Page 9 of Hello Goodbye Amore
CHASE CLOSED Ricky’s bedroom door, breathing a sigh of relief.
Sunday had been rainy, so he and Ricky spent most of the day at home.
In the afternoon, during a break between storm bands, they had returned to the jewelry store to purchase the necklace.
Antonello hadn’t been there, much to Chase’s relief, but he had kept his promise and made sure they got a very good price.
Ricky had been thrilled that he was able to get something special for Grandma, and he practically danced all the way home.
“Is it a surprise?” Ricky asked. “Can I tell her?”
“Let’s wait until her birthday, okay?” He put his finger over his lips, and Ricky did the same, though Chase was pretty sure he would spill the beans the next time he talked to Grandma, and that was okay. It was still worth a shot.
Chase returned to the living room and put on a movie and was just settling to watch when his phone rang.
He checked the caller ID and answered it.
“Hey, Mom,” he said softly, pausing the movie.
“What’s up?” He had debated telling his mother his suspicion that Antonello was Ricky’s father, but decided there was no need to upset her, especially since he didn’t have a way to prove it, and if he were wrong, then she’d get upset about nothing.
“Are you and Ricky okay? I haven’t heard from you, and….” It had only been a day, but his mom was probably still getting used to the idea of them being here.
“Everything is fine here so far. I’ve met with the people I’m going to work with.” Something was bothering her; he could tell by her tone of voice.
“And it’s him, isn’t it? You’re stuck working with him.
” The vehemence in her voice took Chase off guard, but it probably shouldn’t have.
“I found some of the photo albums….” Chase stifled a groan.
He could just imagine his mother sitting on the sofa looking at pictures of Elaine, getting sadder and angrier by the second.
“I hate that man. He hurt her so much, and then she….”
“Are you drinking?” The tinkling of ice in the glass gave it away. His mother loved her whiskey sours, and he wondered how many she’d had before calling.
“Mind your own business.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “This is my job, and I have to be here. And I know you aren’t happy that they designated Antonello as their lead on the project.”
She grew quiet for a second. “I should come over there and….” Now her words were slurring.
That was all Chase needed—a half-drunk call from his mother.
He was the one working with Antonello for the next five months, and he knew he could do it, regardless of the old feelings that threatened to reignite every damned time he saw him.
Not that it mattered. They would work together and that was all. Period.
“You need to calm down, please. I’m just working with him.
It’s a professional relationship. I made that very clear up front.
So you can stop worrying. And please, put the photo albums away and your glass in the sink.
” It was only five in the evening there, and she was already sloshed.
“Maybe you should lie down for a little while.” And sober up—though he kept that part to himself.
He didn’t need a blow-up the size of a Vesuvius eruption.
“I’m not drunk, I’m….” She sniffled lightly. “You’re all gone, and it’s going to be months until I see my grandson again.” She was drinking again, the ice-on-the-glass sound as clear as a bell.
“He’s in bed now, but we’ll Facetime you later in the week so the two of you can see each other and talk. I promise.”
“He’s going to forget me,” she said. Mom was passing slightly drunk and was well on her way to maudlin.
“No, he isn’t.” Chase checked the time. “It’s getting late here, and I need to be in the office in the morning and ready to hit the ground running.
My boss is going to want a report as soon as he comes into the office at about two Florence time, which gives me just six hours to get together what he’s going to want to hear.
” And of course he was going to expect a week’s worth of work in that time because that was the kind of dick boss he was.
“We’ll call you during the week.” He told her goodbye and waited until she hung up before ending the call on his side.
Jesus . He sighed. He was starting to feel like a juggler, balancing his boss, Antonello, his mother, and the largest ball of all, his suspicion that Antonello might be Ricky’s father.
There was nothing he could do about his boss, other than do his job.
His mother—well, she was who she was. And as far as Antonello was concerned, keeping to a strictly professional relationship would kill two birds with one stone.
It would make sure those residual feelings stayed in their damned box, and it would keep Ricky and Antonello apart and his suspicions about Ricky’s parentage out of mind.
He still couldn’t believe Antonello hadn’t been able to see how much Ricky looked like the kid version of him, down to the eyes, that damned grin that always managed to get around Chase’s defenses, and the same jet-black hair that was always determined to do what it wanted.
Though as Chase thought about it, Rodrigo had some of those same qualities, and it was possible he was seeing things that weren’t there.
He shook his head to stop the thoughts from whirling him into a migraine.
Whether Rodrigo or Antonello was Ricky’s biological father didn’t matter.
He was only here for a few months, and then he and Ricky would return home to their real lives.
And all he had to do to avoid any of those questions was keep Antonello and Ricky apart, which should be easy as long as he could keep his and Antonello’s dealings on a work basis only.
Chase arrived at the Glorioso offices just outside the historic center a few minutes after eight. He hadn’t quite known what to expect, but a young woman at the front desk was ready for him. She phoned, and Antonello came down to get him and escorted Chase up to the third floor.
“This building was constructed in the late 1600s, and while the inside has been renovated, it’s a bit haphazard yet because it’s still historic.
” He pushed open the door to a small room that had Chase looking upward to molded ceilings with a mural depicting what seemed like motherhood in the center.
“Is this where all the businesses are managed?”
“It is now,” Antonello said as he motioned Chase to a wooden desk with a phone.
“My father maintains his office in the traditional center of business, where it’s been for centuries.
This building came up for sale at the same time we were expanding, so he purchased it and set about renovating what was beyond repair and restoring what was worth saving.
This small space will be your office, and that door leads to mine.
In the original home, this was the nursery. ”
“Jesus,” Chase muttered.
“This home was built by one of my ancestors, so Father was more than a little pleased to have it back in the family.” He stood by the door, and Chase wondered what else there was to say.
He stayed there until Chase turned, trying not to admire him, which was hard because Antonello had always been stunning, and the man had only improved with time.
“Is there something you needed?” Chase asked, reminding himself to be professional and keep at bay all thoughts of what Antonello might look like without that shirt, no matter what his open collar hinted at.
“I thought that if you have time, we could review the specifications this morning and make sure what you have is exactly what we need.”
“I have you in at half past nine. I will bring what we are working from.” He hesitated before pulling open the door that connected the two offices and going into his own.
Chase shook his head slightly before sitting down and pulling out his laptop.
He connected to the internet using the codes that were on the desk and tried to get his mind on the tasks at hand.
He was hoping to head off Dewey’s annoying questions, so he composed an email of his plans and goals for the week, along with the schedule he anticipated, and sent that to him so it would be there, waiting, when he got into the office.
Then he set about preparing for his meeting.
“WHAT IS this?” Chase asked, looking over the papers Antonello had brought with him.
“The exact chemical makeup of the alloy. It matches this portion of the specifications, and we converted it to this exact alloy, which is what you said you wanted. We will then take that and process it into the part. It’s going to be more resilient and last longer if we cast the general shape and then mill the part to the exact specs.
Any deficiencies that might creep into the casting will show up in the milling.
If it can withstand the exacting process, it will more than meet your specs, and it isn’t going to add to the cost. It’s all done by machine, and the end product is tested before packaging and shipping. ”
Chase nodded, seeing the benefit of what Antonello was explaining. He compared it to the base specs supplied and prepared to send the information to Dave for his review and approval. “How long will it take to begin production?”