Blind Love (6 page)

Tony worked long hours on the renovations, and three days later, the tile man finished up in the bathroom, and Tony had the structural work done in the bedroom. The tiles they’d chosen were perfect in the shower. No more gas station restroom. This looked classy, like the rest of the house.

Catherine had chosen dark green textured papers for the bedroom, one for above the chair rail and another for below. It coordinated with the green tile trim in the bathroom.

“I ordered an adjustable bed,” she said.

“I wouldn’t put too much furniture in the room until you see what kind of medical equipment he’ll need.”

“Medical equipment? I hadn’t thought of that.”

“My mother had a stroke a few weeks ago. These things come to mind when you’re bringing someone home from the hospital.”

“How is your mother now?”

“She’s doing well. It was a minor stroke, but it shook up the whole family. She’s the one who took care of all of us when my father passed away. She raised six kids on Social Security and baby-sitting, seven kids with Nick. We didn’t have much, but we never felt deprived.” They all knew they were loved, and that was what really mattered. They still had a tight family.

Tony was only eight when his father died in an accident at work. Losing his father was a crushing blow, but Ma brought them all through it in one piece.

He didn’t mind taking care of his mother. The only thing he didn’t like about living at home was the lack of privacy. If he brought a woman home, Ma would undoubtedly be talking to the priest and making wedding plans.

He pictured Catherine in a fancy white dress, walking down the aisle toward him. He shook away the thought. When he married, it would be to a blonde with long legs and a serene smile. He’d never been attracted to redheads.
Except Catherine
, a voice in the back of his head whispered.

Tony hung the new doors and finished painting the trim. The wallpaper should be in tomorrow. Catherine couldn’t find anyone to hang it for her, so she was planning to do it herself. Both patterns were small, so it should be fairly easy to match up.

Catherine came in and looked around. “You’ve done a nice job in here, Tony.”

“Tomorrow it’s your turn. I’ve never hung wallpaper.”

“Neither have I. I guess we’ll learn together.”

“What are you going to do with the windows?”

“I was going to buy plantation shutters, but I forgot to look when we went out.”

Tony closed the lid on the paint can. “I’ll clean up and take you shopping and out to dinner.”

“Okay, but it’s my turn to pay.”

He carried his brush to the sink in the laundry room, which backed up to her father’s new bathroom. “Okay. Burger King?”

She laughed a little. “I had a guy take me there once. I think he just wanted to see my reaction.”

He turned on the water and twisted around to face her. “Like ordering beer in a ritzy restaurant?”

She shrugged. “I like beer.”

“Burger King and beer. My kinda girl. Do you like Rambo movies, too?”

“Ugh! God, no.”

He laughed. “Okay, so you’re not my kinda girl.”

“I know,” she said so softly he barely heard her. When he turned to look again, she was gone.

“Aw, shit,” he muttered to himself. He’d hurt her feelings again.

<>

After buying the shutters, Tony took Catherine out for pizza and pinball. He stood behind her at the first machine. “I can’t believe you’ve never done this before.”

She turned toward him and gazed at him with a look of longing, and when she said, “Teach me to play,” he was sure she wasn’t talking about pinball.

He dipped his head to give her a light kiss on the lips and then put his arms around her to guide her hands. He couldn’t help brushing against her breasts, but she didn’t protest or pull away. She’d started wearing a little makeup, but her hair was a shaggy tangle of wild curls, and she still wore those baggy, oversized shirts.

They played a game together, and he was so distracted by her silky skin and sweet-smelling curls, they blew it right away. He had an urge to take her home and make love to her in every room in that big house. Sometimes he caught her looking at him like she wanted that, too. Other times she didn’t seem so sure what she wanted. Did Catherine want him for herself or for her television show?

She tried a game by herself and lost about the time their pizza was ready. Her eyes sparkled. “I could get addicted to that.”

He wondered if she meant him or pinball.

They sat at the table and he poured her a glass of beer from the frosty pitcher. She was like a little kid discovering things for the first time. “You’ve led a sheltered life.”

“Yes, I have.”

She devoured a piece of pizza. “I’d weigh two hundred pounds if I ate like this all the time.”

“I eat what I want and work it off. You could stand to gain a little weight. My mother would say you’re too skinny.”

She nibbled at another piece of pizza. “I
love
your mother.”

“She’d love you, too, and she’d feed you until you gained enough weight to be a proper Italian. That’s the first thing she did with Nick when he showed up on our doorstep. Fed him until he filled out. That kid was so skinny you could almost see through him.”

“Did she adopt him?”

“Nah, but he belongs to us anyway. He’s my cousin, a Donatelli.” Nick was also Tony’s best friend and boss.

<>

Catherine liked this side of Tony, the side that loved his family and wasn’t embarrassed to show it. Cara loved them, too. That was why she and Nick decided to live in Gig Harbor instead of at the estate in California. She wanted their kids to grow up with a grandmother, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

After her mother left, Catherine visited her now and then, but Megan never came to Santa Barbara. Father traveled a lot for the hotel chain, so a lonely little girl spent a lot of time by herself. She couldn’t imagine growing up in a big family like Tony’s. Her family had money and his didn’t, but she had a feeling he was really the rich kid.

The message light was flashing when they got home. Catherine pushed the button and listened to the message:
Cathy, this is Megan. I’m on my way to Santa Barbara now. I should arrive around ten or so, depending on traffic. Please leave the gate open for me.

