Casa Parisi (16 page)

After blowing her hair dry she put on a pair of jeans and a shirt and headed into the living room to read. In the middle of an interesting article on a new method of making a pinot noir, she was rudely interrupted by the harsh buzzing of the intercom. She got up and pressed the speaker button. "Can I help you?"

"It's me, Andre."

"Andre? What are you doing here?" There was no mistaking the irritation she heard in her voice. Andre Du Bois was the French-Canadian wine distributor she had told Lucia about when they were having dinner at the Moosewood. He had entered her life when she was working at her previous winery and she had agreed to go out with him because she felt comfortable with him. He was interesting and easy to talk to and they seemed to have a lot in common. They dated whenever he came to Ithaca on business and in the interim they kept their casual relationship alive via e-mail and occasional phone calls.

"Let me in and I'll explain."

She pushed the button that opened the downstairs door and listened to his heavy footsteps as he climbed the stairs. Each approaching step made her more irritated. Why did he have to show up at her apartment today of all days? She had plans and she didn't want them interfered with.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, blocking the doorway and making no effort to sound less angry.

"I had to make an unexpected trip to Ithaca to meet with one of my clients and I thought why not stop in and see you? They called me early this morning and I had to get on the road. I did try to call you on the way, more than once, but your cell phone was on voice mail. Didn't you get any of my messages?"

"I haven't checked it in a while." Juliet wished she had. She might have prevented him from actually appearing on her doorstep. She noticed he had a duffle bag in his hand. "Are you staying overnight in Ithaca?"

"I have to. I have a meeting tomorrow."

"On Sunday?" That meant he would want to spend Saturday evening with her.

"It's at one of the big wineries on Seneca and that was the only day the owner and I could meet this week. I'll head home as soon as it's over."

"Where are you staying?"

"Here's the thing. I know I don't stay with you when I'm here, but they're having a family weekend thing at Cornell this weekend and there's a big arts and crafts festival on the lake. I couldn't find a room in any of the decent places and I don't want to spend the whole day looking for a trashy room in some strip motel."

"I suppose that means you want to stay here?"

"Is that okay?" he asked.

Now that he was standing in front of her what was she to do? He needed a place to stay and it would be impolite to turn him down. Her heart sunk as she realized it would also be impolite to leave him alone while she went to Lucia's. How would she explain to him that she would rather have dinner with Lucia than spend the evening with him? How was she going to explain that to herself?

"Juliet? I asked you if I could stay here tonight."

"I guess so."

Andre's look was quizzical. "You guess so?"

"Yes, of course you can."

"That's great. I already met with my first client so I don't have any more business to take care of today. Why don't I take you out to dinner?"

He came off as smug and self-satisfied, a common male trait she'd always detested. And she knew it was because things were going the way he wanted them to. Her mouth opened to speak, but before she could say anything, he held his hand up.

"Hold that thought. I have to use the bathroom."

Juliet folded her arms across her chest and tapped the floor with her toe. What gave him the right to drop in unannounced and take control of her weekend? The last time they went out, she had ended up spending the night with him in his hotel room. They'd gone out a number of times, she was in the mood and it seemed the timing was right. The sex proved pleasurable on a purely physical level but on an emotional level it was lacking, at least for her. That's how it had always been with men and after it happened, she was left wondering if she wanted to see him again.

When he sauntered back into the living room, she confronted him. "I'm not sure I like you coming here without telling me first. We don't do this."

"I tried to tell you and besides, what's the problem? We haven't seen each other for a while and I've missed you. Didn't you miss me at all?"

"I've been too busy to miss anyone." His question implied he had made assumptions that made her even more irritated. She tugged at her shirt, more annoyed than she thought she ought to be, definitely more than he deserved. "Please don't come here again without talking to me. How did you know I'd even be here?"

"Christ! Okay, already. Honestly, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. I'm only asking to spend the night." For a moment, Andre seemed to be going over the situation in his mind. His tone mellowed and he pulled out the charm that had enticed her to go out with him in the first place. "You're right. It won't happen again." He leaned over as if to give her a kiss.

Juliet turned away, avoiding his kiss. "I wanted to take it easy this weekend. I would have told you that had you given me the chance and I also would have told you I already made dinner plans with a friend this evening."

"What friend?" Andre asked as if it never occurred to him that she had any. "Hold on. Is this friend another guy? Are you seeing someone else?"

"We never said we wouldn't date other people, Andre," Juliet pointed out. "And for your information it's not a guy or a date. It's my boss, Lucia Parisi."

"Your boss? I thought you said a friend."

"She's my boss and my friend." Why is it after you sleep with a man he thinks he owns you, she thought? Apparently, having allowed her relationship with him to progress to a sexual level had altered it more than she had anticipated. Their boundaries were now blurred and he was acting as if he had gained access to every aspect of her life.

"Do you think that's a good idea? You shouldn't be friends with your boss. You have to work for her and take orders from her."

"I hardly think you need to worry about it."

Andre came close and encircled her in his arms, his voice low and seductive against her ear. "You can have dinner with her any time. We don't see each other very often and I've missed you. Call her and tell her you can't make it. She won't mind."

"How do you know she won't? She'll probably be disappointed and I was looking forward to having dinner with her." She wiggled out of his embrace. "I promised her I would come."

He stepped back and stared at her as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Tell her your boyfriend is here. What woman wouldn't understand that?"

Juliet backed up to put more distance between them. "I don't need advice on what to say to my friends. I can say whatever I please."

"Sorry. Did I push your personal freedom button again?"

"Last time I checked, I didn't have any buttons! And what's wrong with wanting my freedom? I'm sure you want yours. Every man does and they have it, too."

"Hey, calm down. I'm only teasing." Andre moved close and put his arm around her. "I didn't come here to fight. I wanted to spend time with you. Is that a crime?"

