Page 12 of Hello Goodbye Amore

He finally got his feet moving, returning to the office so he could get Chase to explain what he meant, but he was greeted by a closed door.

He thought about knocking but went to his own office instead.

He had plenty of work to finish, and yet he thought about the connecting door, which was just as closed and seemed as impenetrable as the other one.

Part of him wanted to go in and have it out, but that was a bad idea and he knew it.

He was not going to have that kind of fight in the office.

Word would get back to his father, and that was the last thing Antonello wanted.

This was work, and he needed to be professional.

And Chase in essence telling him that he loved him all those years ago was not something to talk about here.

That revelation cast plenty about his past in a different light.

Chase had loved him. Antonello sat in his chair, looking at the door to the other office.

Antonello had been so unsure of his feelings back then.

He knew he had them, but he’d buried them deep.

There were a few times when he had cozied up to Chase, especially when he’d had too much to drink.

God, he remembered a weekend when Elaine had been gone and he and Chase had bought a couple cases of something called Pbr.

Cheap beer that tasted better after the third one.

After a while, he lost track of what he drank, and he and Chase ended up curled together on the sofa, laughing until Chase fell asleep draped over him, his shirt riding up, giving Antonello a long look at his flat belly.

He had longed to touch, to hold Chase in his arms, to see what he tasted like, and for a second, he had almost done just that.

He wanted to badly, and he’d leaned forward to get closer to Chase’s lips, getting that first touch of a kiss, but he misbalanced and fell off the sofa, taking Chase with him.

Both of them ended up on the floor in a fit of giggles.

Chase managed to get himself to bed somehow while Antonello woke the following morning on the sofa, wondering if that moment had really happened.

Chase never mentioned it, and Antonello figured that was best and began dating Elaine shortly afterward, if only to prove to himself that his moment of weakness had been the beer and nothing more.

A buzz intruded on his thoughts. It came again, snapping him back to the present. He picked up the phone, remembering that the past was little more than a minefield and he needed to keep his thoughts in the present.

“ARE YOU going to be able to work with him, this American?” his father asked before sipping his Aperol. “Is this going to be good for us?”

“Yes.” Antonello nodded. “I knew him in college. He and I were friends before I returned here.” He set his glass aside, not thirsty.

“He and his sister were my closest friends while I was there. It’s nice to see him again.

” He kept his expression bland because his mother could read him like a book, and he did not want to answer her questions.

“Anyway, I think we will work well together and that the deal could be very good for us.”

“Excellent,” his father said.

His mother watched him with the eyes of a hawk. “You were seen outside the store, talking to a man with a little boy.”

“That was Chase. He and his nephew were shopping for a present for Chase’s mother, and they stopped in the shop.”

“Did you give them a good price?” his father asked.

Antonello smiled. “Of course I did. I want this to be a good relationship that will last beyond this one contract.” His father seemed satisfied.

But not his mother. “You were also seen around town with them.”

“Contessina, he’s being a good host. They will be working together, and you know that building long-lasting relationships is how we grow the business in the long run.

Antonello is doing exactly what I would do in this situation.

Spending time outside of work with this man and his son will make it easier to do business, especially if there is a problem.

Then they can work it out.” He sat back, sipping his drink.

His father was the only person who could counter his mother when she got curious.

But if Antonello thought she was through, he was mistaken.

“I was talking to Mary Gianetti today, and she has a daughter about your age. She showed me a picture. Giulia is pretty, and her mother says that she is wonderful. You should meet her. It’s time for you to get married and have children.

” This wasn’t the first time his mother had tried to push one of her friends’ daughters off on him.

“You need to get married so you can have a son to carry on the family. Your cousin has a wife, and your aunt tells me that they’re working to have a child. ”

“They are?” He rolled his eyes. “Then why is Lorenzo walking through town with a tourist from Spain? I met her the other day when he brought her to the store.” He hoped that little bit of information would put his mother off what had become her favorite topic lately.

“You didn’t let him get anything, did you?” his father asked a little forcefully. It didn’t escape Antonello’s notice that neither of his parents were surprised. Lorenzo didn’t think marriage should preclude him from spending time with other women.

“Of course not. I told Renate and Claudio, and they were more than happy to make sure he doesn’t try to go around us.”

His father nodded, and it seemed he had put his mother off her game just enough that he got a few minutes’ respite from her matchmaking.

“Good,” his father said.

“Aria deserves better than your cousin,” Mother said softly.

“She’s a nice girl and a good wife. Luigi, you need to make sure your sister knows so she can do something about that son of hers.

” Antonello did not want to be Lorenzo once his aunt found out about her son’s latest escapade.

“If you treat your wife that way….” His mother’s voice grew deeper, the warning crystal clear.

Antonello cleared his throat, knowing she was warming up to her favorite subject.

“I hear that Margaretta Venutti is back. She went away to America for school like you did. And I know she’s single. ”

Antonello turned to his father. This was becoming a common theme with his mother, and he was tired of it.

“Contessina, leave him alone. He doesn’t need you to find him a wife. Our son is handsome, and any woman would be lucky to have him. He will find his own wife, just like I found you.”

His mother scoffed. “I’m the one who found you.”

“True. But do you remember who my mother wanted me to marry?” His father chuckled.

His mother smiled softly. “Gemma Vesta,” his mother said.

“She would have been all wrong for you, and the last I heard, she buried her second husband after nagging him to death. Guido gave up living rather than spend another day with her.” She sipped from her glass.

“But I have better taste than your mother, and I know my son and what he needs.”

“He does not need to marry the daughter of Mary Gianetti. The girl is pretty, but in twenty years she will start to look like her mother.” Dad’s eyes sparkled. Mary Gianetti had a face only a mother could love. It was a good thing her husband, Carlo, was nearly blind.

“I will find the right person for me,” Antonello said. “And I’m not going to choose anyone you pick out for me. I will get married and have children in my own time. Couples are waiting to get married and have children. I’m not in a hurry.”

“You should be. The goods girls will all be snapped up, and then you’ll be left with the Gemma Vestas of the world.” She shot him a firm look, daring Antonello to try to tell her that she was wrong. “I’m your mother, and I know these things.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I want you choosing my wife for me.

” More than anything, he wanted this conversation to end, and thankfully, his father asked his mother about her work with the Amici degli Uffizi, the group that supported the famous museum, which effectively changed the subject.

But he knew it was only a temporary reprieve.

His mother never gave up on anything without a fight.