“It’s only eight-thirty. Why don’t we have a swim before she gets here?” said Tony. “I promise not to make any remarks about your anatomy, and I’ll help you hang the wallpaper tomorrow.”

She lifted her chin and stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

Tony bypassed her hand, grabbed her by the waist, and threw her over his shoulder. She laughed and beat on his back. If he was trying to distract her, he was doing a good job of it. “Unhand me, you brute.”

He lifted her off his shoulder and set her on the floor. “Playtime, Catherine. You can’t be serious all the time or it’ll drain your spirit.”

“Is that an Italian rule?”

“That’s a Tony Donatelli rule. Get your bathing suit on.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Or not.”

She playfully punched his arm, but she couldn’t stop smiling. He wasn’t gay, he didn’t want to talk to her about another woman, and he wasn’t after her money. Tony had turned into a good friend, but when she looked at his handsome face, she knew she’d never be satisfied with mere friendship.

She wanted so much more.

<>

Looking at Catherine standing beside the pool in a green bikini that matched her eyes, her red hair wild around her head, Tony had the urge to do more than swim and play. When she took off those baggy shirts and smiled, she was cute and sexy as hell.

She jumped in beside him. “What are you thinking about?”

“You, of course. Who can think of anything else when you’re around?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re full of it. Are you this charming with all women?”

“Are you this charming with all men?”

She swam away. Over her shoulder, she said, “Just the ugly ones.”

“Hey!” He caught her before she got to the other end of the pool. Her smile disappeared and her eyes darkened with longing. When she looked at him that way, he couldn’t turn away. He brushed his lips over hers, teasing and tasting. She opened her mouth and kissed him back, a lusty kiss that did more than surprise him. It snaked through his body and left him hard as a rock.

He gazed into her eyes and all his resolve to keep this on a friendship level dissolved in the water of the pool. Intense longing slammed into his body as he pulled her close and lowered his head for another kiss. He was about to suggest more when a car horn beeped down the hill.

She groaned. “I forgot to open the gate.”

“Hold that thought. Where’s the button?”

“By the kitchen door.”

Tony gave Catherine another kiss, then reluctantly climbed out of the pool, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked into the kitchen. He pushed the button and waited outside the kitchen door for Catherine’s mother.

Megan Timmons had red hair a shade darker than Catherine’s, bright blue eyes, and a warm smile.

She waved toward the pool. “Hi, Cathy.”

“Hi, Megan. This is Tony.”

She’d only brought one bag. Tony pulled it out of the trunk of her car and carried it upstairs. “There’s no household staff, so if you need something—”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

He nodded and went back outside, but Catherine was out of the pool and on her way inside. The mood they’d created earlier had vanished with the arrival of her mother. Disappointed, Tony walked Catherine upstairs to her room, kissed her goodnight, and went to bed.
Alone.

When had he decided to go beyond friendship with Cara’s friend? Was it the way she looked in that yellow dress, the way she gazed at him when they were playing pinball, or the way she kissed him tonight?

The only thing he knew for certain was that he wanted more than a kiss.

A whole lot more.

Chapter Four

W
hen Catherine woke the next morning, Megan was gone. The coffee was on, and she’d left a note on the kitchen counter saying she’d gone to the hospital to see Walt.

Tony said, “She took her bag. I don’t think she intends to come back.”

“I don’t blame her. She and my father had some nasty fights before she divorced him. She hasn’t been back to this house since I was twelve. I go to San Diego to see her now and then, but my father would never allow her to come here to visit me. That’s why I was so surprised when he said he wanted to see her.”

After breakfast, Catherine and Tony walked down the hospital corridor and overheard Father say, “I’d like you to stay, Megan.”

Maybe they’d both changed enough that they could get along now, but Catherine had her doubts. If Megan would stay and if they could get along while he recuperated, Catherine could go back to LA and back to work on the show.

Catherine glanced at Tony. It was just as well that Megan interrupted them in the pool last night. Although she spent a restless night dreaming about what might have been, Catherine didn’t want a one-night stand with a guy she’d have to watch flirting with other women. And Tony would flirt. He’d probably been doing it since he discovered girls were different.

The nurse chased them out of the room, and the three of them walked down to the waiting room. “I can’t stay more than a few days,” said Megan. “I can’t afford to lose my job.”

“Well, I can’t stay with him.” Catherine’s words came out a little louder than she’d intended. “I’ve worked hard to build a career. I don’t want to throw that away.” She had something to prove, and she couldn’t do it without a job. “We’re filming a new television show this summer. If I don’t get back to work, someone else will take over my show.”

Megan’s forehead creased in a look of concentration. “If I can find a job here, I suppose I could stay with your father, as long as there’s someone with him while I’m at work.”

“Can you cook? Father’s cook quit.”

She nodded. “I can handle the cooking.”

“They stay and I’ll put you on the payroll. I’ve hired private nurses, but we’ll have to hire a housekeeper. He can’t keep a cook and housekeeper. Nobody wants to work for Walt Timmons. He’s a tyrant.”

“He always was,” said Megan. “We’ll work it out.”

Yes, they would, but it wouldn’t be a comfortable situation. She and her mother hadn’t been close since Megan moved away from Santa Barbara. Catherine was given a choice of staying with her father or going with her mother when they divorced, and she chose to stay with her father. Two years later, she left for boarding school, where she spent her high school years.