Juliet took a few calming breaths. She needed to re-group. Short of kicking him out, she didn't know how else to handle the situation other than to give in. Tomorrow, once he was out of the picture, she'd sort out her feelings and find a way to make the situation up to Lucia. "Wait here while I go call her."

"I'll look over my notes for tomorrow."

Juliet went into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. This had to be the hardest phone call she'd ever had to make. She wasn't sure how much this dinner meant to Lucia and she didn't know how disappointed she'd be. From what Lucia had told her, Juliet surmised that it had been some time since Lucia reached out to anyone other than her family.

Everything about Lucia spoke of the immense pain she'd suffered and Juliet hated like hell to let her down. Most of all, she didn't want Lucia to think she didn't care, that she was tossing her aside without a second thought. Her hands shook as she reached for her cell phone.

Lucia answered on the third ring. She sounded happy when she told Juliet how much she was looking forward to their dinner. "I'm making a dish my mother taught me how to make. And it's nice out so we can eat outside."

"That sounds wonderful, but--"

"What's wrong?" Lucia's voice fell.

"I can't come." There it was, out in the open.

"Oh." After a long pause, Lucia said, "I'm disappointed to hear that."

"I'm sorry. I hope you didn't go to a lot of trouble."

"Not too much," Lucia said flatly.

"I wanted to come. I was looking forward to it."

"Then why can't you? Are you sick or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that. Andre, that guy I told you I was dating, showed up here. I didn't know he was coming. He has meetings tomorrow and he couldn't find a room so I had to let him stay with me. He wants to take me out to dinner and I don't think it would be right to leave him alone while I go out."

"I see. Of course you'd rather be with him."

"Could we make it another time?" Juliet asked.

"I guess we can. So--some other time, then."

"I'm sorry, Lucia. I feel horrible about this."

"Don't. I understand."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"No need to." Lucia's voice sounded distant and hollow.

"I know, but I'd like to." Juliet knew she was taking things too far and because of it she was starting to sound unconvincing. She waited for Lucia to reply, to make her feel all right about this, but she didn't. "I'll see you at work on Monday."

"I'll be there. Goodbye, and have a good time."

"Goodbye." Juliet ended the call, distressed by what she had left unsaid.

When she entered the living room, Andre was reading one of her magazines with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table as if he owned the place. Just the sight of his bony toes made her want to smack him. Taking a deep breath, she paused and tried to temper her anger. As soon as she regained her civility, she joined him.

"They have interesting articles in here," he announced without lifting his eyes from the pages. "Here's one about a new winery on Long Island that's found a new method for making a good pinot noir. It won some prestigious awards."

"I read it." Right then, Juliet decided she had to be more amiable, more for her sake than for his. If she didn't, she was going to be in for a long, unpleasant evening. "You might see an article about my new winery in the near future because my friend Lisa just interviewed me and Lucia for one."

"Really? Let me know when it comes out." He put the magazine down on the coffee table. "Speaking of Lucia, did you cancel your dinner plans?"

"Yes. She said she understood."

"I told you she would."

"So you did. Still, I didn't enjoy letting her down like that. I like her very much and I was looking forward to having dinner with her."

"Then I'm sorry I interfered with your plans. Don't get mad, but I think it's a bad idea to be friends with your boss. It could lead to problems."

"Problems that would be mine, not yours," Juliet pointed out.

"Suit yourself and if you insist on being friends with her make sure you re-schedule your dinner plans so you stay on her good side."

"How would I ever get along without your sagely advice?" Juliet clenched her teeth, noticing for the first time what a pompous ass he could be.

Evidently he was undisturbed by her comment since he moved on to another topic. "Why don't we go to the restaurant we went to last time, the one in Geneva? It's a nice night for a drive along the lake and I might get that pasta dish I had. It was one of the best dishes I've ever had."

"All right, if that's what you want."

Andre pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Get me the phone book and I'll see if I can get a reservation."

Fighting back tears, she fetched the phone book and tossed it onto the sofa next to him. "Find the number yourself."

Like a giant anaconda, Andre had wrapped his coils around her and now he was starting to squeeze the last breath out of her. He wasn't a bad guy and he wasn't doing anything wrong. Mainly, the problem was hers. It was the identical problem she'd had with every man she'd dated. She could handle a casual date once in a while, but as the relationship naturally became more intimate, they wanted more of her and she wanted less of them. That wasn't how romance was supposed to be.

"We got a break," Andre said, folding his cell phone. "They just had a cancellation and we got that table. Seven o'clock." Andre picked up the magazine he'd been reading earlier and began to leaf through the pages. "I'm glad I remembered to bring a sport coat and tie with me."

"You think of everything," Juliet said.

Andre smiled at her. "Isn't this great? In the morning I'll take you out for breakfast at our favorite place before I leave for my meeting."

"I can't wait."

ON MONDAY MORNING, Juliet revived herself with two cups of strong coffee and prepared to go in to work. Since the winery was closed to visitors, no one would care or even notice if she stayed home and God knows, after her weekend with Andre, it had entered her mind to do just that. Nothing had to be accomplished today, and unless Luke or Lucia had a special reason to come in she could easily end up being the only one there. Still, she was going in. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair she leaned toward the mirror and inspected her image. "Who do you think you're fooling?" she asked her reflection. "You're only going in because you're hoping to talk to Lucia."

As Juliet drove to the winery, her thoughts traveled back to what had taken place over the weekend. After she and Andre returned from dinner on Saturday, she feigned a headache in order to discourage him from making sexual advances. It was a stale excuse, but she wasn't really lying, not technically. She did feel out of sorts. And she didn't feel like being with him in that way. Because he was a gentleman, he slept on the sofa and didn't push her for more.