A Soul Mate's Promise (5 page)

“Alright,” he says in a husky whisper, “you’ve got a good point. You have a lot to lose if you make a major mistake, but let’s take a look.” He points to the papers.

He pulls them in front of him and reads through the first few pages, then shrugs and looks at me.“ This isn’t really for you to understand,” he says.  “In law, they use a hundred pages to say what could be said in one or two. This is a motion to the court that makes your application for divorce all official. Now the lawyers can duke it out. You aren’t signing away any rights or anything.”

I look at him and drink in his smile. His dark brown gaze bores into my soul.

“ Princess,” he whispers, “take a deep breath. It’ll be fine”.

I smile. He’s made me feel better. I give him a chuckle and take a big gulp of the water. He holds the paperwork aside at each tab and I sign away. Each signature is more sure than the one before it. One last deep breath, and I finish the last few pages. I tidy the sheaf of paper and push back my chair.

We leave the conference room and I put the papers on Goth Girl’s desk. She gives me a relieved smile.

“I guess I’ll see you soon,” she says, handing me a folder with my copy of the motion.

Sal comes up behind me and takes the folder, offering me the rest of the spring water.  “I’ll trade you –I’ll take the paperwork, you drink more water. You okay to go?”

“Sure,” I say, “I want out of here.”

Outside, a warm salty-aired breeze blows through us. Sal points at the parking lot were he stashed the Viper. We make a beeline for it and jump in.
Having no roof has good points when you want to behave like a teenager, I guess
.

“Princess you need to go anywhere else? Or do you just want to go home?” he asks with a grin.

“I’m good! I thought you had some stuff to do, too.”

He gives me a closed lip smile and a wink as he starts the car. “Nah, I just wanted to take the beast out. Pop starts it now and again but it needs to be driven. I thought well, two birds one stone have some fun. So you like the car or what?”

“Yeah, it sure is a fun ride, but I couldn’t use this for everyday.”

“Oh, I don’t know, but I got the bike, too. And this, I figured it would be enough to serve my purposes.” He reaches over and tugs on my seat belt to make sure it’s tight.

“I’m used to my Jeep—it’s big and roomy. I can fit stuff like an eighty-five pound German Shepherd in it and it has a roof…” I say with a laugh.

“Hey!” he says with an exaggerated frown. “I have a roof, I just didn’t put it on today.”

We laugh as we drive off. Before we get home Tony calls Sal on his cell with a request for a loaf of Chibatta bread. We hit the little grocery store on the island.

“Maybe some food will make you feel better,” Sal says as we’re getting back into the car, this time using the doors.

“I am hungry, but I’m all right. Thanks, by the way. You helped me out of a major panic attack back there. What made you come in?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, I just got a powerful urge to go in and check on you. Glad I could help Princess.”

Again, I sense that somehow Sal and I have a connection that I don’t understand. I look out through the windshield and contemplate the thought.

“So you get panic attacks a lot?” he asks.

I nod. “Lately they’re not as bad or frequent as they used to be, like when Rich still lived home. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night though, and it scares the hell out of me.”

“What do you do about it?”

I glance over at his strong hands, easily steering the Viper along the winding road. “I get up, walk it off, go out on my balcony look out over the ocean. I have a prescription for Xanax  which helps. Some times I take a sleeping pill.”

“Does it really help you?” he asks, taking his eyes off the road to look at me.

“Sometimes,” I say, “but I don’t like to be alone in the middle of the night when it happens. I feel like I can’t breathe. It’s scary but having Toby there helps.” I look up and we’re pulling into Tony’s little driveway.

“Home sweet home!” he says with a grin. “Let’s go eat!”

“That was fun Sal. We’ll have to run errands like that again soon,” I tell him.

“Yes…or...” He hesitates and my heart goes thump. He climbs out of the Viper cockpit and comes around to open my door. “Maybe we could go out? You could show me around, get a drink one night or whatever.”

It’s all I can do not to pump my fist in the air like a school kid. I don’t look at him as I climb out of the low seat. “Yeah, I’d like that, Sal.”

