Brett looked at his watch. He had several meetings this afternoon that couldn’t be rescheduled. He didn’t know Sal’s sister, but surely she’d arrive when she got here. Delaying their lunch meeting until she appeared was ridiculous.
“Well, until she gets here, why don’t you tell me what you thought of the numbers floating around last night? Now that we’ve had some time to think about it, I’d like to get your ideas,” he said, starting the meeting without Sal’s sister.
Sal took the hint and they launched into a discussion about revising the numbers, tossed around the idea of different loan types as well as other financing options.
Chapter 2
Oblivious to the three men’s dismissal of her, Antonia drove by the restaurant, not stopping to let the valet park her motorcycle. Instead, she turned the corner at the next block and parked it along the street. Glancing up and down the street, she checked to make sure no one would see her, then she unsnapped the helmet and pulled it off, shaking her hair loose as she went.
Hopping off the bike, she took off her backpack and exchanged some of its contents. She took out the pink wool skirt and matching jacket and replaced them with her leather jacket – rolled up so that it fit back inside her backpack. She pulled the skirt up over her jeans, pulled the jeans down, and smoothed her cream colored stockings, making sure she wasn’t revealing anything in the process. That done, she rolled the jeans up and stuffed them into the backpack as well, taking out a slim black purse with a gold chain and pretty, pink pumps to replace her cowboy boots. The shoes were not her type. But then, neither was the whole outfit, so she endured the prissy suit and classic shoes, knowing her eldest brother would approve.
The transformation completed, she stood up and straightened, checking the street again. This was one of Sal’s favorite restaurants in the city, so she’d been here several times, changing in the same manner each time. So far, luck had been on her side and she hadn’t been caught by anyone, including her oldest, very conservative and straight-laced brother who would never approve of the way she lived her life.
But it was her life and she would not be dictated to by any of her five older brothers who would only be satisfied when she was safely married and giving birth to her third child. Coming from a traditional, Italian American family had some good and some bad. Her older brothers’ protectiveness was part of the bad she’d learned to deal with over the years.
Taking a deep breath, Antonia walked gracefully to the front of the restaurant, winking at Jim, the doorman, and handing him a small box of white chocolates. Jim shook his head, smiling, but accepted the chocolates, his mouth watering as he anticipated sneaking one into his mouth at the first opportunity.
“You’d best hurry, Miss Attracelli. They’re already in there.”
“Uh, oh,” she said, and grimaced, knowing how much Sal valued punctuality. Cringing, she glanced at her watch. She didn’t mention that she was late because she’d stopped at the tiny confectionary that specialized in his favorite chocolates. “I guess I’m pretty late, aren’t I?” she said. “Don’t eat all those chocolates before I leave here, understand?” she said, knowing they’d be almost gone by the time she walked out.
“Don’t worry,” Jim said, grinning like a schoolboy. “I made the mistake of telling my wife about them last time and she just about knocked my head off because I hadn’t saved her any. I learned my lesson. At least one is coming home with me tonight,” he laughed.
Antonia laughed as well. His wife was a tiny woman that barely reached Jim’s shoulder. But she had him right where she wanted him. where he wanted to be, so it wasn’t a problem.
At the maitre d’s table, Antonia smiled to Jeffrey. And Jim was exactly
“Is Sal here already Jeffrey?” she asked, hoping against hope that Jim might be wrong. Just once, she’d like to be the first to arrive so she wouldn’t have to see her brother’s look of disapproval when she walked up to the table. Sal was the only one who could make her feel self-conscious. Her other brothers were too fun loving to worry about little things like time and punctuality. Most of the time, anyway.
Jeffrey nodded his head. “Your brother’s been here for twenty minutes although Mr. Hancock only arrived at one o’clock.”
Antonia’s face showed the shock and anger she felt at discovering that her brother had arranged a lunch meeting with her, but it was in the guise of a blind date. “He promised me just this morning that it wasn’t a set-up. He lied to me,” she said, furious.
Jeffrey sympathized with her. He’d seen her lunches with several men her brothers had arranged for her. He also knew that none had reached her in any way other than as nice companions for a meal occasionally.
Exasperated, she looked at her appearance in her small compact mirror. “Well, since I’m already late, I guess I should go tidy up a bit. You know how Sal is about appearances.”
Jeffrey nodded his head and put the menu back in its holder. “I’ll see you when you’re finished.”
Antonia smiled gratefully before turning and heading into the ladies room. She pulled a comb through her black, curly hair that refused to be tamed, then added more lipstick and a touch of powder to her nose. Satisfied that she’d done all she could, she marched out of the bathroom, then followed Jeffrey as he led her to the best table in the restaurant.
Sure enough, Sal’s face was full of disapproval when she walked up to the table at ten minutes after one o’clock. Antonia accepted the menu from Jeffrey, winking at him when Sal looked away.
She knew her suit was perfect for Sal’s taste. It was a pink Channel suit given to her by Carlo last year, her older brother by two years. The skirt was the right length, not too high above her knees, yet not snobbishly demure either. The triple strand of pearls at her neck was a nice accent, as were the small pearls at her ears.
Antonia could tell that from Sal’s expression, although she was tardy, her appearance was acceptable.
She hated this outfit. It was the perfect dress, the perfect accessories, and the perfect shoes. It wasn’t her at all. But since they were gifts from her brothers, and because they all thought she looked nice in them, she wore them whenever she was around them. Nice meant that she looked like a good, Italian girl was supposed to look. She wore the clothes they gave her in order to keep peace in the family and because she knew that her brothers cared for her. If making them happy meant showing up for a meal in clothes they approved of, she didn’t have a problem with that.