with his popularity as a star basketball player. But this…“The worst part was Mama Nora and Ms. Della were all smiles.”
Dana laughed. “With the way she kept smiling at the two of you, Mama Nora couldn’t have been more obvious that she’s playing matchmaker.” Dana had returned from her phone call right after the kiss.
“Yeah, I got that impression.” She opened her mouth to say something else and her cell rang. When she saw her mother’s name on the display, she groaned. “It’s my mother.” And she already knew what she wanted. Sighing, she connected. “Hi, Mom. No, Antonio and I arenotback together, it wasnota passionate kiss, and we didnotsneak off afterward. He only came to Ms. Ida’s to pick up his grandmother and Ms. Della, and he greeted them with a kiss on the cheek. Since I was standing there talking to them, he did the polite thing and kissed mycheek, too. Now, did I cover everything?”
“Well, goodness, you don’t have to be so snippy about it. Actually, I kind of hoped there was some truth to it. Antonio always was a nice young man.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “Really, Mom? We just had this conversation a few days ago. Nothing has changed.”
“Oh, okay. I’d better go to call Bernice back and set her straight.”
“Thanks, Mom, and can you tell her to please pass that piece of truth along?”
Chuckling, her mom said, “I will. Can’t say I miss that part. I’ll talk to you later, baby.”
She said her goodbyes and ended the call, then tossed the half-done blanket aside. “I need wine.”
Terri raised her hand. “I vote for wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma.”
“You ain’t said nothing but a word.” Natasha stood. She loved her besties.
Antonio and his crew were behind schedule on at least three projects. The turn of the calendar this year proved that April really did bring showers. As a result, they’d been limited to inside jobs, and he’d spent the first three days of the work week doing paperwork, rearranging and making the space his own. Uncle Charles had officially retired after their lunch a week ago, and Antonio swore the man had almost skipped to his car. Antonio’s father and godfather had already made plans to go fishing again.
He lifted his head at the sound of a knock on his open door and smiled at his assistant. “Hey, Leah. What’s up?”
“Nate is here to see you.”
“He can come on back, thanks. You know you don’t have to walk back here. We have an intercom system,” he added with a chuckle.
“I know, but this way I can at least get some steps in. I’ll send Nate back.”
A minute later Nate stuck his head in the door. He stood and they shared a one-armed hug. “How’s it feel to be the sole owner of Davenport Construction, little brother?”
“Feels pretty good. The only drawback…” Antonio gestured toward his desk. “Paperwork. I’d rather be at a job site than sitting in an office. Have a seat,” he said, rounding the desk and reclaiming his seat.
Nate took the chair across from Antonio. “You always did love being outside. I don’t know how you handled being cooped up inside for the past decade.”
He had been good with numbers and had landed the job right out of college. As much as he’d wanted to return home and work with his godfather, as planned, coming back meant running into Natasha. And at that time, Antonio couldn’t handle it. Hell, he’d barely handled it the first time he’d seen her a few weeks ago. She was a big part of the reason he’d stayed away—from his family, the career he really wanted. And he realized that part of his issues stemmed from built-up resentment toward her. Thankfully, he’d been working through it and had released most of the past anger and hurt. “I did what I needed to do at the time. It paid well, and I have a nice portfolio to show for it.” He shrugged.
“And so do I, thanks to your advice,” Nate said with a grin. “With all the money you have stashed away, I’m surprised you decided to rent from Uncle Charles instead of buying something outright.”
Antonio leaned back in his chair and angled his head thoughtfully. “I considered it, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to live.” He did know he wanted a house that overlooked one of the lakes. The other reason he didn’t purchase a home right away was that he didn’t want anyone in his business, and that’s exactly what would happen. He was still trying to correct the lies from the past weekend.
“Nah, probably more like you didn’t want to have to deal with all the women who’d be campaigning to be the next Mrs. Antonio Hayes.”
“You know I can’t stand you, right?” His brother had always been able to read Antonio. He’d hated it then and liked it even less now. “Don’t you need to go look in somebody’s eyes or something?”
Nate roared with laughter. “Actually, I don’t have an optometry patient for another hour. Plenty of time to get deep into your business. So, how are things going with you and Natasha after the big kiss?”
“I haven’t talked to her. We were supposed to meet yesterday but canceled because of the weather.” He’d thought about calling to see how she was handling all the gossip, but he needed a little distance to analyze his own feelings. Antonio still hadn’t figured out what to do, but in order for them to move forward toward friendship or…something, they had to have the conversation he’d been avoiding.
“Come on, Tony. I know you’re not still holding a grudge against her. I thought you said you’ve been working together fine.”
“We have. It’s just that, I mean…” He ran a frustrated hand over his head. “I don’t know.”