I stand by the garage door while Sal lifts the dog food onto his good shoulder and delivers it to the back door of the lanai. He jogs back and we take the file and the bread and climb the stairs to the back deck.

Toby spots me instantly and almost runs me down before I squat down and let him give me hello licks like I’ve been gone for days instead of two hours!

Inside on the table is a big antipasti platter of meats and cheeses, all kinds of olives, bright red roasted peppers and roasted garlic cloves with sliced roma tomatoes. I put the bread on the table as Sal opens a bottle of Sangiovese wine. My stomach grumbled loudly. Tony grinned at me.

“Ah, mio caro, you-a-hungry? Good! Manga.. eat, eat!!”

Sal cut up the bread, and I was making myself a sandwich and scooping olives and stuff onto my plate in no time!

“Hey look at that! Sal said, a girl who actually eats! You don’t see that very often.”

Tony laughed. “Oh yeah she’s a good gal she lova-to-eat not shy, it’s a good thing.”

I take a bite of my sandwich and smile when Sal notices I’m not shy around food. “I’m no fun when I’m hungry and I don’t want to be cranky.”

“You are-a-beautiful, Gracie, just the way you are...You agree, Sal?” Tony winks.

Sal looks up from his plate. “Yes, Pop, she is quite unique. One might say, passionate, complex and voluptuous.”

I almost choke on my food, and grab for my glass of wine to wash it down before I do. “Geeez, thanks guys!”

Tony shoots Sal a look intended to knock him off his chair. “Hey, hey..”

“Pop no, it’s a compliment. I’m sorry, Gracie. Did I offend you?”

I cut them both off with raise hands. “Absolutely not! I need the boost. Thank you!”

Tony mutters something in Italian then looks to me “ if-a-my son talks outta line you have-a-my permission to smack ‘em in-a-the head, yes?”

“Pop!” yells Sal.

I laugh  “This is great–makes me feel like home. I miss my family.”

Tony reaches for my hand. “You are home, Caro. Ti adoro, la mia casa `e la tua casa.”

I almost cry and again gulp my wine to get myself collected. I adore him as well and he knows this.

After lunch, I sit on a lounger and tuck my legs underneath me. I expect Toby to join me but he is busy sniffing around the deck. After a few minutes Sal and Tony come out to join me. Sal sits next to me at the end of the lounge chair. In less than a minute, he is almost nose to nose with Toby, who maneuvered himself in between us with a whiney growl.

“Okay, enough.” Sal chuckles. He puts his hands up. “What’s the deal with your dog? Why doesn’t he like me?”

I giggle. “You gotta give him time. He’s just used to me and Tony. I guess he’s a little over protective.”

“You guess? This dog is like a trained Navy Seal! Where’d you get him?”

“You know it was the strangest thing,” I began. “Not long after Rich and I started to break up, I was walking on the beach one morning and this dog ran up to me. No collar on him, and I thought, how weird a full breed shepherd pup wondering alone on the beach. He followed me home. After a few hours, I realized he was trained and everything! Your dad told me to give him a name and some love, so I kept him. I took him to the vet and they said judging by his teeth, he was about one year old and very healthy.

“Oh really?” Sal says with a smirk. “And Pop told you to keep him? Hmmm…” He glanced at his dad from the corner of his eye as he spoke. “Interesting.”

I wonder what that look is about, but I’m too cozy to really care. “Yeah, I’m glad I did, because he has been a wonderful companion for me.” Reaching down to give Toby a little scratch between his ears. “Really, Pop? He was just wander…”

“Ahemm!” Antonio clears his throat, cutting off Sal’s sentence., “..Ahh..does-a-anybody want something sweet? Ahh.. ahh.. I gotta ice-a-cream inside. Sal, go get-a-the ice cream…”

“Oh, none for me, I’m so full, and I’m enjoying my wine,” I say, still curious about what’s going on between them.

“Yeah, me either Pop,” Sal says, still giving his dad a questionable look.

“Okay, then no ice cream,” he cuts in. “Did you bring-a-the copy’s of your papers from Leonard?”

“Yes, I have them,.” Sal says as he gets to his feet. In a moment he’s back with them and hands them to his father.

I sigh loudly. “I almost had a panic attack when I looked at them.”

“Ah,” Tony shrugged. “Don’t worry, Caro. It’s all right.”

“Sal actually helped me to calm down,” I say, giving Sal a smile.

“Did he?” Tony asks as he’s reading the paperwork.

“Yeah, it was nice,” I say with a little laughter in my tone. “Very gentlemanly, coming to my rescue and all.”

“Oh really, Son? You helped her huh? Good…good….”

The two men exchanged looks a few more times. I don’t want to pry so I ignore it.

We drink wine, laugh and chatted the afternoon away. Tony’s asleep in his chair by the time the sun disappears.

“Maybe you should put him to bed,” I whisper to Sal.

“Yeah, Pop’s just can’t hang like he used to,” he jokes. We chuckle quietly.

“I guess I should probably go,” I say, struggling to get to my feet from the lounge. Toby gets up, too. “Tell Tony thank you for a great afternoon. Everything was wonderful.”

“Hey, ahh, Let me walk you to your door. Please.”

“Okay,” I say with a shrug, “if you really want to.”

Sal walks me with Toby flanking behind, over the stone path, back to my lanai and over to the French doors that enter the backside of the house.

I put the key in, unlock the door, and flip on some lights. As I turn to thank him, Sal snakes an arm around my waist and gently pulls me into him.

Looking into my eyes he slowly dove in, bent his head and gave me a warm, soft kiss.  I’m stunned, then my blood seems to boil at the same time my knees get weak and I relax and lean against him. As the kiss gets more intense and deeper, I put my arms around his neck. I don’t want it to stop. After a long moment, he puts his hands on my face and slowly pulls away, keeping our foreheads together.

“Are you okay with this?” he whispers.

I can’t speak. I nod my head. In the pale light, he smiles, bends to take my lips with his again. This time, I gave as deep as he did, I taste his tongue in my mouth. When he finally steps away, he reaches up with his fingers and brushes the hair out of my eyes.

“That was nice. I’ll see you tomorrow? Early, on the beach?” he whispers, as out of breath as I am.

“A.aa..a yeah, okay,” I stutter.

He takes a slight step back and grabs my chin with his thumb and index finger and raises my face a bit to look into my eyes. He smiles and lets out a little chuckle. “Sleep good tonight, Princess.”

*       *       *

Over at Antonio’s, Sal came back up the deck and saw that his father was awake. They stared at each other for a long minute.

“Son, you walk-a Gracie home?”

“Yeah, Pop, she’s home.”

“Did you kiss her.”

Sal looked away from his dad. “Pop, let’s get you to bed.” Sal started over to his wheelchair.

Antonio put up his hands and pushed at Sal. “I don’t need-a-help. I asked you a question!” he spoke louder.

“Yeah. Yes!” Sal snapped. “Yes, I kissed her.”

Antonio nodded his head, looked up at his son and waved for him to come closer. Sal leaned down a little. “What, Pop?”

Antonio reached up and smacked him across the face.

Sal stood holding the side of his face. “Shit that stings! Pop what the hell was that for?”

Antonio pointed a shaky finger at his son, his face furious. “You watch it with her, she is-a-good gal. She has had lots of heartbreak and my son is not-a-gonna come and add to her sadness. What now, you here for good? Or you go away again and-a-don’t come back? Then she cry to me over you,
you
, he nearly shouted.

“No, Sal, if you feel for Gracie, do the right thing, and no games with her. I don’t know how much more she can take!”

Sal rubbed at his face and hair. “I know, Pop, I know…”

Antonio cut him off. “You tell-a-her your life and intentions and let her see if she wants to continue…she is not a fling!”

“I know, Pop,” Sal said. “I wouldn’t do that, I..I.. I don’t know, I really like her, something about her, she’s calming to me, and I want to just help her, be near her. Protect her.” He shook his head as though trying to clear it. “It’s a strong feeling too, she’s familiar somehow.”